Ann

Jimmy is a well-known sailor as well as a great musician and individualist. His image is that of a tramp sailor rather than a yachtsman, and a beach-bum rather than a touristy kind of guy.<BR>I know he wrote about Cane Garden Bay, BVI at least once, and has mentioned a few other Caribbean islands. <BR>Can any of you tell me if he frequented the Caribbean much? Where his favorite spots are? I'd be interested to know. And no, I'm not an aging groupie. I just love his tunes!

e

He's a big fan of St. Barts, he has many friends there and lets one of them , Marius, lay claim to his bar(Le Select) inspiring Cheeseburger in Paradise. He played there for free for the bars 50th anniversary in Nov. 99.

Julie

There are multiple bars that lay claim to this legend. One is on Tortola in the BVIs, one is in the Florida keys and one is in St. Barts. Tortola is the one I've always heard, but who really knows. <BR><BR>FYI--Margaritaville was supposedly inspired on a trip to Austin, Texas.

ohliz

He actually owns Margaritaville in Key West. I saw him play there when some friends opened for him. <BR><BR Liz

tweedy

I see his plane frequently in the harbour between Eleuthera and Harbour Island in the Bahamas. One of his favorite hangout now, is Harbour Island. When there he stops by Gusty's and plays. <BR><BR>His plane and large sea plane was used for a commercial for the Bahamas. It landed in a harbour area in the commercial, beautiful aqua water.<BR><BR>Another claim for the "cheeseburger in paradise" is Ma Ruby's on Harbour Island. It is the BEST cheeseburger I have ever had, oh no now, I'm hungry.<BR><BR>

e

For the record, while many CLAIM to be the Cheeseburger in Paradise spot, Buffet has endorsed Le Select's claim by letting himself be photographed eating a cheeseburger under the sign "Cheeseburger in Paradise" in the courtyard of Le Select and then allowing his friend Marius to use the pic as a promo.

Ann

Interesting information. Thank you. From your replies to my original posting it sounds like he was an aviator and not a sailor, yet I remember a lot of record covers (yes, record covers, not CDs, if that dates me) that feature him next to aging sailboats. Was that just an image or is he something like that? I ask because, after ALLL these years, I'm getting into his music a bit more, and find him to be in synch with my idea of the Caribbean. Any thoughts???

Eva

As a Parrothead sailor, I suggest you read Jimmy's semi-autobiographical "A Pirate Looks at 50." You'll find he is a both a sailor and an aviator (the seaplane habit relying on sailing skills), and you'll learn about his many favored haunts. Also, in one of his writings, you'll find out that the Cheeseburger in Paradise was inspired by one eaten in the BVI after a long and difficult sea passage -- the paradise referring not to the quality of the burger, but to relief at being back in port safely.<BR><BR>Also, last year, he came up with a list of the Top 10 waterfront drinking spots (published in USA Today -- I think you can still get it off the archives). Some of them include places in the USA (Annapolis, Alabama), and some include some more obscure spots in de islands.

chazz

According to Buffett's aforementioned quasi-memoirs, he also owned a small hotel on St. Bart's for a while - an experience at least as challenging as Norman Paperman's.<BR>

joan

Anybody else get turned off by his autobiography? I love Jimmy Buffett, always thought he had a great mindset, but when I read the book, he came across as shallow...so I stopped reading and will stay content with my sentimental view!<BR><BR>And Chazz, my number one favorite JB album is Don't Stop the Carnival, the soundtrack from his play. anyone know if this play is still in production? did it ever make it to Broadway/off broadway?

Laurie

His play Don't Stop The Carnival played this past summer at the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas. Fins Up.

phil

Joan,<BR>I agree with you. I found his last book very disappointing. I loved "Tales from Margaritaville" and have been to many of his concerts.<BR><BR>However, in his last book I thought he spent a bit to much time talking about all the great toys that he owns. "My airplance, my boat, etc., etc., etc."<BR><BR>Interestingly, I kind of always thought of him as this singer with a great cult following. Probably making decent money.<BR>We'll, according to "Forbes" magazine, Jimmy is one of the wealthiest people in the music industry. He makes, on average, about $15MM a year and has for many years.<BR><BR>Don't get me wrong, I'm an ardent capitalist and wish him congratulations. However, as a fan, I'm getting a little tired of the beach bum persona. Face it, he's a rich guy who built a great image selling "the happy go lucky beach bum persona" to the public. The reality is that he is a great businessman who has parlayed a few hit songs into an empire.

chazz

"Don't Stop the Carnival" was performed at a theatre near Miami, but so far hasn't made it to Broadway.<BR><BR>I also was disappointed in the "Pirate" book, which seemed to be the work of a man with an oversized ego and limited writing skills (he should stick to song lyrics).<BR><BR><BR>

No Longer A Fan

I find it interesting that Buffett would diss people who made big plans for the Millennium (see 'Pirate') but then turn around and play a $1,000 per ticket event at the Universal Amphitheatre on December 31, 1999. <BR><BR>It's also interesting that the signs in the gift shop in Key West (the ones that say things like "When I'm in town I like to be seen in this cool tshirt.") are actually written by the girls in the store and have nothing to do with Mr. Buffett at all, except as a directive from him to the help.<BR><BR>Apparently Mr. Beach Bum is just another rock and roll phoney.<BR><BR><BR>

charles

i BELIEVE lE sELECT IN gUSTAVIA IS THE ORIGINAL inspiration for cheeseburger in paradise, written after a long beat through the Anegada passage<BR><BR>As for the rest, I like his old songs, don't like his new ones, but he's human. He sings music, and should not be followed as some sort of cult guru in any case<BR><BR>And he mainly hung out in Key West when he was writing the good music.

ttt

ttt

alan

Just to add my two cents to the origin of the "Cheeseburger in Paradise," I was told that the source was a restaurant on Captiva Island in Florida. I ate there years ago and they did feature the cheeseburger. The original restaurant was torn down a few years ago and replaced with a modern tacky-looking building. So goes the legend.

Willll-bur

There are probably many places that claim a piece of the "Cheeseburger In Paradise" pie -- there might even be one in New Jersey -- but I believe by his own admission the place is, in fact, Le Select on St. Barts.<BR><BR>The thing that worries me is that I doubt they have as good a quality of ground sirloin down there as they do in the states, so I'd hate to think Jimmy's "Cheeseburger In Paradise" was made from Mr. Ed.

Parrothead

Check out www.margaritaville.com. Click on Coconut Telegraph, and then read Jimmy's article (written by him) about cheeseburgers in paradise. While he mentions a few cheeseburger joints as having what qualify as cheeseburgers in paradise (e.g. Le Select), he says that the song was originally inspired by a burger in Roadtown, Tortola. (I'm sure this won't end the debate, but it's worth a try...)

Lyn

Thanks for the heads up Parrothead. It's interesting to note that the only true "cheeseburgers in paradise" (the Caribbean) were had in Tortola, The Bahamas and St. Bart's. The rest were had while in the U.S. What's up with that? And, where do all of these other establishments get off claiming that they are the home of the true "cheeseburger in paradise".