All That is Sacred: A Short Film About Jimmy Buffet’s Key West Beginnings

Often known for its coolers, YETI has been dipping its toe in the film business for quite some time. Recently, they seem to have solidified themselves as an artistic voice by creating the short documentary, All That is Sacred.

Released on July 25, the documentary tells the story of the tight-nit bohemian community of Key West, Florida in the late ’60s. Primarily based on the experiences of Tom McGuane, Jim Harrison, Richard Brautigan, and Russell Chatham. The story also includes the late-great Jimmy Buffet as one of their main subjects.

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The documentary is not entirely about Buffet. However, it paints a clear picture of how Key West attributed to Buffet’s success due to its constant inspiration. Fueled by wise words, hard drugs, and continuous adventure—Key West was the foundation for Buffet, as many of his songs include themes of nautical imagery and sentiments garnered from the edge of America.

McGuane, Harrison, and Buffet

Tom McGuane and Jim Harrison were both novelists and screenwriters. Producing films and books such as Legends of The Fall, The Missouri Breaks, The Longest Silence, and Dalva. “I was so influenced by reading Tom and Jim. They wrote in a way few people could,” Buffet states in the documentary.

McGuane and Harrison’s literature primarily surrounded capturing the essence of a landscape and the people and the notions encompassing it. Listeners can see this in Buffet’s catalog with tunes such as “West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gown” and “Nautical Wheelers.” Matter of fact, “Nautical Wheelers” is based on a square-dancing bar McGuane and Buffet used to frequent. However, those stories unfortunately didn’t grace the documentary with their presence. For obvious reasons, one might imagine.

All Out Pandemonium

It goes without saying, but Buffet was a serious musician. McGuane says in the documentary, “One of the reasons Jimmy is so successful…[he’s] a hard, hard, worker.” However, what is hard work without any play? Well, Buffet and the rest of the gang were no strangers to that. Key West during this time was a hub for all things leading to a type of productive degeneracy.

“There was a woman who almost shot my head off,” “That got dark,” and “Marriages started to break up,” were just three of the tidbits Buffet revealed from the pleasureful times he endured on the island. The hedonistic over-indulging was not taken in vain, as it seemingly fueled Buffet’s personality and music. If it weren’t for the crazy times in Key West, would fans have been able to see the guy known for singing “My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink, and I don’t Love Jesus” while in a Hawaiian shirt?

Watch YETI Coolers’ All Is Sacred HERE.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images