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Been playing Buffett in the car with my 9-year-old son lately, and wasn’t sure if he’d connect with anything other than “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” Walked by his room the other day and heard him listening to “Songs You Know By Heart” all on his own.

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Sep 8, 2023Liked by Tommy Tomlinson

I remember when Alex Smith came out of Utah for the NFL. I read he had 20+ college credits from AP high school classes and AP exams prior to his Utah enrollment. One of the smartest college recruits near ever. Graduated in three years. I never heard of a football player with that kind of transcript. Never a question of intelligence.

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I assume you’ve already read Susan Orleans’ Rin-Tin-Tin book? If not, you will love it!

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author

Right here on my bookshelf! It's great.

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Sep 8, 2023Liked by Tommy Tomlinson

I wonder if he was moderating his pace even earlier. The other day, I dug up my Chronicle story from an interview in 1983. Talking about his lifestyle, he confirmed the wild times but said they paled next to his reputation: ‘If I did half those things for half as long, hell, I’d never have lived to tell it.’

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I always heard that he couldn’t come back to Charlotte for a time after he failed to perform for a concert in the 80’s? The city was so mad that he couldn’t sell tix. Maybe it’s a tall tale…My friend confirmed she was at the concert that he failed to sing - They went back to their hotel and had a good time any way.

I enjoyed seeing him 2 nights in a row in 92 at Blockbuster. The Captain and the Kid is perfection.

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I never heard that story! I saw him at Blockbuster sometime between '93 and '97 ... maybe more than once.

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Sep 9, 2023Liked by Tommy Tomlinson

"I always wondered if he had left something behind out there, and planned to one day go looking for it."

Surely it was his lost shaker of salt.

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Four absolutely perfect (as writing, as cultural observation) sentences:

‘Beach bum is a seductive life. I still fantasize now and then about living in a little shack on the water and catching fish for supper every night. But I’ve met a lot of those folks and most of them are lonely. The ocean makes beautiful sounds but it never talks back’.

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That's very kind, Jack. Thank you for this and thank you for reading.

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Not related to this week's edition, but have you heard of / listened to the Irish singer Hozier? My kid asked me along to a concert next month, so I've been listening in advance, and he is amazing! Would love to get your take on the artist.

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