#72 – Fruitcakes
Day #72 – Fruitcakes
I think Fruitcakes is one of those great songs that Jimmy wrote. It’s funny, it’s irreverent, it’s honest, and it has a fun sound that makes you just want to sing and dance along. This song is a treasure trove of crafty lyrics and real life. It lets us know it’s okay to be a bit different because there are other fruitcakes out there too. They are in the kitchen, they are on the street, and you can feel like you are all one big fruitcake family.
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Original post from 11/12/2023
Day #72 – Fruitcakes
Fruitcakes was released on JB’s 1994 album of the same name. I have a special place in my heart for this whole album, for multiple reasons, and I used to listen to it on repeat in my car, driving down the road and singing along.
If there hadn’t have been a Margaritaville, I can’t imagine there ever would have been a Fruitcakes, and I can absolutely say I am so happy we have both.
Desdemona is an old friend in Jimmy’s storytelling folklore. She first turns up in his 1992 novel Where Is Joe Merchant? She’s living in the islands and has a vessel called the Cosmic Muffin.
We see her here in Fruitcakes in 1994 and are reminded she is a bit eccentric and from Boomtown who tells us that human beings are flawed individuals and that “the cosmic bakers took us out of the oven a little too early”.
She makes another appearance in her very own song in 1996, in Desdemona’s Building A Rocket Ship, with plans to visit the Pleiades, in a ship converted to travel to the stars.
Fruitcakes is a nod to the sometimes crazy modern world that we are living in and how eccentric some human beings really are. Jimmy uses his trademark humor and quirky storytelling to paint a picture that both makes us laugh at our world, but also at ourselves. The lyrics tell us “there’s a little bit of fruitcake in everyone of us”.
The song also includes a humorous musical rant about the cost of snacks at the movie theater and a desperate request for Junior Mints.
“Fruitcakes in the kitchen, Fruitcakes on the street, Struttin’ naked through the crosswalk, In the middle of the week.”
Please enjoy Fruitcakes. I think you’ll find it both funny and charming and quite true. I have included the link in the comments below.
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The Cosmic Muffin is a real vessel, although it didn’t start out quite the way you might think. It started out as a Boeing 307 Stratoliner, one of only ten units ever produced. This plane in particular was bought and owned by billionaire Howard Hughes. It was owned by Hughes with the intention of being used to fly around the world on a goodwill tour, but then World War II happened, and the plan sat, its intended mission never fulfilled.
After ten years of Hughes ownership, he decided to sell it, but also wanted to make it very special. It was remodeled with modernness and luxury in mind and was christened The Flying Penthouse. He sold it to Texas millionaire Glenn McCarthy, who intended to use it as a shuttle to and from his luxury Houston hotel The Shamrock. This hotel itself has a very interesting story, but this little story isn’t about it. Long story short, Hughes ended up getting the plane back when McCarthy defaulted on payments.
The Flying Penthouse was in Florida and was heavily damaged by Hurricane Cleo in 1964. She was close to being junked due to the damage, but another enterprising soul decided to turn it into a luxury yacht. Yes, that’s correct. The plane had the tail and wings removed, leaving the fuselage to carry on its life as a motor yacht called the Londonaire, after an extensive five-year remodel.
In 1981, the craft was sold yet again, this time for $7500 to Dave Dimmer, who turned it into a home, which he lived in until 2000, and then a commercial cruiser. In 2016 he donated the craft to the Florida Air Museum due to the pricey cost of maintenance. Dimmer describes driving the motor yacht like driving a school bus backwards on ice but recognized that it drew a great deal of attention.
One person that it drew the attention of was Jimmy Buffett, who was so inspired by the unique craft that he included it in his novel Where Is Joe Merchant, gave its ownership to Desdemona and called it the Cosmic Muffin. As a matter of fact, Dimmer reportedly named the vessel the Cosmic Muffin because of Jimmy’s attention and story, claiming that Jimmy made the vessel famous. Life and art, entertaining to weave a very intriguing story.
A really nice article with pictures and more history than I have included exists on autoevolution, which is where I received the majority of my backstory information. I will leave the link here if anyone is interested in more of the story, which also includes some great pictures of the unique vessel. Meet Cosmic Muffin, the Iconic Howard Hughes Boeing 307 Stratoliner Turned Planeboat – autoevolution
When I started researching the Cosmic Muffin, I had no idea about its very interesting back story. I love learning new things and wanted to share some of that unique story when discussing Desdemona and her Cosmic Muffin. I am really thankful to everyone who had a hand in her interesting story and development.
Stacy
Please enjoy Fruitcakes. I have included the link below. Enjoy!
The link is from Jimmy’s official YouTube channel, which I have no personal affiliation with.
