Clinton Tyree
Encyclopedia
Clinton Tyree, a.k.a. Skink, is a fictional character who has appeared in several novels by Carl Hiaasen
, beginning with Double Whammy in 1987. He is an opponent of sprawl and development, and partakes of roadkill cuisine
.
of Florida
in the 1970s. He was everything desirable in a candidate: a native of Florida, a college football star, and a decorated Vietnam veteran
. He was dazzlingly handsome, charismatic, and articulate. He was also a former English professor at the University of Florida
, though politically most people saw this as a handicap rather than an asset.
To the surprise of the Florida establishment, he was also one of the few, if not the only, honest men to hold the office. After he turned down a bribe
from real estate developers, the developers assumed he was holding out for more money, and came back offering a larger bribe, along with a foolproof scheme for concealing the money. To their astonishment, the governor not only refused again, but had them arrested in an F.B.I. sting.
Tyree was also vehemently opposed to runaway growth in Florida, and gained national recognition for his passionate speeches and legislative proposals to discourage tourism, curtail land development, and protect the environment. (For example, one of his proposed laws would have required any boat driver who killed a manatee
to immediately forfeit his boat, pay a $10,000 fine or go to jail for forty-five days, and bury the dead animal himself at a public ceremony).
Appalled, a group of Florida special interests pooled their resources to neutralize the governor politically, by bribing majorities in the state cabinet and the legislature to ignore or reject all of his initiatives.
Years later, the executive assistant to the current governor reviews Tyree’s history, and marvels at the futility of his struggle:
On the same day that the crooked developers who had tried to bribe Tyree were convicted, but punished with nothing more than probation, the legislature voted unanimously (except for the governor) to sell the original wildlife preserve that they’d been after to another developer. On that day, Tyree quit and disappeared from the Governor's mansion. At first, Tyree was believed kidnapped, until a notarized letter of resignation was sent to the Capitol and verified by the FBI.
He became a wild hermit, living first in Harney County (a fictional Florida county), where he adopted the name "Skink
,” and was simply viewed as an eccentric, albeit a potentially violent one.
Over the years, he makes infrequent appearances over South Florida, becoming something of an urban legend
.
, but sometimes fresh fish. In the later books, he has become more of a nomad, camping rough in the wilds, often close to the Everglades
.
Wherever he goes, he travels with an immense library of books, stored at various times in his shack, or in old junker cars parked near his camps.
He listens exclusively to music from the 1960s: the Who
, the Beatles, the Allman Brothers, the Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival
, the Eagles, Moody Blues, etc. In Stormy Weather
, he sings "Box of Rain" by the Grateful Dead
to a small child scared after a recent hurricane.
Though he is nearing seventy, he is exceptionally tall, strong, and fit, an experienced hunter, woodsman, and fighter. He usually carries a gun of some kind.
Though he’s adopted the name "Skink," he usually insists on being addressed as "Captain." In Star Island
, he explains that this was his rank in the U.S. Army during Vietnam.
He occasionally experiments with naturally-derived hallucinogens, such as smoking homemade joints made from the gland secretions of the bufo marinus toad.
. The fake eye is crimson, and much larger than his normal one. Skink’s hair is silver (though by the time of Sick Puppy
he has gone bald on the top of his head), and he wears it long, along with an equally long beard, which he sometimes braids and accentuates with buzzards' beaks or other trinkets.
Tyree’s clothes are a peculiar mix of the practical and the bizarre. At various times he wears a bright orange rain poncho (to keep from being hit on the highway while scooping up roadkills) a bright flowered shower cap, dungarees, military boots, a Rolling Stones t-shirt, and at one time a kilt
made from a checkered racing flag.
His teeth are startlingly perfect, straight and white, and his smile is a trademark he retains from his election days (which often contrasts jarringly with the rest of his appearance).
Despite his age, lifestyle, and wild appearance, many of the female characters who run across him are strongly attracted to him.
It is revealed in Sick Puppy that Clinton has an older brother, Doyle. The two brothers went to Vietnam together. Doyle was discharged after a drunken joyride in a jeep led to a crash that killed his sergeant and inflicted serious head injuries on Doyle. The injuries, combined with guilt over the crash, led Doyle to suffer a nervous breakdown. After returning to the U.S., he left home and disappeared, becoming a homeless wanderer. When Clinton became governor, he tracked his brother down, and gave him a home in an abandoned lighthouse.
Also in Sick Puppy, Skink strikes up a friendship with the protagonist, Twilly Spree, a passionate young environmentalist with similar ideals. It is suggested that the two remain in touch after the events of the novel; in Skink's brief appearance in Skinny Dip he is accompanied by an "intense young man" who is probably Twilly.
Skink has appeared in all of Hiaasen's even-numbered novels for adults, beginning with Double Whammy (number 2) and ending, so far, with Star Island
(number 12).
Skink is also referenced in the Jimmy Buffett
song "The Ballad of Skip Wiley," describing him as an associate of that character (from Hiaasen's first novel, Tourist Season
). In fact, Skink does not appear in Tourist Season, and Wiley does not appear in any novel besides Tourist Season, so there is no other evidence exists that the two know each other, despite their similar political views.
Carl Hiaasen
Carl Hiaasen is an American journalist, columnist and novelist.- Early years :Born in 1953 and raised in Plantation, Florida, of Norwegian heritage, Hiaasen was the first of four children and the son of a lawyer, Kermit Odel, and teacher, Patricia...
, beginning with Double Whammy in 1987. He is an opponent of sprawl and development, and partakes of roadkill cuisine
Roadkill cuisine
Roadkill cuisine is preparing and eating roadkill, animals hit by vehicles and found along roads.It is a practice engaged in by a small subculture in the United States, Southern Canada, the United Kingdom and other Western countries as well as in other parts of the world...
.
Personal history
Tyree was GovernorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in the 1970s. He was everything desirable in a candidate: a native of Florida, a college football star, and a decorated Vietnam veteran
Vietnam veteran
Vietnam veteran is a phrase used to describe someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War.The term has been used to describe veterans who were in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States armed forces, and countries allied to them, whether or...
. He was dazzlingly handsome, charismatic, and articulate. He was also a former English professor at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, though politically most people saw this as a handicap rather than an asset.
To the surprise of the Florida establishment, he was also one of the few, if not the only, honest men to hold the office. After he turned down a bribe
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
from real estate developers, the developers assumed he was holding out for more money, and came back offering a larger bribe, along with a foolproof scheme for concealing the money. To their astonishment, the governor not only refused again, but had them arrested in an F.B.I. sting.
Tyree was also vehemently opposed to runaway growth in Florida, and gained national recognition for his passionate speeches and legislative proposals to discourage tourism, curtail land development, and protect the environment. (For example, one of his proposed laws would have required any boat driver who killed a manatee
Manatee
Manatees are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows...
to immediately forfeit his boat, pay a $10,000 fine or go to jail for forty-five days, and bury the dead animal himself at a public ceremony).
Appalled, a group of Florida special interests pooled their resources to neutralize the governor politically, by bribing majorities in the state cabinet and the legislature to ignore or reject all of his initiatives.
Years later, the executive assistant to the current governor reviews Tyree’s history, and marvels at the futility of his struggle:
As popular as Clinton Tyree had been with the common folk of Florida, he stood no chance – none whatsoever – of disabling the machinery of greed and converting the legislature into a body of foresight and honest ethics. It was boggling to think a sane person would even try.
On the same day that the crooked developers who had tried to bribe Tyree were convicted, but punished with nothing more than probation, the legislature voted unanimously (except for the governor) to sell the original wildlife preserve that they’d been after to another developer. On that day, Tyree quit and disappeared from the Governor's mansion. At first, Tyree was believed kidnapped, until a notarized letter of resignation was sent to the Capitol and verified by the FBI.
He became a wild hermit, living first in Harney County (a fictional Florida county), where he adopted the name "Skink
Skink
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...
,” and was simply viewed as an eccentric, albeit a potentially violent one.
Over the years, he makes infrequent appearances over South Florida, becoming something of an urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
.
Personal habits
In the first book in which he appears, Skink lives in a tumbledown shack and occasionally hires his services as a bass fishing guide. He survives mostly by dining on roadkillRoadkill cuisine
Roadkill cuisine is preparing and eating roadkill, animals hit by vehicles and found along roads.It is a practice engaged in by a small subculture in the United States, Southern Canada, the United Kingdom and other Western countries as well as in other parts of the world...
, but sometimes fresh fish. In the later books, he has become more of a nomad, camping rough in the wilds, often close to the Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
.
Wherever he goes, he travels with an immense library of books, stored at various times in his shack, or in old junker cars parked near his camps.
He listens exclusively to music from the 1960s: the Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, the Beatles, the Allman Brothers, the Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
, the Eagles, Moody Blues, etc. In Stormy Weather
Stormy Weather (novel)
Stormy Weather is a 1995 novel by Carl Hiaasen. It takes place in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in South Florida, including insurance scams, street fights, hunt for food and shelter, corrupt bureaucracy, ravaged environment and disaster tourists....
, he sings "Box of Rain" by the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
to a small child scared after a recent hurricane.
Though he is nearing seventy, he is exceptionally tall, strong, and fit, an experienced hunter, woodsman, and fighter. He usually carries a gun of some kind.
Though he’s adopted the name "Skink," he usually insists on being addressed as "Captain." In Star Island
Star Island (novel)
Star Island is a 2010 novel by Carl Hiaasen, released on Tuesday, July 27, 2010.The novel takes its name from Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida, where part of the story takes place.-Plot summary:...
, he explains that this was his rank in the U.S. Army during Vietnam.
He occasionally experiments with naturally-derived hallucinogens, such as smoking homemade joints made from the gland secretions of the bufo marinus toad.
Appearance
Skink is (according to Double Whammy) six foot six inches tall, and proportionately broad. His skin is tanned dark brown from years spent outdoors. His eyes were originally green, but he lost one in a beating from a trio of teenage thugs. He replaced the lost eye with a glass eye taken from a stuffed barn owlBarn Owl
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
. The fake eye is crimson, and much larger than his normal one. Skink’s hair is silver (though by the time of Sick Puppy
Sick Puppy
Sick Puppy is a novel by Carl Hiaasen.-Plot summary:Florida's corrupt governor, Dick Artemus, pursues schemes to line his pockets and those of his rich entrepreneur backers at the expense of the environment. His schemes have always foundered in the past, but he has high hopes of a plan involving...
he has gone bald on the top of his head), and he wears it long, along with an equally long beard, which he sometimes braids and accentuates with buzzards' beaks or other trinkets.
Tyree’s clothes are a peculiar mix of the practical and the bizarre. At various times he wears a bright orange rain poncho (to keep from being hit on the highway while scooping up roadkills) a bright flowered shower cap, dungarees, military boots, a Rolling Stones t-shirt, and at one time a kilt
Kilt
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
made from a checkered racing flag.
His teeth are startlingly perfect, straight and white, and his smile is a trademark he retains from his election days (which often contrasts jarringly with the rest of his appearance).
Despite his age, lifestyle, and wild appearance, many of the female characters who run across him are strongly attracted to him.
Family and friends
Skink’s best friend is Jim Tile, an African-American State Trooper whom Tyree met on the campaign trail, and appointed to be the head of his gubernatorial bodyguard. After Tyree left office, Tile was the only person he kept in touch with. In books where Skink appears, Tile usually appears too. He makes it a personal priority to stay around his old boss and vouch for his character on the rare occasions when Tyree needs a helping hand.It is revealed in Sick Puppy that Clinton has an older brother, Doyle. The two brothers went to Vietnam together. Doyle was discharged after a drunken joyride in a jeep led to a crash that killed his sergeant and inflicted serious head injuries on Doyle. The injuries, combined with guilt over the crash, led Doyle to suffer a nervous breakdown. After returning to the U.S., he left home and disappeared, becoming a homeless wanderer. When Clinton became governor, he tracked his brother down, and gave him a home in an abandoned lighthouse.
Also in Sick Puppy, Skink strikes up a friendship with the protagonist, Twilly Spree, a passionate young environmentalist with similar ideals. It is suggested that the two remain in touch after the events of the novel; in Skink's brief appearance in Skinny Dip he is accompanied by an "intense young man" who is probably Twilly.
Books with Clinton Tyree
- Double Whammy
- Native TongueNative Tongue (Carl Hiaasen novel)Native Tongue is a novel by Carl Hiaasen, published in 1991. It is set in Florida, where a journalist, Joe Winder, investigates the disappearance of the last two rare "Blue Tongued Mango voles" from the "Amazing Kingdom of Thrills" in north Key Largo....
- Stormy Weather
- Sick PuppySick PuppySick Puppy is a novel by Carl Hiaasen.-Plot summary:Florida's corrupt governor, Dick Artemus, pursues schemes to line his pockets and those of his rich entrepreneur backers at the expense of the environment. His schemes have always foundered in the past, but he has high hopes of a plan involving...
- Skinny Dip
- Star IslandStar Island (novel)Star Island is a 2010 novel by Carl Hiaasen, released on Tuesday, July 27, 2010.The novel takes its name from Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida, where part of the story takes place.-Plot summary:...
Skink has appeared in all of Hiaasen's even-numbered novels for adults, beginning with Double Whammy (number 2) and ending, so far, with Star Island
Star Island (novel)
Star Island is a 2010 novel by Carl Hiaasen, released on Tuesday, July 27, 2010.The novel takes its name from Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida, where part of the story takes place.-Plot summary:...
(number 12).
Skink is also referenced in the Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett
James William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
song "The Ballad of Skip Wiley," describing him as an associate of that character (from Hiaasen's first novel, Tourist Season
Tourist Season
Tourist Season is a 1986 novel by Carl Hiaasen. It was his first solo novel, after co-writing several mystery/thriller novels with William Montalbano.-Plot:...
). In fact, Skink does not appear in Tourist Season, and Wiley does not appear in any novel besides Tourist Season, so there is no other evidence exists that the two know each other, despite their similar political views.