JOHN BARTUS: BAD BEHAVIOR AT CONCERTS
At the risk of sounding like a grump, I’m going to relate a story that, sadly, happens all too often at concerts these days. Before that happens, here’s a bit about the concert. It was wonderful. The...
View ArticleJOHN BARTUS: A SMALL COLLECTION OF ANNOYING KEYS CRITTERS
Visitors to our islands (The Fabulous Florida Keys®) often notice that the various types of wildlife that inhabit these coral rocks are different from the species they have at home. No kidding. In...
View ArticleJOHN BARTUS: COMPLAINTS FROM ACROSS THE POND
I’ve always been partial to good British humor (humour?). I’m especially fond of the Monty Python stuff, particularly Monty Python and the Holy Grail (“Is that an African or a European swallow?”) Even...
View ArticleJOHN BARTUS: HOW A BLINKING SIGNAL IS THE KEY TO HAPPINESS
Alert Keys Disease readers will understand that this column may seem to veer dramatically from one topic to another at times; there almost always remains, however, a unifying theme. It’s amazing how...
View ArticleJOHN BARTUS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, USA
247 years ago, our Founding Fathers put their reputations and lives on the line — literally — when they signed the document that in effect charted the course for a new nation. Adopted by the...
View ArticleJOHN BARTUS: EVEN IN MODERN TIMES, LIVE MUSIC IS STILL SPECIAL
This really should be the Golden Age of Music. Recorded music is so easily available. Nearly any commercial recording is available online as a stream or a download from your favorite music source (now...
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JOHN BARTUS: REMEMBERING JIMMY BUFFETT
It was a shock last Saturday to wake up to the news of Jimmy Buffett’s passing. This year of 2023, which has seen the passing of way too many music legends, has claimed yet another. This one, however,...
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JOHN BARTUS: TWENTY YEARS LATER, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO THE WEEKLY
2003 — twenty years ago. Seems like just yesterday … and yet it seems like two decades on. George W. Bush was president and the second Gulf war started in Iraq. The Concorde made its last commercial...
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JOHN BARTUS: HALL OF FAME SLIGHTS
Rolling Stone magazine co-founder Jann Wenner was recently booted from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors for comments he made recently while promoting his new book, “The Masters.”...
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JOHN BARTUS: GUITARIST STEVEN MILLER NEEDS OUR HELP
I first saw Steven Miller playing guitar in a nightclub in Islamorada some 30 years ago (or thereabouts). I had stopped in after playing a gig in the Upper Keys, and I had heard stories about this...
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JOHN BARTUS: MLB’S WORST UMPIRE NEEDS TO GO
There have been a lot of stories that define this Major League Baseball season (including a postseason appearance by our own Miami Marlins). Yankees pitcher Domingo German threw baseball’s 24th...
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CANCER SUCKS: MARATHON’S STRIDES WALK IS THIS SATURDAY
Cancer sucks. It is such an insidious beast, often lurking within until it’s too late. My mother passed away after a long fight against cancer in 1999; my father passed in 2016, 10 days after he was...
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JOHN BARTUS: TWO BIG EVENTS IN MARATHON HELP KIDS GET CHRISTMAS
One of the (many) things I love about my wife Sarah is that she is among the kindest and most generous people I’ve ever known. Whether it’s people, animals, or just a good cause, Sarah embodies a...
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JOHN BARTUS: SCRAP EVERYTHING DONE AT THE QUAY TO THIS POINT?
Let me begin this week’s column by stating that I have the utmost respect for our current City Council. To a person, I believe every individual occupying those seats is doing their best to do the...
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KEYS HISTORY: PROTECTIONS IN PLACE FOR A TURTLE SPECIES ONCE HUNTED FOR FOOD
The turtle industry in the Florida Keys has performed something of an about-face. Once upon a time, sea turtles like the green, hawksbill and loggerhead, among others, were hunted by indigenous...
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JOHN BARTUS: MARATHON’S LANDMARK MURAL IS UNDER A VERY REAL THREAT
Legendary local commercial fisherman Tommy Coppedge had a saying — often directed at Chamber of Commerce CEO Daniel Samess when discussing new ideas for the Seafood Festival: “If it ain’t broke, don’t...
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JOHN BARTUS: MUSICAL GIFTS FROM THE BRITISH INVASION
Thanksgiving 2023. 402 years have passed since the “official” first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Compared to the hard life of the Pilgrims and Native Americans back then, we have a lot for...
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JOHN BARTUS: THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE ELECTRIC GUITAR
James Taylor was responsible for the title of this week’s column. Someone who is mostly associated with the acoustic guitar, James now and again picks up a Fender Telecaster electric guitar to play...
View ArticleJOHN BARTUS: THE INJUSTICE RAGES ON FOR FLORIDA STATE
The final regular weekend of NCAA football is over, and the College Football Playoff matchups are set. One team was legitimately screwed by the selection process — an undefeated Power 5 conference...
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JOHN BARTUS COLUMN: A LOOK AT NEW YEAR TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD
The year 2024 is upon us, and ready or not, here it comes! While prognosticators try to make New Year forecasts, I haven’t a clue about the future. I do, however, have insights as to how we celebrate...
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JOHN BARTUS: LIFE IS SHORT – MAKE TIME FOR THE SPECIAL MOMENTS
A friend of ours gave Sarah the best dish towel ever. It reads, “Life is Short… take the trip, buy the shoes, eat the cake, sleep with the Guitar Player.” Sound advice. It’s advice we took recently...
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JOHN BARTUS: MILLION$ OF REASONS TO FIND SOLUTIONS FOR BPAS
The Marathon City Council and Marathon City Manager George Garrett recently made news by drafting legislation asking the state of Florida to grant up to 8,000 ROGO building permit allocations to cover...
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JOHN BARTUS: CLASSIC ROCKERS ARE NEVER TOO OLD
2024 is shaping up to be a year featuring some big rock and roll tours. Certified legends and Rock Hall of Fame members are hitting the road, proving that in many cases, age is just a number. As an...
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JOHN BARTUS: THE SUPER BOWL IS OVER … AND THEY TOOK IT TO THE BANK
Taylor Swift was happy. Isn’t that all that really matters? All those who tuned in to this year’s Super Bowl (LVIII for those keeping track) got to see a really good game, with the Kansas City Chiefs...
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JOHN BARTUS: 40 YEARS ON, SOME OF THE BIGGEST HAPPENINGS IN THE MIDDLE KEYS…
This month (February) marks the 40th anniversary of my arrival – and leaving the road behind – to play music and live in the Florida Keys. Over the course of the past four decades, I’ve seen quite a...
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