Article on Jamaica Mistaica Pilot Randy Leslie

[phjim]

The Palm Beach Post has an article on a former pilot for Jimmy Buffett: "Did Buffett botch Jamaica pilot's exit?"
<em>
Palm Beacher Jimmy Buffett is accused by several friends of his longtime pilot and party accomplice, Randy Leslie, of turning a blind eye to Leslie's ouster after 15 years.

Leslie entered Margaritaville lore when the Buffett seaplane he was piloting was fired on by Jamaican police who mistook Leslie and his boss for drug runners. The incident inspired the tune Jamaica Mistaica.</em>

[bravedave]

This piece, written by Jose Lambiet, is really more of a gossip column than a hard news item. The views and opinions expressed, e.g., that Jimmy Buffett is a bad man for dissing a "war hero," are little more than watercooler chat. As Americans who value freedom of the press, we understand that we are not expected to believe everything we read, much less agree with it.

Peaceful rest to Randy Leslie, and sincere condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.

[AlbatrossFlyer]

there's alot a grey areas in this story. i will vouch for jimmy meeting with terri privately and not wanting randy's celebration turn into it's all about jimmy. i will also vouch for jimmy making sure randy III's college education is paid for.

i sat on randy's patio and drank a few beers with him right around the time he left Air Marg and whether he was fired or quit can be disputed. all i know that randy needed a change.

like the article said, flying for jimmy or any celeb loses it's glamor real fast. jimmy is typically on the road 200 to 250 days of the year. so you're away from your family that long too. you know how he spends xmas in aspen and new years in st. barts? well who do you think is missing their holiday celebrations so jimmy can be in all these neat places?

[SchoolGirlHeart]

like the article said, flying for jimmy or any celeb loses it's glamor real fast. jimmy is typically on the road 200 to 250 days of the year. so you're away from your family that long too. you know how he spends xmas in aspen and new years in st. barts? well who do you think is missing their holiday celebrations so jimmy can be in all these neat places?

what AF said.

not sure the point of this article.... gossip, I guess.....

rest in peace Randy. your stories of life on the road always made me laugh.

[Bwana Paul]

I have often wondered if Randy Leslie and I are distant relatives.

[mason]

ok, so today i am the designated clueless ph. so i ask, since jimmy is a pilot, why would he need other pilots to fly him here, there,and points in between?
thank you

member of the parrothead nation

[AlbatrossFlyer]

ok, so today i am the designated clueless ph. so i ask, since jimmy is a pilot, why would he need other pilots to fly him here, there,and points in between?
thank you

member of the parrothead nation

1) the falcon is a 2 pilot airplane.

2) while on tour jimmy doesn't do any flying (his rules)

3) can't sit in the back and entertain/party and fly too....

[Mango Picker]

the article mentions an underling did the letting go on Randy...

i know for a fact of a certain coral reefer of MANY years standing, who wrote some very popular songs with Jimmy, that was let go with only an unannounced letter saying 'that's all folks'. WHAM BAM!

bidness is bidness?

who knows.

[PalmettoSon]

the article mentions an underling did the letting go on Randy...

i know for a fact of a certain coral reefer of MANY years standing, who wrote some very popular songs with Jimmy, that was let go with only an unannounced letter saying 'that's all folks'. WHAM BAM!

bidness is bidness?

who knows.

Wasn't Mac let go in what was rumored to be a very unceremonious fashion only to return a year or two later, with no hard feelings?

I would assume you're referring to Fingers (who I don't recall co-writing any songs, but that doesn't mean he didn't), who has played and recorded with Jimmy several times since his ouster from the band, and rarely has anything but positive stuff to say about Jimmy.

Speculation like this serves no purpose other than to damage someone's reputation, and since discretion seems to be the norm within the Margaritaville camp, I would assume that rumors like this are either exaggerated, or simply without context.

We know Jimmy is a shrewd businessman, the evidence abounds, and I would wager that his real personality lies somewhere between the carefree persona he's adopted as a performer, and the ruthless (and heartless) number-cruncher that his detractors like to portray him as.

I thin

[ClevelandMark]

What a bunch of crap...here is what I wrote to the author of that story..

So doesn’t this Buffett story amount to a non-issue??? And isn’t it like the media to mention 11 paragraphs of bad crap before a friend of Leslie’s says basically the previous 11 paragraphs are bunk??
Oh wait, you’re from Palm Beach County..that explains everything!!

I hate 95% of the news media.....

Sorry, my rant is over...back to the party!

[Migration Michelle]

What a bunch of crap...here is what I wrote to the author of that story..

So doesn’t this Buffett story amount to a non-issue??? And isn’t it like the media to mention 11 paragraphs of bad crap before a friend of Leslie’s says basically the previous 11 paragraphs are bunk??
Oh wait, you’re from Palm Beach County..that explains everything!!

I hate 95% of the news media.....

Sorry, my rant is over...back to the party!

I agree...with the number of employees that Margaritaville Holdings has, I'm sure there are all kinds of stories...good ones, bad ones. The one thing I know is that there are two sides to every one, both of which is none of our business.

[Bwana Paul]

the article mentions an underling did the letting go on Randy...

i know for a fact of a certain coral reefer of MANY years standing, who wrote some very popular songs with Jimmy, that was let go with only an unannounced letter saying 'that's all folks'. WHAM BAM!

bidness is bidness?

who knows.

Wasn't Mac let go in what was rumored to be a very unceremonious fashion only to return a year or two later, with no hard feelings?

I would assume you're referring to Fingers (who I don't recall co-writing any songs, but that doesn't mean he didn't), who has played and recorded with Jimmy several times since his ouster from the band, and rarely has anything but positive stuff to say about Jimmy.

Speculation like this serves no purpose other than to damage someone's reputation, and since discretion seems to be the norm within the Margaritaville camp, I would assume that rumors like this are either exaggerated, or simply without context.

We know Jimmy is a shrewd businessman, the evidence abounds, and I would wager that his real personality lies somewhere between the carefree persona he's adopted as a performer, and the ruthless (and heartless) number-cruncher that his detractors like to portray him as.

I thin

My guess is the Reefer mentioned here was not Greg Taylor.

[Floridaze]

Wow..what a shock..I've gotten to know Randy over the past 10 years and he was a great guy who loved flying and his family.....Thoughts and prayers to his family...