Here is more content from the Church Of Buffett website. It was a great site but was sadly hacked and is no more. You can still find bits & pieces of it around the internet. Here is a great article on Marvin Gardens. Check it out. It’s their words, not mine.
Welcome to the Unofficial Marvin Gardens Memorial Page.
Somewhere near the corner of Ventor and Atlantic Avenue, Sandwiched in between the Water Works and the Jail you'll find the humble home where Marvin Gardens was born.
This page is dedicated to the life and times of an unknown drunken calypso poet, who lived the good life, and died the great death. Gone but not forgotten, Marvin we love you!
You wanna know where to go!
I'll tell a where to go but you won't get no stinking $200.00!
The Marvin Gardens Obit
An account of Marvin's early life
Marvin's Greatest Hit
Could It Be
Was this his last great song?
Just The FQA Frequently Questioned Answers
He went to Paris, a letter from Bubba
Marvin plays at Herbie's Tumble Inn
You mean there's more!
The Official Marvin
Salty Dog
Parrot Central
Marvin Gardens
Man, Myth, and Legend
Many questions arise about who Marvin Gardens was, where he came from and what influence did he have on the music in America. Little is known about this legendary figure. actually for most people all that is known is that he wrote a song entitled Why Don't We Get Drunk (and Screw) for singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett.Gardens is actually so obscure that some biographers have even suggested that he did not exist but was actually a pseudonym for Buffett himself.
This narrative is an attempt to set the record straight. Two months ago I was also one those people who thought that Marvin did not exist. That was before I started doing research on the Steve Goodman Legacy page. While doing research on this page, I happened across an individual in Chicago, who not only knew Marvin Gardens but was related to him thru marriage and this is how I came to know the full truth about Marvin Gardens
John Dreger was former bar singer, who toured the Chicagoland area often backing up Goodman on local shows. He was introduced to Gardens one cold December night back in 1970. The three of them (Goodman, Gardens, and Dreger) went out drinking after the show and ended up being bailed out if the 111 th street lockup two days later by Gardens' sister. Gardens The following is some biographical information obtained from Dreger about Gardens.
Probably the most asked question is was that really his name. The answer is no. His real name was Charles Darrow. Why did Marvin change his name? Marvin was wanted for both income tax evasion and desertion from the United States Army. Marvin never once filed an income tax form. He believed that paying taxes violated his constitutional rights. The strange thing about it is that he actually never worked a day in his life with the exception of his stint in the army.
Marvin deserted the U.S army after being wounded in Vietnam in 1966-67. A sniper's bullet took off two of his toes after ricocheting off his canteen cup. while convalescing at China Beach he snuck out of his bed, and boarded a C-130 heading for Thailand. From there he boarded a junk and headed out to sea. Marvin probably would have received an honorable discharge for medical reasons but he had had enough of the Army bureaucracy, so as he put it "I just left. Paper work was their bag, I had my life to live and I wasn't going to waste anymore of it on somebody else's account." It was at this time that Marvin took the name Marvin Gardens. Marvin ended up in Tampico, Mexico and became a mate on shrimp boat. He made a comfortable living not thru shrimping but by smuggling drugs and running &"illegals" up the Mississippi and thru the keys. Ii was these antics that led to the songs Tampico Trauma and Banana Republics by Steve Goodman, and Jimmy Buffett.
Around 1968, Gardens met up with a young singer who was trying to make a living as a shrimper while trying to land a record deal. This man was Jimmy Buffett. They had met in New Orleans. As Buffett stated "Marv was in the shit hole of a dive, hitting on this hooker and trying to pass some high quality ganga. I bought a lid and told him I knew a couple other cats who might be interested." One thing led to another, and Marvin, now owner of his own Shrimp boat, signed Buffett on as a mate. the two got along real well. buffett found out that Marvin was also a song writer and a pretty good guitar and piano player, yet he had no real interst in getting recorded. Buffett ran with Marvin for about two months and then he got a record contract. He tried to get Gardens to join him in the contract but Marvin told Buffett that "no one signs my paycheck. That way no one owns me. and i can do what I want to do" A year later, Marvin was flying a plane in and out of the keys, now supposedly spotting fishing sites for the shrimpers, but he was still in contact with Buffett. Gardens ran into Buffett down in the keys one hot miserable summer and the two decided to fly north for a little cool breeze. Gardens had a consignment of souvenirs from Mexico that he needed to deliver in Chicago, so the two flew north.
While in Chicago they went on a bender and caught Goodman playing in the Road & Gravel Bar. What started of as a temporary diversion from the Florida heat became a two week binge of whoring and drinking. It was at this time that the words for the song Why Don't we Get Drunk were written. The three men became fast, close friends. Marvin shrimp boat had been confiscated, and all that he had left was about twenty dollars and his Cessna T-337, SkyMaster. He decided that the times had changed and he should probably change occupations for awhile. Buffett and Goodman both tried to get him to sign on with them but Gardens stuck to his principals. All of them also realized that if Gardens was to sign a contract, the authorities would track him down in a heart beat. Finally they came to an agreement. Gardens would work as an un-named uncredited musician. They paid him scale, plus a small percentage of the royalties. Gardens in turn flew them around from town to town and even taught Buffett to fly. The only song that Gardens ever allowed to be credited to him was the Why don't We Get Drunk. The reason for this was his pride.
According to everyone interviewed, back when the three of them first met, they all made a bet on what was the best pick up line. Gardens bet them $1,000 that he could pick up more girls using the line "Why don't we get drunk and Screw" then any line the other two could think up. As the story goes, neither Goodman or Buffett had that much money so they instead bet part of the future financial gains against Gardens $1,000. Gardens knew a good deal when he heard one so he took the challenge. In the end, Gardens picked up twice as many women with his one line then the other two did with any other phrase they could think up. (He also got slapped and kneed in the groin twice as many times as the other two did.)
Death of an Unpopular Calypso Poet
From the Sarasota Herald-Tribune...1 April, 1989
Legendary Entertainer Marvin Gardens Dead at 42
Marvin Gardens, the wry and witty singer/songwriter noted for
his risque lyrics and life on "the edge" died of a massive coronary
infarction today at the Sarasota Rock 'n' Roll Rest Home, according
to a statement released by the Sarasota County Coroner's Office and
officials at the home. He was 42.
Mr. Gardens, best known for the song "Why Don't We Get Drunk,"
which was popularized by singer Jimmy Buffett in the early '70s, was
an early influence in the "gonzo" style of music that included Jerry
Jeff Walker, the late Steve Goodman and Mr. Buffett. "Gonzo," a
term borrowed from author Hunter S. Thompson, describes the crazy,
almost insane, lyrics and tunes of some late '60s and early '70s
post-folk melodies.
Mr. Gardens had been in the home permanently since a 1981 stroke -
which ironically occured on the same day that his old musical partner,
Buffett, released his 'Somewhere Over China' LP. Reports indicated that
Mr. Gardens was listening to a promotional copy of Mr. Buffett's 'Off to
See the Lizard' release when he declared, "Oh no - this can't be happening!"
He collapsed and was pronounced dead by the resident physician at the home.
Mr. Gardens, the scion of a prominent Atlantic City, N.J. family,
had not performed in public in some time. He is credited on several of
Mr. Buffett's albums as well as pictured on the cover of Mr. Goodman's
'Someone Else's Troubles" LP. His early collaberations with Mr. Buffett
were in New Orleans in the 1960s. While the two had a falling out over
Buffett's decision to drop a controversial song Garden's had reportedly
written for his 'Havana Daydreamin' LP, the two had partially reconciled
although there were no plans to reinstate Gardens in the Coral Reefers for
the upcoming tour or any other.
Reached for comment in Los Angeles, Mr. Buffett stated that, "Some
people don't even know how close Marvin and I used to be. I'll miss
him. We were so very close." He added, "It sort of became an on-running
joke. 'Fingers' [Taylor - Buffett's harmonica man] used to call him my
alter-ego. It got so bad that some people even wondered if there was
actually two people or just one of us. Kind of like Batman and Bruce Wayne.
That sort of thing." Recalling their early adventures, Buffett recounts,
"I'd often sign in to hotels under Marv's name. Marvin never could figure
out why Holiday Inn's lawyers kept sending him all those certified letters."
Mr. Gardens' remains will be cremated and spread over the Gulf of
Mexico after a private service today. He has no known survivors.
I smell a cover up...
Marvin Gardens Just The FQAs
Marvin Gardens *is* entirely a creation of Jimmy Buffett's mind. (I'd
sure like to see M.G. get a role in one of these books or movies). Before
JB could even afford to have a back-up band, there was the original
(read imaginary) Coral Reefer Band. The line-up was:
Jimmy Buffett, Vocals, Guitar
Marvin Gardens, Guitar
Kay Pasa, Bass
Kitty Litter, Background Vocals
Al Vacado, Drums
The part about Marvin becoming Jimmy's alter-ego *is* true. I get the
impression that Marvin was Jimmy's ornery side. The part about signing
into hotels I also believe to be true (I think he's used Frank Bama and
Freddy Fishstick for that purpose, too).
Marvin did "write" 'Why Don't We Get Drunk.' If you don't believe me,
grab your copy of Sport Coat (failing that - Songs You Play to Death or
the Box Set will do) and look by the song. Whoever wrote that he couldn't
find any reference to Marvin didn't look very hard. Obviously, in
1973, one might not want his *own* name on a tune like 'Why Don't We
Get Drunk.'
Apparently, Marvin had a hand in writing 'Please Take Your Drunken Fifteen
Year Old Girlfriend Home.' I have a bootleg show where JB plays the
song (which at the time was to be released on the upcoming 'Second Wind'
LP - as you know, the song never made it and the album was retitled
'Havana Daydreamin''). Anyway, after the song, some guy in the crowd
yells, "Marvin Gardens lives!" Jimmy responds, "Marvin Gardens is...
barely alive...he's in the rock 'n' roll retirement home down in
Sarasota. He's got an IV bottle with Gatorade in it." So, that's
where that came from - Jimmy himself kind of wrote the story -- I just
put a few loose ends together 😊
Well - there is a bit more irony to the whole thing. If you have the vinyl
of Havana Daydreamin', the inscription starts, "Well, here I am at
album four...There are now real Coral Reefers that have replaced the
ficticious chracters I used to employ (Farewell Marvin Gardens and Company)."
The retirement of Marvin Gardens - both as written on the label -
but symbolicly as well (the decision not to use '15 Y/O Girlfriend')
probably say a lot about JB's music. The next album, of course, was
Changes and was probably the first one that starts to show the sounds
that we think of as Jimmy Buffet music now - it's also his first major
success.
Take care...Stu
stu@uga.cc.uga.edu
The University of Georgia
Church of Buffett - Orthodox
(or so goes the official cover up)
Dated 03/14/95
Could it be possible:
I went over to see the woman who claims to be Marvin's
sister the other day to try and verify some basic facts
about the "15 year old girl friend" song but when I got to her
house she was gone. Some nosy "buscha" stuck her head out
as she saw me snooping around the front yard and told me
"They ain't home" I asked her if she knew when they'd be back
and she said, "Couple weeks they went on their usual trip to
the Caribbean." When I said "usual?" she came back with,
Yes they go to Saint Lucia every three or four months to visit
her cousin. This made me wonder, and so i asked her "out of
curiosity, would her cousin be named Marvin?"
The old buscha was now standing on her front porch wearing
those disgusting furry slippers and a raggedy duster, you know
the typical houseware for old buscha in Chicago. She shook her head
slowly. I turned away to leave only half listening to her negative
reply but then just as suddenly I turned around as her cousin's name
registered. "BILLY VOLTAIRE" I screamed at the old lady. She almost
fell from the porch in surprise. After she recovered she said "Yes,
Billy Voltaire, do you know him."
I came back with "I think so, is he a Piano player?"
"Well [Marvin's sisters] says he used to play piano but now he
just works in his garden. He's retired." says the buscha.
The coincidence was just too much for me but I reasoned it
could still just be a coincidence. Afterall Billy Voltiare was
just name in Cuban Crime of Passion. Maybe Buffett just borrowed
Marvin's cousin's name, maybe he had met Billy way back in the
early Seventies. Another question popped in my mind. I remembered
that Marvin's Cessna T-337 was stolen shortly after his death.
I asked the woman "Does Mister Voltaire own an airplane?"
The buscha replied "Yes."
"Do you know what kind it is?
The old woman laughed. "No...i don't know much about planes"
"well have you ever seen it?" I asked somewhat impatiently.
"Oh yes. I went down to Saint Lucia with [name again withheld]
last year. Billy flew us all over to Saint Thomas in his plane.
"Could you describe it for me?"
"Well it was kind of funny because it had an engine in front
and also in back and it had two tails"
I almost jumped for joy! The desciption she gave
could only be that of Cessna T-337.
Now if I can only confirm my suspisions. Could Billy Voltaire be
Marvin Gardens? Could Marvin have faked his own death? Or is
Billy Voltaire just an old piano player who happens to be related
to the great one, and now the proud owner of piece of history?
Dear Toby,
dated July 5, 1995
He Went to Paris. At least that what I beleive. I was coming out of the Moulin Rouge. I had managed to sneak in a camera a get a couple Pics (I'll snail mail them to you in a day or two)
But to make a long story short I think I saw Marvin. He was as sun drenched as ever. I called out "Marvin" and he looked my way and just as quickly took off running. I managed to snap this picture before he slipped down into the Paris Subway. I tried to follow him but I lost him. I immediately started calling the various hotels in Paris but to no avail. i suspect that he stays in a private home, when over here, perhaps supplied by Buffett.
I checked the Paris phone book for a man named Gardens or Voltaire but you can guess what the results were.
So we are left with only this one picture
What do you think, could this be the elusive Marvin Gardens?
In any case I'm trying to keep track of any flight heading toward the Caribbean, specifically those that include Saint Lucia as a possible destination. unfortunately I only have seven more days in Paris. It seems like Marvin has once again slipped thru my fingers.
PS I was going to post this to the various newsgroups but with all this talk of Buffett buying land in Florida, well i just thought I should tell you o this latest development and let you decide what should be done with it Your Salty Dog, Bubba.
Why Don't We Get Drunk And Screw
By: Marvin Gardens
1973
I really do appreciate the fact you're sittin' here
Your voice sounds so wonderful
But yer face don't look too clear
So bar maid bring a pitcher, another round o' brew
Honey, why don't we get drunk and screw
Chorus:
Why don't we get drunk and screw
I just bought a water bed, it's filled up for me and you
They say you are a snuff queen
Honey I don't think that's true
So, why don't we get drunk and screw
-- Spoken: "Pick it Coral Reefers, here we go..."
(swing instrumental)
Chorus:
Why don't we get drunk and screw
I just bought a waterbed it's filled up for me and you
They say you are a snuff queen
Honey I don't think that's true
So why don't we get drunk and screw
Yeah, now baby I say, (Lord!)
Why don't we get drunk and screw
Please Take Your Drunken
Fifteen Year Old Girlfriend Home
@NOTE: Performed Live 1975, The Boarding House, San Francisco, CA
Please Take Your Drunken Fifteen Year Old Girlfriend Home
By: Jimmy Buffett (or was it really an uncredited Marvin Song?)
c. 1975
Please take your girlfriend a home
She's only fifteen, she shouldn't be back here alone
I'm horny and my mind begins to roam
So please take your drunken fifteen year old girlfriend home
She found mama's quallude 'script
Took a few just right before the show, ooh
She is no beer drinker
She used the bathroom fifteen times I know
Her overtures were rather crude
Her boyfriend he was more than rude to me
I'm twenty-eight and I don't date
I still know classy women who like me
So please take your girlfriend a home
She's only fifteen, she shouldn't be back here alone
I'm horny and my mouth begins to foam
So please take your drunken fifteen year old girlfriend home
--Spoken
"Oh, get her out of here."
She said our show was rather dull
She like Jethro Tull more than she liked us
She said a cab cost twenty bucks
I gave her thirty cents to ride the bus
When she hit me with that line
Something with which I just cannot agree
When she said she dug the harmonica player
A whole lot more than she really dug me
Oh please take your girlfriend a home
She's only fifteen, she shouldn't be back here alone
Oh take her to go read the Rolling Stone
And please take your drunken fifteen year old girlfriend home
Yeah, please
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