Of tiki tales, salty days in paradise
By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
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| Jimmy Buffett will preside over a festival of Parrotheads Tuesday at the Waikiki Shell.
Pamela Jones Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band 7 p.m. Tuesday Waikiki Shell $36 lawn seats (reserved seats sold out) (877) 750-4400 |
Take the oft-traded-around-the-tiki-bar legend of a seaplane-piloting Jimmy Buffett spotting parties from Caribbean airspace and then touching down to join in.
"It's been known to happen," said Buffett, chuckling over the phone from his Florida home. "I did that a couple of times. I've actually done that for surf breaks. I did it just last year.
"I saw this break in this little secret spot in the Caribbean and went, 'God, look at that!' I knew the guys there, so I called 'em on the radio. We dropped in. They came out on a dinghy. I went out, grabbed a couple of waves and took off."
Show of hands: Who wants to be a multi-millionaire musician with a pilot's license?
Buffett in conversation really does come off a lot like the laid-back, chatty Southern-gentleman pirate-of-leisure his fans might expect.
It might be a hoot-and-a-half discussing the deeper lyrical meanings of frothy, salt-rimmed escapist anthems like "Volcano," "Margaritaville" or "Grapefruit Juicy Fruit" with the guy who wrote 'em. Asking the famously crafty businessman and master marketer of all-things-Jimmy-Buffett what it felt like to rank behind only Prince, Madonna, Metallica and Elton John on Rolling Stone magazine's listing of music's top 50 earners for 2004? One guesses he might say pretty darn good.
Buffett reportedly raked in more than $36.5 million last year. More than $29 million of it came from his beloved Parrotheads following him on tour. The rest came from music sales — like his first-ever Billboard Top 200 No. 1 CD "License To Chill" — and his Margaritaville restaurant chain (Buffett swears one of 'em will be opening near us real soon).
But there was other stuff to ask Buffett about, a couple of weeks out from another one of his tour-ending Waikiki Shell shows — music fan to music fan.
For example, the late exotica legend Martin Denny, who made one of his final on-stage appearances at Buffett's last Honolulu concert in January 2004.
"As far as popularizing tiki culture on the Mainland, there was James Michener and Martin Denny," Buffett said. "What I loved about Marty is that there he was, in his 90s, and still talking about showgirls he knew back in New York in the '30s.
"That part of the history of the Pacific ... of those guys who went out there during the war, simply fell in love with the place and didn't go home? I like them."
Music from Buffett's sold-out 2004 Waikiki Shell and Maui shows was recently released on a live CD/DVD package called "Live In Hawaii." The set peaked at No. 66 on Billboard's Top 200 last month, the highest position of several live concert releases on Buffett's own self-distributed Mailboat label.
Also sharing the stage with Buffett at that Shell concert were Henry Kapono and Don Tiki. Don Ho introduced Buffett.
"I truly appreciate the musical culture of Hawai'i. It's inspired me for years," Buffett said. "And when you get to meet your heroes and people who are really good at it, it's just wonderful.
"I'm a big Titus Kinimaka fan and a big Iz (Kamakawiwo'ole) fan. The Ka'au Crater Boys did a couple of my songs, and they were great."
A phone friendship between Buffett and Hawai'i singer-songwriter Jack Johnson developed about six months ago when Buffett's 13-year-old daughter introduced her dad to a sweet-and-spare Johnson cover of "A Pirate Looks At 40" on iTunes. Buffett reciprocated by covering Johnson's "The Horizon Has Been Defeated" at live shows.
Asked if his three children — ages 11, 13 and 26 — influence his music tastes, Buffett couldn't help but beam with pride.
"My kids have a tremendous effect. They are truly my sounding board on what's contemporary out there," he said. "And what I think is cool about that, and gives me a lot of optimism, is that in this day and time of packaged, pre-determined, rarely-sung-live music, somebody like Jack Johnson comes along and defies it all. I was one of those guys when I was 25, and I'm glad to see somebody doing it now.
"I'm (also) glad to see someone that can appeal to a 13-year-old and the 40-year-olds in my house. He's a genuine guy and it shows."
Buffett was looking forward to finally meeting Johnson next week — possibly on stage.
"But don't go spreading that rumor, Derek," said Buffett, laughing.
Done, Mr. Buffett. But about those kids keeping their dad in the now ...
Have your kids forced an iPod on you yet?
"I had an iPod before they had an iPod! ... I see where it's going, and I'm kind of a techno nut."
Is there better music on your iPod than theirs?
Buffett cracked up. "It's actually pretty cool. You'd be surprised."
Care to share the playlist?
"No, no, no, no! You've gotta keep that stuff secret. (Otherwise) it'd be like Paris Hilton on the Internet afterwards."
Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8005.
