Tabitha ~ posted 8/7/01
Tabitha ~ 8/26/98
I met Jimmy on August 26, 1998. We met at a concert at Greatwoods in Mansfield, Massachusetts. It was probably 75 degrees. But because I was nervous and Jimmy was slowly shooting my heart 8 times with Cupid's Arrow, melting it and ripping it out. After Jimmy ripped my heart out, he replaced it with a piece of his own heart!! If you want, you can say that I have a piece of his heart inside me and he has a piece of my heart inside him. We are essentially taking care of each other's hearts. This will continue for the rest of our lives.
Jimmy & I shook hands 3 times. The first time, he was casual. "Hi. How are you? Having a good time? Glad you could be here."
(For the second time, please keep in mind he speaks with a Southern Accent.) This time, Mr. Casual went right out the window. This time, he must have remembered me and I must have looked a little nervous to him because Jimmy said "Hi. How are you? Are you OK, Sweetheart?" This shocked me, and I told Jimmy I was OK, but I should have told him that I did feel a little nervous.
The third time, he let me start the conversation. I had brought my copy of A Pirate Looks At Fifty along and asked Jimmy if he could please sign it for me. He replied by saying, "I'm sorry, Sweetheart. But I don't have a pen right now. I'll have to do it later.
At this point, most famous people would have said, "Leave me alone, kid. I don''t want to be bothered." They just don't have the time.
However, James William Buffett is NOT MOST PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!! After saying he would have to do it later, he did something that I DID NOT EXPECT him to do!!
After the concert was over, Jimmy ran backstage and asked his bodyguard to find me and tell me to put my name and address in the book. I was not back there, but I think that Jimmy said something like this, "A nice young lady asked me to sign her book for her and I couldn't do it because I didn't have a pen on me. Could you please do me a favor? Go back there, find her, tell her to put her name and address in the book and I'll sign it and mail it back to her. Could you also give her this if you find her? (At this point, Jimmy hands his bodyguard a drumstick used and signed by the drummer from that night) and says, "I want her to have this."
When Jimmy's bodyguard comes out and tells my mother and I this, I am very ecstatic. I was sooooo shocked, that I couldn't tell him to tell Jimmy I said "thank you." But I think Jimmy understands that I was shocked and nervous, otherwise he wouldn't have done this.
One more thing. I found out later that Jimmy left my book in his hotel room, by accident of course. However, he was kind enough to call the hotel back that he was staying at when he realized this. He told the person that he talked to that my book was all autographed, in the envelope, and addressed. Could they just mail it out for him?
Never mind signing autographs!! Most famous people wouldn't have had the heart to do that either, like Jimmy did.
Even though I was nervous, I found him very kind, generous, caring and easy to take to. He is also quite outgoing.
If any of you phellow Parrot Heads out there get the chance to talk to Jimmy again or you know someone who is going to the concert and might be meeting him for the first time, please tell them this story.
Thank you. Fins up.
CILCIA ~ 10/15/99
Capt Vinnie Reyes ~ 1/29/99It was circa June 1996. "Banana Wind" just came out and Jimmy was on The Late Show with David Letterman. My friend, who's name is also "Jimmy", worked for The Late Show at the time. He got me in to watch Jimmy rehearse before the show. During the rehearsal he sat in the audience to hear how the Coral Reefers sounded. He sat next to Savannah Jane. They were 4 seats away from me. During that time he asked me how the band sounded. I guess he noticed I was staring at him. I told him they sound GREAT!! "You sound GREAT!!" After that encounter I was frozen. I finally mustered up some courage to go talk with him again, on stage. I told him I was a huge fan and that I support him as much as I can. (Meaning:I buy his C.D.'s,books, Concert Tix, eat at Marg. Cafe.) He laughed and shook my hand, and thanked me. I regret not having a camera to catch him laughing at my joke. Well that's my story. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed your website.
Ron Uselton ~ 12/6/98Back when the Prodigy bulletin boards swarmed with Parrotheads (one word), I was known as the Lifeguard, protecting the PH's (one word) from the nasty current that might suck them right our of Parrothead Bay into Pearl Jam (a then mostly unknown but highly feared muck that lived in the waters outside our very particular harbor). One day a young lady new to the bay asked what a Parrothead was. Of course, that is one word. And, I responded, waxing quite eloquent on the margarita buzz that was keepin' me goin'. Well, turns out, that young lady's mother was a Coral Reefer (two words?), and she got me backstage passes during the Dallas concert in 1992.
My wife and I met the man, and he was great. I was so overwrought that he even consoled me as he autographed my hat and allowed my wife to take our picture together. We look like two old winos sitting at a pinic table. It was an experience I'll never forget.
Michael Carnell ~ 10/30/98Jimmy was just here in Charleston, SC! (Oct. 30, 1998). He was touring his new shop here, the first time since it opened. He did a fairly lengthy interview for the local paper, The Post & Courier, and I even made it onto the front page of the paper with Jimmy signing my stuff. He also did an interview with the local NCB affiliate, Channel 2. He told them he would be back for a concert in the Spring, that it would be a new tour - not DSTC, that he saw no reason that the rehersals wouldn't continue here, and that he was on his way home to start writing songs for the new album. He placed the tentative release date in late spring or summer, but said it will be done "when I am finished."
After all the interviews, he talked to the local parrot heads and asked their opinions of the store. I was able to distract him by asking him to sign two albums I had brought with me - the two he did with the Now Generation. When he saw them he stopped dead in his tracks in disbelief. He said he hadn't seen them in over 30 years, showed them to Sunshine Smith who had never seen them, and questioned me extensively about where I got them. He also listed some of the other people on the albums and told me which songs he sang on. I was pretty excited so I have forgotten what he said, but I will try to recall. He signed both albums for me with nice inscriptions, and then signed the books I had brought.
All around, he was very nice and receptive to the people who were there - only 50 to 75, tops. If you have any questions let me know, but it was great! Check all of this out, and the picture, at my site
P. Ryland ~ 10/15/98New Orleans Jazz Fest (1987?). Front row seats at the River Walk. During one of the acts, I spotted Paul Schaffer (sp?) of D. Letterman fame) to the right of the stage. I spotted Jimmy in the same location. Quickly grabbing a pen, I was able to slide over grab his autograph, shake his hand, and let him know how much I appreciated his music. After about 1 - 2 mins of idle banter, I was suddenly crushed by a CROWD of people as they figured out what was happening.
Larry ~ 10/9/98On June 10, 1996, I won a contest to appear on stage with Jimmy and the Coral Reefer Band at Alpine Valley, East Troy , WI. I went on stage in front of 40,000 people and got to play Cheeseburger In Paradise and do what will probably be known as the worst guitar solo ever heard during a Buffett Concert. The band and crew were awesome, (friendly, fun etc.) and shared some Coronas with me. To top it all off after my solo they gave me the Gibson Celebrity guitar autographed by Jimmy Buffett himself. What an unreal experience....and what a great bunch of guys and gals in the band!!!!
Colby ~ 9/28/98I have never met Jimmy myself but my sister has. Me and my family were in the Margaritaville Cafe in Key West probably nine years ago and my sister noticed that Jimmy was there and as she stood by him waiting to get an autograph he put his arm around her and started to walk out of the cafe thinking that my sister was Savannah Jane. When he looked down he started laughing . If I was the parrothead that I am now back then, I would have flipped out. Keep up the six string music Jimmy.
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