Friend Ship

What kind of vessel would a friendly pirate sail? It seemed obvious to me, but I know I'm not the first person to use the pun of Friend Ship and friendship. Not long after I recorded this song on my CD "Give Me an RRR!", my co-worker and nationally recognized ski instructor Glen Findholt told me his boat was called the Friend Ship.

My goal in writing this song was to unite the idea of a sailing with people you like, with the idea of what it means to be a friend. In both instances you are going on a journey. I also wanted to celebrate friendship in general. I believe that most everyone wants friendships, and meaningful ones at that.

Perhaps, I've been able to capture those ideas in my lyrics. You can see the hand written Chorus in my drawing above. Below are words from the verses:

friends are crew to help you through
and friends are near to lend a hand or lend an ear 
friends will be with you at sea
and friends will stay all through the night and through the day

I have some friends to thank for helping me make this song better. Outside of my immediate circle of family and friends, the first fan of this song was Hannah Beatty, and I appreciate her encouragement. Megan Miller suggested that "a special ship with our friends" might have the wrong connotation, so I changed it to "a happy ship with our friends", which I ultimately find more uplifting. Then the sister & brother team of Taylor & Alex Fabrega insisted that I arrange the song in a reggae style. To facilitate this musical recommendation, I recruited yet another friend, Rudy Dauth of the band Pulse Prophets, to play guitars and bass.

None of us live in a vacumn (unless you're the Hermit of Mink Hollow), and no one can do it alone. So, to quote a famous song on the same subject "I get by with a little help from my friends".

Submitted in friendship and in trust,
RRtFP

P.P.S. (Pirate post script). OK, in my heart of hearts I want this song to be my Pirate version of "Ebony and Ivory", even if my sweet sister (and friend) Melinda Maher finds McCartney's plea for racial unity to be trite, slight, and not quite right.

Don't be a Buccaneer Bully, part 1

Once upon a... ship... there were two pirates. One was friendly and the other was... lets just say that he was... cranky. Sometimes they got along fine, and sometimes they'd fight like cats and scurvy dogs... or like the crazy cousins that they were.

Rockin' Ron was the Friendly Pirate. He wore his patch above his eye. He didn't have a sword or a knife. He rolled liked a pirate... BUT he rolled real nice. He loved to write songs, and he'd dance a jig of joy when you said AHOY! He was always making corny jokes, like “How much did the pirate pay for his corn? A buccaneer! You know... a dollar for an ear of corn... a buck... an ear!”.

Silver Long Johns was the Cranky Pirate. He had fancy pants made of silver that kept his legs warm. He never cleaned his cabin, swabbed the deck, or did his other chores, not to mention minding his manners and sharing his toys. He thought he was El Cap-i-tan, the boss, the big cheese, big man on campus, and top dog... but Silver Long Johns was just a Buccaneer Bully.

The pirates cousins sailed on the... Friend Ship. On the bow, that's the front of the ship, there was a twinkling star. Both sides of the ship, portside on the left and starboard on the right, were decorated with moons and suns. The waves seemed to pick up the Friend Ship like gentle hands and carry it to its next port. Usually, it was a happy ship with angel wing sails soaking up the sunshine, and catching the western wind. That was until the Friendly Pirate and the Cranky Pirate got in an argument.

CP: Avast there Friendly Pirate! There's a ship off the fortside.

FP: I don't mean to be rude, but that would be the portside, not the fortside, Cranky Pirate.

CP: That's what I said... the fortside. The side of the ship that the fort is on as we leave the harbor, is called the fortside.

FP: Good try Cranky Pirate, but its portside. Portside is the left side of the ship as you are facing forward, towards the bow. I remember that because the word 'port' and the word 'left' both have four letters.

CP: Friendly Pirate are you a dumb land lubber? I'm Captain here and I say fortside.

FP: Hey, that's not nice. You should call me by my name Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate, or Rockin’ Ron, or FP. Calling me a dumb land lubber is an insult.

CP: Of course its an insult. You don't deserve any better, you scabby scalliwag, you seaweed scroungin' scallop, you salt water son of a moldy misfit mermaid.

FP: Now you're insulting my mom. And by the way, she wasn't moldy.

CP: I'm not done. Your dad hisself was a bilge rat with a bad reputation, a pencil neck geek with a lousy physique, and a malcontent reprobate rabble rouser.

FP: Now you're insulting my dad... I think? What's a bilge rat?

CP: The bilge is where all the nasty water collects in the bottom of ship, and a rat is a rodent. Bilge Rats are rats that are found in the bilge.

FP: You did insult my dad... and my mom too!

CP: Alright, I'll leave them out of this. Lets talk about you, Mr. raider without a rudder, Mr. all-around nice guy, Mr. Friendly Pirate. You're not even a real pirate, you have two eyes.

FP: I may wear a patch above my two eyes, and I may NOT have a sword or a knife, but I AM a Pirate and a friendly one.  But that reminds me of a song I recently wrote called The Word Pirate...

the WORD pirate has one I
me mates I do not lie
take off your patch to see
its P-I-R-A-T-E
pirate - one who steals from others on the water

the word lubber has two B’s
“to be, or not to be”
said Shakespear from afar
its L-U-B-B-E-R
lubber - one who loves the land more than the sea

the word rudder has two D’s
don’t deny me please
it also has two R’s
its R-U-D-D-E-R
rudder - determines direction of a ship

you have to know your letters, lads and lasses

so you can pass through all of life’s classes

that’s what this is all about

but do I have to spell ‘it out’?

I-T, O-U-T

banana has three A’s
me mateys are amazed
you peel and chew and then you say,
B-A-N-A-N-A

CP: Can’t you do anything without breaking into a song? You're bananas, you're coconuts, you're just plain NUTS!!

FP: I may be crazy, but it keeps me from going insane. Hey, how come you keep insulting me? That's what bullies do.

CP: Would you get off your high horse, or your seahorse, or whatever you rode in on?

FP: Not until you give me an apology.

CP: OK Jose, I'm sorry.

FP: Mean it?

CP: Yes... I mean it. I apologize to your parents too.

FP: Gracias and thank you Senor Cranky Pirate. My dad Renaldo and my mother Penelope would approve of your apology. What happened to that ship you saw off the portside?

CP: (under his breath) Never mind you nitwit navigator, that ship has left the harbor.

FP: What did you say?

CP: Never mind you... nimble navigator, I don't harbor... any ill will. In fact, how can I be a well-behaved pirate?

FP: Try not to make yourself feel better by making others feel bad. You should check out the Seven C's.

CP: Is that on your DVD "LIGHTS...CAMERA...RRR!" and your CD "Give Me an RRR!"?

FP: Why yes, and thank you for the shameless plug.

CP: I'm trying to be nice. I want to stop being a Buccaneer Bully.

FP: That's the best news since the beginning of this blog. Till next time, avast ye pirates.

Pearl the Purple Pirate Princes

Pearl the Purple Pirate Princess (see my drawing of her above) is the fictional sister of Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate. Where RRtFP is friendly and jolly, PtPPP is "happy as can be".  Early in me pirate career, I discovered that girls like the world of pirates as much as boys. I wrote the song as a waltz to capture a royal yet playful feeling. It is one of the best loved of my songs. You will note that there are many boys who love this song as well. Take a moment to marvel at this PEARL of song.

Her name is an homage to my Aunt Pearl who lived in the town of Portage, Wisconsin. To the best of my knowledge, Portage is where Native Americans and French Fur Traders crossed the river carrying canoes above their heads. I honor my grandfather in the verse about listening to a seashell and hearing the ocean, because he had me do just that. So, I unwittingly included nautical allusions.

Pearl is mainly inspired by my friend Harley Johnson whose favorite color is purple (Oprah Winfrey likes The Color Purple too). There's an inside joke in the lyrics - "purple hue" as in "Purple Hugh", refers to her son Hugh B. Johnson III. You can see Harley, Hugh B, and husband Hugh in the video FP Rap (Pirates on Board Go RRR!).

At this juncture, I must give a shout out to Wendy Maquera - the singing voice of Pearl. Her dulcet tones can also be found ringing out on "Welcome Aboard" and "Friend Ship". All these songs RRR on me CD "Give Me an RRR!" 

I know alliteration is one of the easiest and over-used writing devices, but it is also very effective. For an extra example of extreme alliteration I ask people to say 'Pearl the Purple Pirate Princess plays with rubber baby buggy bumpers in a posh Parisian Parsnip Palace'. Then I move to many fewer syllables and have them say 'Irish wristwatch' or 'unique New York'. What those last two tongue twisters have to do with the cost of a Spanish Galleon, I know naught.

The last line of Pearl's song is "won't you sail the seas with me?". I ask you now "will you sail the Social Media Seas with me?" You must have, if yer reading this message in a bloggle. Set sail for me facebook page where I'll be having a contest through Raffle Copter for you to win one of 5 DVDs, or a grand prize package of a DVD, CD, a bag of Buccaneer Brew Coffee, and a tin of Pirate Boo-Tea. 

Good Luck! Fair Winds! Sea U soon!




a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Making of the DVD “Lights...Camera...RRR!”

 

There are lots of moving parts in making a moving picture, or for that matter, a collection of music videos. I found this out while making “Lights...Camera..RRR!” (a take-off on the Hollywood cliche “Lights, Camera, Action!”). Lets go behind the scenes, or below deck as it were, for the details.

What was the original concept? I wanted to show the interaction between myself as Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate and my audience, as well as demonstrating the movements in the songs. I reckoned the best way to do this would be in a concert setting.

Where to stage the concert? The Cambridge Elementary School Gym in Jeffersonville, Vermont was chosen for several reasons. This is a nearby port for me fanbase, it can accommodate a large crowd, but most importantly, it has a historic hand-painted town curtain depicting a castle, a ship, and waves. Perfect for a pirate backdrop!

Who would film and edit the videos? I chose Matt Richardson of Bear Pond Productions because of his work for Smugglers' Notch Resort and the Stowe Performing Arts Center. For the “shoot” Matt decided on having two hand-held cameras (Matt along with Nick Stephani), and one stationary camera (like at high school basketball games). We also shot some solo scenes of me before the crowd arrived.

Another decision was to use the recordings of the tracks as they appear on my CD “Give Me an RRR!”. This process would make editing much easier than recording the tracks live . Because I was miming the songs, I briefly considered calling the DVD “Loose Ships, Lip Sync” (a play on the war adage “loose lips, sink ships”).

I choose Sunday, April 22nd, 2012 at 1pm for the concert. A multitude of mateys, a bevy of buccaneers, and a crew of pirate-crazed kids and adults came aboard for the fun and filming. It didn't hurt that it was an overcast and rainy day, so an indoor kids activity was welcomed.

What about the DVD packaging? I wanted a professional, and Steph Campbell of sbc design came highly recommended. I asked her to come up with a logo and a font as part of the packaging design process. These elements would be integrated into the videos. We went through various logos and cover designs until we came up with the existing package.

When Matt finished editing and Steph completed the design, these components were sent to Disc Makers in New Jersey. About three weeks later a boat load of boxes washed ashore. I originally planned on coming out with the DVD in the summer of 2012, but as we got to August, I decided that I would celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19th by having a Release PaRRRty. Cap'n Slappy and Chumbucket did not attend, but 4 score of me mateys did!

Why did I want to make a DVD of music videos, is this a vanity project? Well, yes, I am an artist after all, and I want people to appreciate my creations. Is it commerce? Of course, I spent money to make it and I'd like to make it back and then some (I am a pirate, and pirates like most people... like treasure). I wanted videos for YouTube to market meself. I wanted an 'audition tape' for those who bring entertainment to schools, libraries, and other venues. This collection of videos could also serve as the basis for a future TV show... so,stay tuned, me hearties!

What do Pirates drink?

Blackbeard liked to add gunpowder to what he was guzzlin'. He may have liked the taste, but I bet his real motive was to intimidate his fellow Brethren of the Coast. Bartholomew Roberts (aka Black Bart) was a tee-totaler and drank tea. But, his last drink was probably a tankard of salt water with Davey Jones. Sir Francis Drake and Queen Elizabeth might have raised a glass of Spanish Wine to celebrate the defeat of the Spanish Armada. However, the average pirate consumed what is called grog. The water on board ships in the olden days often went bad, so thirsty pirates added any combination of beer and rum to make it drinkable, and the result was referred to as grog.

Well, these are the modern days and we have civilized bevvies for ye scurvies. I am pleased to announce Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate's Buccaneer Brew - a coconut rum flavored coffee from Sailin' Sandy and the crew at Brown & Jenkins. This is for java-lovin adult pirates.

For the tea-tastin' mateys amongst ye, there will soon be Rockin' Ron's Friendly Pirate's Pirate Boo-Tea from Jolly John at Vermont Liberty Tea. His concoction will make a playful, fruity cup o' goodness fer Pirates of all ages that can be served hot or cold.
 
So forget about Ho-hum Rum and Hair of the Scurvy Dog, have a mug of Buccaneer Brew or Pirate Boo-Tea. RRR!

Seven C's

Wikkipedia says "The phrase "Seven Seas" (as in the idiom "sail the Seven Seas") can refer either to a particular set of seven seas or be used as an expression for all the world's oceans in general."

My singer-songwriter friend Ben Sage had another idea - words that begin with the letter C and highlight good values. He was inspired by my Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate character (and Captain Kangaroo) and he gave me a song idea. He sent along what would become the chorus and first verse of Seven C's. I changed some words here and there, added an intro and second verse, and I wrote the music. Let's let the lyrics do the talking...


VERSE:
Oh, to be a Friendly Pirate
You must know the Seven C’s
Seven words that we can live by
These seven, if you please

CHORUS:
There’s COURTESY, COMPASSION
And a bit of COURAGE too
With CLEANLINESS (swab), and CLEVERNESS
They’re good for me and you
Plus CHEERFULNESS and CHARITY,
Now that makes Seven C’s
They’ll never fail to help you sail
Through life quite merrily


But, I know how literal kids can be so I included seven bodies of water in the introduction, all of which are refered to as seas. They were chosen mainly for their poetic quality. They are: Caspian, Caribbean, Baltic and North, and, Black, Red and Dead.

So many seas, so little time. Its time for me to sail... SEA U LATER!

RRR vs. Arrgh

I consider three consecutive capital R’s to be one of my trademarks. It appears in several of my songs including the title track of my “Give Me an RRR!” CD. I was initially inspired by the pirate joke that I’ve heard more than any other: “why couldn’t the young pirate go to the movie… because it was rated… R (or arrgh as the phonetic equivalent)”. With my spelling, I wanted to set myself apart from other pirates, while at the same time opening up possibilities for usage of words with the ‘R’ sound in an educational and entertaining way. For instance: "Pirates navigate by the North... ?", "Pirates drink their grog from an old fruit... ?", "Pirates in a fight often get a... ?", and "Pirates like their feathers mixed with... ?".

If you would RRRgue for the traditional Arrgh, you would do well to refer to The Pirate Primer – Mastering the Language of Swashbucklers and Rogues , where George Choundas dedicates a whole chapter to Arrgh.  He says the pronunciation of “arrgh” is “arrr” not “arg”. He also credits Robert Newton, famous for his depiction of Long John Silver in the 1950 version the Treasure Island, with popularizing the expression. In one movie, Newton said “arrgh” 50 times!

Which side RRR you on?