In my last blog post, I covered five of the most memorable moments from interviews Iâve conducted over the years for Business Jet Traveler. Here are another five. Just click on the names to read the full articles on Pascucci, Trump and Orman. (The other two interviews are not available online, but you may request a copy of either by sending an e-mail to editor@bjtonline.)
1. Michael Pascucci: Pascucci, who made many millions in auto-leasing and television, could go anywhere and do anything. But, like Warren Buffett, he has simple tastes and doesnât favor change. So, he told me, not only has he lived in the same town for more than 35 years and been married to the same woman for more than 50, but he has lunch in the same diner almost every day. Plus, he said, he always orders broiled filet of sole or grilled chicken on whole wheat.
2. Sydney Pollack: The late film director Sydney Pollack must have had a lot on his mind when I spoke with him in 2007. He raved about the Sabreliner 65, saying heâd âjust read a long articleâ about the aircraft; and since weâd published such an article in our latest issue, I asked whether that might be the one he was referring to. âWhatâs your magazine again?â âBusiness Jet Traveler,â I said. âThatâs the one! I just got it yesterday and read it cover to cover.â Oh well. He didnât remember our name or know what magazine he was talking to but at least he thoroughly read BJT.
3. Donald Trump: We emailed Trump about the areas we wanted to cover in our interview and sent him copies of the magazine, so I didnât expect him to be surprised when I asked him over the phone not only about his new airplane but about such things as health-care policy, fuel prices and his political leanings. Trump offered a few brief responses but repeatedly pronounced the inquiries âstrangeâ and said, âI thought this was about the airplane.â Then, only a few minutes into our conversation, he said, âI donât like the tone of these questionsâ and hung up on me.
4. Suze Orman: This interview with TVâs âmoney ladyâ was filled with provocative comments. The one I remember most was her suggestion that many of the people who lack medical coverage in America donât have it because they âhave chosen to get rid of their health insurance to pay their credit card debt so they can continue to charge things they donât need.â
5. Willie Gary: As a boy, attorney Gary worked 12 hours a day as a sharecropper and spent nights in a shack with no running water. He still lives right near his childhood homeâin a 50-room waterfront mansion with a pair of Bentleys parked out front. Iâll never forget Gary telling me about the day he first took off in his new Boeing 737: âThat was unbelievable, man. We flew right over the orange groves, the fields that I used to work in. And I was looking out the window and I saw the fields and I said, âMy God!â I had to pinch myself. I mean, tears were coming down. I said, âLord, I thank you!â I thought about my daddy and working in those fields together and insects biting us and 100-degree temperatures. And there I was in my Boeing 737.â
Jeff Burger joined Business Jet Traveler in March 2004, a few months after the publicationâs launch. Besides editing the magazine, he has written many articles for it and conducted its interviews with such luminaries as Sir Richard Branson, James Carville, Suze Orman, Donald Trump, F. Lee Bailey, and Steve Van Zandt. Burger helped to oversee the introduction of BJTâs annual Readers' Choice surveys and Buyersâ Guide.
During his years with the magazine, it has won well over a hundred editorial awards. In 2011, Burger received the Gold Wing Award for Reporting Excellence from the National Business Aviation Association and the Aviation Journalism Award from the National Air Transportation Association. He has also won writing and editing awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors. BJT, meanwhile, was named Best International Publication in 2017 in the Aerospace Media Awards. It was also a Magazine of the Year finalist in 2011, 2013, and 2016 and an Overall Excellence winner in 2018 in competitions sponsored by the American Society of Business Publication Editors.
Before coming to BJT, Burger spent 14 years at Medical Economics, the nationâs leading business magazine for doctors, where he served on the editorial board; directed staff recruiting; oversaw a $2 million annual budget; and was financial editor, news editor, and director of special projects. He has been editor of several publications, including Phoenix Magazine in Arizona, and has been a consulting editor at Time Inc. His articles have appeared in more than 75 magazines and newspapers, among them The Los Angeles Times, Barronâs, Readerâs Digest, Gentlemenâs Quarterly , and Family Circle. Chicago Review Press published his books, Springsteen on Springsteen: Interviews, Speeches, and Encounters, Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounter, Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon, and Dylan on Dylan: Interviews and Encounters. His music writing appears on multiple websites, including his own byjeffburger.com.
Burger, a summa cum laude graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, lives in Ridgewood, N.J. He and his wife, Madeleine, have two grown children. His off-hours passions include cooking, travel, technology, movies, and music.
