Jimmy Interview Boston

[BostonFins]

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles ... his_party/

Although known for his escapist tales of the tropics, Jimmy Buffett hasn’t shied away from slamming the economic downturn we’re in. On his new single, “Summerzcool,’’ he sings, “What’s up with this recession?/ I refuse to participate.’’ And in a song he’s debuting on tour, “A Lot to Drink About,’’ he takes some shots at supreme culprit Bernie Madoff: “Now Madoff made off with all the money/ Now his clients are down to skunk weed.’’ Another lyric talks about “getting angry in subprime city.’’

COMMENTS (1)
JIMMY BUFFETT & THE CORAL REEFER BAND

At Comcast Center tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $36-$136 at 877-598-8689 or http://www.livenation.com.
We caught up with him by phone and grilled him on this very un-Buffett-like sharing of political opinions.

Q. You haven’t been afraid to let loose lately about the state of the country. What’s up with that?

A. There’s a lot of stupidity going around on all sides. The country bought it all, and I thought people needed to be reminded about how stupid they were. And it’s an ongoing saga. I can certainly put more verses in “A Lot to Drink About’’ as we go along. For instance, I noticed that the schools are closing in Los Angeles, but the Lakers were just given a parade. There’s no end to the crazy things going on.

Q. Did you get swept up in the Madoff scandal yourself?

A. No, it all smelled like a rat in the beginning. I guess I’ve worked with so many crooked promoters that I can smell ’em. Money made on moving money around never interested me.

Q. How has the recession affected your tour? Is this the year the bubble bursts and some people will not come to see you?

A. No, we’re doing great. Thank God there are people out there who like what we’re doing. They haven’t put us on a list of things they’re not going to do because of the economy. This is their vacation and they’re not going to give it up. They may not go to Florida or buy a new car, but they won’t miss our show. I wanted to find out right away, so we went on sale early with a Detroit show - they’ve been as hard hit as anywhere - and it sold out in 20 minutes. I’m very grateful.

Q. You continue to churn out songs with great hooks. The new single, “Summerzcool,’’ fits right in with your best material.

A. Thanks. It’s on a chart somewhere, but I don’t even know what chart. I don’t look at them. . . . But I will say that you have to stay creative, and that’s a challenge when you get older. If you rest on your laurels, you’ll become a dinosaur act. If you want to stick around, you must keep writing. Look at doctors who graduate from medical school. That doesn’t mean they know everything about medicine forever. They can’t sit back.

Q. You’re getting some attention for discovering a new Cape Verdean musician, Ilo Ferreira, and bringing him out this tour. I heard you saw him en route to Mali a couple of years ago.

A. Yes, we saw him in a bar. He’s a guitar player and we’ve been fighting an immigration battle to get him here. He’s sitting in Providence, R.I., now and putting a band together with Cape Verdean kids and some kids from Berklee [College of Music]. He’ll be with us at the Boston shows. It’s fun. I feel like this is a way for me to give back, sort of noblesse oblige.

Q. You did the same with Jake Shimabukuro, the Hawaiian ukulele player, a couple of years ago.

A. We also have Jake with us this time, too.

Q. Often at your Boston shows, you mention that you once played tiny Club Passim in Cambridge. What was that like?

A. I remember eating at the original Legal Sea Foods site that night - eating on benches and getting a great meal cheap - and then working Passim. It’s a vague memory, but I had an appreciative crowd. The people who ran the place, Bob and Rae Anne Donlin, were old folkies and they got it. They took a shine to me.

Q. You’re always involved, it seems, with a million different businesses. I hear you’re engaged in a couple of Margaritaville casino resorts in Biloxi, Miss., and Atlantic City opening in the next year. And you’re opening a Margaritaville Cafe in Edmonton. Where do you find time for all of this?

A. Oh, don’t worry. I still go surfing.

[dnw]

Thanks for sharing.

[Frank4]

Thanks for that....I hope you folks get a version of "Please Come To Boston" tonight...