“Best of” Awards: Pirates Versus Steampunks at Pyrate Daze – Los Angeles Art – Style Council.

Pyrate Daze has come and gone, and the results are in – this combined pirate/steampunk event gave folks the chance to strut their stuff as either swashbucklers, victorian sci-fi adventurers, or both, and the LA times took a point-by-point examination of which proved superior. But ever the diplomats, the result was a tie.

Surprisingly, based on the examples listed, I think it’s actually the steampunks that prove victorious, as I’d take issue with the conch shell beating out the Abney Park guitar (no way the conch shell proves victor in that one). Actually, from the early photos I’ve seen a lot more creativity was shown by the steampunks all around – although bear in mind that the steampunks and the pirates were largely the same folks, depending on which day it was. I just hope that as more pirates explore steampunk (and vice versa) that folks remember to leave their tricorns at home when going to Dickens Fair, and that jet-packed librarians consider a different look before attending a truely pirate-specific event.

Being overly blunt has never won me friends, but I just can’t put this delicately – Pyrate Daze has the most idiotic celebrity guest list imaginable for a pirate festival of any sort. Sure, it has some of the usual suspects (Jamaica Rose, Cascabel, a large helping of Pirates of the Caribbean B-listers, and others), but the lion’s share of the guest list is comprised of folks that have nothing… remotely… to do… with… PIRATES. Consider: [read more »]