In 7th grade, I read Jimmy Buffett’s memoir, A Pirate Looks at 50, cover-to-cover in two days over Christmas break. At 13 years-old, I was weirdly into his music at the time, having just received his greatest-hits album Songs You Know By Heart in the mail via one of those Colombia House 8-CDs-for-free deals.
Devouring A Pirate Looks at 50 in a couple days, I was transfixed and amused by how Buffett beat the system and figured out how to live a damn fine life (and, hell, get rich) on his own terms. Flip-flops 24/7. Girls. Making music. Flying planes. Fishing. Writing. Chillin’ on a beach. Partying. To date, it’s still probably the single most important book I’ve ever read.
I got to meet Jimmy Buffett six years ago at a movie premiere in New York for Alex Gibney’s fantastic documentary about Hunter S. Thompson, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. It was a huge life moment for me.
Buffett might be the most beloved and transcendent Bro King in the Bro Universe; Your parents love him, your grandparents love him, and you love him because he excels at being himself. He’s a case-study for making something out of being yourself.
Enough of my fawning. Last night Buffett was on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show to. Rocking Chubbies-length yellow shorts and Margaritaville t-shirt, Buffett dolled out some drinking advice.
“What’s the cure for a hangover?”
“Don’t get drunk.”
Classic.