“You do things different down south, straight into the trash can’s mouth,” sings Jonathan Mann, who felt inspired enough to write a song about a recent viral video of a Florida man capturing an alligator with a trash can.
The slightly over 2-minute feel-good jingle is mostly about the whole gator thing, but it also touches on how “Florida man” is often “much maligned” and is a necessary anti-hero in a state that is likely sinking into the sea.
“Someday soon, it seems to me that Florida will be beneath the sea, passed down through the generations, the legend of Florida man.”
For those of you who are just catching up, the original alligator video was first posted to Instagram on Sept. 28 by Orlando resident and Army veteran Abdul Gene Malik, who added “I got kids to protect lol…. Army strong shit.”
The video appears to show Malik wearing socks and slides and going after the gator with a waste management receptacle.
The singer-songwriter is known as the “Song a Day Guy,” and has also released timeless classics like the “Karen’s Got a Gun,” about the St. Louis couple who pulled guns on BLM protesters last summer, and the “Ballad of Steven,” which was inspired by the Jet Blue flight attendant who had a meltdown over the intercom.
This article originally appeared at Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
–
Stay on top of Central Florida news and views with our weekly newsletters, and consider supporting this free publication. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you Central Florida news, and every little bit helps.
This article appears in Sep 29 – Oct 5, 2021.
