Post #786373 by Prikli Pear on Fri, Apr 27, 2018 8:52 PM

I like Buffett, but I'm of the First Church of Buffett, Orthodox persuasion. He hit his stride as a songwriter during the Key West days, and produced some great narrative lyrics. Tiki was in its death throes, so to speak, and his mantra of the time was to cast off society's expectations and restraints and live life for yourself. Then came Margaritaville, which in and of itself is a tight piece of musical storytelling, but folks who became Parrotheads heard it as a call to get liquored up on margaritas rather than the cautionary, elegiac tale it is (I mean, really, it's not a party song). Everyone wanted more Margaritavilles, and so I think Buffett started writing to appease those fans, and he lost his way in the 80s. He still wrote good songs on occasion, but much of his music became second-rate copies of what he was doing in the 70s. Now the commercialism has taken over and he's just cashing in.

By all accounts he seems to be a decent fellow and someone worth hanging out with, but damn. I mean, retirement communities? I can't even begin to grok that.