At a certain point, everyone goes from pointing & laughing at Parrotheads to thinking, "that seems kinda fun," or at least letting it all ride. I've only been to a Buffet show by proximity- that is to say, a bunch of us sat on a fire escape a block away and listened. At some point mid-set, there was a perceptible shift- the faux irony ended, and enjoyment started.
And that escapism /is/ infectious. For anyone needing proof, come to the upper Midwest and count the Salt Life stickers on cars that have never been within 700 miles of an ocean beach.
P.S. I too artfully dodged seeing the Backyardigans live, though I probably should've bought a ticket as a thank you; they (along with The Fantastic Mr. Fox)had a huge role in my finishing my degree. They went on the TV to entertain my kids, and I went to hammer out papers.
P.P.S. "Volcano" gets played here every May 18th to mark St. Helen's eruption. As a Pac NW native, I believe I'm bound by law to do so...
I am late to come t because I only read Newbury hot 100 archives when I am all the way caught up on growing content of current Substack (free only) subscription articles. I agree Jimmy has a mix of schmaltz and genius, especially lyrics, and I hear he writes a decent novel also. I have never attended a Buffet concert. Wonder if he ever performs what I consider his magnum opus “God’s Own Drunk,” 6 minutes of spoken word southern storytelling about a bear and a moonshine still.
At a certain point, everyone goes from pointing & laughing at Parrotheads to thinking, "that seems kinda fun," or at least letting it all ride. I've only been to a Buffet show by proximity- that is to say, a bunch of us sat on a fire escape a block away and listened. At some point mid-set, there was a perceptible shift- the faux irony ended, and enjoyment started.
And that escapism /is/ infectious. For anyone needing proof, come to the upper Midwest and count the Salt Life stickers on cars that have never been within 700 miles of an ocean beach.
P.S. I too artfully dodged seeing the Backyardigans live, though I probably should've bought a ticket as a thank you; they (along with The Fantastic Mr. Fox)had a huge role in my finishing my degree. They went on the TV to entertain my kids, and I went to hammer out papers.
P.P.S. "Volcano" gets played here every May 18th to mark St. Helen's eruption. As a Pac NW native, I believe I'm bound by law to do so...
1. I enjoyed The Backyardigans. One of the few kid shows we all watched together and had a blast.
2. Playing Volcano for Mt St Helens is fantastic! I wasn’t aware they did that.
It gets played on the radio (or used to, anyway). I sure hope it still does. It absolutely gets played by my family.
I am late to come t because I only read Newbury hot 100 archives when I am all the way caught up on growing content of current Substack (free only) subscription articles. I agree Jimmy has a mix of schmaltz and genius, especially lyrics, and I hear he writes a decent novel also. I have never attended a Buffet concert. Wonder if he ever performs what I consider his magnum opus “God’s Own Drunk,” 6 minutes of spoken word southern storytelling about a bear and a moonshine still.