BWIA, PURE CARIBBEAN GOLD! BRITISH WEST INDIAN AIRWAYS FLYING THE CARIBBEAN

BWIA, PURE CARIBBEAN GOLD! 

BRITISH WEST INDIAN AIRWAYS 

FLYING THE CARIBBEAN

Memorable airlines come and go. Their liveries change and sometimes so does ownership. Some airlines fade into the warm glow and fuzzy feel of nostalgia for those who knew them and flew them.

British West Indian Airways, or BWIA, or Bee-wee as it was fondly referred to by millions of international travellers who rode the many changing aircraft in the airline’s fleet, ceased to exist on December 31^st 2006.

BWIA was the national airline based in Trinidad and Tobago, a dual island nation at the southern-most point in the Caribbean’s chain of island nations.  BWIA itself was formed out of an early route share with BOAC (British Overseas Aviation Corporation) decades before the Star Alliances and code shares of today’s big carriers. However it was founded in 1939 as West Indian Airlines and began service officially on 27^th November 1940. It developed direct services to the USA, Canada, and the UK. Its main base was Piarco International Airport (POS), Port of Spain (Trinidad), with major hubs eventually at Barbados’ Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) and Guyana’s Cheddi Jagan International Airport (GEO).   

With an impeccable safety record and a rainbow of faces representing the cultural melting-pot of the Caribbean basin, Bee-wee and its beautiful hostesses, as they were referred to in the carrier’s heyday (1960’s, 70’s and 80’s), became the largest airline operating in and out of the Caribbean. Things changed somewhat when hostesses became known as Flight Attendants or FA’s and the competition for the prized routes ramped up with more foreign carriers. The golden age of travel was flying in the opposite direction by the 1990’s. Still, BWIA and its crews kept their particular brand of warming onboard charm.

Boarding a BWIA flight in any of the many international destinations the airline came to serve was a transforming experience. The moment you stepped onboard one of their aircraft to be greeted in the soft lilting, sing-song Trinidadian accent of the hostesses, you were already wrapt in the ease of the Caribbean. Often times gentle calypso music would float through the cabin as you settled into your seats but a variety of music would be played over the cabin’s sound system to reflect the diverse range of nationalities that were made ‘at home’ on BWIA’s sleek Boeings, Mcdonnell-Douglas and spacious Lockheed Tri-Star jets.   

Where other airline meal services disappointed passengers by their aromas alone, a pleasant waft of spicy curries would often whet your sky-high appetite before your tray was gently placed in front of a hungry you! In fact, before any of those tasty meals were even out of the galley’s ovens you would be offered spiced channa. A roasted chick pea of East Indian origin, channa was an exotic treat to North American and European travellers. To Trinidadians or Trini travellers they were the first tantalising taste of home.

When other airlines suggestively crowed “We Move Our Tails For You!” BWIA’s tailfin design of a multi coloured, abstract design of a steel pan and their family oriented slogan of “We Are The Caribbean” was more true and more reassuring for all who had the experience and joy of being part of the company and travelling those happy, musical, majestic, jets.

The region is now well served internationally by Caribbean Airlines.

SEX IN THE AIR!

SEX IN THE AIR!

We’ve all heard Nicole Sherzinger making her When Harry Met Sally noises while lathering her extensions for landing. However, when she emerges from the tiny First Class toilet her hair is coiffed and her clothes are dry. For us everyday folk who might be heard moaning and crowing ‘oooh! ahh!’  while we toss our heads over a dinky sink we more often than not emerge dizzy and splattered in damp patches.

Sex in the air doesn’t have to be solo and it’s not modern. When the travelling elite eased into the glamour of air travel in the 30’s and 40’s some aircraft, even back then, had sleeping berths on the long haul routes like London to New York and New York to Los Angeles and Marlene Dietrich even wrote of being ‘caught under a thundering storm’ in her diary when she made lofty lurve with a married American Screen God. In short, it’s not wholly illegal to have sex in the air.

It might put other passengers off their plastic bread rolls and butter pats but you won’t necessarily be arrested. In the sexy jet age of the late 50’s and 60’s when Boeing 707’s criss-crossed over the seas, oceans and continents, well-heeled women and suited gents found their own nooks and crannies amongst the seats in which to play fill-the-flight bag. Usually these trysts would occur after dinner trollies were wheeled away and cabins dimmed. If anyone complained about a couple copulating, a stewardess might just have flung a blanket over the pair and kept walking.

In the 70’s a European airline called Modern Air went as far as to have semi clad semi crew. German showgirls were hired to parade topless while handing out cocktails alongside regularly dressed full time female staff.  They only had that bouncy service for just one flight. 

Now brining us bang up to the present day and airline staff have many more problems to deal with than sexual displays in business class; what with Gerard Depardieu relieving himself in the aisle and business men stealing from the drinks cart and locking themselves in the toilets to polish off bottle after bottle of wine.  With underwear bombers and your run-of-the-mill phalangist to cope with a little foreplay is of little concern really. Sure…you might be sternly spoken to if the passenger in the next seat takes offence to your self-gratification but really? If the Captain chooses not to make an onboard arrest, there isn’t much to be done about it. But be aware that in recent times, although public figures like May J. Blige confessed to being a fully paid up member of the mile high club, it still is a delicate subject. One Australian couple were arrested for having had sex in an airplane toilet.           

Singapore Airlines has equipped its A380 jets with private double bed suites but the company takes a dim view of any one or two (or more) persons using these beds for anything other than sleeping. A Singapore Airlines official warns, "If couples used our double beds to engage in inappropriate activity, we would politely ask them to desist." However, the doors close on the suites so how on earth are Singapore Airlines flight attendants going to know who is engaging and who isn't, unless of course it’s a noisy Nicole Sherzinger with a bottle of shampoo?  

When I flew for a European carrier I was sexually molested outside a rear toilet by a tipsy but famous female children’s TV presenter and one co-pilot assured me once, while staring right at my crotch, that “flying these big jets gives him a boner”.  

Just remember, if you do have late night long haul sex with the stranger next to you, they’re still going to be there in the morning.  Awkward….   

Peter Jarrette is a write and author.

AIR INDIA: SAVING NERVE OR SAVING MONEY?

Many years ago, while living in New York, I had friends, who although financially solvent always booked themselves trans-Atlantic to London on the notoriously less expensive carrier, Air India. The flights were cost effective and my friends were vegetarians and lovers of curries so naturally the meal service fare would be more suitable to their palates. “The aircraft smells of curry” they assured me but in fact so do a great many cities in the UK and the rest of the curry cooking world.

Today Air India has a new advertising campaign seen initially in the UK in which an Indian businessman remarks favourably on either the food served on this national carrier or on the airline’s impeccable time keeping. I was curious. I asked around on what people thought of their experience of the airline today and moreover, its meal service. One woman told me that what she thought was a small bone in her chicken sandwich turned out to be a staple! But that was on a recent Air Canada flight so she was off course if not off topic.

What I have discovered about the Air India experience overall is that you’re probably better off booking in their business class cabins for comfort but little else. Here is what I’ve learned. 

They still serve curry. The cabin staff dress colourfully but their attitudes are grey in disposition. Reports of casual body mannerisms on greeting boarding passengers, like stewardesses leaning on cabin walls with hands on their hips, are numerous. 

On one flight a steward was seen standing on a passenger seat, his arms folded across his chest as he stared blankly out at the middle distance. For legal reasons I hasten to add that there was no passenger in the seat at the time! When attendant bells work there is good chance that they won’t come to answer to your needs. They have been known to flatly and rudely refuse passengers the courtesy of a second alcoholic beverage. The free booze is not forthcoming and that might be a cultural thing. 

The inflight entertainment system more often than not does not work in economy nor business. When it is functional very little of it is in English and the majority of films are Bollywood productions. Besides the new Dreamliners their aircraft are somewhat dated. Cabin cleanliness is regularly poor. 

Your tickets will be tens and tens of pounds cheaper than those of European carriers serving similar routes to and from the Sub Continent and their seat pitch wider but I’m informed that those seats are usually stained. Air India flights tend to be packed with more children than European carriers. Be prepared to be subjected to their unchecked noise and raging high spirits in the aisles and those children who do remain seated might well be absentmindedly kicking the back of your seat from London to Mumbai. 

Their timekeeping is as any other; arriving early, one time or unexplainably late. They’ve been know too to land without explanation in totally different cities causing havoc for passengers with connecting flights. Saving money may not save your nerves but those curries are still good to fair to vegetarian. 

Peter Jarrette is a writer and published author.

THE PERILS OF AIRLINE CODESHARES~Caring and Sharing

The Perils of Airline Code Shares

Sharing and Caring

Sharing is caring, or is it? Did Virgin Atlantic, one of my favourite long haul carriers, care when I was served a rank barbeque chicken breast on a slime of mash potato with a side of grey broccoli and a floppy wedge of reconstituted carrot on a Delta aircraft? Did they even know? I think not. Had Sir Richard Branson seen what I was given to gaze at in 30E on my return to the UK he would have been truly concerned.

Christmas skies are crowded and the jets are crammed to capacity. We all know that. I had to book on relatively short notice to fly to the USA for family business and for press about my book (BRIGHTON BABYLON), my coming novel (SIGNATURE WALK) and the reality TV show featuring Kellie Maloney I (was) to produce and appear on. Everything airline was full going across. I needed to get to St. Louis in the heart of America and the only flight I could get, and I literally got the last seat, was a Virgin flight to Detroit with a connection onward to my destination.

“It’s the last seat,” the booker stated, “and it’s a code share.”

My Christmas spirit sank. Code Shares and Alliances amongst a wide range of carriers gives the traveller more choice of routing to their holiday, home and business destinations and more flexibility with times of arrivals and dates of departure (when it’s not Christmas and January…two of the busiest and most stressful times to fly).

“It’s a code share and although you are booking on a Virgin ticket, you’ll be on a Delta aircraft.” That was it. I knew the trip would be tedious. Although I’ve never travelled with Delta I knew it was not for me. Delta is one of the oldest American airlines and serves a complexity of national USA and international routes. 

Here is the thing; airlines in the USA tend to oversell their flights. They ram their aircraft with passengers. Flights are, by and large, always full. Their overseas crews are, by and large, always of an age. Their younger cabin crew members, or flight attendants, are to be found working the shorter domestic routes in North America. The senior FA’s bid for the more glamorous European routes so the cabin staff seem to be dour. Hours of dour ain’t fun.

This Delta flight had no leg room. The food was particularly under par. They had no duty free to look at in their inflight magazine. When I asked when they would bring out the duty free cart so that I might purchase some perfume or a trinket for my wife I was told that, “We stopped all duty free service 7 months ago.”

I asked for two small bottles of wine with my ‘meal’.

“We don’t do bottles of wine. We do cups of wine.”

At outbound check in at Heathrow I asked if they could seat me away from any families with small children. “We can’t do that but ask again at the gate and they will try to accommodate you.”

I did. I was given seat 45D, centre seat, second to last row on the Boeing 767-400ER service. To my right, one seat away on the aisle in 45F was an infant in her father’s arms. Right behind me in 46D was a boy of about three years old whose doting mother thought him the best thing as he screeched and screamed and kicked my seatback continually all the way clear across the North Atlantic.

Who would I complain to if I was in mind to do so for spending close to £1,000.00 to be so uncomfortable and overlooked? Who would I carp on to about a lack of duty free, one of the joys of cheap shopping in the skies? Virgin Atlantic? I think not.

Delta? “Sorry sir, we stopped listening to passenger complaints 7 months ago.”

When you book your next flight having chosen an airline that you think you quite like the look of and the face of, do yourself a great favour and ask if it is a code share and exactly what service you can expect for your money.

Three other things you should know about Delta.

One: On domestic flights within the USA they don’t take cash. I had to pay with a credit card for my pre-mix Bloody Mary on my second leg from Detroit to St. Louis, however the cabin crew were friendlier and decades younger.

Two: The Captain cheerfully announced we would be served a hot breakfast before landing back at Heathrow. We got a yogurt, a cup of frozen, yes…frozen orange juice made from concentrate and a dry caramel chocolate brownie.  

Three: Swerve Delta altogether.

  

Peter Jarrette is an international journalist & author. 

Update: In personal exchanges with Sir Richard Branson's PA and subsequent correspondence with the airline and Delta a travel voucher for a cash sum was awarded me. Virgin Atlantic bent over backward to reassure me that they were concerned about the episode(s) and I had their every sympathy.  

HOW TO BE A SOCIALITE IN TEN STEPS

HOW TO BE A SOCIALITE

(in ten stoopid steps) 

How to be a Socialite step one: The Exchange.

Person one: "I don't believe we've met."

Socialite: "I can't imagine in a hundred years why we would have."

How to be a Socialite step two: The Compliment.

Person one: "The pleasure is all mine"

Socialite: "How very perceptive of you."

How to be a Socialite step three: The Offer.

Person one: "Perhaps I might get you a drink?"

Socialite: "How very perceptive of you."

How to be a Socialite step four: The Sexual Come On.

Person one: "I hope you don't mind but I find you very, very attractive."

Socialite: "Mind? Why should I mind? I wasn't hiding so I can't imagine why you think you've 'found' me. But I must say If I were hiding it would be because you are what one would call 'a tramp' and if you had actually 'found' me I would certainly hope that you'd make an effort to change tax brackets to repeat those words to me." 

...or "How very perceptive of you."

How to be a Socialite step five: The Gift.

Person one: "I would very much care for you to accept this."

Socialite: "Your manners are impeccable but I'm afraid this gift is wholly impractical."

Person One: "But..but it is a diamond."

Socialite: "It is singularly impractical."

Person one: "I am so very sorry."

Socialite: "How perceptive of you."

How to be a Socialite step six: The Financial Locator.

Person one: "Your lifestyle seems so very extravagant. I am in awe."

Socialite: "Did you say you were in oil or Orr?"

Person one: "Awe."

Socialite: "You're from Boston!"

How to be a Socialite step seven: The Mustard.

Person one: "Would you please accept this gift of several hundred thousand pounds sterling as a

gesture of good will?"
Socialite: "No. I don't touch cash. Here are my bank details...here is my cellphone. But I forget

myself. You Europeans say 'mobile'. How quaint."
Person one: "Yes. Mobile."Socialite: "So you are in oil."

How to be a Socialite step eight: The Invitation and Avoidance.

Person one: "Perhaps you would care to sample the cocktails made by my houseboy Choocho at my

Mexican villa?"

Socialite: "Sample? Does the poor boy only make small measures?"

Person one: "You misunderstand..."

Socialite: "How very perceptive of you. Now call my bank, I'm growing bored with you."

How to be a Socialite step nine: The Truth.

Person one: "You seem distracted."

Socialite: "It's the walls. I think the paint is drying." 

How to be a Socialite step ten: The Parting.

Person one: "I've never been so insulted in my life!"

Socialite:"How perceptive of you. So it's agreed. We shall never meet again."

PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge An Extract

PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

An Extract

Originally written in 2013:

Dear Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge,

Enclosed with this letter please find the signed and newly released copy of my novel Brighton Babylon published by Dynasty Press Ltd.

It is my hope that you will have, at some point, time to be entertained by the stories of the somewhat unusual and exotic lives of the denizens of this south coast city, Brighton, in which I am based and from where I wrote the novel.

Also please look out for a copy of the magazine Caribbean BELLE on its way to you too from Port of Spain. BELLE is a high end glossy fashion and lifestyle magazine circulated throughout the Caribbean region and across USA and Canada online.

The issue to be with you soon features an article written by me on modern day superwomen in the media’s eye. I have cited Michele Obama, your Royal Highness and Trinidad and Tobago’s first female Prime Minister the honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar as three outstanding superwomen of the day.

I hope that you will enjoy reading Brighton Babylon.

Yours Sincerely,

Peter Jarrette

Author.

* A private reply was returned 

(She LOVED it) 

Waterstones UK; WHSmith Booksellers & Worldwide on Amazon and other online retailers

Paperback & Kindle

Other adult and children's titles by Peter Jarrette are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble Online and other online retailers worldwide

ebooks, paperbacks & hardcover

MUSICAL STAR TREKKIN' WITH CAPTAIN KIRK'S KIN: LORNE SHATNER-FRIEDENBERG

MUSICAL STAR TREKKIN' WITH CAPTAIN KIRK'S KIN: 

LORNE SHATNER-FRIEDENBERG 

As a child Lorne Shatner-Friedenberg’s claim to fame was his universe jumping, time-travelling, space-jockey uncle, Star Trek’s Captain James T. Kirk (or William Shatner as he is known in earthtime).

 Canadian born, Montreal Quebec resident Lorne has moved on from those halcyon days and the man who considers Hawaii as his unofficial second home has long since tapped into the lucrative world of Children’s Entertainment and is finding his own fame.

Entertaining our offspring is big business; from the lavish celebrations witnessed on MTV’s My Sweet Sixteen series where there are enough tiaras and tantrums to rival even the great Elton’s notorious mood swings to the more affordable cupcake and soft drink fuelled ‘kiddie discos’ that have taken hold of all the world’s cities and suburbs. What do kids want now that we finally know Bozo the Clown scares the beejeezus out of us all?

Lorne knows the classic formula that has been his cornerstone; music and sing-a-longs.

In fact so well does he know his craft and his audience that for over 25 years he has been one of the top sought after children’s party entertaining talents in his affluent home city of Montreal.

Now the children that he entertained in the beginning of his career are booking him to work his feelgood magic on a whole new generation of their own toddlers.

With the release of his new CD of classic songs for youngsters and some of his own original compositions Peter Jarrette sits cross legged at the feet of this popular troubadour to find out how he does what many of us can’t seem to easily do…entertain our children.

PJ: Lorne, I read that you began entertaining professionally with your music in 1988. What had you done previously in your working life and has music always been a significant part of your world? Did you study voice and music along the way?

In my previous incarnation, I was a college math tutor. It allowed me a lot of free time to further explore my love of cabaret and musical theatre. To that end, I was in a cabaret show and was noticed by a beautiful young woman who came backstage after and said “Hey that guy Lloyd has a really good voice” and I screamed back “It’s Lorne”. This was 1987 and long story short we became singing partners known as Toony Loonz (People often asked, who's the Toony, and who's the Loon?.... well, I was always the Loon, so when I went solo, Loony Lorny seemed a very logical monachre).

I did study music theory and clarinet for a while at college but never seriously studied voice. I have always sung since performing “All alone went Jerry” at a kindergarten presentation for parents. I even did a three year stint with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Chorus from 1993-1996.

PJ: How did your start in the children’s entertainment industry come about and who or what was your musical inspiration?

I was performing in “Barnum” at Montreal’s Centaur Theatre in the summer of 1988 and backstage, Joanne Cutler was helping to apply the clown makeup. She knew I had daytime availability, that I played guitar, she liked my voice and look, and asked would I be interested in entertaining children with her? At that moment, she had a 20-month old son and had been to many birthday parties with sub-par entertainment and felt with the right partner she could do a far better job. We debuted at her son's 2^nd birthday party (he's now almost 28) and never looked back.

As for musical inspiration, the Beatles, Cat Stevens, Carly Simon, Carole King come to mind. The main children’s entertainer that fascinated me as a child and whose personality I attempt to channel is a guy (well known in Canada) called THE FRIENDLY GIANT. He had a 15-minute TV show daily full of music and singing that I absolutely loved. You could say I see myself as a modern-day friendly giant.

PJ: Montreal is one of Canada’s great bilingual cities. Do you entertain in both French and English?

No, my repertoire is primarily English though I do have two or three French songs I throw in. However, at Christmas/Hannuka time, I have several French songs that I include for any bilingual crowd.

PJ: Tell us about the new CD. Who have you collaborated with in making it and what songs can we look forward to playing for our hyperactive young ones? Tell us too about the original compositions of yours that feature on the CD. Who created the cover art?

Joanne and I wrote a bunch of songs and put out our own CD, recorded rather hastily in 2000. It was very well-received by all the people at our classes and parties, but try though we did, it never went beyond that.

I met Mitch Magonet when he brought his younger daughter to a class of mine and we quickly realised we were cousins (yeah he’s a Shatner too!). From the get-go he said “you should be recording, you have such a wonderful style and personality, your warmth really comes through”. That began a few meetings between us to try and organise getting the project going. Mitch has a Broadway-bound show called “Rio” in the works and became extremely busy with that project, so our collaboration temporarily was put on hold.

Eighteen months later, we met up again and decided to really go for it! Mitch single-handedly orchestrated, produced and played every song on the CD. In a word, he is brilliant! We decided to imitate a typical class that I would give to the babies and mothers (Mom and Tot Classes) to capture my true personality and warmth. In my classes I always mix a few of my original songs with songs from my own childhood. Obviously honed over all these years, I don’t just sing ‘em, I really perform them! So on my CD, you’ll find old classics like OLD MCDONALD HAD A FARM, YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE, I’VE BEEN WORKING ON THE RAILROAD, OH SUSANNA, THIS OLD MAN etc along with four of Joanne’s and my original compositions, namely KERRY THE KANGAROO, I LOVE DOGS, RIDIN’ ON THE BUS and MACARONI AND CHEESE. I LOVE DOGS was written in my backyard in the early nineties with my wonderful dog Charles at my feet. The others were more collaborative efforts with the beautiful and talented Joanne Cutler.

Cover art was done painstakingly to the letter by one of my dearest friends in the world, Jonathan Donoghue, an optician in Galway, Ireland. I had a concept in mind and never having done anything in the graphic arts world before, Jonathan submitted and re-submitted and honed and re-honed until it was exactly what I wanted. He worried when submitting this to the company who produced the CD that things would go wrong but with his wonderful computer skills was able to supply exactly what was needed. His overall effort was nothing short of Herculean, as witnessed in the result.

PJ: I assume that birthdays are a great part of your bookings but are there any other events or celebrations at which you perform?

As I said, Christmas/Hannuka and basically any holiday or festival type of event hire me, but the bread and butter of my career is weekly groups in daycares, nursery schools, play centres, churches, synagogues and private homes. These people hire me to come at a given day and time each week for a number of weeks and I bounce from place to place. I can do up to 15 of these a week in addition to the parties. For the past 8 years, a now-established group called MUMMIESLIST has engaged me for MUSIC IN THE PARK which started with just me in one park 8 years ago. It now puts me in four parks and has hired many other musical and dance entertainers. Great fun for the audience to come to different parks at different times of the day and to entertain kids throughout the summer.

PJ: Have you ever had any really difficult bookings, tough audiences and if so how do you deal with those situations?

In our earliest days, Joanne and I, wallowing in our inexperience were slapped from behind, shot at with pop guns, had many things thrown at us, and were cajoled by non-enthusiastic five-year olds and often came away somewhat bruised (ego and body). As you can imagine as time progressed you just get better at dealing with what you have to deal with. Fast forward 25 years and there is honestly no situation I can’t and don’t handle.

PJ: What about the adults, parents and older family members, have you ever had any who were difficult to deal with?

There has been a mother or two over the years that were a little …. ahem ….. colourful! Example - one rather wealthy mom had her nanny arrange with me where, when, how, why, jump through what hoop etc and then the day before the appointed time, calls me and says “What do you do for that much money? Spit nickels?” to which I answered “Oh, I just entertain the heck out of your kids”. Her response “Oh, this I've got to see!”. I came, I kicked ass, did a hell of a party and instead of saying “Yeah, you were worth it” she hands me my fee and with a pursed look on her lips, she said “As agreed”.

PJ: Would you say that psychology is a great part of the whole experience?

Oh absolutely! Within my warmth and what I hope is my charm, I definitely bend my words and intonation in ways to entice my very young listeners (and their parents). So far, so good!

PJ: What type of events and bookings do you find most enjoyable to you and why?

I guess I would have to say the Christmas/Hannuka bookings that I do. The atmosphere is so very festive and people are always in such a great mood at that time of year. I include many very familiar Christmas and Hannuka tunes so kids as well as adults are singing along and tapping their toes. It’s really very rewarding.

PJ: Are there other genres of music you enjoy performing besides songs for youngsters?

In my misspent youth, I certainly enjoyed the folksier side of guitar playing, having grown up with artists mentioned above and many others. In my twenties and thirties, I appeared in many Broadway-style shows, so I’ve always enjoyed performing those songs to this day.

Now though, I must admit that since I play guitar (and teach guitar to 9-12 year olds) for a living, at the end of my work day, my guitar rests comfortably in the trunk of my car.

PJ: Have you ever thought about writing a song about a starship captain???

First of all PJ, let me clarify that William Shatner is my cousin not my uncle (I get asked a lot if he is my uncle, brother, nephew, sister's cousin's nephew, etc!).

Well actually, the germs of said song have been floating around my head for a very long time, beginning of which goes

'I'm just so glad I have a famous cousin, a famous cousin

One not a dozen

I'm just so glad I have a famous cousin, and Captain Kirk is his name

 When I watch the old Star Trek, it's plain as it can be

Out there 'mongst the space and stars, it's Captain Kirk you see.....

 I'm just so glad.... (chorus)'

PJ: For readers in Montreal how do they go about booking you and how can readers further afield order your CD?

In Montreal, please go to my website www.loonylorny.com, all of the information is there. CD’s are available on iTunes, Google Play Store and CDbaby.com.

PJ: Do your bookings ever take you further afield than the great city of Montreal?

Absolutely! For those of you that didn’t know, Montreal is an island. So within 100 km of that island there is a large population base and I am booked within that 100 km radius fairly often.

PJ: And Finally Lorne, now that you’ve got your feet on the rung of recording artist what further plans have you in the industry?

I see this as a very organic experience. So few people outside of Montreal have ever heard of me. Through processes such as this one, hopefully we can get the word out that I have put out a really high quality children’s CD. Beyond that, people need to hear it for themselves and make up their own minds. Ultimately I would love to appear on television, do the talk show circuit, do videos and many more recordings.

Thank you Lorne Shatner-Friedenberg for taking time to have this exchange with me and I think a number of my friends will be playing your CD to their lovable little Klingons very soon.