Cincinnati.com has a couple of articles on Buffett in advance of Thursday’s show at Riverport Amphitheater:

• “Jump on the Buffett Bandwagon”
• “Margaritaville Makes Money”

Jimmy Buffett brings his “The Year of Still Here” tour to Riverbend Thursday, representing the 20th anniversary of his first performance at the venue in 1988. This show is his 41st consecutive sell-out at Riverbend. This one sold all of the 20,000 tickets in 10 minutes. Make it his 47th consecutive sell-out in this market, if you count the six shows he did at Kings Island from 1984-87.

By a conservative estimate, Buffett has likely grossed $25 million in this market during the span.

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Cincinnati fans played no small role in giving Buffett the impetus to launch Margaritaville Inc., providing him with his Parrothead branding statement as the moniker was first uttered at a Kings Island concert in 1985. Cincinnati fans were the first to come out of the cult closet and dress up in wild beach gear.

Buffett has turned his musical fantasies into what is estimated to be a $400 million brand, making him one of the richest musicians in the world. Rolling Stone magazine estimated in 2006 Buffett was the seventh richest rock star, earning $44 million that year.

After Kenny Chesney’s 2008 Poets & Pirates tour wraps up in September, he’ll head down to the islands with his Jimmy Buffett Signature Edition Martin guitar to write songs for his next album:

When the Poets & Pirates Tour, which hits Turner Field on Sunday, wraps in September, Chesney will grab his Jimmy Buffett Signature Edition Martin guitar — a gift from Buffett himself — and seek songwriting inspiration aboard his boat in the near-translucent waters of the Virgin Islands.

While plans are already in the works for next year’s tour, Chesney has his sights set on that upcoming songwriting sabbatical, crafting material with that guitar given by equally notorious island aficionado Buffett.

“Jimmy’s a great songwriter, so I’ll try to get whatever energy I can from it,” Chesney says with a laugh.

Hampton Style magazine has a great article on veteran surfers in Montauk, New York. It also has several great pictures:

Not easy to miss in his subtle new ride, a forest service-green Scooby-Doo van [pictured in article], Buffett pulls in grinning as a handful of comrades gather to gawk at the ultimate in solar-paneled, vegetable oil-fueled eco-cruising. Buffett maintains an enigmatic smile, unpacking his boards while sightseeing friends tour the van’s carpeted, cream interior. “How much is Crisco a gallon?” and “Do you smell French fries when you’re driving?” are just a few of the inquiries thrown his way.

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But Buffett shakes his head. “You’re gonna get a few assholes wherever you go, but it’s pretty mellow out there. You’ll see people with boogie boards and kids, guys teaching and world-class surfers and everybody gets along; that’s the great thing about surfing here,” he assures.

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“I’m not interested in having to go and do exercise; you put people in the water who haven’t paddled, and they know real quick how in shape you have to be to do that. We’re really having fun out there. I’ve lived here for 25 years over the summers, and I was lucky enough to pal up with a bunch of these guys. It’s just a real cool place,” Buffett states firmly.

“I’ve come out here on a Tuesday and it’s head-high break and there’s four people in the water. It’s just a luxury. A couple of months ago here, the buzz was out so I called Tony, and he said there was a swell. I had to get on a plane to go to Cannes in the afternoon but I just thought ‘I’m gonna go out.’ I came down and it’s all the people who don’t have real jobs, so there was only about five of us in the water. It was one of those days when the waves were starting there,” he points to the far left of the break, “and just long and clean, so I surfed for a good hour then I got on a plane, and I thought ‘This is the way to go to Europe.'”

The article is a great read. Be sure to check out the entire article here.

(hat tip to Matt for passing this along!)

The New York Daily News caught up with Jimmy and talked to him about surfing on Long Island:

Has Jimmy Buffett found a new northern Margaritaville? The singing sailor has been spending an awful lot of time in Montauk’s new Surf Lodge, sipping – wait for it – margaritas and hanging with pals. Just don’t ask him to take his shirt off. When we asked him if he ever goes topless, he almost lost his salt shaker.

“That’s a f– stupid question,” he railed. “I’m 60 years old. No, no, no, no, no!”

Buffet did reveal to us that he has had his share of summer flings, but we will have to wait at least another 30 years to hear about them.

“Of course, I have had a few,” he told us. “But I’d never tell you about it. When I’m 90, I’ll tell all.”

On Wednesday, Jimmy Buffett attended a star-studded party in New York City to honor his friend, the late Hunter S. Thompson. The new documentary on Thompson dubbed “Gonzo” was screened at the event.

Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter told the New York Daily News, “Underneath his craziness, he was a Southern gentleman. he had a courtliness that I totally fell for.”

Meg Ryan added, “I loved the rollercoaster that was his mind.”

Hunter S. Thompson was best known for his novel “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” The event, held at the Waverly Inn, was also attended by Meg Ryan and Candice Bergen.