Silverjet to New York. Their dedicated terminal at Luton makes check-in a shoe-in. Bags decanted and croissants warm. Relaxed. Rare these days at airports. Taking your shoes off, and all that kerfuffle. Understandable, of course, but what a palaver. Airside, I'm usually ok. But this private lounge is the way to do it. Chasing MaxJet now for return of the £1300 of my money they held when they went belly-up on Christmas Eve. Were due to depart 16th, so booked tickets for Tom Stoppard's play, "Rock 'n' Roll" for next night, but Silverjet could not carry us until that day, 17th, so sat with heavy lids, barely able to stay awake throughout the entire, very long first act. Truth is, we left at the interval, if only to spare our neighbours in the dress circle any nuisance that may have incurred if sleep had got the better of either of us. Once jet-lag licks in.......just hope I don't bump into Mr Stoppard any time soon. We said hello to each other and a bit more backstage in St Petersburg, and I am a huge fan. I know how the story ends, as I was writing songs, early on, about the Czech uprising against the big Russian bear. Never recorded them, save in poor demo form, but for a while (a long while - the one act is longer than many full plays) I was carried back to young manhood and a time before career lift-off. Next morning, and I mean morning, saw "The Bucket List" movie. Enjoyed it far more than most UK critics. A slight piece, yes, but it has its moments. And it's not very long. That's a big plus with me these days. No movie should run to more than a couple of hours, except maybe The Dee Hunter, or Apocalypse Now, or Gone With The Wind.....but Titanic - I could have lopped a good half-hour off that. Maybe more. Recently watched all three of the Bourne films, in reverse order. Don't ask. Reason for Atlantic crossing: meet with another Steve Martin. This one, my US agent. To plot a short acoustic tour in the autumn. We think maybe 5/6 dates on the east coast, including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington.....but I can not kid myself. I am not too well-known over there, and selling tickets could prove tough. Will return end summer for interviews etc. to chivvy it all along. And a relaxed, totally informal photo session with Mick Rock, snapping in the Galaxy coffee bar off Union Square. Return on Silverjet is odd: they turn off all the house-lights right after take-off, so you eat dinner by your overhead lamp, which is not sufficient at all. We ask, and they boast "We are known as the all-dark airline" or something equally crass. Why? "So people can sleep the whole way." But look around you, and note the one man, one out of 95 passengers, actually laid out, stretched and kipping. The rest of us want to read and see what we're eating. Maybe the crew get an easier life with the lights down. Good for them, but the punter doesn't come first, no matter how the crew couch their excuses. Helen Reddy.

SH