Buffet beginning in 1998.
In April 1998, Buffett released an album of songs from a musical theatre production he co-created based on Herman Wouk’s novel Don’t Stop the Carnival. The album was certified gold.
Frank Sinatra died the following month. Buffett attended the funeral.
Buffett ran into “book banning.” In his case, “song banning.” His song “Math Suks” was released in May 1999. It was condemned by the U.S. Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Education Association for its alleged negative effect on children’s education.
What an insult! One of America’s great song writers has a tune banned by teachers.
I never heard of “Math Suks” before researching for this article. I looked it up, read the lyrics. The nerve of the teachers and educators who insulted Buffett in this instance.
I disliked math and the sciences. All were difficult for me. My brain was wired English and history. I assume Buffett’s was also.
Let me share a few passages of “Math Suks.” Right on as far as I am concerned. Typical Jimmy Buffett writing.
“If necessity is the mother of invention / Then I’d like to kill the guy who invented this / The numbers come through in some kind of a third dimension / A regular algebraic bliss.
Let’s start with something simple, like one and one aren’t three / And two plus two will never get you five. / There are fractions in my subtraction and x don’t equal why / But my homework is bound to multiply.
Math suks math suks / I’d like to burn this textbook, I hate this stuff so much. / Math suks math suks / Sometimes I think I don’t know that much / But math suks…..
Geometry, trigonometry and if that don’t tax your brain / There there are numbers too big to be named / Numerical precision is a science with a mission / And I think it’s gonna drive me insane……
Math suks math suks…..”
What’s wrong with those words!
For shame Math teachers of America who supported this insult to Jimmy Buffett. I suspect at least half of all Americans found Math courses difficult and hated them. I never thought of the term “suks” at the time, but would have used it if I had.
Tomorrow 1999 and Buffett shifting to a more relaxed concert schedule.
A personal announcement.
I once painted. Yes, brush in one hand, pallet in the other. Gave in to what I thought was my artistic bent the first two years I practiced law. My clients were few and I filled my evenings painting. Even took formal lessons at the Munson Williams Proctor Institute in Utica at the time. Learned oils, graduated to acrylics. Oils took too long. Took a week to dry. Meant I had to wait a week to cover over my mistakes. Acrylics on the other hand dried instantly and hastened my completion of the work.
At the end of two years, my practice had grown. No big cases. A ton of small ones. However, I took good care of the cases and my clients and my client base grew. I was working day and night. No time for the artist in me to go any further. Doubt it would have gone anywhere. I was not good. Did enjoy, however.
So I became a collector.
I only wanted to purchase “good stuff.” Did not have the financial capacity yet to spend big dollars on art work. I devised a system for deciding what “cheaply price stuff” I would buy.
It was 1962. In those days, the Sunday edition of the New York Times on the back page of its Arts and Leisure Section ran a series of small ads. Two or three lines. Recommended works by new artists. Cheap to purchase. The hope existed the pieces would increase in value.
Most did.
I ended up with over 50 works of art in this fashion over the years. Note I have not bought a painting in 25 years. Reached a point where enough was enough. My homes in Utica and Key West, as well as my law office building in Utica, were full of art. The public areas and my private office resembled an art gallery.
I loved it!
I have never sold a piece over the years. Have gifted a few pieces to friends. It is now time to dispose of the rest. About 35 beautiful works of art.
My plan is to sell them over the internet via eBay and local art sale sources. In addition, I shall occasionally show a piece here on the blog and offer it for sale. If nothing more, you will enjoy viewing them. Sometime this next week, the first will appear.
Trump and Kennedy are both incompetent. It is illegal, a federal crime, to offer a job in return for political support. If a job was offered, Trump at the very least should be indicted. Kennedy also if his conduct falls under the federal statute. Trump as a former President should have known better.
It was reported last week that Kennedy also approached the Harris camp seeking a deal. Harris ignored his request.
Enjoy your Sunday!