Jimmy Buffett

The songwriter on the Church of Buffett and hanging with Bob Dylan

What was the most indulgent purchase you ever made?

When I went to Nashville to seek my fortune and fame in 1969, I bought a Martin D-28 [guitar] and a D-18 12-string. And I hocked everything I had for that, because “this was it!” I was going to Nashville, and I had to take the chance. And when I got there, my first wife and I spent our first honeymoon night at the Holiday Inn in Nashville on West End — and both guitars were stolen out of my car that night. Talk about indulgent — it took me years to pay it off because I had no insurance or anything, and I had to go get another guitar.

There’s an actual group of fans known as Church of Buffett, Orthodox, who love your first few albums, and militantly reject everything else. What do you make of it?

I’m glad you asked that, because I love it! I love the Church of Buffett! I mean, I don’t want them to get as big as Martin Luther. I went back to listen to those first three albums, and I kind of understand. All I ever tried to do was make a record that a fan could add to their collection. Well, the Church of Buffett didn’t think they needed to add anything after [1977’s] Changes in Latitudes [ laughs]! I’m gonna bet you a couple of them buy [my new album] Life on the Flip Side because it’s gonna remind them of those first three albums.

You once talked about cutting back on partying, after a show where you felt like a hangover compromised your performance. What was that revelation like for you?

They call it “take the money and run” shows, where you may not feel your best and the audience won’t know it, because they’re so happy to be there. But I feel terrible when those things happen. I never wanted to do another [show like that]. And it scared me to death. You think you’re bulletproof. You’re in rock & roll. Drugs or sex — everything was around. But I didn’t want to make my family ashamed of me. And that was a very strong deterrent; it helped me make that change in my life at that time.

After that, you went into therapy. What was the biggest thing you learned there?

“Your life is not a performance. The performance is part of your life.” Ding, ding. Yeah, that rang a bell.

You’re a Bob Dylan fan — and he’s a big fan of yours. How did you react when he covered “A Pirate Looks at 40” back in 1982?

I was thrilled about it. [Around that time], I was in St. Barts, and I heard this voice say, “Hey, Jimmy, that’s a nice-looking pair of shoes.” And it was Bob Dylan! And he invited me out on his boat, and we sat there and got stoned all day long. I’m thinking, “Man, we have a bond here.” A few years later, I was in Paris, and Dylan was playing with [Tom Petty]. I went backstage. Dylan was sitting there. I said, “Bob, how you doin’?” He went, “Ehhh.” He never said a word! I ate my meal and said, “Well, have a good show. See you later.” That was it. I haven’t seen him since!

I hear “Margaritaville” as a pretty melancholy song — yet at the same time you’ve built an entire hedonistic brand around it. How do you see that paradox?

When we did the Broadway musical, they did it as a melancholy song. And, yeah, there’s a little melancholy. But, you know, the theme of Mardi Gras is Folly chasing Death — you got to have fun to keep the devil away.

On your new album, you sing, “Live like it’s your last day.” Is that good advice or terrible advice?

When you’ve had a couple of close calls — an airplane crash, a stage dive — you think you’re probably living on borrowed time. So I kind of do choose to live like it’s my last day. You never know. At 73, you’re losing a lot of friends, and it’s a constant progression towards . . . y’know, what’s there. Everybody goes at some point.

How would you like to be remembered?

“He had a good time and made a lot of people happy” would be good.

BRIAN HIATT

Buffett’s new LP, ‘Life on the Flip Side,’ is out on his Mailboat label.