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One of the things we loved most about Gulf and Western trailblazer, Jimmy Buffett, was the fact that he lived according to his own rules - and didn't give a hoot if it wasn't to other people's tastes. Now, tropically-minded country music is relatively popular, thanks to the likes of Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band, but back when Buffett was singing about Caribbean romances and beachside bonfires, it was a pioneering move, but one that stayed true to Buffett's outlook and lifestyle.
One particularly amusing instance of Buffett's idiosyncratic approach to life clashing with a more straight-laced, traditional viewpoint arrived courtesy of his raunchy, tongue-in-cheek anthem, ‘Why Don't We Get Drunk (and Screw)’. The much-loved track was launched as one of the first singles from Buffett's seminal - and hilariously titled - 1973 studio album, A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean.
During one of his classic performances, despite the fact that he's wearing his trademark sunglasses, you can see the twinkle in Buffett's eyes as he recalls one politician who placed him on a “blacklist of entertainers” because of the racy track.
The ‘Margaritaville’ hitmaker begins by joking, “I remember when I used to be sort of risqué - now I'm Goddamn family entertainment! You people are bringing your children to this!”, adding, “Well, it's time to stick your fingers in their little ears...”
He goes on to introduce ‘Why Don't We Get Drunk (and Screw)’, “This next song, I'll tell you a couple of things about. This is not one of my mother's favourite songs, I can guarantee that. This is not played at the bridge club in Mobile, Alabama every Wednesday afternoon as something she is proud of. This song does not appear on the children's Parakeet Album. We tried to put it on there under the title, ‘Why Don't We Get Lunch in School?’ but it just didn't fly! The producer censored me! Oh, it was the parents, excuse me. The parents of our little singers”.
He then name-checks his close friend and journalist, Hunter Thompson, before explaining how it was this song that led to him meeting Thompson, “Wait ‘til they hear the Hunter Thompson album coming out...Oh boy, I don't even...And speaking of Hunter, this song got me introduced to Hunter about 20 years ago, and got me put on the Jesse Helms blacklist of entertainers - which I'm proud to say I'm still on!”
Originally released as a B-side to ‘The Great Filling Station Holdup’, ‘Why Don't We Get Drunk (and Screw)’ ended up stealing the limelight, with fans celebrating it's jovial, playful lyrics, which are delivered with Buffett's signature charm and wink.
If you check the songwriting credits for ‘Why Don't We Get Drunk (and Screw)’, you'll see it was penned solely by Marvin Gardens. You might think this would have gotten Buffett off the hook with his disapproving mother - but as all avid Parrotheads will know, Gardens was a pseudonym of Buffett's. Hilariously, the ‘Come Monday’ legend supposedly took the name from the Atlantic City version of Monopoly.
Senator Jesse Helms was a highly controversial figure in US politics, and was frequently seen as attempting to censor the arts through his control over the National Endowment for the Arts. Helms regularly spoke out against art, music and more that he felt was blasphemous, overly sexual, pro-LGBTQ+ or politically provocative. He was accused of effectively “weaponising” arts funding as a means of promoting more conservative and less experimental modes of expression.
The track has evolved into a prime example of Buffett's penchant for lacing humour into his music, with the Mississippi native undoubtedly relishing the fact that ‘Why Don't We Get Drunk (and Screw)’ drew scorn from famous obstructionist, Jesse Helms. As well as finding it on A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean, you can also listen to ’Why Don't We Get Drunk (and Screw)’ on a multitude of Buffett's hit-filled compilation records, such as Songs You know By Heart.
Watch Jimmy Buffett's amusing anecdote about ‘Why Don't We Get Drunk (and Screw)’ below:
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