Monthly Archives: November 2008

Piratically Incorrect

Posted on by
7

Rating: ★★★★☆
www.musicalblades.com
Buy the CD
Genre: Contemporary Pirate Folk and Alternative.
Rating: PG-13 (with a little bit of R)
Target Audience: 20-somthings and up

I had a conversation a while back with Patch, lead singer and principle songwriter of the Musical Blades. On asking him what other pirate bands he enjoyed, he expressed to my utmost surprise that he doesn’t listen to other pirate bands – not even a little bit. He does this so that his own writing will remain truly “his own”, wishing to follow his own instincts as to what pirate music can be rather than risk following the leads of others. While I myself could never fathom removing myself from the wealth of pirate music splendour that exists these days, I would offer the observation that Patch’s own abstinence seems to have served him, and the Musical Blades as a whole, rather well. Continue reading →

Why Don’t We Hang Pirates Anymore? – WSJ.com

Posted on by
5

Why Don’t We Hang Pirates Anymore? – WSJ.com.

Ok, I’ve fought hard to *not* mix modern pirates and their current crimes with the romance, history, and – dare I say it – fantasy in which we emmerse ourselves while wearing tricorn hats and jamming to Bogg&Salty. But that said, the current parallels are just mind-boggling, and this article does a fine job of blending the history with the present situation.

An interesting read, no doubt.

Review: Pirates 2 – Stagnetti’s Revenge (adults only)

Posted on by
7

Rating: ★★½☆☆

www.piratesxxx.com

Following its release in 2006, Pirates: A Joone Film made movie history. Not only was it the highest budgeted adult film ever, but it was also the first to cross over into mainstream cinema. By cutting the bulk of the sex scenes to establish an R rating, the remaining film was still highly enjoyable – a feature in stark contrast to the adult film stereotype, and certainly a commendable achievement.

Like its presumed inspiration, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates: A Joone Film was a daunting undertaking that was successfully achieved thanks to the “outside of the box” thinking of the production crew, writers, and direction. And also like the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Pirates: A Joone Film’s sequel, Pirates 2: Stagnetti’s Revenge managed to fall into a common trap – namely production value over plot. Continue reading →

Review: The Stowaway

Posted on by
2

Rating: ★★★☆☆
In my time, I’d say I’ve read my fair share of pirate novels in a variety of genres. Historical fiction and non-fiction, of course – but also comedy, self-help, sci-fi… even mystery and instructional. But I didn’t much fathom the notion of reading a pirate book that was true, unadulterated fantasy. As in Dungeons&Dragons, Forgotten Realms type fantasy. Dark elves and trolls, demons and clerics – and yet that’s exactly what The Stowaway by R.A. Salvatore is.

The tale begins with a boy, Maimun, who’s being interrogated by pirates, and then continues with a series of flashbacks – recent and distant – that recount the tale of his life. And occasionally we return to the present for a brief glimpse at his pirate captor, who is indeed the sort of salty swab one would expect from a pirate novel of any genre. Continue reading →

Captain Sabertooth (I am afraid)

Posted on by
7

The Ben Gunn Society brought this video to my attention and has been on my case for not yet posting it. And rightfully so – it’s disturbingly strange. His name is Captain Sabertooth – he’s a Norwegian children’s entertainer, pirate, and (I’m fairly certain) a former inmate at the Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane.  After you view the video, be sure to explore his website, www.captainsabertooth.com.

Bilgemunky Radio 58 – Blackbeard RIP, and you too, Calico

Posted on by
Reply

Tonight we mark the occasions of Blackbeards and Calico Jack Rackham’s untimely demises with a helping of songs dedicated to each. Musical Blades, Roy Mette, the Jolly Rogers, and many others all contribute music inspired by these infamous men. Also tonight, new music from Captain Bogg & Salty, and an excerpt from the new Lafitte’s Return albums (volumes 3 and 4).

Review: How to Speak Pirate

Posted on by

Rating: ★★★★☆
How to Speak Pirate: A Treasure Chest of Seafaring Slang
by Geordie Telfer

I’m going to just lay it out there – I did not expect to like this book. Why not? Because I’m biased. I think Jack Sparrow has become the lazy man’s jolly roger – a way to ride Disney’s coat tails to try and siphon off a little of their merchandising power. So combine this book’s Jack Sparrow lookalike on the cover with the fact that lexicons of nautical terms already exist (very few of which make for an interesting read) and you can see why I assumed it might be garbage.

And so it was to my happy surprise that How to Speak Pirate: A Treasure Chest of Seafaring Slang turned out to be not merely decent, but actually quite brilliant in its own right. The secret? As is so often the case it’s the ever elusive thing I like to call “good writing.” You’d be amazed at the difference it can make. Continue reading →