Retirement the Margaritaville Way

Plus: the rush of companies leaving Russia; what Xi Jinping learned from America; and Calvin Trillin’s new tuxedo. View in browser | Update your preferences Monday, March 21, 2022 In today’s newsletter: • The rush of companies leaving Russia • What Xi Jinping learned from America • Calvin Trillin gets a new tuxedo Retirement the Margaritaville Way At the active-living community for Jimmy Buffett enthusiasts, it’s five o’clock everywhere. Illustration by Nada Hayek Jimmy Buffett’s wry, tuneful hit “Margaritaville,” from 1977, ends on a lightly melancholic note, with the singer admitting, of his exile in tropical solitude, “It’s my own damn fault.” But when it comes to the song’s namesake life-style brand—restaurants, booze, endless merchandise, an announced cruise line, which in combination have earned Buffett a fortune—the mantra has been flattened out to something more like “no regrets.” That’s exactly the carefree ethos that Nick Paumgarten finds when he visits the Latitude Margaritaville retirement community in Daytona Beach, Florida. It’s souped-up golf carts, packed pickleball courts, Boomer garage bands, happy hour every hour—a manifestation of Buffett’s “celebration of leisure, transgression, and good humor.” One resident sums it up, saying, “If you can’t be happy here, you can’t be happy anywhere.” But, as Paumgarten pokes around, he sees that maybe it’s not all cheeseburgers in paradise: “Latitude Margaritaville came off both as an escape from America and as the most quintessentially American setting of all.” Like a good Jimmy Buffett song, the story is laid-back, openhearted, funny—and then, before it’s over, you realize that it’s more than a little sad, too. —Ian Crouch, newsletter editor Read the story From the News Desk Currency The Consequences of the Unprecedented Rush of Companies Leaving Russia Some four hundred and fifty corporations have scaled back business in the country. The campaign could have severe repercussions for the Russian people. By Sheelah Kolhatkar Daily Comment Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Historic Nomination to the Supreme Court From February: The fact that Jackson is eminently qualified doesn’t mean that her confirmation hearing won’t be a bonfire of bad faith. By Amy Davidson Sorkin Get the in-depth analysis and on-the-ground reporting you need to understand the war on Ukraine. Subscribe today » Cover Story “I could easily spend the rest of my life singing my song in pictures,” this week’s cover artist, Faith Ringgold, says, about the ways in which jazz and other musical styles have inspired her work. Ringgold, who was born in Harlem in 1930, has worked in sixteen different mediums: “I’ve used each to tell my story, to express what I needed to express.” Editor’s Pick Personal History Getting Accustomed to My Second Tuxedo I’d concluded that after thirty-five years it was time for a change. By Calvin Trillin Culture Dept. Culture Desk Giving Phife Dawg the Sound of “Forever” Dion Liverpool, who co-produced a new posthumous album by the beloved Tribe Called Quest rapper, calls it the most challenging project he’s ever worked on. By Charles Bethea Second Read How a Book About America’s History Foretold China’s Future In 1989, a young Chinese academic spent six months travelling in the United States. His insights are now central to Xi Jinping’s cultural crackdown. By Chang Che Pop Music Koffee’s Début Album Blends Old Reggae and New On “Gifted,” the singer pays homage to the legends who came before her, while also exploring the sounds of the broader Afro-Caribbean diaspora. By Carrie Battan Fun & Games Dept. Daily Cartoon Monday, March 21st By Shannon Wheeler Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Matt Jackson Daily Shouts If Y2K-Inspired Looks Accurately Reflected My Two-Thousands Developed a short-term relationship over AOL with someone who turned out to be fifty-three. By Kaitlin Chan and Brian Park Crossword A Challenging Puzzle Perform a gnarly guitar solo: five letters. By Anna Shechtman 🐟 P.S. The rapper Pusha T, who has said that he was paid “peanuts” for writing the “I’m lovin’ it” jingle for McDonald’s, has taken some measure of revenge by releasing a diss track about the company’s Filet-O-Fish—“How dare you sell a square fish / Asking us to trust it?”—to promote a competing fish sandwich from Arby’s. For more on Pusha T’s history of diss tracks, read Doreen St. Félix on the time he beefed with Drake. Today’s newsletter was written by Ian Crouch. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2022. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.