Mr. Chatterbox

Where Are Sarasotans Supposed to Retire?

Mr. C has a suggestion: Mount Dora.

08/01/2019 By Robert Plunket

Mr. Chatterbox

Mr. Chatterbox Throws His Hat in the Ring for President

Apparently it’s the latest smart career move when you’re stuck in a mid-level job, Mr. C. says.

07/01/2019 By Robert Plunket

Mr. Chatterbox

Mr. Chatterbox Reports on the End of the World

Is Mr. C the only one who is seriously getting worried that the world might end, like real soon?

05/30/2019 By Robert Plunket

Mr. Chatterbox

Sarasota's Weirdest Restaurants, According to Mr. Chatterbox

Shouldn't the weird get recognition, too? Mr. C. asks.

05/09/2019 By Robert Plunket

Mr. Chatterbox

Mr. Chatterbox Returns to Havana

Sixty years after fleeing Havana during the Cuban Revolution, our humor columnist returns for the first time to the changed island nation.

04/02/2019 By Robert Plunket

40th Anniversary

The Best of Mr. Chatterbox: Mr. C. Breaks Major Political News, Pontificates on Art, and Attends Every Party He Gets Invited to and Quite a Few He Doesn’t

November 1986 was a busy month for Mr. C.

02/26/2019 By Robert Plunket

40th Anniversary

The Best of Mr. Chatterbox: A Night In the Life of Sarasota

There are eight million stories in the Naked City. Fortunately for us all, Mr. Chatterbox could only find about seven in Sarasota. Here they are. It’s Saturday, Feb. 7, 1987…

02/26/2019 By Robert Plunket

40th Anniversary

The Best of Mr. Chatterbox: Hanging Out With the Art Crowd in 1991

When the local arts crowd gets together, the atmosphere is redolent with famous names, serious politics, and lots and lots of money.

02/26/2019 By Robert Plunket

40th Anniversary

The Best of Mr. Chatterbox: A Bizarre Look at Sarasota History (from 1986)

Anna Bird Schooncraft. Remember that name.

02/26/2019 By Robert Plunket

40th Anniversary

The Best of Mr. Chatterbox: Why, at the Height of Its Power, in the Late 20th Century, Did Sarasota Suddenly Collapse?

In June 1998, a fever dream causes Mr. C. to think about what future visitors would think of Sarasota.

02/26/2019 By Robert Plunket

40th Anniversary

The Best of Mr. Chatterbox: Fame and Fortune on the Book-Tour Circuit

Mr. Chatterbox reflects on the success of his book, Love Junkie, in October 1992.

02/26/2019 By Robert Plunket

Mr. Chatterbox

Eight Sarasotans Who Shaped Our Past

The secret lives only Mr. Chatterbox knows.

02/25/2019 By Robert Plunket

Mr. Chatterbox

Mr. Chatterbox's Guide to Living in Sarasota

Newcomers, take notes.

01/24/2019 By Robert Plunket

Mr. Chatterbox

Mr. Chatterbox's New Year's Resolutions

"Fortunately, I have reached the age where you can exercise sitting down and it’s still considered legitimate."

01/02/2019 By Robert Plunket

Mr. Chatterbox

Mr. Chatterbox Goes Bar Hopping

Our humor columnist on the pleasures of hotel bars.

06/27/2018 By Robert Plunket

Mr. Chatterbox

"My Weekend as a Tourist in Pinecraft"

What's a Sarasota vacation like for the Amish and Mennonite?

04/26/2018 By Robert Plunket

Mr. Chatterbox

Mr. Chatterbox Takes Us on the Artists Studios Tour

A group of 10 or so visual artists—all first rate and nationally known—have banded together to give you a view of what the artistic life in Sarasota is all about.

02/28/2018 By Robert Plunket

Mr. Chatterbox

Mr. Chatterbox: Farewell to Our Fearless Leader

Mr. Chatterbox pens an ode to Pam Daniel.

01/25/2018 By Robert Plunket

Mr. Chatterbox

The Ghostly Links Between Lido Key's Sandcastle Resort, the Late Leona Helmsley—and Donald Trump

Future historians who ignore Leona while studying Trump do so at their peril. There are too many connections, too many similarities, too much shared history.

12/27/2017 By Robert Plunket

Mr. Chatterbox

The Strange Stories of Sarasota's Senior Celebrities

What do you do when you’ve been in the public eye for years, and then the spotlight starts to shift? If you’re like many aging celebrities, you move to Sarasota.

11/29/2017 By Robert Plunket