September 2, 2023 - The Day My Hero Died
Hi, I am Kimberly. I first met Jimmy Buffett through a cassette tape that I swiped from my sister's boyfriend in 1994. I was 16. And from that point on, I was hooked.
September 2, 2023, I woke to the news of Jimmy Buffett's death. I had chosen to sleep in that morning. My phone was in sleep mode. I received a text from my 15-year-old-son. He is one of the privileged few who can penetrate Apple's mighty DND mode. I immediately checked it because my son had stayed overnight with friends. Groups of 15-year-old boys aren't known for making the best decisions. His text was simple - Jimmy Buffett died. First, thinking and hoping, this was a horrible practical joke, I opened Google and triple checked this information. Like many of you, I was stunned. Discombobulated. Disoriented.
I felt had lost my compass.
I found refuge, solace, and solidarity in the many Parrotthead groups on Facebook and listening to Radio Margaritaville on Sirius. I spent the weekend crying and laughing as I read the amazing stories of Jimmy run-ins. Two of my favorites were about the young fellow getting recruited to drive Jimmy's Porsche and especially, the story about the sweet mom who met Jimmy on a dock in Cocoa Bay, had no clue who he was and thought he was homeless. Oh, and the Russian sub, that one was awesome. I learned about lyrics that I had misheard, and I laughed with you all. Who knew! That waterbed wasn't filled up with Elmer's Glue. I see a Jimmy-inspired tattoo in February on my next trip to Key West in my future. I connected with y'all over how Jimmy spoke to so many of us daily in our lives through his music. I have so many stories to tell about how one of his songs got me through a tough time or a memorable moment. I will be forever grateful for the showmanship and strategist that Jimmy was, in particular his foresight to release Bubbles Up on the day of his death. Like many of you, I cried every time I heard Bubbles Up for almost two weeks. It's a beautiful song. And it helped me begin to recalibrate my compass.
Let's Keep the Party Going
During moments when I still can't believe that Jimmy is gone and there will be no more new music after this last album, I have wanted to go back to the Facebook groups and reread the great stories about concert pilgrimages, crazy meetups with Jimmy, and how a love for Jimmy brought so many of us together in the most unlikely ways.
After attempting this a few times in the past weeks, frustration has set in like cabin fever with the magnitude of posts in the Facebook groups and my inability to get back to the date Sept 2 and the days following.
Come Monday
During the days after his death, Radio Margaritaville broadcasted a live concert from 2.15.2023 in Hollywood, FL. While introducing Come Monday, Jimmy thanked Leonard Cohen for being the musical inspiration for this song. We all know that Jane inspired the words. I believe Jimmy was referring to how Leonard Cohen inspired Jimmy's unique style of music. As he finished his shout out to Mr. Cohen, Jimmy added "Who knows, maybe I have inspired some people." (This is a quote from memory. I have only heard this concert and song introduction once. When the concert is replayed, I will get an exact quote.)
This is my inspiration for creating this website. Following the frustration of fruitless searches in Facebook in the weeks following his death, I began pondering the idea of a fan-based tribute website to Jimmy. He has left us with treasure of Jimmy moments through Radio Margaritaville, Margaritaville.TV (jimmybuffett.com), his books, live albums, recorded concerts and much more.
I wondered, "What if we return the favor?" Let's leave a legacy of how Jimmy touched our lives. This website is a celebration, a memorial, and a tribute to Jimmy Buffett. It is a place where you can chat and post your decals, tattoos, and license plates. You can also tell your story: Did Jimmy inspire you to travel somewhere? What were your concert traditions? Did you meet Jimmy? You can share your artwork and poems inspired by Jimmy. You can join this site and take in all the joys of Jimmy, or you can email it to me by clicking the link below or directly to kimberly@fruitcakesfinsforever.com.
My hope is to gather these stories and gift them to the world through this website. My dream is to have these stories published in a coffee table tribute book with much of the proceeds going to Jimmy's charities. I am a Gen Xer. I like coffee table books. I dream of sitting in my favorite chair, sipping my favorite red wine, with my favorite Jimmy Buffett concert playing in the background while flipping through a hard copy of all these wonderful stories about Jimmy and Jimmy's inspirations. That daydream gives me the warm fuzzies.
Stay tuned for more Jimmy stories from my life.
Fruitcakes & Fins Forever,
xoxo, Kimberly
And start sharing, connecting, and laughing. Fins UP!
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