As 2023 draws to a close and we toddle through the thick of the holidays, it’s a critical moment to consider the events that made up the year. My heart is heavy as I reflect on the passing of Shane MacGowan of the Pogues and Jimmy Buffett of Margaritaville fame. The unrelenting Unseen Hand that gives, also has a wicked way of taking away. Losing them in the same year hurts, as I was a fan of both men and their music. They were built from decidedly unique cosmic dust but, upon a deeper look, there is something more that links them together.
Synchronicity has a weird way of hiding in plain sight, and then revealing itself to those who care to look.
Both men arrived in this world on Christmas Day. In 1957, Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan was born in Pembury, Kent, England. Just eleven years earlier in 1946, James William Buffett was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi. With 4500 miles between them, the pair led lives that were vastly different on the surface, but bear some striking similarities just below the surface.
For example, they both became singer/songwriters. Shane came to lead the Irish punk band The Pogues and drew upon his Irish heritage to paint gritty images from his lens on life. Jimmy and the Coral Reefer Band painted wildly idyllic tunes about the life of a modern-day pirate; based on experiences observed and lived.
Water played a critical element in their music and lives. The Pogues catalog is filled with tragically romantic songs that refer to rivers like the Thames and Seine; or tales of big cities soaked in the maudlin gloom of seemingly endless rain. On the other side of the world, Jimmy sailed the oceans and gave us hope that there was one particular harbor that held paradise beyond our wildest dreams.
Most importantly, they both recognized that whiskey, the water of life, and other spirits, have a way of binding the human experience and bringing us all together. This was often a part of their music.
In the song “Streams of Whiskey” the Pogues give us this lyric:
Oh the words that he spoke/ Seemed the wisest of philosophies
There’s nothing ever gained /By a wet thing called a tear
When the world is too dark /And I need the light inside of me
I’ll walk into a bar /And drink fifteen pints of beer
I am going, I am going /Any which way the wind may be blowing
I am going, I am going /Where streams of whiskey are flowing
In the song “Bama Breeze,” Jimmy Buffett sings to us:
Second set, the owner LuLu gets up with the band
A beer in her hand, and sings “Free Bird” slow
Then she raises a toast, here’s to Ronnie and the boys
Now everybody make some noise
At the Bama Breeze, You’re one of our own down there
You’ll never drink alone down there
Good god, I feel at home down there
At the end of the day, I believe we can get past most of our differences and problems by sharing a drink and moment. It doesn’t matter if you follow an Irish punk or a Mississippi pirate, there’s always a place where you can go and be among friends and good spirits. I don’t know if Jimmy and Shane ever met in real life, but I’ll bet there is one hell of a party going on upstairs now that they’ve arrived. Can you hear it?
As I am near the end of dram, it’s time for me to wrap up this year-end message in a nice bow. It is a privilege beyond measure to work at Whiskey Network and lead this group of people. No matter how different we are, we are all united in one thing: whiskey (and other spirits). This is what makes us one and powers our little slice of the whiskey universe. Thank you for being a part of it.
We’re going to be taking some time off to be with the ones we love, and we encourage you to do the same. Reflect on the amazing things around you and share with friends and family. Just make sure to raise a toast to the ones who inspire something influential in us as we are reminded that our time together is sweet but fleeting.
Cheers to:
Jimmy and Shane. May they party in eternal paradise.
The Whiskey Network staff for being an incredible force of creativity and intellect.
To you… our audience, for trusting us to tell stories about the magic of whiskey.
Happy Holidays,
Mark
