Saturday, November 19, 2005
The Envelope Please, Don Pardo
OK, Cheap Bastard was correct on two counts regarding that last photo. It was Cane Garden Bay on Tortola. Though there is scant reference to the spot anywhere but this old 1979 Rolling Stone, it turns out Jimmy spent a good deal of time there on his sailboat. Yes, he mentions it in Manana. From there, it depends upon which version of the inspiration for Cheeseburger in Paradise you choose (I've seen at least three). One of them involves spending several days at sea on a damaged sailboat, eating emergency canned food and craving cheeseburgers. After finally limping in to Cane Garden Bay, he found a joint that actually sold American cheeseburgers, ate a couple, and found his muse therein. Finally, it has been said that a tire swing (which is allegedly still there) on Cane Garden Bay was the inspiration for Life Is Just A Tire Swing.
That said, I leave you with the admonition that these are all semi-true stories, and you'd best heed the warning of Mark Twain:
Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; ... persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.
