All language subtitles for Parrot.Heads.2017.1080p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.GG - YTS.BZ]ENG

[crowd cheering]

[man 1]
In 1985, in Timberwolf Theater

at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio,

Timothy B. Schmit and Jimmy Buffett
were doing a live concert.

We're looking at the crowd,
and Jimmy was talking to me.

I said, "Look at
all those Deadheads out there."

Timothy B. Schmidt
goes, "No, no,

"those are Parrot Heads."

[trop rock music playing]

I've been to 31 shows.

About 20 shows.

This is our 17th show in a row.

Forty five to 50 Buffett shows.

This is show number 79.

[man 2]
A fan is a fanatic,

and a Parrot Head is a noun

that is something beyond a fan.

Parrot Head has come to really
the whole tropical lifestyle,

that's the music,
the travel, the clothes.

Parrot Heads have created this whole world
around Jimmy Buffett.

It's like they
tune in to a frequency.

Jimmy takes you
back down to the beach.

[woman 1] When I think of his music,
I think of palm trees, hammocks.

It's songs about escaping.

Your escapism.

Escapism.

It gives you
a little break from life.

They wanna escape for...

and take their vacation
for a couple of days while we're in town.

[man 2]
It's like a condensed week at the beach.

It's not just a fan club.

It's a group of people

who wanna do good things
for this Earth and for the community.

So, they call it
"party with a purpose".

So, everything they do
is to raise money for charity.

They've raised probably
over $15 to $20 million overall.

[Jimmy Buffett]
The community of people you get to meet

based on their love
of this music

is a very satisfying thing.

[Jerry Diaz]
A lot of folks think that

Parrot Heads only like
listening to Jimmy Buffett,

but Parrot Heads are
really strong supporters

of independent music.

Once I got into the club,

I started hearing
all these other artists

that kind of run
in the same vein.

We call them
"trop rock" artists.

"Tropical rock".
And then, they kind of
shortened it to "trop rock."

It's gone beyond just Jimmy Buffett
and his music,

but it's encompassed
all these trop rock musicians.

[man 3]
Dennis Davis in Texas.

[woman 2]
Jimmy and the Parrots.

[man 4]
Jerry Diaz.

[man 5]
Sunny Jim.

[woman 3]
Tall Paul.

[man 6]
Melanie Howe.

[woman 4]
Thom Shepherd.

[man 7]
Southern Drawl Band.

[man 8]
Jim Morris, Kelly McGuire,
Jerry Montag, Boat Drunks.

[woman 5]
But Jimmy started it.

Jimmy Buffett gave me
the soundtrack for my life.

[Buffett]
I never expected it to go
to the level that it's gone to.

[laughing]
And I'm very appreciative.

[crowd cheering and applauding]

[Buzz Cason]
It was 1969,

and I was working
at a studio called Spar

in the basement of the Baker Building
there in Nashville.

Engineer was Travis Turk,

and he was from Mobile.
He was from where Jimmy was.

And he had a friend,
Milton Brown.

These two guys, to me,
are totally responsible

for Jimmy's launching.

He said, "Hey, Milton's got
some new tapes on Jimmy,"

and, you know,
he'd like for us to listen.

So, he set them up,
and I thought,

"Well, that sounds pretty good.
Have him come up and see us."

When he came up, of course,
I was charmed by him,

because he had
that something that
you can't put your finger on.

He had some magic about him.

It's the first thing
that you have to really do
to have any kind of success

is find people who would
actually pay money
to go see you.

It was a struggle
in the beginning

to find enough people
that would get anybody excited

about taking the first steps.

[Cason]
As he progressed
and grew as a writer,

he really became a poet,
and a prophet,
and everything else,

you know, and he was able
to put that into his music.

In Nashville,

the musicians,
and the singers, songwriters,
and everybody around

really took to Jimmy.

He'd play somewhere,
and they'd say,

"Hey, this guy knows
what he's doing."

You start at that level

of, like, an opening act
on a five-act bill
or something like that,

and then people start coming,

and you can start
creating your following.

[Cason]
When he moved to Key West,

I remember a card,
a letter, he sent me

kind of thanking me
for what I'd done
in his early career.

He said, "I have found a home."

And that was the first year,
first time he'd gone
to Key West.

He got implanted down there

and became part of that culture.

That was the beginning
of the tropical thing
about his music.

I think
everybody just gravitated
to that fun, carefree lifestyle.

He got right out
into their hearts, into their...

He was down partying with them,

but he was up
on stage, you know?

And he was
everybody's buddy
and still is.

There's not many people
that were entertainers,

but everybody
could relate to them.

The fans themselves...

the loyalty is unbelievable.

[all cheering]

Buffett!

[Cason]
If you're gonna go,

you know, you're gonna go
all-out for this guy.

["Margaritaville" playing]

♪ Wasted away again
in Margaritaville ♪

[Cason]
The party exploded.

♪ Searchin' for
my lost shaker of salt ♪

How many people
would you think
you play to in a year?

Last summer, we played
to probably about 700,000.

♪ Some people claim that
there's a woman to blame ♪

♪ And I know ♪

[Buffett]
This is usually
some woman's fault.

[Jimmy Fallon]
Do you even own socks?

-No, no.
-You don't, right?

[audience cheering]

[Cason]
"Songs You Know by Heart"

was on the charts
for 434 weeks,

and this particular
Billboard chart,
it's number one.

[Buffett]
We play 35 cities a year,
and we sell out.

There's 29 or 30 websites,
of which I only have one.

You know, I mean,
I just don't understand it,

but I appreciate it so much.

Hi, this is Scott Nickerson.

I wanna welcome everybody
to the fifth annual
Parrot Head convention.

Scott started the very first
Parrot Head club in Atlanta

back in '89, I believe.

None of us would be together

if it weren't
for Scott Nickerson.

That's Scott Nickerson.
Can you believe it?

-[laughing]
-I've seen him
in the parking lot.

I'm Scott Nicker-...
[laughing]

Ah!

I'm Scott Nickerson,
founder of Parrot Heads
in Paradise,

the Parrot Head clubs
all over America

and the rest of the world.

[laughing]

[Bryce Wagoner]
You wanna stop?

I gotta do another one.

[Nickerson]
I was a morning man

at this tiny,
little FM radio station.

I got the award for being
the most listened-to morning guy

from Jacksonville, Florida
all the way south to Daytona,

but the money
wasn't too good.
[laughing]

So, I left after about a year.

I moved to Atlanta

and then really got lucky.

Right place
at the right time in Atlanta.

Ended up playing music
for a living.

I was into
more the rock and roll,
in-your-face kind of stuff.

The Who,
Led Zeppelin,
Black Sabbath,

Alice Cooper
when that came out.

Deep Purple was
a huge band for me.

So the first band
I played on a regular basis
when I was 15 years old.

We played a lot of their songs.

For me, Buffett was
a country artist,

and I was into
country music at all,

because I was
into rock and roll.

When I lived in St. Augustine,

a lot of the entertainment
in the bars and restaurants

were single acts.

Usually, somebody playing
an acoustic guitar and singing.

A lot of people were
doing the Buffett covers.

I guess I got used
to hearing that kind of music

as a way to, you know, relax.

When I moved to Atlanta,

I had the "You Had
to Be There" live album.

Some songs on that
just really spoke to me,
I guess.

I was so homesick
for St. Augustine.

That's really the reason
I got into Buffett.

Parrot Heads in Paradise,
before it got that name,

were just Atlanta
Parrot Head Club.

I seemed to meet
the same 10 or 15 people
tailgating when Jimmy played.

I just got this wild hair.

I said, "You know,
how about putting an ad in
the "Creative Loafing" newspaper

to see if Buffett fans,

people who like
that Buffett lifestyle
that he sings about,

would be interested
in getting together
on a regular basis.

[Buffett]
I really didn't wanna
do a fan club.

I thought that that's...
That's asking too much.

But the seeds
of the Parrot Head phenomenon
grew into this on its own.

I got phone calls,
first two weeks, I guess,

and we set up
the first meeting,
if you wanna call it that.

I would say probably
no more than 12 people
that got together,

but we had a ball.

You've heard my theory
behind the starting of
the entire Parrot Head nation.

And the whole theory there
is that Scott Nickerson
just wanted to get laid.

[all laughing]

Within a couple of months,

the people with
"The Coconut Telegraph,"
Buffett's newspaper,

they decided to put a blurb
about the Atlanta Parrot Head
Club in it,

and they put my name
and my phone number
in there as well.

So, I started getting calls
from all over the country,

Detroit,
Madison, Wisconsin,

Columbia, South Carolina,

New York City.

We had 'em
in L.A., Las Vegas,

The first one that I'm aware of

that started overseas
was in Australia.

As far as I know,
they're still there.

He would be one
of the founding fathers
of a lifestyle.

Yeah, exactly.

If you were to look at it
in religious terms,

-he'd be a major prophet.
-Yeah.

[Nickerson]
We used to get
rented buses, go to games.

We went water rafting,

hiking, backyard barbecue.

Go to Stone Mountain
and see the fireworks.

It didn't have
that much to do
with going out and drinking.

It was more about being outside
and doing things together.

[woman 6]
Scott brought
the first group together,

and there are clubs now
all over the world.

He has facilitated so many
very special friendships.

[Buffett]
He found other people that
liked listening to my music.

I think that
that's really a unique thing,

because I was doing
exactly the same thing
on the other side,

trying to find people
who liked my music.

[Nickerson]
I had the idea,

but a lot of other people
were involved in making it
what it is now.

Scott Nickerson and Jerry Diaz

they threw around this idea
of having a national convention
for Parrot Heads.

We said, "Hey,
wouldn't it be great

"to get everybody
together for a little...
a party somewhere,

"and where else better
than New Orleans?"

We let "Coconut Telegraph"
know about,

"Hey, we're doing this.
We're all Parrot Heads."

And they said,
"You know, it'd be better

"if you had a name
for this party,

"you know, just
to give it a little panache."

And I thought about 10 seconds.

Hell, not even
10 seconds. 5 seconds.

I said, "Let's call it
Meeting of the Minds."

And I thought it was
just a throw-away line,

but it ended up being
what they call it now, so...
[laughing]

MOTM, Meeting of the Minds.

[Announcer]
Welcome to the 1995
Meeting of the Minds.

This weekend is a time
to party with the flock
from across the country.

It's also a time to reflect
on the true purpose
of the clubs.

Hi, this is Jimmy.
We're still on the road,
and I won't be in New Orleans,

but, uh, welcome
all y'all to Margaritaville

for the fourth annual
Parrot Head Club meeting...

[laughing]
at New Orleans.

[Sunny Jim]
It started getting big enough

that they needed to move it
to a bigger place.

Had to cap it off
at 3,500 people.

And that fills up fast.

[Sunny Jim]
They moved it to Key West.

Jerry still has an annual party

called Pardi-Gras
in New Orleans.

Welcome to Pardi-Gras.

This is our annual event
that we have here
in New Orleans.

It's put on by myself

and a group
of really close friends.

Last 15 to 20 years,
I've been writing songs,
and recording albums,

and playing live shows
throughout the Gulf Coast

from Key West all the way down
to South Padre Island.

Our music is
pretty much centered
around a tropical theme.

Uh, I think the name
for the genre is
"trop rock" music.

Something that's really
part of our culture
and our lifestyle

here on the Texas coast.

This song is
pretty special to me,

because it's a song
about where I live,

the people that
I've grown up with.

It's called "Gulf Coast Day".

[trop rock music playing]

[trilling]

Trop rock sound incorporates
a lot of different types
of instrumentation.

Mostly, it's centered around
some kind of tropical lyrics.

Songs about escapism.

A lot of trop rock music
involves steel drums
and congas.

Pretty much
anything that centers

on the topic of tropical,
uh, lyrics and content

is regarded as trop rock music.

♪ The Gulf of Mexico ♪

♪ Spends his time
between his flop gigs ♪

♪ Chasing girls
he'd like to know ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh
Oh ♪

♪ Watching Charlie go ♪

[Diaz] We've developed
a lot of friends
over the years,

uh, I guess because
we've been at this,

playing the trop rock music
and putting on events,

for really over 20 years now.

People apparently
like what we're doing.

I fell in love with Jerry
in a bar in our hometown,
Nederland, Texas.

He would get up
on the bar and surf

when they played
Beach Boys' music,

and I loved it.
I fell in love with him
that first night I met him.

That's it. [laughing]
He was awesome.

And we've been together
really ever since.

When I met Jerry,
he was already
a Jimmy Buffett fan,

and we started going
to concerts together
all the time,

and all our friends
were big Parrot Heads.

So, we all just decided,
"We need something
to represent us,

and that's how we formed
our Parrot Head Club.

What I think makes
my dad so special
to the Parrot Head community

is that he gives
so much of himself.

[Mary Diaz]
He will bend over backwards
for the other musicians.

Jerry Diaz, man, that guy
has done more to help me
get into new markets.

And, you know, he's...
He's booked me gigs and shows
playing the same places he does.

And he doesn't
see it as competition.
He's helping somebody out.

He's thrown a lot
of shows my way,

and he's just always been
a good friend and a good buddy.

And, uh, we've had
a lot of fun playing together.

And Jerry is a great songwriter
and a great performer.

[Jerry Diaz]
As part of Pardi-Gras,

we do a parade that
we have on Friday night.

It's called
the Pardi-Gras Parade.

We raise some money
for charities here
in New Orleans,

and, uh... And we just
have a good time.

[marching music playing]

[Buffett]
When I saw it,

it appealed directly
to my sense of Mardi Gras,

because I come out
of a French Mardi Gras culture.

That's all this really is.

[Jerry Diaz]
Fun set after that.

Hope y'all are having
a good time at Pardi-Gras.

Are you having a good time?

[crowd cheering]

Isn't it good
to be in New Orleans
on a beautiful day like...

Come on, Parrot Heads!

♪ Friday night
And we're feeling right
on the bayou ♪

♪ Have some crawfish
in the pot ♪

♪ And Wingtips on the radio ♪

♪ Look at all our kin here
We've got beaucoup ♪

Live auction is really
the big fund-raiser.

Here's the rules, folks.

Dig deep.

Credit cards are accepted
on these auction items, okay?

1,900 going twice.
Sold. $1,900. Thank you, sir.

♪ Let the good times roll ♪

♪ Till the cows come home ♪

♪ Put your problems
in the past ♪

♪ Let the good times roll ♪

My name is Thomas Pimentel.

I'm from Boston, Massachusetts,

and I'm a Parrot Head.

I first started making movies
when I was 10 years old.

You know, acting out,
putting on shows,

and doing impressions,
and things like that.

We are two wild and crazy guys!

[Thomas Pimentel]
Every single
school project I had,

I begged and pleaded
to turn them into videos.

I love satire,
and I love parody.

Somebody see a ghost?

["Ghostbusters" theme playing]

It's the Ghostbusters!

Sorry we're late, big man.
Traffic was brutal.

It's the ghost of The Bambino.
It's my biggest fear.

You'll never win without me.

I was the best pitcher
you ever had.

My greatest influence,
as far as film-making goes,
is Steven Spielberg.

The movie that really changed
my whole entire outlook
on making films

was "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

This crossover between
my favorite movie of all time

and this world of Jimmy Buffett
just seemed to make sense.

I thought to myself,
"Indiana James

and the Raiders
of the Lost Shaker of Salt."

[dramatic music playing]

[Pimentel]
It is a monumental task

trying to recreate
a blockbuster like
"Raiders of the Lost Ark."

Especially on
a next-to-nothing budget.

Shot in six different states
in over 60 locations,

the project has taken
a decade to complete.

Two statues that Indy climbs up
and crashes through the wall,

we built that
totally from scratch.

I mean, if it gives you
any street cred,
I think it would.

[laughing]

We interject so many jokes

and references
for the super-super-nerds.

What is Indiana James
afraid of the most?

Cakes.

-Why did it have to be cakes?
-[Pimentel]
"Why did it have to be cakes?"

Indiana Jones is
searching for the lost ark.

Jimmy Buffett is searching
for his lost shaker of salt,

and you don't really know
if he'll ever find it.

[dramatic music playing]

[Pimentel]
It's escapism.

Jimmy Buffett is
an escapism artist,

and that's what filmmakers are.

Someone sent me
a message through YouTube,

and it said, you know,
"What's this project about?

and what's
the Buffett connection?"

Turns out, it was
Jimmy Buffett's media director.

He said, "We'll take
a clip of your movie,

and we'll play it
during intermission."

We were down at the show.

He does his first set,

and then the lights go down,

and on the giant screens,

plays "Indiana James
and the Raiders of
the Lost Shaker of Salt."

[dramatic music playing in film]

[crowd cheering and applauding]

It was everything
that I hoped it would be.

[man]
We did it, baby.

[Pimentel]
I got a call on my cell phone.

"Come back stage.
Jimmy wants to meet you."

And, you know,
I couldn't believe it.

He says, "What in the hell
possessed you to make
this movie?"

And I said,
"An over-active imagination
and an abundance of free time."

He said,
"I can relate to that."

Cheers and fins up!

[trilling and laughing]

[trop rock music playing]

[announcer]
Get out your tropical clothing.

Sioux Falls cable
and KELO-FM

welcome the A1A
Brew Ha Ha Tour

Friday, July 10th
for one night only.

Probably a year or so
into the Parrot Head Club
in Atlanta,

I got a call
from a guy's mother.

Talking about her son
plays tons of Buffett music,

and maybe I would wanna hire him

to play for some
Parrot Head events.

He was playing at a place
not far from where I lived,

so I went and checked it out.

He invited me to come,
and sit in with them,

and play some
of their Buffett stuff.

We sat down
and went to talking.

And I said, "Listen,
when you go back to this club

"and play,

"why don't you
talk to the manager
about just doing Buffett?

Call it a Buffett
Tribute Weekend."

And it was
a packed house all weekend.

It was just one of those things
where you look at each other,
and you go,

"That was a good idea.

"Let's form
a Buffett cover band.

Call it A1A."

It was based on a highway
that runs north and south

from about
Jacksonville, Florida

all the way south to Key West.

[harmonic playing]

We got corporate work,
wedding receptions,
outdoor concerts.

The biggest show we
ever played was in Vegas.

And Buffett was playing inside.

They had us play
outside the venue.

I was told we played
to over 3,000 people that day.

When he was round with A1A,

there was always
an event, always a party.

He was sort of my inspiration.

You see these people going nuts.

Thanks, everyone.
Let's hear it for Scott one time
for doing all this stuff.

[crowd cheering]

There was a band way out
on the end of the dock,

and you couldn't really see,
but you could hear.

And I thought,
"Oh, my god! Jimmy's out there.
It's Buffett playing"

And then we get out there,
and it was A1A.

[Michael Utley]
They were, like, the first
organized trop rock group,

and, you know, it helped create
the fanat-, fanatic...

You know,
the Parrot Head behavior.

He's taking
over Jimmy's position
after this tour,

and we've already discussed it
with the Coral Reefer Band.

Scott is going to be
the new Jimmy Buffett.

[Nickerson]
We hit it at the right time.

There was nobody else out there
calling themselves a Buffett
tribute show.

There were people doing
a lot of Buffett songs,

but not just that.

I thought, "If this lasts
a year and a half

"before people are gonna
see what's going on,

and they say,
'Oh, I can do that.'"

It took eight years
for anybody to start doing
what we were doing.

[trop rock music playing]

[Nickerson]
I was living my dream,

and then, everything
just fell apart.

[ethereal music playing]

[Nickerson]
I noticed I had
some problems with my eyes.

They did an MRI on me

and found that
I had a brain tumor.

I had to have it taken out.

They had to split me basically
all around like a backwards
questions mark on my scalp.

[Cindy Eayly]
Then, you know,
surgery was over.

Everything seemed fine.
Tumor was gone.

And then,
all of a sudden,
he stroked.

[Nickerson]
It went straight to my brain
to my speech motor function.

[Eayly]
This is a man who...

could not speak.

He couldn't put
a sentence together.

Couldn't focus.

The Parrot Head
community was, uh...
was just in shock.

My phone rang a lot.

People, friends of Scott's,
who wanted to know what...

what was going on.

He's a drummer
also a harmonica player,

and those are fine motor skills

that could be in danger
of being damaged or lost.

[Eayly]
We really didn't know
what the outcome was gonna be.

I loved Scott's voice,

you know, when he and Jeff
would sing together.

I always liked Scott's voice.

I was just afraid
it would, uh, take a toll

on his being able to sing,

and it did.
It did.

♪ Hold me close ♪

♪ -We are the Earth
-We are the Earth ♪

[singing indistinctly]

[Nickerson]
It took me quite a while
to learn to speak again.

I still, you know,
have problems
with certain words.

You know, when you come out
of something like that,

you're really not thinking
like you did before.

I thought, "Well, I can go
back on the road,

and everything will be fine."

A year into recovery,
I started having seizures.

That was the most
horrible thing in the world.

I wouldn't wish it
on my worst enemy.

I wasn't able to stay
as involved with PHIP
as I had been before.

[Eayly]
Someone puts
their heart and soul

into an organization,

and get it going,
and it works,

and it's growing,

but then, new people
come into the mix,

and they want to change things.

To me, you know,
Scott was PHIP.

Members of new clubs now,

probably the majority don't know
who Scott Nickerson is,

and I think that's a real shame.

[Nickerson]
And I moved after my surgery

to, uh, Wilmington,
North Carolina

to be closer to my doctors,

help me with the recovery.

I really can't remember too much
about the actual breakup,

um, between Scott and Jeff.

[Nickerson]
The end of A1A
wasn't really discussed.

It just kind of happened.

Jeff wanted to go one direction.

I wanted to go a different one.

It was sad.

You get used to doing
something you loved
for a living for that long,

it's pretty tough.

I dreamed all my life
as far back as I can remember

of being able to
play music for a living.

And I really miss that.

More than I can tell you.

♪ We are the Earth ♪

♪ Ooh ♪

My name is Thom Shepherd,

and I am a singer
and a songwriter.

I live in Austin, Texas,

and, uh, I just travel
and perform full-time.

I spend a lot
of time on the road.

I think in the last year,
I did over 150 dates.

Now, we're traveling
in this awesome Dodge
Sprinter van.

I've put nearly 30,000 miles
on it in about six months.

And we call it Rocinante,

which is actually the name
of Don Quixote's horse.

I think it means
"beat-up, old nag".

[laughing]

The first hit song I ever wrote
was called "Riding with
Private Malone",

and it was a number one
by a guy named David Ball.

It's a song about a soldier.

And that song just
changed my life forever.

It was great.

That was the one that
kicked open the door.

The next song that
I wrote that was a hit

was called
"Redneck Yacht Club"
by Craig Morgan,

and that one did very well too.

I like to say it's
good work if you can get it.

I fell into the Parrot Head
gigs a few years ago,

and it was something
I totally didn't expect,

and I just fell in love
with all those folks.

The Parrot Heads are, like,
some of the most giving,

and friendliest, and fun bunch
of people that I've ever met.

They'd take a bullet
for you, you know.

They're good people.

House concerts have been
in existence probably for...
What? 10? 10 years,

and it's way better
than going to a concert

when you have
2,000 to 20,000 people.

[man]
It's a chance
for artists to meet fans

that weren't familiar
with their music previously.

Because the whole key
with independent music is

trying to get people
who potentially like that music

to get familiar with the artist.

[Shepherd]
I think when you start out
as a musician, you go,

"I wanna play at arenas
for 10 gazillion people."

But to me, I find that shows
that are some of the most
rewarding

are these intimate settings

where folks are
listening to every word.

Honestly, I think house parties
might be the future of music.

[playing "Riding
with Private Malone"]

♪ I was just
out of the service ♪

♪ Thumbing through
the classifieds ♪

♪ When an ad
that said, "Old Chevy" ♪

♪ Somehow caught my eye ♪

A lot of people assume that

when you go and you play
for a Parrot Head crowd,

all they wanna hear
is "Margaritaville"

and all the Buffett songs,

and that's the farthest
thing from the truth.

They love original music.

They like songwriters.

We love Jimmy,

but sometimes, you want
to hear a little more.

-Original music.
-Yeah, you wanna
hear original music.

[Shepherd]
As an artist, it's great
when people wanna buy your CD,

and your T-shirt,
and things like that.

What I've found is,
at the Parrot Head shows,

you have to bring
something new every time,

because they brought
everything last time you came.
[laughing]

♪ He said, "My name is
Private Andrew Malone ♪

♪ And if you're reading this,
then I didn't make it home ♪

[Shepherd]
They're very helpful about
sharing the love,

and spreading the good word.

If they like you, you know,
they spread the word around.

If you come to San Diego,
they'll tell you, "Well,
we know the people from L.A.

Call this guy."

And then you end up
with, you know,

two, or three,
or four days in a row,

-and it makes for a really...
-And they come pick you up
from the airport.

-You sleep at their house.
-Feed you.

-Feed you.
It's a pretty good deal.
-They make you a drink.

You know what?
Let's cut this from the film

because we might have
a good thing going here,

and we don't want
word to get out.

♪ It was a young man named
Private Andrew Malone ♪

♪ Who fought for his country
and never made it home ♪

My connection
with "Private Malone",

and it's very touching.

Um, I just retired from 23 years

as a psychotherapist
with the military.

So, that's my boys.

♪ And I was proud to be riding ♪

♪ With Private Malone ♪

To make somebody cry,

I mean, it sounds
like a bad thing,

but it can be a good thing
if it's through a song

or a shared experience.

I first started doing
Parrot Head shows

about a year after I'd had
cancer for the second time.

When I went
through having cancer,

it's like, "What do I really
wanna do with my life?"

You know what I mean?
I was writing songs
for a living,

and I liked doing that,

but to me,
it's the connection
with the folks.

And that's why I write songs

is to play them
and have people
connect and relate.

♪ Thank god I was riding ♪

♪ With Private Malone ♪

[crowd cheering]

Thank y'all.

Thank you very much.

Starting to make me cry.

But I'm about to do it again.

[all laughing]

[woman]
Welcome to
the Cheeseburger Festival.

Pour me something
tall and strong.
[laughing]

My name is Patricia Desjardin.

I'm mayor of Caseville.

It's a beautiful town.

It's pretty quiet.

But when Cheeseburger starts,
oh, boy!

It's 10 days of Jimmy Buffett,
and everything goes.

["Cheeseburger
in Paradise" playing]

[Hersel Falbash]
About 16 years ago,

we started having
Cheeseburger at Hersel's.

It was kind of busy.
We only had it for one weekend.

All those people, they came,

they enjoyed it,
and they came back next year.

We decided to do it
10 days in a row

in Caseville, Michigan,
the home of Cheeseburger Fest.

[Desjardin]
Our last census of 2010,

we have 777 residents.

But at Cheeseburger,
we can have up to 75,000 people.

Parrot Heads gravitated here
mostly because a lot of them
live in the Detroit area.

It's not very far
to come up to Caseville.

If we did not have
the people that come up

and shop
during this Cheeseburger,
10-day festival,

our small boutiques
and the small stores,

they'd have a hard time working
to keep their stores open.

People are coming
from Chicago, Ohio.

The hotel, the resort
gets full two years
ahead of time.

We're talking about thousands,
and thousands, and thousands
of people every day.

We've been coming
to the festival here
from the very beginning.

-For 15 years.
-Yeah, for 15 years.

She dragged me to the first one.

I've been here just about
every Cheeseburger Festival
since then. It's great.

I come from big city of Detroit.

I never saw this
even at all the parades
when I was a little girl.

[Don Middlebrook]
I've seen Parrot Head events.

I've seen Parrot parades.

I've seen them raise
millions of dollars.

This town dedicates
the whole town

to the Key North
and Cheeseburger in Caseville.

[Falbash]
They go through
60,000 cheeseburger,

all different kind
of cheeseburger.

They have cheeseburger
on every corner.

As you're driving in Caseville,

you can smell
cheeseburger for blocks.

Even if you're not hungry,
you have to have a cheeseburger.

The food, the partying,

the music, the comedy shows,

it's nothing but 10 days
of fun in Caseville.

[woman]
It's a big family atmosphere.

So, they can bring
their whole family,
and camp out,

and just have a ball
for a whole week

with all the kind
of trop rock music
that we love.

[laughing]

Tonight, we're gonna see
Jimmy and the Parrots
from New Jersey.

They are really good.

[man]
You know, when you're
on a big stadium,

you don't have the feeling
that you have here
in front of a band.

The people are all on the hill.

They all go down and dance
right in front of the band.

It's as much fun
as you'll have
with your clothes on.

[all laughing]

We're doing
the best-dressed pirate tonight.

I didn't know
they were gonna have
a pirate contest

at this event.

I just happened to bring this

because I might have wanted
to dress up like a pirate.

I think pirate
number one has it.

[audience cheering]

It's always
Jimmy Buffett,
his music,

and that's what
Cheeseburger is all about.

♪ I'm just a cheeseburger
in paradise ♪

We need you, Jimmy.

Come see the mayor.

I'll welcome you.
I might even buy you...
a cheeseburger.

We're Frank and Chris Bellino.

We're both board members
of the Los Angeles
Parrot Head Club,

one of three clubs that
sponsor the event, Migration.

We bring together
trop rock bands.

We have silent auctions.
We have raffles.

We raise money for charity

and just have a big party
for two or three days.

♪ ...wearing palm trees
and neon green ♪

[Sunny Jim]
It's a fun event.

I've done this
probably four times
in the last 15 years or so.

♪ Tropical shirt-wearing king ♪

I've been very
successful with this.
It's been great.

I've been making
my living solely off music
for the last 30 years.

In 1988, I moved
to the Caribbean with a band.

We were the house band
at a resort there for one year.

And that one year
turned into 12 years for me.

While I was down there,

of course,
all the Caribbean influences
just took over.

And I learned
to play the steel drum.
I taught myself steel drum.

[man]
A lot of trop rockers
live their songs.

They live their adventures.

Sunny Jim is the real deal.

They see him as someone
who's actually done it.

Has lived that dream,
and has written about it,

and knows what
he's writing about.

You know, living in the tropics,

what else are
you gonna write about?

[Sunny Jim]
When Jimmy turned 50,
he took a trip for himself

around the rim of the Caribbean.

We ended up meeting him,
and we got to chat for a while.

Became friends,

exchanged
phone numbers
and emails.

He ended up writing
about us in his book,
"A Pirate Looks at 50."

And titled
the chapter "Island Girls"
after my girls.

The Parrot Heads discovered me
through that book,

and then subsequently,
through the Radio
Margaritaville.

In 1999,

Jimmy sent Radio Margaritaville
down to Grand Cayman.

We did a live broadcast
of my show,

and I did an hour and a half
of my own music.

So, people know me
from my music,

rather than being
a Buffett cover artist.

♪ It was the gentle kiss ♪

[Sunny Jim] I've been blessed to
be able to work for Parrot Heads
around the country.

We just did a house concert
with him a few weeks ago.

And he's just very
down-to-earth, very friendly.

Sunny Jim and I
are very good friends.
Known each other a long time.

You know him
as a great songwriter
and singer, I'm sure,

but he's also
a very talented guitar player.

Sunny Jim will play
until he drops.

He'll play until he has
no vocal chords left.

He can play with everybody.
He can play anything.

He's a great guy.

The Parrot Heads
and the performers are
really one big, extended family.

♪ When tomorrow finally comes
and it's all said and done ♪

♪ We could blame it on the rum ♪

[audience applauding]

My name is Steve Hoffman.

I'm the president
of the Cincinnati
Parrot Head Club.

Cincinnati and Jimmy Buffett
are synonymous with one another.

Back in the late '60s,
before Jimmy Buffett
was a household name,

he played around town.

He was at a place
called The Blind Lemon.

He played up there
kind of regularly.

And then we go to King's Island,
Timberwolf Theater,

and now, he's down
at the Riverbend Music Center,

and he's been playing there
for a long time.

Every show has been sold out.

He's played
to almost 900,000 people
at that one facility.

And the tailgate
is just legendary.

When he comes into town,
it's like a national holiday.

When you live in the Midwest,

there's no beach.
You don't see the water.
You can't go surfing.

We have somebody
to take us somewhere
where we've never been.

In real life,
I'm a city manager
of a city.

But you don't
need to know that.
[laughing]

I work in a grocery store
with my brother.

So, I hustle groceries
for a living.

Police dispatcher.

Telling the policemen
where to go.

I'm an engineer.

I'm a teacher.

I work for the government.

Back in the days
of kings, and queens,
and serfs, and you know...

You had to give
poor people the day off,

or else they were
gonna kill you.

That crowd out there
goes back to work on Monday.

But that's their weekend,
and that's their Mardi Gras.

I'm Matt Corcoran.

Um, we're sitting here
in my dental office.

I got started
with Jimmy Buffett concerts
in 1984.

I worked over at Kings Island

and right across the street
from Kings Island in Timberwolf.

I was their lifeguard.

My friend was like,
"Hey, we're gonna go see
this guy, Jimmy Buffett."

I'd just come
straight from work.

I came straight from work
wearing a lifeguard T-shirt,
bathing suit.

Fit right in to the crowd

and said,
"I'm home. This is it."

We started going in just a car

and then a van.

Got to the point
where we were renting limos,

buses to get everybody down.

Then I bought an RV.
[laughing]

It's a lot more fun
when you bring your
own party with you.

During Buffett week,

this is what
I wear to the...
to work in.

Patients love it.

Yeah, all his patients
are asking him about it.

He's not here the day
after the concert.

[all laughing]

[Steve Hoffman]
The clubs itself,

we don't just go out,
and have parties,
and drink all the time.

What we really do is
we're a philanthropic group.

[Matt Corcoran]
Started up going
to a couple club meetings,

and then they
opened up Margaritaville.

It's only six miles
from Cincinnati
Children's Hospital.

My oldest son was there
from December through April.

He's got ulcerative colitis.

I mean, any time you're sitting
at Cincinnati Children's
Hospital,

you need a place
to go... decompress,

get the stress off of you.

Get off work,

drive down to Margaritaville,

put in a food order...

and all of a sudden,
they're like, "Hey,
how's your boy doing?"

Geez.
[chuckles]

The Cincinnati Parrot Head Club
organized a Hoxworth
blood drive.

You know, that hit me
on a personal level,

you know, 'cause my son...

Gee, I know they put
at least 10 units
of blood in him.

So, a lot of people say,

"Well, what all do
Parrot Heads do?"

It's more than just
tailgating and parties.

I'm very honored
that people don't just
listen to a tune.

They on their own
have gone beyond that
to give something back.

My name is Connie Musser.

We are in Cleves, Ohio.

Been there my whole life.

Got married. Had two boys,
Joshua and Michael.

I have listened to Jimmy
my whole life.

You know, when he started
up at Kings Island,

we were going
to the concerts up there.

If you haven't heard
a Jimmy Buffett song,
or been to a concert,

you don't know
what it's all about.

But it's lively music.
It makes you happy.

Well, in 1993, it was hot.

Wanted to get out of the house
and go swimming,

so we went up to my sister's.

So, my first dive in,

I went through the inner tube,
and hit bottom,

and broke my neck.

I could hear it
break underwater,

and it sounded like
your body just kinda
shuts down on you.

There I was,
laying in the pool

with my face down
and my neck broke.

I couldn't lift
my head up at all.

My friends thought
I was joking for a little bit

and weren't getting me
out of the water.

They finally got me out,

and I was up on the deck,

and I remember saying,
"Just call 911. Call 911."

They got me into the ambulance
and everything,

and then they said
they'd almost lost me
in the ambulance.

My fellow Parrot Heads

have been with me since day one.

They started
sending in jewelry

and Parrot Head items

that would lift my spirit.

My bedroom was
completely filled with cards

from not only
my family and friends,

but from all my
fellow Parrot Heads.

Probably he had
500 cards on my wall.

I had my accident two days
before the Buffett shows,

and I had tickets
to all five shows.

While I was in the hospital,

I got a phone call.

I said, "Hello."

And he said, "Connie, it's Jim."

I said, "Jim?"

"Jim Buffett."

I was like, "Oh, my god.

"Like, how'd you know
I was here?

And what're you doing
calling me?

He wished me well and stuff,

and said he's send the tape up
to the hospital

so that we could
see the tape of the show,

and said he's see me next year
at the concert.

A man of his word,

about a month later,

I got a tape

of his concert that year.

And at the end of the show,
he dedicated it to me.

Every year from then on,

we have gone backstage

and talked to Jimmy.

We have our little chat session.

He inspires me so.

Just to be able to do it

and have people
appreciate you that much,

you can't ask
for more than that.

[Musser]
He makes it real easy.
Because I'm in a chair,

and believe it or not,
I'm not good in crowds,

but I attend
Jimmy's show every year.

We were backstage
talking to Jimmy last year.

Talking about my progress,
and how far I've come,
and where I wanna go to.

He had mentioned something about

them doing something
in California with stem cells.

So we decided
to have some fund-raisers.

I knew that if I ever
was gonna be successful,
I wanted to give something back.

I love the fact that
the Parrot Head Clubs
go about it,

basically, the same way.

[Musser]
I put an e-mail out

to the president
of the Parrot Head Club,

Steve Hoffman,
and asked if there was anything
they could do to help.

As soon as he
got in touch with me,

he was attached to my hip.

Steven went to work
trying to get this all okayed
to have at Margaritaville,

and lo and behold, it happened.

We went down to Margaritaville

and had a nice, wild night out.

How many Parrot Heads
are in the audience tonight?

[crowd cheering]

I'm gonna introduce you guys
to this amazing person,
Connie Musser,

'cause she's gonna need
an amazing chance
with stem-cell therapy.

[Musser]
I just really want
to thank everybody.

You guys have
really been awesome tonight.

I took that money,

and it paid for my surgery
out in California.

We went in,

and they put them stem cells
in two different places
on the back of my neck.

I just wake up every morning

and start trying
to twirl those toes,

or work those fingers.

But it's really good therapy

to sit and just move
what you can move.

It's all gotta start somewhere.

[physical therapist]
That's her legs
actually moving it.

[Musser]
It's teaching me how to dance.

I've got feeling
to my toes already.

That's from Jimmy's music.

That's what I exercise to,
Jimmy.

Every time we talk
or send an e-mail,

he just says,
"I'm waiting on that dance.

I'm waiting on that dance."

So the ending goal here is

I want to give Jimmy that dance.

I wanna dance again.

I wanna dance with my man.

[Nickerson]
The New York Parrot Head group

that I knew back
in the early days

invited me to come and see them.

It's been a long time
since I've seen or heard
from anybody in that group,

so I'm looking forward to it.

When I was
no longer doing music,

I didn't know exactly
what I wanted to do,

but I had to get a job.

Nursing aide,
that's what they call it.

You are the low man
on the totem pole.

The job I have now doesn't pay
even ten bucks an hour.

I took that job so I have
insurance for my kid
and myself.

Basically, is it.

My kid, my 5-year-old son,
that's number one right there.

Awesome kid.

Adopted when he was
six months old.

Now he's five
and a half years old,
and it's hard to believe.

Give me your phone please.

[Nickerson]
We were getting
hassled like crazy

because of mortgage.

I said, "I don't wanna
go bankrupt. What do we do?"

When you make that
little amount of money,

[laughing]
you go through
your savings pretty fast.

Oh, I'm not gonna kid you, man.

I made more money playing music

than I ever made working
for anybody else in my life.

I didn't get wealthy,
but I wasn't hurting
for anything.

When you have
a five-year-old kid,
and you're worried about him,

you don't wanna have
everything yanked out
from under him.

Hell, I could survive anything.

I have before,

but I don't want him
to have to go through this.

I wanna do something
to be able to provide
for my son,

doing what I do the best.

This is more important to me
than anything. It really is.

I'm Lynn Creamer.
I'm president of the Metro
Parrot Head Club

here on Long Island.

We're into our second day
of JB at JB,

Jimmy Buffett at Jones Beach.

He played Tuesday.
It was a great tailgate
and show.

I've been to
120 Jimmy Buffett concerts.

Been to 57.

We just follow Jimmy
wherever he goes.

We've seen Jimmy
a couple of times
at Madison Square Garden,

and that's
a more difficult venue

to tailgate at obviously.

Jones Beach makes it
a little more comfortable

with, uh, the beach and the sun.

I think New Yorkers
love Jimmy Buffett,

because New York is not
the easiest place to live.

So I think Buffett's music,
and his lifestyle,
and what he loves

is something that we embrace
as part of our lives.

It's a nice diversion
from the pace of New York City.

[woman]
The thing about New York is
how everyone goes all-out.

Any type of concert,
whatever they love,
they go all-out for it.

There's no music like Buffett.

There's no place
like Jones Beach.

Montauk! No place!

My name is Jimmy Maraventano.

I'm Hal from
Jimmy and the Parrots.

[Maraventano]
We've got a fun,
little band we play with.

You know, I started...
I always played the guitar
as a kid.

My dad played, my uncles.
We lived in a country house.

There was always
a guitar laying around,
or a mandolin, or a banjo.

I knew one Jimmy Buffett
song, "Margaritaville".

I had no idea what he did.

Just coincidentally,

we happened to, um, be
in Florida when Jimmy Buffett
was filming "Fruitcakes".

["Fruitcakes" playing]

[Maraventano]
He was trying
to get back to his trailer,

and I said,

"Jimmy, you mind
taking a picture?"

He turns around.
He looks around.
He goes, "No problem."

And he was so gracious.

He puts his arms around
my kids and wife,
takes a picture,

and I say,
"Thank you." I'm nervous.
I don't wanna bother the guy.

And then he starts talking
about he's gonna be in New York.

He's got a place up here.
He's playing with Paul Simon
out in Montauk.

We gotta come by.

He kept going on and on.

He was just so gracious.
I fell madly in love with him.

Came back.
Bought all of his CDs.

Played them constantly.
Gave the guitar to my son.

We started a band.

[upbeat trop rock music playing]

[Selzer]
We added a little energy to it.

-We like to run around
and have fun.
-We do.

Fool around a little bit and...

Still play great.

But I think
that really connected
to the Parrot Heads.

A few of the bands said to us,

"Note to self. Don't go on
after Jimmy and the Parrots."

[Maraventano]
We want the people
to have a good time.

We're not up there
for us to have a good time.
We're up there for them.

[Selzer]
We always have a good time.

[Maraventano]
We have a great time.

[Selzer]
If we have a good time,

they're gonna have a good time.

And that's it. And they seem
to grab right onto this.

They start going nuts.
We start going nuts.

It's all about you people.

How did this all happen?
How did this all happen?

[playing trop rock song]

A little song we call
"We Owe It All to Jimmy."

I hope you like it.

Even though we're known
for Buffett music and trop rock,

Jimmy has some amazing originals

that when we play,
the crowds sing all the words.

Here we go.

♪ I'm looking out
on the sea of smiling faces ♪

♪ Swaying to the rhythm
and the sound ♪

I can't believe you know it.

♪ A pat on your back
from your favorite friends ♪

♪ There's high fives
going all around ♪

A friend of mine knew somebody
at a record label called
Madison Entertainment

that does these theme CDs.

I said,
"I got an idea for you.

Island music,
Jimmy Buffett themed."

So we did
a three-CD set for them,

became their fastest selling CD,

and we sold over
100,000 of them.

♪ We owe it all to Jimmy ♪

♪ And you crazy fans ♪

That's you people!

♪ To all the flags
and the shark fins ♪

♪ Out on those minivans ♪

Yeah.

♪ It ain't about the parrots ♪

Oh, no.

♪ Or the swaying palm trees ♪

♪ It's about
all the great friends ♪

♪ That we have come to be ♪

Look at ya! Look at ya!

Last year, we won
the Trop Rock Entertainers
of The Year.

Yay.

You know, it's really funny.

They said,
"Oh, we're nominated."

I didn't give it much thought.
But when we won it, though,
it was so great.

The whole thing
is just really amazing.

♪ It's about
all the great friends ♪

That we have come to be.

♪ We have come to be ♪

And, man, have I made
some good, life-long friends.

All right. Here we go.

[Nickerson]
I've never been here
in this area before.

I've never been to Jones Beach.

The New York Parrot Head
group that I knew,

I met them at New Orleans
back in the early days
of the convention.

It's been a long time.

One, two, three!

[shouting and cheering]

Welcome back!

Thank you.
Been a long time.

Come on, you gotta
say something now.

I don't know what to say.

Come on, man!

I was taken aback.

You know, they were saying,
"Speech, speech."

I didn't know what to say.
I was not expecting
that to happen.

And it was fun.
It was a great time.

Thank you for all you've done.

-Hey...
-You're an inspiration
to mankind, pal.

Yeah, yeah. You really have.

Changed our minds.
I met him because of you.

Oh, good. Excellent!

I would have never met
so many great people
if it wasn't for you.

If it wasn't for you,
I would've never met him.

[shouts]
Hey! Look who's here!

[all shouting and cheering]

[chanting]
Bosco! Bosco! Bosco!

[Nickerson]
Bosco was on all the Parrot Head
cruises we played on.

He came out of nowhere,

and I saw him after not
being in touch with him
probably eight years or so.

It's kinda weird
when a guy this tall
comes up

and starts kissing you
because he missed you...

that much.

What's going on, man?

So good to see you.

Good to see you, man.

I think you just got engaged.

We caught each other on Internet
a couple of yeas ago, I guess.

Years ago.

And in person, also years ago.

It's been a long time for that.

A long time.

Oh, man, those...

Those were the days.

[Nickerson]
[chuckles] What I saw in
that parking lot...

It was like, oh,
somethings never change.

And that's the truth.

The outfits people wear
to the Buffett concerts

is still just as insane
as it has always been.

So, you do autographs?

I'll hold your beer.

[musician]
Everybody here
having a good time?

[all cheering]

I'm not used to that
kind of attention, you know?

It's like,
"What do I say?
What do I do?"

You wanna grab everybody
and hug them all
at the same time.

Get this!

Scott, could you
take a picture
with our club?

-Oh, could you?
-Absolutely.

-All right, everybody...
-Whatever you want.

[musician]
All you crazy people!

[all cheering]

Today, the litmus test
of that sense of community,

and coming together
as complete strangers,

and leaving as friends
or even better than that

is Paris.

When Jimmy comes to Paris,
it's the United Nations
of Parrot Head-ism.

I'm from Cornwall in the U.K.

I'm from Stuttgart, Germany.

[all]
Switzerland!

I had an apartment
in Paris many years ago,

and I'm a Francophile.
I love the city.

In some ways,
it has the same
kind of spirit,

the esprit, of the music
of the Parrot Heads,

because it's calm. It's relaxed.
Everybody enjoys life.

Everybody takes the time
to drink a glass of wine.

[speaking in French]

[cheering and applauding]

[speaking in French]

[speaking in Italian]

I'm from Regina,
Saskatchewan, Canada.

Jimmy Buffett?
No, never.

[laughing]

We love you, Jimmy!

[speaking in French]

[crowd cheering]

[speaking in French]

Yeah! Yeah, I know
the song "Margaritaville".

That's, uh...
That's fun music.
Fun music, yeah.

I walk down
the streets of Paris,

I can't help but having
"Quietly Making Noise"
go through my head,

or "Frenchman for the Night",

or "Rue De La Guitare".

Best thing about
being a Parrot Head is
you just get enrolled,

and you have friends
for all your life.

I'm from London.

And I'm from the Netherlands.

I'm from Holland.

And me from Germany.

So, there was this Englishman,
this Dutchman, and this German
in a bar...

[all laughing]

[Buffett]
People now,
within the community,

are going, "You gotta
go see the Paris show."

That's the new
Holy Grail, you know,

is to go to Paris.

You see bistro
managers and waiters

who, when we first
went there, just,
you know... like this,

and then now,
it's like they get it.

To see that happen in Pigalle
on that little, round island
there that they occupy,

is an interesting full circle.

You are enchanted by it,
because you see that
there's sincerity.

We need one day in France,
we could call it the Jimmy,
Buffett Day,

where everybody should be
wearing clothes like that,

and it will be a funny day.

My name is Mike Holly.

I was born and raised
in Toledo, Ohio.

Spent 50 years there.

I became a stock broker.

A lot of people say
I have a problem
with Jimmy Buffett.

I probably do.
Well, I know I do, yeah.

But that's okay.
It's a good problem.

I was first introduced
to Jimmy Buffett
by my wife-to-be.

She bought me the CD
"Off To See the Lizard".

It was like, "Oh,
this stuff is pretty good.
I kind of like it."

It just started out slow,
grew, and grew, and grew,

and all of a sudden,
it's huge, and I just...

I just go to all
the concerts now.

I've seen Jimmy Buffett
128 times as of right now

in Chicago, Cleveland,
Detroit, Cincinnati.

Hawaii is one of the more
outstanding places to see him.

Anguilla was one
of my favorites,

because I got to make the video,
"A Pirate Looks at 40."

I gotta tell ya.

Being in Toledo is probably
the single best city
in the United States

to see Jimmy Buffett.

A couple of friends and I joke
about we have season tickets
to see Jimmy Buffett.

And we do.

I mean... [laughing]
we miss a few home games,

but on average, we see
virtually all the games.

I met Mike at Duke's on Sunday.

Now, it's over, uh...
50 shows together.

-You remember we started
putting the, uh...
-Number.

Number of shows
that we went to
on our arms?

Now, everybody knows us
when we go to each show.

The reason I go
to the concerts is
because I like that opportunity,

for the two hours that he plays
and the six or seven hours
before he plays,

of being taken away
to somewhere else.

If I'm at a...
[laughing]

on a stone parking lot
in Pittsburgh,

it feels like I'm
in the tropics somewhere.

I've done a lot of travel
based on Buffett songs.

When he sings
about Tierra del Fuego,

next year, I decided
to go down there.

He goes through the, uh...
The Straits of Magellan.

We took a boat ride
through the Straits of Magellan.

Australia, obviously,
"Take It Back",

"Boomerang Love".

Kenya, "Far Side of the World".

Virtually, the whole album
inspired me to go there.

♪ I'm halfway round the planet ♪

Went to San Remo where
"the crazy painter dwells".

"First Look", perfect song for
inspiring me to go go Brazil.

But I've probably lived out
more of his songs maybe
than he has. I don't know.

From the time
that I was in Toledo
working as a stock broker,

I was looking out my window
at the slop and snow
for six months out of the year.

One of the driving forces
behind me being successful there

was the fact that someday
I have the shot of going
to the beach somewhere,

and starting over,
trying something else,
trying something different.

I decided to sell my practice
and live the Parrot Head dream
permanently.

In the last year,
I've moved to Tamarindo

and have started
this Nibbana Beach club.

Been running this
for about a year
and a half now.

Traveled around the Caribbean,
really all around the world,

keeping my eyes open
for something that
was just the right place.

The whole town gave me
the feel of Key West,

but on the Pacific coast
of Costa Rica.

It was really what
I was looking for,

something very tropical,
something that had not
been done before.

He did his research,
and he found the right place
to make everything work.

He's turning it
into what he wants.

[Jimmy Buffett]
♪ Oh, I believe
in song lines... ♪

Unlike Jimmy Buffett,
I couldn't sing, or dance,
or play the guitar,

but I always wanted
to be on the beach.

Typical day,

uh, get down here...

I still hit the restaurant
even on my days off.

But the nice thing is
I'm right on the beach,

so in five minutes,
I get a surfboard.
I'm in the water.

It's something that
a lot of people wanna do,

quit their job
in the cold weather.
Move to the tropics.

I always say it's all
Jimmy Buffett's fault.

I would probably not be here
if it wasn't for Jimmy Buffett.

He was just...
The inspiration
from the music,

and the lifestyle,
and the mindset.

For the real Parrot Head,

there's a much
more emotional connection
to a lot of the music.

It gives you
inspiration in life.

In one form or another,
you live that song out.

If not in your head,
then in real life.

[strumming guitar]

You know, I've been
doing this all my life,

and I was thinking,
"God, maybe one day,

I'll be able to play
those Jimmy Buffett songs
as good as Scott Nickerson can."

-[laughing]
-I'm still working on it.

I know you've got
them down, Scott.

Hope you're doing well out there
and making a recovery.

We want you back in our lives,

and we wanna thank you
for all the time and joy
you've brought to people.

And personally, I'd like
to thank you for extending,

uh, my reach by your work

and, uh, your ability
to make people have
a really good time.

Thanks for believing
in what we do

and taking it
a little bit further.

This is Jimmy
from the road,
Las Vegas.

Maybe next year, Scott.

[Nickerson]
For a long time,
I felt kinda bad

after the A1A thing fizzled.

I didn't wanna listen
to Jimmy Buffett's music

or even go there for a while.

When I was in New York,

seeing the people
in the Parrot Head clubs there,

I realized, people
still remember me.

I thought my music career
was long gone.

Who would care about
an old guy like me?

But they remember.

So, now, my goal in life,
at 50, 60 years old,

is to play music for a living.

That's what I wanna do.

If I can do that,

I don't need much.

Just... I'd like to do
what's right here.

I pulled out my harmonica

for the first time
in probably over a year,

and I was really surprised
that I remembered all of it.

[warming up]

Okay, we got it.

[playing harmonic tune]

[Nickerson]
I'm ready to get
out there again.

Music is in my life.

It's what I wanna do
with my life.

-[Wagoner]
I got an email this morning.
-Uh-huh.

Oh, my god!

[laughing]

That's pretty cool, man.

[stammering] I wouldn't ever
expect that at all, but...

but to have people
to really give me a chance
to get out there again

is a big deal to me.

They wanna send me out
into the field again

and let the world know
I'm here again.

I couldn't ask for
better than that.

[laughing]
Key West,
here I come!

Meeting of the Minds,
it is where the Parrot Heads
take over an entire island

for a few days.

My family, you know,
big Parrot Heads.

I've probably been to close
to 20 Buffett shows in my life.

Well, I always thank
people's parents for raising
their children on this music.

[Melanie Howe]
But the bars all around
the island take part,

and there's constantly music.

There's somebody playing
somewhere all the time,

and then when that act is done,
another one goes on,

and it's all this great
trop rock music.

♪ Welcome to
Key West, my friend ♪

♪ Where it's always
Saturday night ♪

[Announcer] Please welcome
your host for this year's
Trop Rock Music Awards,

Mr. Jim Payne.

[applauding]

[Host] Welcome you all
to the sixth annual
Trop Rock Music Awards show.

[crowd cheering]

And I can't think
of a more appropriate place

than Jimmy Buffett's
original Margaritaville cafe

in Key West.

We're pleased to
present awards tonight
in 18 categories

with the nominees
and winners chosen
by you.

And the winner is Jerry Diaz.

Jerry Diaz & Hanna's Reef.

A deserving recipient
of the I Can Award,

from Nederland, Texas,
my friend, Jerry Diaz.

[crowd cheering and applauding]

I'm totally shocked
and blown away.

I'm not very good at speeches,

but all I can say is if you
saw my drunk ass last night,

you probably wouldn't
give me this award.

[all laughing]

Are you guys having
fun out there?

[cheering]

How much fun is this?

All these crazy
Parrot Heads together,

drinking for four or five days.

We are the Southern Drawl Band.

I'm Mike Nash.
I'm the singer
and guitar player.

I'm Larry Dunsmore.
I play drums.

Paul Wray, bass player,
and we're in paradise.

[Mike Nash]
When we first started
our first album,

I wasn't really writing for me.
I was writing for other artists.

But the more we started
playing these trop rock gigs,
I started seeing, you know,

"I live this.
I love this stuff."

You know, "I can write
about this kind of stuff."

So, it influenced me
to start writing more

about this lifestyle
that we're living.

My number-one influence
from an early age
was Jimmy Buffett.

To me, there's
no other songwriter

that... I've never been
to this place before
that he's singing about,

but when I'm done
with that song,

I can taste the tastes
and smell the smells.

And, you now, he's got
such a magical talent

of being able
to put that
into a song.

A lot of my songwriting has
been life stories, you know.

I don't feel like
people wanna hear songs

that are just a bunch
of words, you know?

That's what makes them magic is

you're singing about
something they can relate to.

Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown
are big country artists,

and they're making a ton
of money in country music
because it sells,

but, you know, they have
that trop rock side to them,
that beach side,

and it meshes well,
because they're really
just storytellers.

We came here last year,

and nobody knew who
we were when we got here.

And we went around,
and I played every
songwriters afternoon.

And that's another opportunity
this place presents is,

you know, a chance to get out

and get in front of
thousands of people.

And we got our music out.
We got our name out.

You know, and then
the second year,
we come back,

and we're headlining
Street Fest.

I mean, gosh!
Are you kidding me?
That was like...

Talk about instant reward
for your hard work.

It's all about
the work ethic, man.

I mean, Melanie Howe,
she's got that, man.

I noticed that in her
right off the bat
when I first met her.

I was like, "Man,
this is a girl who gets it."

You know,
she works her butt off.

I'm Melanie Howe.

Most people in trop rock
refer to me as The Djembabe.
That's my stage name.

Based out of
Knoxville, Tennessee.

I started getting into music
when I was a kid.

I got into band when I was
in middle school,
high school, college.

I went from
one instrument to another.

Played woodwinds
for a while, brass,
and settled into percussion.

Just love it.

I have a really
great friend of mine

that I owe discovering
trop rock to,

Tall Paul.

I was like, "How do
you do it, man?

How are you out touring
all the time?" You know?

He's like, "You gotta get
into this genre of music.

You know, it's kind of
this Parrot Head, fun,
party kind of thing."

And I'm like, "Parrot Heads?
My gosh, I grew up listening
to Jimmy Buffett."

I didn't really know
there was a bunch of
other musicians that do this.

I started working
with Southern Drawl Band,

and traveling through Florida,

and getting into
the trop rock scene.

♪ Nobody ever gets old ♪

[Howe]
As a female musician,

it's got a lot
of really good pros

and a lot of really crappy cons.

Some of the pros are
that I do get noticed.

People can identify me
really quickly.

Well... [chuckles]
also, my hair is purple.

But some of the crappy things
about it is, like, not a lot
of people understand

that females can
do it on their own.

In the beginning,
having to work past that
was extremely difficult.

You know, I felt,
"Well, hey, I'm good enough."

[playing Conga beat]

[Nash]
So, thanks for putting us

on the road we were on
to get us here, guys.

-This is for you.
-[crowd cheering]

[trop rock song playing]

[Howe]
It's a pretty amazing
genre of music.

You show up at these venues,

and it's like, everybody is
gonna come say hey, and hugs,

and, "Great to have you here."

We can't walk, you know,
down the street without
somebody stopping us

and saying, "Hey, man, you know,
you guys did a really great job.

We really enjoyed
listening to you."

You know, and we can't...
We can't thank them enough,

you know, for coming out
and just listening.

[Nash] You just released
this album two days ago, and...

We were playing
the Street Festival,

and I look out there
and see hundreds of people
already singing these songs.

I'm like, "How did they
learn these songs this fast?"
You know?

But they care enough
to do that. I mean...

♪ To the place where I belong ♪

♪ And I'm hoping
you'll come with me ♪

♪ Take a walk with me
down the road ♪

♪ That I'm on ♪

And that's what this is.
It's like a big...
you know, family.

These people go to
all of the same events
every year,

and they see each other
four or five times a year.

And you know, it's like,
"Hey, how you been?"
Catch up on their lives.

It's like a big family reunion
or something, you know?
It's really cool.

[Howe]
When I get on stage,

and there's somebody out there,
staring up at the stage,

watching me, and enjoying
what I'm offering them.

Whether it's 10 people
or 10,000 people,

I'm making someone's night good.

And, you know,
they're dancing,
and smiling,

and having a good time.

That's what makes
it all worth it.

♪ And I'm hoping
you'll come with me ♪

♪ Take a walk with me
down the road ♪

♪ That I'm on ♪

Thank you so much
for all the support
and what you do for us.

[cheering and applauding]

[Nash]
You guys are the best,
and we love you.

[Nickerson]
Just a flood of all kinds
of emotions coming in here,

because I've done it before
so many times,

but it's been so long.

[Announcer]
Ladies and gentlemen,

Jeff Pike and Scott Nickerson,
A1A, from Atlanta.

[Nickerson]
It's always been
exciting, fun times.

Some things
never change.
Hit it.

[Nickerson]
About tomorrow night,

playing for
the first time in years
is a big deal to me,

because I wanna do a good job.

Being here has been, uh,
pretty interesting,

because it's so different.

Even though a lot of places,
most of them look the same,

but a lot of people
I didn't even know.

I see all these people
out there doing it now,

I'm like, "Shit,
man, am I too old?

Is it too late?

"I had my chance.

"Maybe this is a one...

pop," you know?
"Maybe that's it."

You know?

[host]
Welcome to the 13th annual
Welcome to the Island Party

sponsored by the Atlanta
Parrot Head Club.

[cheering]

[host]
And without further ado,

I'd like to introduce
the band tonight.

Everybody, the founder
of Meeting of the Minds,
Jerry Diaz!

[cheering]

[host]
The incomparable Melanie Howe.

[cheering]

[host] And a man
who needs no introduction

but probably still wants one,

Sunny Jim White.

[crowd cheering]

[host]
And last but not least,

on drums and harmonica...

Scott Nickerson.

[cheering and applauding]

♪ I saw
an old friend
yesterday ♪

♪ He was walking
down my street ♪

♪ He was trying
to get in shape ♪

♪ But let me tell you
He could barely move his feet ♪

♪ So I ordered him a cold one ♪

♪ Didn't think he'd take me up ♪

♪ But as he raised it
to his lips, he said ♪

♪ "This one here is for luck" ♪

♪ Here's to you
Here's to me ♪

♪ Here's to taking life easy ♪

♪ Fill my glass ♪

[Diaz]
Parrot Heads are just
a good, fun group of people,

and that's what it's all about.

Mr. Thom Shepherd.

[crowd cheering]

♪ Thinking about love ♪

♪ Thinking about love ♪

[Shepherd]
I was down the street
at the Hog's Breath,

and I ran into a guy
named Damn It Earl,

and he said,
"You gotta get down
to the Bull and Whistle.

Everybody is down there.
It's gonna be a night
that you'll never forget."

And, uh, sure enough,
he was right.

[trop rock song playing]

It's really all about looking
on the good side of life

and sharing
the positive experiences

with other like-minded people.

Won't you please
welcome up to the stage...

the king of madness,
Mr. Jimmy Maraventano?

["Son of a Son
of a Sailor" playing]

♪ As the son
of a son of a sailor ♪

♪ I went out
on the streets
for adventure ♪

♪ Expanding the view
of the captain and crew ♪

♪ Like a man just
released from indenture ♪

This is a phenomenon.
It's really...

It's not getting smaller.

Thank you, Scott.

♪ One step ahead of the jailer ♪

♪ I'm just a son of a son ♪

[Nickerson]
There's a whole myriad
of feelings.

You remember
the old days to a point,

but I was really more
in the moment.

I hope people will
remember that I'm here,

ready to get back into it.

All I can do is...

hope and pray that it happens.

-[crowd cheering and applauding]
-Scott Nickerson on harp!

Key West!

[crowd murmuring]

[performing soundcheck]

[Nickerson]
It's funny how
things turned around.

I got the motivation
to get involved again.

-[Buffett] All right!
-[strums guitar]

Well, thanks again, everybody.

We're gonna play
a few more songs.

Oh, we don't have a drummer?
Mr. Scott Nickerson on drums!

[crowd cheering and applauding]

Yes, the real Scott Nickerson

will be playing with
the Coral Reefer Band
right now.

[crowd cheering and applauding]

That's the guy who
started the whole thing.

[crowd cheering and applauding]

-Scott has been
practicing. Right?
-Yeah.

Have you been practicing?

All right, kick it off, baby.

["Margaritaville" playing]

♪ Nibblin' on sponge cake ♪

♪ Watchin' the sun bake ♪

♪ All of you Parrot Heads
covered with oil ♪

♪ Strummin' my six string ♪

♪ On my front porch swing ♪

♪ Smell those shrimp here
beginning to boil ♪

Bubble! Bubble! Bubble! Bubble!

♪ Wasted away again
in Margaritaville ♪

♪ Searchin' for
my lost shaker of salt ♪

Salt! Salt! Salt!

♪ Some people claim that
there's a woman to blame ♪

♪ But I know ♪

♪ This is all Scott's fault ♪

[Nickerson]
The Parrot Head clubs
have lasted this long.

I just wouldn't
have guessed that.

Next year is 25 years,

which is a pretty amazing thing
for the Parrot Head club.

Being a Parrot Head is giving
and being helpful
to other people,

I do think that.

And it's work,
but I wouldn't
take anything for it.

[Nickerson]
It's so big a part of my life.

It's amazing how fast
24 years can go by.

♪ Wasted away again
in Margaritaville ♪

It's something special.
It's a connection to
what music used to be.

It's really like
having a second family.

[Buffett]
They really don't need me there.

They found friends in the music

and in the community
they've done.

♪ Some people claim that
there's a woman to blame ♪

♪ And I know ♪

You never get too old
to play music,
that's for sure.

Look at Jimmy.

He's doing better now
than he was 10 years ago.

The songs are made
for the people who enjoy them.

They're not made for me.

Once they're out of me
onto an album,

they belong to
the people out there
having a good time.

And I'm happy to be
the background music
to their lives.

♪ Some people claim that
there's a woman to blame ♪

♪ But I know ♪

♪ It's my own damn fault ♪

Welcome home, everybody!

[crowd cheering and applauding]

["Jolly Mon Sing" playing]

Jimmy, you're the best, man.

I would love to sit down,
and buy you a beer,

and just have
a little, quick chat
about life in general.

Jimmy, please don't stop.

Keep it up. We need you.

Thanks for
the opportunity
to be myself

and for giving
everybody else
that opportunity.

Thank you for your music...

for all generations,

for me, for my mother in law,

my aunt, and mom,

and for my kids too,

hopefully, their kids as well.

-Thanks, Jimmy.
-Yeah.

Thanks for the fun.
Love the music.

Let's have a margarita.

You know, he's really
done well for himself

for a no-talent hack.

[laughing]

Thanks for everything you do.

I am very thankful
that Jimmy Buffett's music
can bring me closer to my dad.

Yeah.

Thank you! Thank you,
that's what I'd say.

I'd say, "Do you like my hat?"

Jimmy, you're fucking hot.

[all laughing and exclaiming]

Jimmy Buffett,
please live forever.

I don't ever wanna see
you quit playing concerts.

I don't ever wanna see
you stop recording music.

I love you forever.

You got too many followers.

You have to live forever, buddy.
You gotta figure it out.

You gotta figure it out.

♪ The night was
filled with magic
as they bid the sea goodbye ♪

♪ They swam into the heavens
And they stayed up in the sky ♪

♪ All the island people
when they wish upon a star ♪

♪ See the dolphin
and the Jolly Mon
who tell them where they are ♪

♪ Oh, Jolly Mon sing ♪

♪ Oh, make the magic ring ♪

♪ Oh, Jolly Mon sing ♪

[Buffett]
You all look like children to me.

♪ Oh, give 'em everything ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Oh, Jolly Mon sing ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Oh, Jolly Mon sing ♪

[song ending]

[crowd cheering and applauding]