MUMBO JUMBO – April 2011

-Key West History
-Let the Summer Tour Begin!
-The 16th Annual Key West Songwriter’s Festival 

You may have noticed  I didn’t put out a Mumbo Jumbo last month, but I’m sure you all survived without my monthly babbling, and since I didn’t leave the Keys there was no need to promote any road gigs or update you on any other special events.  Terry and I have been super busy booking the summer tour and are still looking for new venues coast to coast so keep us in mind if you have any suggestions!

KEY WEST HISTORY: The Beatles to Gaddafi!!

Key West enjoys a long and storied history and has hosted an eclectic group of visitors over the years.  For instance, some of you may be aware that The Beatles spent a short amount of time in Key West in September of 1964.  They flew in at 4 o’clock in the morning in turbulent weather in a four engine prop plane and stayed overnight at the old Key Wester Motel out next to the airport.  Apparently they were avoiding some nasty hurricane force winds which forced them to make a detour around Miami, after leaving a concert in Jacksonville, earlier in the evening.

But far fewer of you may be aware that nearly 35 years later to the day (in September 2009), Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi arrived in Key West with a small entourage after speaking in New York City at The United Nations.  The recent fighting in Libya reminded me of this crazed dictator and his strange visit to Key West.  I actually was involved in the visit in a very small way, and actually briefly met Gaddafi himself.

You may recollect that after being an outlaw leader of a pariah state for many years and a major exporter of terrorism, Gaddafi decided in the early 2000’s to clean up his act, abandon his nuclear weapons program and establish closer ties to the west and The United States, paving the way for this historic American visit here in 2009.  You may also recall that while visiting New York, Gaddafi refused to stay in Manhattan hotels and insisted on staying in his own special tent flown in from Libya.  There was a great uproar over what land would be made available for the Libyan leader’s tent, and finally Donald Trump offered a parcel of land and the tent was erected.  However the neighbors complained and the canvas mansion was eventually removed.

Gaddafi, a student of American culture, is also apparently an enormous Ernest Hemingway fan (having quoted the great author in several of his rants and speeches) and made a formal request to the state department that he and his group be allowed to make an overnight visit to Key West, so they might tour the famous writer’s home and museum.   Seeing that Key West hosts several active military installations, as well as a large Naval Air Station which could easily accommodate the Colonel’s aircraft, the state department deemed security ample here for the foreign leader’s brief visit, which was not highly publicized.  However, the glitch again became where Gaddafi might pitch his sizeable tent!

Naval land was offered to the Libyans, but they balked at the offer because of the proximity to the huge radar and electronic towers used to monitor communications in Cuba.  Understandably, they didn’t want to be on US government land and risk being spied on.

This is where I became tangentially involved.  I received a call from a very close friend in the state department who used to work with me in politics in New Hampshire.  He had been assigned the unenviable task of finding a large private vacant lot in Key West that would meet the Libyan’s approval, and I was the only person he knew here.  He said the state department really didn’t care where the land was on the island, as long as the neighbors would be willing to put up with the commotion for two days. Plenty of security would be provided, and being Muslims, the Libyans were not known to be late night people or big partiers, and they were willing to spend a huge amount of money to rent the land.   My friend also told me there were some back channel discussions about Gaddafi wanting to see a very famous plastic surgeon in South Florida while he was here.

To make a long story short, I knew someone in Key West who owned two vacant house lots on Washington St.  I put him in touch with my contact at the state department, they cut a deal in which he also gave his four neighbors a piece of the action; and a few weeks later, the most elaborate Bedouin tent you could possibly imagine was being erected on the vacant lots, complete with generators and portable air-conditioning units.  

The Colonel and his group landed at the Boca Chica Naval Air station the following day, where a military motorcade picked the group up and escorted them into town.  The Mayor and state department had organized a small, private reception for Gaddafi and his party at the Hemingway House on Whitehead St. and my friend at the state department kindly obtained  four credentials for me.   Gaddafi entered the gardens behind the home in a brilliant white flowing robe with some lime green and pastel orange trim, very formal tropical!  He was also wearing a kind of pillbox hat that was also lime green, it actually reminded me of something Jackie Kennedy might have worn, but at least he looked comfortable in the September heat.

As I mentioned, I had been given four credentials for the event.  A retired Navy fighter pilot friend of mine wanted to go and unfortunately two of the Wicked Sisters were in town and pleaded to attend.  I agreed to give them the other two passes but asked that they PLEASE dress appropriately and not show up drunk!  Of course neither happened, as they apparently downed two bottles of champagne next door at Kelley’s Bar before the reception and showed up in short skirts and T shirts:  One white one that read  “YOU’ll DO FOR NOW” in red print and the other boldly screaming “ART SLUT” in thick white letters on a black shirt.  An odd bit of diplomacy but not surprising!

Extremely embarrassed, I quickly separated myself from them and when my time came to meet Gaddafi, I immediately noticed that he reminded me of a deranged bass player I had once worked with in the Greek Islands.  The kind of man you didn’t want to look in the eyes. Through his interpreter, I briefly mentioned that we shared the same birthday of June 7, and that I enjoyed his book, ”Escape to Hell and Other Stories,” and hoped to write a song based on it one day.

I left early and learned the next day that apparently there WAS loud partying in the tent that night, and the Wicked Sisters did not return home until noon the following day! Two years later… they still refuse to talk about it!  

Just another night in Key West, a very strange, tolerant town.

THE 2011 TOUR BEGINS MAY 4th in NEW ENGLAND!

You may be wondering why LEG 1 of our summer tour begins in Massachusetts when three nights before we are performing in Key West?  While I was fortunate enough to winter in Key West this year, the poor van and all the sound gear had to sit through the brutal New Hampshire winter.  Here are the dates for the first leg.  We are still hoping to add a few shows in the south and Gulf Coast area, so if you have any ideas please write to Terry@scottkirby.com.

LEG 2 of the tour will begin June 24 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and hopefully take us through Arizona to California and up the coast to Seattle.  We‘re booking those shows now so stay tuned.

LEG 1, consult the web site for showtimes and ticket details!

May 4th, The Sandbar in Taunton, MA
May 5th, Rivermill at Dover Landing, NH
May 6th, The Lodge at Belmont, NH
May 7th, Private event, Lansdale, PA
May 8th, The mother of all Mother’s Day parties at Big Owl Tiki Bar, Grasonville, Md
May 10th, Ashland Coffee and Tea, Ashland, VA
May 11th , TBA
May 12th , Hemingway’s, Marietta, GA
May 13th, The Silver Moon at The Florabama, Orange Beach, AL
May 14th, Tropical Isle, New Orleans, LA                           
May 19th, Private event, The Sweetwater Country Club, Sugarland TX
May 20th, Sugarland Town Square, Sugarland TX
May 21st, Private event, Rockport, TX
May 23rd, South Padre Island, TBA
May 24th, South Padre Island, TBA               
16th ANNUAL KEY WEST SONGWRITER’S FESTIVAL April 27th through May 1st

I ‘ve had the honor of performing at most of the 16 Songwriter’s Festivals over the years and have watched first hand the event grow from a handful of writers playing at a few local bars, to the largest festival of its kind in the world! This will be our last performance in Key West before hitting the road and Dave and I will be joined by some incredible guests during our week long engagement at THE MARGARITAVILLE CAFÉ.  Here’s the schedule:

April 26th, 9:30 to 11:30 PM

April 27th, 9:30 to 11:30 PM, special guest Cliff Cody

April 28th, 9:30 to 11:30, special guest Gove Scrivenor

April 29th 9PM in the round, Jaclyn North, Liz Hengber, Captain Kid.  We go on around 10PM with Special Guest Elsie May Larson-Kunkel.

April 30th, 9PM in the round, Eric Paslay, Jennifer Zuffinetti, Matt Ramsey.  We go on around 10PM with Special Guest Elsie May Larson-Kunkel.

May 1st,  9 TO 10:30 with Special Guest Thom Sheppard.  10:30PM  The Andy Velo Band

Until we hit the road in May, I hope to see some of you here in the Keys, at The Pier House and Snappers.

As always, thanks for listening!! 
Scott Kirby
                           
Copyright Scott Kirby 2009. All rights reserved. www.scottkirby.com

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