Welcome to Jack Johnson Week

This week I’m going to do something a little different. Don’t worry, we’ll still cover personal finance like we always do. I’ll just be covering some broader topics as well.

I’ve been wanting to write about Jack Johnson for some time. I had planned to simply write about his wisdom when it comes to personal finance and one other topic. However, it felt like writing about Michael Jordan and not mentioning basketball.

As this point, some of you may be thinking, “Who the heck is Jack Johnson?” The rest of you are probably thinking, “He’s that singer who sings that song from 2002.” (The song is Flake and the lyrics don’t don’t mention the title.)

I can’t imagine anyone is thinking, “Hey I need to read a week’s worth articles about this guy.”

Trust me, you do.

Why Now is Jack Johnson’s Time

There are two reasons why this is the perfect time for Jack Johnson Week.

• This past Saturday was Earth Day.

  While Jack Johnson is known for his music, he might be best described as an environmentalist who happens to play guitar. I’ll pay tribute to that tomorrow in a longer post.

  Because saving the environment has oddly recently become a political issue in the United States, I feel it’s a great time to emphasize that we all benefit from things like clean water.

• I’d like to recognize the amazing things that can some from a single person from an island in the Pacific.

I will be the first to admit that Jack Johnson comes off like a big hippie. What else would you expect from a former professional surfer/singer/acoustic guitarist/environmentalist? I’m sure his style isn’t for everyone, but I can appreciate messeages of sharing love. And as a father of a 3 and 4 year old, the message of sharing toys has been invaluable.

If this kind of stuff isn’t your thing, then I ask that you kindly check back next week.

Plan for Jack Johnson Week

Nothing is set in stone for this week, but here’s what I’m aiming for:

Tuesday: Jack Johnson on the Environment
Wednesday: Jack Johnson on Personal Finance
Thursday: Jack Johnson on Miscellaneous Topics. (This highly likely to change)
Friday: Jack Johnson on Something Different. (This is a bit of a surprise. A surprise that I don’t think even Jack Johnson could expect.)

Where Did the Idea for this Jack Johnson Week Come From?

I should make it clear that this isn’t an advertisement, but because I’m a big fan it may sound like one. He’s how I became a Jack Johnson fan in the first place. After all, five years ago that I was probably like you, a person who didn’t think twice about a one (or two) hit wonder from 15 years ago.

My fandom couldn’t have been more innocent. Our newborn loved this Curious George Opposites book. Back in 2013, I described it as one of the best frugal baby “toys”.

So with a background that our pre-toddler loved Curious George, it made sense to get the Curious George Movie.

That Curious George might be a top ten movie of all-time. It sounds crazy and if it is, then just blame it on me being sleep-deprived, new parent. I have rewatched more than 50 times… and not because the kids like it. (They did for the first 20 times and then they decided their father is crazy.)

Here are my Top 3 reasons why it is so good:

3. Drew Barrymore as a unique cartoon figure – Her character is an extremely intelligent teacher delivering the most insightful line of the movie. Also, from a male perspective, it’s refreshing to see her get a little tongue-tied talking to a man she has a crush on… and her self-effacing reaction for not doing better with the conversation. (Maybe it’s because I have been on the other side of that my whole life.) The illustrators made her physical appearance stand out, but not in an overly ridiculous way like Jessica Rabbit. Finally, Drew Barrymore’s voicing is just perfect for all the above.

2. Will Ferrell as The Man in the Yellow Hat – I am a huge Ferrell fan and I’d say this role might be one of his best. From the DVD extras it appeared he created much of the dialog and jokes… he wasn’t just lending his voice. It takes a special talent to keep a 2-year old and 40-year old entertained.

1. Jack Johnson’s music – Musicals are my wife’s thing, but I feel like the movie was a borderline musical. And why not? Kids love music! Every song does exactly what a good musical should do (IMO) which is “amp up” the emotion of the moment by 10x or 100x. There’s a reason why it was a best-selling soundtrack.

Jack Johnson’s music was so good that it bested a top comedian’s great performance and an iconic cartoon character (especially considering the limited screen time.)

(I’ve probably oversold the movie, but I came in low expectations. I love Office Space and Serenity for the same reasons.)

My wife bought that soundtrack. The last 4 or 5 songs are lullabies which are perfect for young kids (even better in a car!). I’ve been listening to many of his other songs on Amazon Prime via the Amazon Echo. Unfortunately the soundtrack isn’t available on Prime streaming. Fortunately, I’ve learn a lot from the other songs that are available on Amazon Prime.

That brings us full circle on why I’d have a Jack Johnson week.

I can identify with the lyrics and I feel he presents a positive message that we should all embrace.