The Magic of the Music (Part 2 of 4)

THE MAGIC OF THE MUSIC: THE BIRTH OF A PARROT HEAD NATION (Part 2 of 4)
A Four-Part Series on the Time After Island Time program
Produced by Paul Leslie and Jeff Pike

On this episode of Time After Island Time we are exploring the second era of the Parrot Head Nation, the years 1994-1998, what we will refer to as the "explosion." Not only did the Parrot Head Nation grow in numbers, but also in activity. Throughout the second era, Parrot Head gatherings, known as "flockings" flourished. Official and organized Parrot Headism had spread from Atlanta to other areas and as the Atlanta Parrot Head Club's founder Scott Nickerson mentioned in part one--back in 1992, the first annual meeting of club members had taken place in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. The largest event, Meeting of the Minds (or MOTM) continued to be held annually in New Orleans until the 1998 MOTM, "Back to the Island," which was held in Key West, Florida.

As the Parrot Head Nation swelled, so did Jimmy Buffett in his career as a performer, recording artist and author--providing his fans with the magic of the music, which caused reason for congregation and celebration. In May of 1994, Jimmy Buffett released "Fruitcakes" his first studio album in 5 years. Buffett's eager fans clamored for the album, causing it to reach #5 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The music video of the "Fruitcakes" single was filmed in Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida featuring many members of the Atlanta Parrot Head Club. Ever the prolific songwriter, Buffett would follow this with the 1995 literature-inspired "Barometer Soup," released in 1995. 1996 brought an acoustic-based album entitled "Banana Wind," and "Christmas Island," his first holiday album. Literary inspiration found Buffett collaborating with best-selling author Herman Wouk in a musical based on Wouk's 1965 novel, "Don't Stop the Carnival." Working as the sole songwriter, Buffett wrote all of the songs and released an accompanying album by the same title. Amidst five years of successful concert tours and endless sold-out shows to an ever-growing Parrot Head Nation, Buffett would close out this era with a look back at his life of adventure, travel, creativity and music with an autobiography and travelogue entitled "A Pirate Looks at Fifty." The book went straight to #1 on the New York Times Best-Seller non-fiction list.

We invite you to join us as we take a look at the Magic of the Music which resulted in the Birth of a Parrot Head Nation. We'll be looking at the second era from 1994 to 1998 and we welcome two special guests. Ann Gotthelf, one of the very first members of the Atlanta Parrot Head Club who has been a fan since seeing Buffett in Athens, Georgia in 1972. We also welcome longtime member of the Atlanta Parrot Head Club, Joel Oates who holds the distnction of attending every single Meeting of the Minds from New Orleans to the present conventions in Key West, Florida. We invite you to join us for the magic of the music on Time After Island Time from anywhere in the world via Radio JimmyDreamz at www.radio.jimmydreamz.com

Monday - 3:00 PM – March 16, 2009
Wednesday - 9:00 AM – March 18, 2009
Thursday - MIDNIGHT – March 19, 2009
Saturday - 8:00 PM – March 21, 2009
*All Broadcasts are Eastern Time*