Words by David Levesque
Found in the 2024 Winter Issue
What inspires people? Loaded question right? For some it’s another individual, like a parent or teachers. For others, it could be athletes or other prominent figures. For many it’s something intangible, like a sunset or waterfall. We could go on and on but the answer is as broad as life itself. Whatever or whomever you find inspiration from is what matters most to you. It truly is a very personal connection. At Lats & Atts we realize the content on the pages of this publication inspires the cruising lifestyle. We know it inspires those who have not gone to finally go, and those who have been going to maybe go a little further. We realize many of our readers and fans over the years have built a very personal connection to this publication, and to the man who created Latitudes & Attitudes in 1996, Bob Bitchin. Cruising is a lifestyle, just like minimalism or bohemianism, or maybe nudism. Whatever your chosen lifestyle, somewhere along the way you were inspired to choose that path. And then along the way you found like-minded individuals who followed the same lifestyle, and bonds occurred, friendships formed. It certainly is incredible when you come into contact with fellow lifestyle enthusiasts and begin to share hearts, and realize the world truly is small.
On September 1, 2023 this small world of ours lost a beautiful soul, a man who created the soundtrack to a lifestyle, and subsequently inspired lifetimes of memories for so many. James William Buffet was born in Pascagoula, MS on Christmas Day 1946. Which is incredible really, when you think about it, as he was a gift that kept on giving to so many throughout his life. After honing his musical skills on the streets of New Orleans playing for drunken crowds (something that would define his audiences no matter where he played…) he moved to Nashville to work on a country music career and in 1971 took a trip to Key West and loved it so much he moved there in 1972. He used the money he made off his second album, one that features such legends as, “Why Don’t We Get Drunk”, and “Grapefruit-Juicy Fruit”, to buy his first boat. In 1977 he released the album Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes (sound familiar?) which aside from the title track, featured a little ditty called “Margaritaville”. The rest, as they say, is history….
