We recently returned from spending some time on the west coast of Florida. While I was there I got to thinking about the state’s contribution to popular culture. There’s really quite a bit when you think about it.
Starting with music, we have famous musicians who come from Florida. Tom Petty (Gainesville), Allman Brothers Band (Daytona Beach) and Lynyrd Skynyrd (Jacksonville) to name a few. Also Eric Clapton recorded two of his greatest albums (Layla and 461 Ocean Boulevard) at Criterion Studios in the Miami area. I believe CSN and Neil Young also recorded albums there in the mid-70’s.
Moving on to literature, two of my favorite authors hail from the sunshine state. John D. MacDonald who wrote, among many other titles, the Travis McGee series. Travis who lives on a houseboat in Fort Lauderdale (Slip F-18 at the Bahia Mar marina) is a salvage consultant who does “favors” for friends who have lost something of value, which cannot be recovered through normal legal methods. Travis takes 50% of the recovery (hedge funds have nothing on Travis!). Then he takes another installment in his retirement until the money runs out and then he goes back to his next salvage job. Each book in the series has a color in the title (e.g. Pale Gray For Guilt). Half the fun of the books is listening to Travis’s philosophical reflections on the modern world. I have re-read all the books in the 21 book series many times. Check it out if you have not had the pleasure. Carl Hiaasen is a reporter for the Miami Herald who writes hilarious novels about various protagonists who are up against the politicians, developers and thieves who are, in one way or another, trying to pave the Everglades and otherwise destroy the natural habitat of Florida. Laugh out loud funny. My favorites are Skin Tight, Skinny Dip and his most recent, Bad Monkey. Also Ed McBain (famous for his 87th Precinct mystery series) wrote a great series about Matthew Hope, a lawyer in the fictional town of Calusa (sounds like Sarasota). Matthew is always getting in over his head in one way or another. All the titles are nursery rhymes. Only about 10 books but they are really good.
Finally, I also discovered on our latest visit that Tampa is putting itself on the craft beer map. I had three different IPAs during our time there. The best was Jai Alai[1] IPA that comes in a funky orange can that looks like a version of Orange Crush. Our waiter said that the Sunoco down the street had started carrying it. A few days later we stopped in to pick some up. I got the last six-pack, which turned out to be a five-pack as one of the cans had a hole in it and the beer had leaked away. I got a discount and a free beer glass. A bit sketchy but what the heck. If you are down there check the local offerings. Quite good.
Here’s to Florida.
[1] Jai Alai is a game with two players on a racquetball style of court. The players use large curved wooden hand-held device and fling a hard wood ball at high speeds. It is a gambling game, not unlike horse or dog racing, where you bet with odds on the players. It is still very popular in Florida.