Calling all pirates!
 

All those of a piratical persuasion should hie to Penzance [in Cornwall] on Monday 26th May to take part in the world record attempt to amass the greatest number of people dressed as pirates, a record currently held by Hastings.

http://www.piratesontheprom.co.uk/

They're aiming at getting 20,000 people there, and if that's not enough, there's going to be a performance of the Pirates of Penzance in the evening.

who says nothing happens in Cornwall?

What happens in Cornwall stays in Cornwall!

Ann - I expect to see photos of you dress as a pirate princess!

This looks like fun!

adrienne - we will be in Valencia, but DS is thinking of going.

it is definitely something to be taken seriously - only those wearing proper pirate costume will be allowed to participate:

<<To enter the Pirate Count site you must be dressed as a pirate.

This can be as simple as black skirt or black or striped trousers rolled up. A white or striped top, a pirate style hat, bandana or ready formed zandana.
You must also have at least two accessories from the following list;
eyepatch,hook,Spyglass, compass, sword or cutlass, pirate pistol, cummerbund or sash
On the other hand you may want to dress in the full pirate garb, either costume or authentic clothing. Maybe a parrot, ship's cat, scupper rat (alive, stuffed or toy)>>

last time they did it, real parrots were in evidence, which fortunately were not eaten by real cats [or rats.]

Ty for the heads-up Ann. Will encourage my brother to participate now he lives down there.

"They're aiming at getting 20,000 people there, and if that's not enough, there's going to be a performance of the Pirates of Penzance in the evening."

Annhig, dare I ask - do they expect 20,000 locals? If not, where would these "pirates" stay? Sounds like fun though...

Is it OK if I show up as Mabel and sing "Poor Wandering One?"

That is absolutely my favorite G&S. Saw as an incredibly fey Tim Curry as Pirate King in London - and Kevin Kline as an incredibly hammy one in NY (but better footwork in "Catlike Tread" perhaps since he is so much taller).

Wish I cold be there!

Annhig, dare I ask - do they expect 20,000 locals? If not, where would these "pirates" stay? Sounds like fun though...>>

locals plus some tourists who will be down here for half-term [a mid-term week-long school holiday in the UK to co-incide with yet another spring bank holiday]

They are going to be laying on extra coaches on the trains to cope with the crowds of people descending upon PZ!

Is it OK if I show up as Mabel and sing "Poor Wandering One?">>

only if she dresses as a pirate, St Cirq- the scrutineers for the Guiness book of records are very strict!

Do they also have a Pirate arrrrrrt festival.

((H))

tom -there are even workshops to teach you to talk like a pirate!

a vast there, me 'earties.

bad news - they missed the record by a mere 77. unfortunately it rained in the morning which probably put a lot of people off, but it was sunny in the afternoon.

After the official count, DS stayed on to watch the performance of Pirates of Penzance, which he said was very good, and included 2 renditions of the famous G&S patter song "i am the very model of a modern major general" because they said that the first time round, it wasn't fast enough!

shame we missed it.

As I was going to St. Ives I met a pirate with 77 wives. Should have pointed him toward Penzance.

It is curious how murdering, rampaging, thugs have become romanticized through the years.

Blame it on Raphael Sabatini, Errol Flynn and <i>Captain Blood</i>.

Are there bonus points if one is born on 29th February?

Well -

The Pirates of Penzance are actually all sons of gentlemen - if you stay until the end of the show - and they never actually do anything piratical except try to marry the Major General's daughters.

And don't they always do the patter song twice? Every time I have seen it they do it once and then someone (the Pirate King?) says now do it really fast!

The Pirates of Penzance are actually all sons of gentlemen - if you stay until the end of the show -

Operative word remains 'show'. I guess Somali pirates are different.

And don't they always do the patter song twice? Every time I have seen it they do it once and then someone (the Pirate King?) says now do it really fast!>>

i confess to having only seen TPOP once, so I am not an expert, nyt - you may well be right that someone always says they need to sing it faster.

>>>>>>It is curious how murdering, rampaging, thugs have become romanticized through the years.

Some kept a higher standard, like Blackbeard (formerly Edward Teach) from the Wiki: "A shrewd and calculating leader, Teach spurned the use of force, relying instead on his fearsome image to elicit the response he desired from those he robbed. Contrary to the modern-day picture of the traditional tyrannical pirate, he commanded his vessels with the permission of their crews and there is no known account of his ever having harmed or murdered those he held captive."

Maybe, although he did shoot his first mate, Israel Hands (name used later by RLS in Treaure Island) in the knee, causing him to be evacuated from the ship. Ironically, this caused Hands to miss the final battle, one of the few survivors.

I'm with Imdonehere. Higher standard or no, robbing is wrong. Along with the other bad things.

No pirate cartoons allowed at Granny's house.

Anyone who confuses a Gilbert & Sullivan musical farce with Somali pirates - or any other real ones - has totally lost their sense of humor.

Probably don't like Robin Hood either. Maybe they root for the Sheriff of Nottingham and Price John!

I'm not at all confused, and I have a sense of humor. I also reject glamorizing evil.

Oh, FFS, it is a fancy dress parade.

Some people ...

NY Traveler, I do not think I have seen you tell one joke in all the years here. Thus accusing another of losing their sense of humor is, well, funny in the ironic pirate sense.

Ah, the comparison between Robin Hood and murdering, torturing, raping thugs. Yes, I can see the similarities.

And the same way I use Hollywood movies as my source of history, I use Gilbert & Sullivan. Nothing says annotated footnote like an G & S operetta, the quintessential Victorian diversion.

Contrary to the modern-day picture of the traditional tyrannical pirate, he commanded his vessels with the permission of their crews and there is no known account of his ever having harmed or murdered those he held captive.">>

A radio programme I was listening to the other day was about the problems that the British Navy of 200 or so years ago had retaining its sailors because the conditions on the pirate ships of the day were so much better. hence the press gang.

I took the decision to ignore IMD earlier because his contribution appeared to me to be both silly and irrelevant; I have seen nothing to make me change my mind.

I'm wondering if I should feel guilty now for liking the movie Pirate Radio.

((H))

and as for Errol Flynn!

"and as for Errol Flynn!"

...Swashbuckler Extraordinaire!

((H))

I'm sorry to say that even in my mature years I take a lively interest in pirates, both historic and fictional. Sabatini's Blood, brought to the screen in Flynn's debut, is loosely based on the great buccaneer Sir Henry Morgan, an amoral man of outstanding ability, who ended his career as governor of Jamaica (and took advantage of his office to hang a few of his erstwhile colleagues).

I'm also a loyal fan of Gilbert and Sullivan.

Good one Tom

Yes, Ann, I can understand thinking facts are silly and irrelevant.

Too bad G & S are around today to do a snappy operetta of Captain Phillips complete with clever lyrics, memorial tunes, stereotypical characters, and colorful costumes.

There is a wonderful movie called My Favorite Year, where Peter O'Toole plays an Errol Flynn screen swashbuckler. Very funny and touching.

Great performance in a charming movie.

I'm confused. I thought pirates were bad. If they are, I want to be on the record as disliking them. As well as anything else that is bad.

Not bad in the "Superfly" sense, mind you (that would be "camp", and those ethnic people know how to flaunt it I dare say!), but bad in the sense of being something morally reprehensible, which I am entirely against.

Just want to clarify this.

At the risk of offending IMD, may I draw to your attention another event which might be of interest to those of a piratical or even just a nautical bent, the Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival, this coming weekend:

http://www.falmouthseashanty.co.uk/

DS will be strutting his stuff as a member of one of the shanty groups, and we will be heading down there for part of the weekend to enjoy the music and the "craic" [no cornish equivalent of that irish word, sadly]. there may even be a few people dressed as pirates, though of course shanties were not only sung by them but by nearly all mariners certainly from europe, and there will be quite a few foreign groups there too.

I just hope that they don't ALL sing the Sloop John B!

Thank you for thinking of me.

I didn't want to offend your delicate sensibilities again, IMD.

That would probably be done through the singing this time.