From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Mon Sep 5 12:36:04 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Mon, 5 Sep 2022 15:36:04 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] THE POOPDECK, Issue 159. The Official Newsletter of International Talk Like a Pirate Day Message-ID: <2098888885.5766565.1662406564613.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDEK The Official Newsletter of International Talk Like a Pirate Day Sept. 5, 2022, Issue No. 159 Issued when the fancy strikes Edited by Ol' Chumbucket In this issue: ** Celebrating the Anniversary ** Talking Like a Pirate ** Another Anniversary Ahoy! It's now two weeks until International Talk Like a Pirate Day. I just wanted to share with you how our plans are going for the 20th anniversary event, and start giving you some tools for celebrating the great day! ** Celebrating the Anniversary Plans for celebrating the 20th anniversary are picking up speed as the date hutles closer. Remember the get-together is at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, at Kells Brewery, 210 NW 21st Ave., Portland. We've got a couple of surprise guests and we're working on what's going to happen. We're also finalizing plans to livestream the event on Facebook. You can find out more about the event on our FB events page (https://www.facebook.com/events/630756118650585) and remember ? You're invited! ** Talking Like a Pirate Every day between now and Sept. 19 we're going to give a word or phrase, and a video, that will help build your TLAPDay arsenal. And today we're starting with a video that does both. It's the first video Cap'n Slappy and I ever filmed, back in the days when we didn't have video editing software so everything had to be done in a single take, without any text or effects.. We became "one-take wonders." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cKCkbWDGwE&t=3s Today we give you "The Five As," sort of the beginners kit for talking like a pirate. ** Another Anniversary Besides being two weeks until the 20th anniversary of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, today is also the 33rd anniversary of the day the guy who became Ol' Chumbucket (me) married the woman who became Mad Sally (my wife, Tori.) I can't even begin to tell you how important she has been both in my life and in the creation and growth of Talk Like a Pirate Day. The day we first became a public sensation, she was the first person to say, "You guys need a website." She was the one who pushed me and Cap'n Slappy into developing a stage act, which we've performed all across the country (and she occasionally was up on stage with us, like when we performed in Las Vegas,) and and she tricked us into writing our first book. (More on that story in the near future. If it weren't for her, you probably wouldn't be celebrating Talk Like a Pirate Day every September. Look for pirates in your inbox every day between now and Sept,. 19, when once again we celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Ol' Chumbucket Sept. 5, 2022 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Tue Sep 6 08:27:25 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2022 11:27:25 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] The Poopdeck Message-ID: <588542982.7479311.1662478045113.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDEK Sept. 6, 2022, Issue No. 160 Edited by Ol' Chumbucket As we announced in Monday's Poopdeck, the Pirate Guys (that's me and Cap'n Slappy) will send a special edition Poopdeck every day between now and the holiday, which of course is celebrated every Sept. 19. This will include a short description of a pirate word or phrase and how to use it on Talk Like a Pirate Day, and a link to one of our videos or one of our favorites by other folk. So with that said, let's begin. Pirate phrase of the day: Splice the Mainbrace! This has always been one of Cap'n Slappy's favorites. "Splice the mainbrace" means to have a drink, usually referring to the first drink of the day. But it comes from something much more difficult and dangerous. Splicing the mainbrace was one of the most difficult, dangerous jobs aboard a wooden sailing ship back in the days of sail. The mainbrace was the longest line in the rigging of a square-rigged ship and it was an essential piece of that rigging. If it was shot away in battle or broke in a storm the ship could lose maneuverability, you might easily lose the whole mast. So if that happened, it was vital it be repaired as soon as possible, even if the battle was still going on. And you couldn't just tie a couple of knots and call it good, because the mainbrace ran through blocks. You had to splice in a length of hemp rope, even as people were shooting at you. After the work was finished the captain would reward the crewmembers who had done it with a a ration of rum. Today, we no longer have that particular dangerous task, but we still have the rum. I calls this progress. Pirate video of the Day ? Me hearties! This short (15 second) video is another from our early days of shooting videos in one take because we lacked editing ability. It's a handy one for those new to pirate palaver. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ghZZ-HFBOg Ol' Chumbucket Sept. 6, 2022 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Wed Sep 7 09:28:29 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2022 12:28:29 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] 12 Days Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day Message-ID: <1061066530.10800683.1662568109426.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDEK Sept. 6, 2022, Issue No. 160 Edited by Ol' Chumbucket Twelve Days Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day ** Pirate phrase of the day: Shiver Me Timbers There was a saying during the age of sail; when at sea aboard a wooden ship of the day, there was only eight inches of oak between you and eternity, the thickness of the hull of the ship. If the hull were hit by a heavy wind or a ball of iron shot from a pirate's cannon at a velocity right around the speed of sound it would rattle the ship badly. It would shiver the timbers. That got your attention. So "Shiver me timbers" is an exclamation of surprise or shock. ** Pirate video of the Day ? Me hearties! I'd completely forgotten this "public service announcement" we shot 15 years ago. It's an important reminder when you're out celebrating Talk Like a Pirate Day on Sept. 19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcwMT1XG0fw Ol' Chumbucket Sept. 7, 2022 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Thu Sep 8 11:42:29 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2022 14:42:29 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] Eleven Days Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day Message-ID: <119129526.14084706.1662662549737.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDEK Sept. 8, 2022, Issue No. 161 Edited by Ol' Chumbucket Eleven Days Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day ** Pirate phrase of the day: Prepare to be Boarded! Ol' Chumbucket's favorite pirate phrase. Pretty much every pirate movie has a scene in which a crew of seagoing cutthroats, usually with knives clenched between their teeth, swing from their ship to the prey, swarming onto the deck to overwhelm the other crew. Those people are boarders, in the act of boarding. Pretty simple, right? So when you and your mates are about to swing into a bar or party, call out "Boarders away!" And as a warning to the people inside, call out "Prepare to be boarded!" as you come through the door. And if you think about it, there are plenty of other, even saucier, uses for the phrase, like when you ask someone to dance, or you plunk yourself down at a table where people have gathered, or just break into a conversation at a party. To a friend who was planning to get married on Talk Like a Pirate Day, I suggested that on her wedding night she should shout "Prepare to be boarded!" to her new husband. That apparently went over big. And there are plenty more opportunities. You are limited only by your imagination. ** Pirate video of the day ? Ask Cap'n Slappy, "Savvy" Boy, those were the days. Back when we were just starting our website ran a feature called "Ask Cap'n Slappy." People wrote in with questions and Cap'n Slappy answered them, sort of like Dear Abby, if Abby were a belligerent and scurvy-ridden pirate instead of a nice Jewish mother. Slappy doesn't dispense advice these days, except from across the bar at any of his favorite taverns. But this video we recorded in 2006 features one his classic epistolary exchanges. Still funny. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrT8OQ5Jq-o Ol' Chumbucket Sept. 7, 2022 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Fri Sep 9 10:33:11 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2022 13:33:11 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] Ten Days Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day Message-ID: <792784942.16753827.1662744791720.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDEK Sept. 9, 2022, Issue No. 162 Edited by Ol' Chumbucket Ten Days Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day ** Pirate phrase of the day: Fo'c'sle Fo'c'sle (FOKE-sul) is how you pronounce "forecastle," the section of the upper deck of a ship located at the bow, forward of the foremast. "Forecastle" would have four syllables if you pronounced it that way ? AND you'd look like the lubberliest of landlubbers if you did. Say fo'c'sle. On a merchant ship, officers's quarters were towards the aft. The fo'c'sle was the crew country. When out celebrating International Talk Like a Pirate Day, describe the front section of whatever tavern you'e in as the fo'c'sle. ** Pirate video of the day ? Ask Cap'n Slappy 2, "Dating" The other "Ask Cap'n Slappy" video we filmed some 14 years ago. Did I mention that we used to guarantee in writing that all of Slappy's answers were wrong? We did that as a service to the reader, who might be wondering, "Gee, should I take his advice about laminating my parrot in plastic?" See? readers weren't ever bothered trying to decide whether or not to take his advice. So this really bad dating advice is par for the course. But it's all pirate! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd8mpjkFt6I Ol' Chumbucket Sept. 9, 2022 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Sat Sep 10 09:05:10 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2022 12:05:10 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] Nine Days Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day Message-ID: <1255953218.18846677.1662825910206.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDECK Sept. 10, 2022, Issue No. 163 Edited by Ol' Chumbucket Nine Days Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day ** Pirate phrase of the day: Bilged on her anchor This is when a ship's hull is holed or pierced by its own anchor. On Talk Like a Pirate Day, you can use this phrase to describe any self-inflicted injury, especially when one of your mates does so in a comical fashion. While dining, if one of your crew carelessly dumps his plate in his lap, it's appropriate to cry out, "By the powers! He's been bilged on his own anchor!" ** Pirate video of the day ? "Inner Pirate" In this quick video, Cap'n Slappy and Ol' Chumbucket explain the key to International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Get hold of the pirate in you! [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIwMbQXiAyI | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIwMbQXiAyI ] ) Ol' Chumbucket Sept. 10, 2022 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Sun Sep 11 10:14:17 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2022 13:14:17 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] Eight Days Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day Message-ID: <2106379920.20669780.1662916457901.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDECK Sept. 11, 2022, Issue No. 164 Edited by Ol' Chumbucket Eight Days Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Here's what we've got for you today, Sunday, Sept. 11. ** Pirate phrase of the day: Suck the Monkey Sailors at sea did what they could to augment their rum ration. One way was to purchase cocoanuts in ports, remove the milk and most of the meat, and fill it with rum. Since a cocoanut looks a little like a monkey's head, so a sailor drinking from a cocoanit was said to be sucking the monkey. ** Pirate video of the day ? "Pirates vs. Ninjas" In this ol'd favorite, Cap'n Slappy and Ol' Chumbucket explain scientifically why pirates are better than ninjas in every way. [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxC4pz9pO7c&t=14s | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxC4pz9pO7c&t=14s ] Starting Monday our pirate video links will feature musical pirate numbers, including both some that we've done and those created by friends in the pirate community. Ol' Chumbucket Sept. 11, 2022 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Mon Sep 12 12:34:17 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2022 15:34:17 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] One Week Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Message-ID: <1199246080.23171764.1663011257427.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDECK Sept. 12, 2022, Issue No. 165 Edited by Ol' Chumbucket In this issue: ** One Week Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day ** Pirate Video of the Day ? "Scurvy" ** Pirate Phrase of the Day ? "Batten the Hatches" ** One Week Until International Talk Like a PIrate Day We have more news about the 20th anniversary celebration taking place from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, at Kells Brewery in northwest Portland OR. We're delighted to report that Cruzan Rum is sponsoring the event. There will be special cocktails made with Cruzan, and door prizes. I'm particularly pleased because Cruzan is made on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where I lived with my family for four years. I visited the distillery several times, and drove by it often. So it'll be like a taste of home. The event, which will feature Cap'n Slappy and Ol' Chumbucket and music by the Bilge Rats & Pyrettes, will be livestreamed on Facebook. You'll be able to find a link to it on the events page, https://www.facebook.com/events/630756118650585/?ref=newsfeed. ------------------- ** Pirate video of the day ? "Scurvy," by Captain Bogg and Salty For the week before the holiday, the video of the day will link to a variety of pirate music videos. The first is a great song by the beloved Northwest pirate band, Captain Bogg & Salty. They were the first pirate band we saw, the night we made our initial foray onto the stage. A lot went wrong that night (remember Yachats, Cap'n Slappy?) but it was made up for by the fact that we met the six-piece band. I saw them several times after that night, and learned a lot about pirate stage presence just by watching. Two of their key personnel, Kevin Hendrickson and Loren Hoskins, later headed south to pursue their shared dream of working for Disney. Mission accomplished ? they were the musicians Sharky and Bones on "Jake and the Neverland Pirates!" This is one of their best. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kY95ZJQVRg ------------------- ** Pirate Phrase of the Day: "Batten the Hatches!" To batten the hatches is to secure the cover or tarpaulin over the open hatchway to keep water out from a storm or high seas. In a broader context, it means to prepare for trouble. So on Talk Like a Pirate Day, if you see trouble coming, alert your crew to "Batten the hatches!" Several years ago I was scolded by a reader when I urged people in the path of a storm to "batten the hatches!" This guy claimed "You have to say batten DOWN the hatches!" Well, sorry, but no. You *can* say batten down the hatches, and that's not wrong, but it's redundant. Think about it. What other direction could you possibly batten them? Has anyone ever said "Batten up the hatches?" "Batten the hatches to the left or right?" I don't think so. There is absolutely nothing wrong with "batten the hatches," and in an emergency, where every second counts, don't waste time adding an extra syllable. A hatchway in the deck of a ship has a raised edge, called a coaming. To close the opening off from water during a storm, either a hatch was lowered over the opening and dogged (or secured) or a tarpaulin was stretched across it and secured to the coaming with batten boards. Ol' Chumbucket Sept. 12, 2022 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Tue Sep 13 10:39:03 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2022 13:39:03 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] Six Days Until Talk Like a Pirate Day Message-ID: <1982020049.1453953.1663090743269.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDECK Sept. 13, 2022, Issue No. 166 Edited by Ol' Chumbucket ** Tuesday's Pirate Music Video: "Decked Out Like The Devil," by Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZDFHsJr7tA I met Tom Mason when he played at Cheeseburgers in America's Paradise, a burger joint on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter and guitarist had created a pirate ban recorded an album, and was touring the islands. Nice work if you can get it! I caught up with him again a year later when he played at St. Croix's Rhythms at Rainbow Beach, which is where this was recorded. It's one of my favorites of his, a pirate song that reminds me a little of the Rolling Stones. Tom recently released a new album this year, "Sail Again," and I'll have more to say about it soon. Right now I'll just say ? Good album, get it. Decked Out Like the Devil at Rhythms at Rainbow Beach on STX ** Pirate Words of the Day: "Line" and "Lubber" It's a two-fer! First, sailing ships of the day did not have rope aboard, no matter what you think you see in the rigging. When it's on a ship, it's a " line ." Sure, you can *call it* rope if you want, but you really should call it line or you'll make yourself look like a lubber. Lubber is a word from the 14th century that means "a big, clumsy, stupid fellow who lives in idleness." Interestingly, it was originally mainly applied to lazy monks, the phrase "abbey-lubber." But since the 16th century (we're talking prime pirate time here) is has been used almost exclusively as a sailor's word for those inept or inexperienced at sea, as in landlubber. In a room where everyone is talking like pirates, being called a lubber is ALWAYS an insult. Ol' Chumbucket Sept. 13, 2022 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Wed Sep 14 14:02:51 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 17:02:51 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] Five Days Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day Message-ID: <237471765.5352448.1663189371538.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDECK Sept. 14, 2022, Issue No. 167 Edited by Ol' Chumbucket Five Days Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day! In this Issue ** Don't forget Monday's big event ** Tuesday's Pirate Music Video: "Decked Out Like The Devil," by Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers ** Pirate Words of the Day: Belay ** Pirates Take Over Ashland Science Center ** Correction: Ropes and Lines ---------------------------------- ** Don't Forget Monday's Big Event Don't forget the 20th anniversary event taking place from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday at Kells Brewery in northwest Portland. Music, door prizes, and more pirates than you can shake a stick at. (Warning: Do NOT shake a stick at pirates. It never ends well. The event will also be livestreamed on the Facebook events page ? https://tinyurl.com/TLAPDay ---------------------------------- ** Tuesday's Pirate Music Video: Cap'n Slappy's "I'm a Pirate" song "I'm a Pirate," written by Cap'n Slappy, sung by Slappy, Ol' Chumbucket and Chumpail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM1NUGlo2ww One of our earliest videos, a song written by Cap'n Slappy "for the children." How old is this? That cute little blond kid singing along? Now 24 years old and working in logistics while dreaming of forming a rock band. ---------------------------------- ** Pirate Words of the Day: Belay and Belaying Pin To secure or make fast a line by winding it on a cleat or pin. And that pin is called a belaying pin. When you see in a movie pirates sneaking aboard ship at night (we do that sometimes, it's not always vaporing and screaming and swinging aboard) and pulling a heavy wooden pin from a rack to bop a sailor on watch over the head, did you ever wonder, "Why would they keep a rack of cudgels along the railing for use by any buccaneer or filibuster who happens aboard? Well, that's why. They're there to secure lines for the safe operation of a ship. Using them as clubs is just a bonus. And speaking of "securing lines," check out the correction below. ---------------------------------- ** Pirates Take Over Ashland Science Center The ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum in Ashland, Oregon, has been taken over by pirates for the month of September, and they will be hosting a raft of pirate-themed activities Saturday and Sunday in run up to Talk Like a Pirate Day, which of course is Monday. The event also celebrates the exciting news this summer 's exciting news about the potential discovery of the ship Santo Cristo de Burgos, off the Oregon coast. ------------------ ** Correction: Ropes and Lines On Tuesday I had the temerity to suggest I knew what I was talking about. Specifically, I said there were no ropes on a sailing ship, that to a sailor they were lines. So naturally, within the hour I had received this following missive setting me straight. "Though a lowly bilge scum pollywog, I?ve sailed square riggers and offer a minor correction to today?s nautical terminology. Although your palaver on lines was 95 percent on target, those who like to win drinks in taverns must point out that among the miles of lines on a sailing vessel, there are seven ropes. "From the ... USCG Auxiliary: "While we have been studying the subject of ropes, it is a fact that a ship has but seven ropes! All the others, in sailor talk are referred to as lines, sheets or hauls. "Here are the" ropes "'of a ship. Any sailor can tell how experienced a seaman is by listening to him talk of rigging. Never, except as follows, will he call any parts of the rigging ?rope". "* Foot rope-under the yards to stand on, also the bottom edge of a sail. "* Bolt rope: sewn around a sailing, or lowering a top-mast or a topgallant and royal mast. "* Man rope - the hand rope at the sea ladders and gangways. "* Mast rope is used in hoisting, or lowering a top mast, or a topgallant and royal mast. "* Buoy rope, attached to a buoy. "* Yard rope, the rope used in sending up and down yards. "* Wheel ropes are lead from the drum of an old fashioned hand wheel to the tiller purchase. "While I have furled sail (with bolt ropes) on footropes and boarded with hand ropes, I would take exception to a few ? especially since it leaves out the ?bell rope? for the ship?s bell that tells the time of the watch, but there?s a general consensus among sailors (who actually sail) that the right number is seven ? whatever you call them." My learned correspondent signed him or herself only as "The Skipper (or That Bastard)" so I don't have the name of the person I'm thanking, but "Thanks!" Ol' Chumbucket Sept, 14, 2022 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Thu Sep 15 12:02:47 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2022 15:02:47 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] Four Days Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day Message-ID: <514179046.8219723.1663268567752.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDECK Sept. 15, 2022, Issue No. 168 Edited by Ol' Chumbucket https://tinyurl.com/TLAPDay In this Issue ** Studio City Celebration ** Thursday's Pirate Music Videos: Tom Smith's "Talk Like a Pirate Day" and bonus: Tom Smith's "Hermione Grainger the Pirate Queen" ** Pirate Words of the Day: Bung Hole and Monkey Pump ** Pirates Take Over Ashland Science Center ** Correction: Ropes and Lines ---------------------------------- ** Studio City Celebration On Monday, our friend Clay "Talderoy" Clement and his crew at Studio City Tattoos will again celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day at the shop at 11032 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA. They'll have specials on pirate-themed tattoos and give away copies of "Pirate Santa," the illustrated children's book penned by our own Cap'n Slappy. You can call the shop for details at 818-769-4049. ---------------------------------- ** Thursday's Pirate Music Videos: Tom Smith's "Talk Like a Pirate Day" and bonus: Tom Smith's "Hermione Grainger the Pirate Queen" This. THIS! The day after Talk Like a Pirate Day in 2002, when our holiday first came to the world's attention in a big way, I got an email from Tom Smith, an artist in filk music and a superstar in the world of fantasy/sci fi and pop culture conventions, where he's known as "the fastest filker in the west." To prove the point, he had heard of our holiday and overnight had dashed off this song, "Talk Like a Pirate Day." We had never met Tom or talked to him about the holiday, but he caught exactly what we thought the holiday was about. As the song says, it's "That time in September when sea dogs remember that grownups still know how to play. And maybe we'll never got closer, than watching them on the big screen. So here's to old Errol, and Depp as Jack Sparrow, and every damn one in between." And as you'll see, a few years later we had the extreme good fortune to not just meet up with Tom (at the Capricon convention in Chicago in 2008,) but to perform the song with him on stage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61sdvxPRAT0 Bonus: Some time later, "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling decided, with no reference to us or our holiday I'm sure, that that the birthday of her witch character Hermione Grainger was nothing less than September 19. Tom immediately got to work and the result is today's bonus song: "Hermione Grainger, the Pirate Queen." It's a hoot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3p_Kewu7jc ---------------------------------- ** Pirate Words of the Day: Bunghole and Monkey Pump Now just hold on there! This is absolutely innocent, no matter how rude it may sound. And isn't that what's fun about talking like a pirate? Try this line next time you're out with the crew, or your spouse or a blind date. "Hey, matey. Could I slip me monkey pump into your bunghole?" Stop snickering. In the days before refrigeration, victuals on ship had to survive weeks and months at sea. Meat was heavily salted to keep it from turning. Beer, water, and rum were stored in casks and barrels. You've seen pictures, there's a stopper on the side of the barrel. That stopper is the bung. The hole it fits into is the bunghole, an opening through which the barrel can be filled or emptied. (I didn't make these words up!) A monkey pump is a small, hollow bit of straw that an enterprising (not to say dishonest) sailor could slip between the barrel staves to steal a drink. So when you say, "Let me slip me monkey pump into your bunghole," all you're saying is, "Could I have a drink, please? See, totally harmless, innocent even. Ol' Chumbucket Sept, 15, 2022 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Fri Sep 16 12:13:05 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2022 15:13:05 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] Three Days Until International Talk Like a Pirate Day Message-ID: <1645265798.11090144.1663355585776.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDECK Sept. 16, 2022, Issue No. 169 Edited by Ol' Chumbucket [ https://tinyurl.com/TLAPDay | https://tinyurl.com/TLAPDay ] Three days until International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Time to start swashing those buckles! ** Friday's Pirate Music Videos: "The First Annual International Talk Like a Pirate Day Drunken Sailor Sing-Along a Go Go" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJUo5MDDmA8 This was so much fun. Mad Sally and I loved living in the Caribbean for four years, but we were cut off from so many freebooter friends. The idea of having so many pirates join together from all across the country to contribute to this video of a classic song was too good not to pursue, and everyone we asked jumped at the chance. We assigned verses, but we never told anyone what to do for the filming. It was fun to see what they did with it. And getting Dave Barry to join in was icing on the cake, since we owe him so much for bringing our idea to the world's attention. It was a lot of fun putting this all together. ---------------------------------- ** Pirate Words of the Day: Davy Jones Locker It's the bottom of the sea, the watery grave, the final resting place of drowning victims. Why Davy Jones? You will hear occasionally someone claiming authoritatively that it refers to this person or that, but really knows how the the name got associated with the spirit of the sea, who presides over all the evil spirits of the deep, and is often seen in various shapes. Ol' Chumbucket Sept, 16, 2022 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Sat Sep 17 08:43:14 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2022 11:43:14 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] Two days until International Talk Like a Pirate Day Message-ID: <1550972500.12999531.1663429394300.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDECK Sept. 17, 2022, Issue No. 169 Edited by Ol' Chumbucket Join us Monday on line or in person at the Talk Like a Pirate Day 20th anniversary party. Details here: https://tinyurl.com/TLAPDay Just two days until International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Yer buckles best be well-swashed by now! ** Saturday's Pirate Music Videos: Tom Mason's "Talk Like a Pirate Day" https://tinyurl.com/2p8hss4y In 2011 I saw Tom Mason perform and after the show he mentioned he was working on a song about Talk Like a Pirate Day. He kind of hummed out the tune he had in mind and some of the lyrics, and asked if I had anything to add. I tossed out a couple of ideas (I'm not certain, but I think the "peg-legged jig" line was mine.) Anyway, my contribution wasn't much, but later when he finished the song and registered it, he told me he was listing me as co-writer. He was FAR too generous. Couple of years later he called to tell me that I had earned some royalties at the music registry site, BMI. My take so far was ... Three cents. Hey, I'm not turning up my nose at it. I can now truthfully claim to be a professional songwriter. I didn't cash out though. I told Tom, "Let it ride!" Enjoy the song! (Ka-CHING!) https://tinyurl.com/2p8hss4y ** Saturday's Pirate Phrase of the Day: Letter of Marque A document from the government authorizing a ship to raid the shipping of another country, turning a pirate into a privateer. If the ship were captured by the raided country's navy the crew would be treated like pirates and hung, but if successful they would not be charged with piracy by their own country. Henry Morgan always began his epic adventures with a brisk stroll to Government House in Port Royal to pick up the letter of marque from Gov. Modyford, thereby turning his raids from ocean-going thievery to government policy. It's just a reminder of the importance of always getting your paperwork done in a timely manner. Ol' Chumbucket Sept. 17, 2022 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Sun Sep 18 10:50:26 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2022 13:50:26 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] Monday is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Message-ID: <180288136.15128547.1663523426608.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDECK Sept. 18, 2022, Issue No. 170 Edited by Ol' Chumbucket https://tinyurl.com/TLAPDay Tomorrow is the day! International Talk Like a Pirate Day! And not just the holiday, but the 20th anniversary of when TLAPDay went from a private joke among a couple of friends to an international "thing" (I hesitate to use the word phenomenon) that has been celebrated on all seven continents, at the White House, on "Jeopardy!" "Hollywood Squares," and the New York Times Crossword Puzzle, and on the International Space Station. It launched Cap'n Slappy's ex-wife's birthday into the pantheon of important dates on the calendar (not that it wasn't important before, Rhonda. Just sayin'.) ** Sunday's Pirate Music Videos: You're getting a two-fer today. "Shiver Me Timbers," sung by the Bilge Pumps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIG4SVhJdUc The Bilge Pumps are a legendary pirate band from the Dallas?Fort Worth area of Texas. One of my great regrets is that I never had the opportunity to see them perform, but they've been delighting audiences for decades. How long have they been ar it? Let's put it this way. How many pirate bands have greatest hits albums? You can see more about them here. https://www.thebilgepumps.com "Sing Along with the Seafair Pirates" https://tinyurl.com/2p8hss4y There were a lot of reasons my family and I moved back to the Pacific Northwest, and one was to eturn to the turf of the Seattle Seafair Pirates. Cap'n Slappy and I had the privilege of parading, pillaging and partying with the Seafair Pirates, and I don't think I've ever had more fun than those times. (There will be a couple of stories about them at Monday night's 20th Anniversary livestream. Hopefully funny stories.) The Seafair Pirates burst into a restaurant, tavern or other business with a blast of sound, then sing a song. They usually leave with a song, and they never leave a man behind. That's what lead to this scene last summer when Clapeye had to extemporize several verses while they searched for their missing man. ** Saturday's Pirate Phrases of the Day: Gallows, Gibbet Cage, and Hempen Halter Just a reminder that most pirates did not get to celebrate a 20th anniversary. "A short life and a merry one," was the motto, and few were the lucky pirates who lived to retire from the sea with their booty. It was part of the deal, the cost of living the life you chose and defying the power of the state and society. ? The gallows, of course, is the platform from which executions were performed on land. But, in England, those hangings had to take place at low tide, because by law the admirality's authority was authority was restricted to the sea. When they performed executions in London it had to be on the strip of land between the river at low tide and high tide. For the purposes of Talk Like a PIrate Day, the gallows might be any exposed place where you have to perform in front of onlookers. Say, when Slappy and I are on stage Monday night. ? The gibbet cage was a human-shaped framework made of iron bands to publicly display the corpse of an executed criminal. Gibbeting, or hanging in chains, involved placing the dead pirate inside a gibbet cage and suspending it from a high post as a lesson. Your corpse would hang there, sometimes for years, while the crows pecked at your remains. Any small, confined space could be your gibbet cage on TLAPDay. Say, your cublicle at work, which for one day a year is your gibbet cage. ? The hempen halter is the noose they hang you with. Monday, you could describve the tie you have to wear as part of your serious business attire asd "the hempen halter." So on that cheery note, we'll leave you for now and we'll be back Monday morning, when it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Ol' Chumbucket Sept. 18, 2022 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com Mon Sep 19 09:56:42 2022 From: chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com (chumbucket at talklikeapirate.com) Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2022 12:56:42 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Poopdeck] It's TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY! Message-ID: <886109089.17416570.1663606602533.JavaMail.zimbra@talklikeapirate.com> THE POOPDECK Sept. 19, 2022, Issue No. 171 Edited by Ol' Chumbucket ----------------------------------- Today is the day! Swash your buckles! Swagger! Growl! For one day a year, be unapologetically the bold buccaneer you've always wanted to be! It's Talk Like a Pirate Day! Don't forget the big doings at Kells Brewery in Portland, the 20th anniversary celebration, with piratical music, mayhem and more, streamed online from the TLAPDay events page. And enjoy this musical tribute to the day! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8_NlNSINbA Ol' Chumbucket -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: