Customer Reviews

JimmyDOTcom : The Evolution of a Phan

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Simply put, this book is the quintessential document of Jimmy Buffett's fans. Don't buy this book looking for Jimmy's biography, and don't even think about finding the lyrics to "Margaritaville" (although there are some hysterical alternate lyrics to a few songs within). No, this book is about the "phans" that "phlock" to the parking lots hours before Jimmy and the Coral Reefer band takes the stage, and it is VERY thorough. Chances are, if you came to see Jimmy on his "Beach House On The Moon" tour, your picture is in this book! Every detail about Parrotheadism is there, along with some of the craziest photos you've ever seen. Trust me, you may have thought your Jimmy Buffett concert experience was full, but it's not complete until you see how the rest of the country does it (and by the way, it's comforting to know that there's so many great minds thinking alike here).

A "preferred reading" for anyone who's ever been curious about life as a Parrothead, and a MUST HAVE for anyone who's ever worn a grass skirt or a coconut bra to a concert. Thanks Jackson!

When I first met Jackson Quigley during his Jimmy Buffett Beach House On The Moon concert marathon he was doing "research" for this book. Now I'm not sure how he got this job, but it's one I'd love to have. It is definitely a parrothead's dream job, and Jackson did it supremely well. I have about all the parrothead books that have been published, but this book does by far the best job of capturing the whole parrothead experience. I have always struggled to answer people when they ask me what a parrothead is and why the heck do I need to go to sooo many Jimmy Buffett concerts every year. I got to the point where I just shook my head and didn't even try to explain parrotheadism (if that's even a word). I'd just tell them to go to a concert or two and maybe they'd get it then. Well now I can just tell them to buy this book and I think they'll definitely get it. Kudos to Jackson Quigley for doing all that hard research in getting this book together. I was glad to finally pick up my copy at Meeting of the Minds 2000. This book is entertaining not only for parrotheads, but I think just about anyone would thoroughly enjoy having it on their coffee table.

A parrot-heads `Alice in Wonderland".
I over paid for an autographed copy of this book at our club's annual charity event, and have loved every page - A must for your collection. -Beverly Metzger, Chicago, IL.

I usally don't write reviews but i am making an exception. If you are a parrot head or wondering what one is. this book is a must have. It is well written and the information is great. Alll around fun book. And if you ever went to a concert watch out you might be in the book:-)

Jackson has captured what no one else has been able to do by giving you the exact definition of a Parrot Head. It's not just the definition, but he shows you in pictures. And while Jimmy couldn't get it all on paper, Jackson sure has. Jackson not only got it on paper, it's on the web too.

JimmyDotcom isn't just a great coffee table book, try leaving the book on the back of your throne, and when you have guests over count how many times someone walks out with it in their hands. I've had to put a note that reads: please wash hands before handling. I know that's more info than you should know, but I feel I can share anything with a phellow Parrothead. It is the best Jackson!

When I received my copy of JimmyDOTcom I had to prepare before I even opened it. I loaded my CD player with Buffett music (the good old stuff that I love so much) and opened a bottle of good red wine and filled my chalice. OK, now I was ready! I gotta tell ya, this book covers every aspect of the Parrothead lifestyle. Jackson tacks us through this sea of Parrothead craziness with true love and appreciation of everything he is taking in. What is great about this book is that it is obviously being told to us by a man who has been living amongst these colorful fun-loving characters for a long time and loving every minute of it! The book also shows the side of Parrotheads that most people are unaware existed. You'll see many community and environmentally conscious folks who give and give. If you are new to the Parrothead sub-culture, this book shows (through stories written by fans and many, many wonderful pictures) that YOU ARE NOT ALONE! I plan to take this book to work so my co-workers can see that there are a lot others out there like me! I've been a fan of Buffett since 1978 and seen the fans evolve. It's great to finally to see a book that is written by a TRUE FAN that is all about US. We, the fans, are the story! So, if you are a Jimmy Buffett fan of ANY degree, THIS IS YOUR BOOK! THIS IS YOUR LIFE!

...who fill up the arenas, keep the bars in business, and actively support almost any charity you can think of.

Us Parrotheads (or fans of Jimmy Buffett for the uninitiated) happily do all this and more. And Jackson Quigley has attempted to describe the scope of all this madness in book form! A daunting task, but he somehow pretty much pulls it off.

This book is obviously a labor of love, and is the product of not only Jackson's efforts, but the contributions of God-only-knows-how-many Parrotheads who delved into their photo collections and emails to supply so much of the content.

Jimmy Dot Com contains anecdotes, lists, original song lyrics, and a bunch of other written material, but the real meat of the book is the photos. I consider this book to be a great big photo album that tries to capture Parrotheads in all their glory.

I could go into all kinds of detail about the specific contents of the book, but there's just too much stuff to do justice to it all.

It's been said before, but this book is a great way to communicate to someone what the whole Parrothead phenomenon is all about. This is definitely one of those "picture being worth a thousand words" instances.

A last note: If you own either the Jimmy Buffett Scrapbook or The Parrothead Companion, I highly recommend picking up this book. The Scrapbook is a great look at Jimmy, the Companion is a great look at his music, and Jimmy Dot Com is a great look at US!

-Craiger

I purchased this book back in November (2000) at the 9th Annual "Meeting of the Minds" convention. While there have been many books written about Buffett himself, this is the first (and only) one that I am aware of that concentrates on the fans of Buffett, and the phenomenal underground movement that has swept the country in the past 5-10 years. Besides having literally hundreds of excellent photos contained within, the book does a great job of explaining to the average "lay person" what the whole Parrot Head thing is all about. I think that the author does an admirable job of casting an objective view on the whole scene, while endeavoring to be inclusive of all of Jimmy's fans, from the inflatable-parrot-on-the-head wearing B.I.G.'s to the dyed-in-the-wool G.O.P.'s like myself (if you don't know what those acronyms stand for, then buy the book!) Anyway, all in all, this book is a GREAT gift for any Parrot Head on your list. Unless they already have it.......

This book is a first in reviewing the fans and the fun of a summertime national hobby for a lot of people. Buffett concerts are sold out in every venue yearly. The fans come and have so much fun. But there is more to it for a group of people. This book tells that story of friendship and bonding. Jackson you did well!

I arrived in Budapest in the Fall of 1999. I had quit my job in the financial industry to follow a different Muse: teaching Business English in Budapest, Hungary. OK, so it's not the Muse most of us would choose, but, hey, it's my Muse.

Anyway, I only brought the essentials with me for my new life: some clothes, PC, Sony Walkman CD player and a small, but choice, collection of Jimmy Buffett CDs. I figured, even in Hungary the Parrothead mystique must have made an impression. Imagine my astonishment when I learned that virtually no one I met - local Hungarians, ex-pats from Great Britain, and other Central and Western European countries - had ever heard of Jimmy Buffett and his Parrothead followers. (Yes, Virginia, it's true, there are actually such places in the world!). In fact, only the Australian ex-pats had even a glimmering of the Man and his music.

How to bring The Word and The Sound and The Concept to the poor deprived people of Central Europe? The answer arrived via an e-mail from a friend I'd left behind in the New Mexico Parrothead Club: a new book by Jackson Quigley entitled JimmyDOTcom - the Evolution of a Phan.

An incredible, amazing, wondrous look at Jimmy Buffett and his music and his Phans - the ubiquitous (at least in the good old USA) Parrotheads. At last! I could carry my newly-purchased book around to my English classes and give my students a short exercise on one aspect of American music. I could take my book to the British Embassy's pub and flash it around to all of my drinking buddies. I could stop local Hungarians wandering through the streets of Budapest and show them just what they were missing by not being a part of the Parrothead Phenomenon. And they'd know I was truly an expert on this lifestyle, as my very own picture appears on pages 88, 148 and 150 of the book. Yep, there I am at the 1992 Phoenix Phlocking with my Parrothead buds and budettes, resplendent in my stunningly ugly Hawaiian shirt, trying to kiss an inflatable shark and eat a cheeseburger in paradise at the same time, while holding a boat drink in one hand. Where did Jackson get that picture?

And all of the thousands of other wonderful pictures of Jimmy Phans and Phlocks? It's all there in his book: all of the Parrothead clubs from all over the USA; the scary moonings topped by the even scarier Hawaiian shirts; the Phins Up at hundreds of parking lot phlockings at Jimmy's concerts throughout the years; the PHC Internet sites; pretty much all of the people your parents warned you about (I didn't make that section - Jackson must have lost my picture from the Tropical Isle bar in New Orleans!); the art; the giant cheeseburgers; the music; and many other related books and media.

Every Parrothead needs this book, if only to remind us of the times we were still young and crazy and able to slosh down boat drinks in carefree camaraderie. Every non-Parrothead needs this book, if only to see what their friends and parents and children were up to when they went away to those strange, rarely-talked-about meetings of the minds.

The pictures, naturally, make the book, because they're what Parrothead-ism is all about - the concerts, the island mentality, the lifestyle, the people - young, old, matrons in furs and shark hats, little kids dressed up by their parents to resemble many of the unique characters Jimmy sings about.

I have taken it upon myself to spread the Parrothead word in Budapest. Before I'm through, Central Europe will be swaying to Jimmy's music, eager to adopt the same fun, irreverent way of living that has been shared by so many Americans from so many cities and states.

Thanks, Jackson. With the help of your book I can finally help Hungarians catch the true flavor of the Parrothead mystique. They'll find it hard to believe what they've been missing.