The Beatles as buccaneers sailing the sea... or, just naviagting middle C

I know it sounds far-fetched that the fab four would fly the Jolly Roger, but, its true me Buccaneer Beatle Freaks! Well, at least in my mind. The Beatles came from the seaport city of Liverpool, which is mentioned in many maritime songs. The seaport influence on the Beatles is pointed out  in the liner notes of the Rogue's Gallery CD - a collection put together by Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp, and featuring Bono, Bryan Ferry, Sting, Lou Reed, Nick Cave, and others (note: this is not a kids CD).

The notes intimate that John Lennon in particular betrayed this buccaneer influence, at least melodically and harmonically. I they're refering to Norwegian Wood with its dorain scale chord progression, and Working Class Hero in the minor key. Try to think of these songs being sung in a dockside tavern with a mug o' grog at hand.

Then there's Macca. Paul McCartney recorded with a guitarist named Mick Green, who originally played with a band called Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. OK, me hearties, I know that's pretty skimpy evidence. So, I ask you to consider the song Morse Moose and the Grey Goose written with Denny Laine, from the London Town album. Here is one of the verses:

     she flew into the stormy
     Davy Jones was callin' me
     but headin for tranquility
     the Grey Goose flew away

Also, Paul's Beatle classic Blackbird is begging for a 'Blackbeard' parody. Alright, I've already written one. More about that in a future blog.

What about the Quiet Beatle? George Harrison, as it turns out, was not so quiet. He recorded a silly chantey with Monty Python called The Pirate Song with these lines "I have a Jolly Roger, its black and wide and vast" and "I sail the BBC". You can find it on YouTube.

Last, but not least, we have Ringo. Octopus's Garden! Need I say more? Octopus collect shiny objects and put them outside their caves. In an anthropormorphic sense, they are making a sculpture garden. Ringo brought forth a sunken treasure with that gem of a song.

Hey, I gotta go and "rest my head on a sea bed".

A BUCCANEER’S BACK STORY

Why do I call myself Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate? Let’s break it down: Rockin’ is about music, attitude, and a ship’s motion on the sea; Ron is the name given to me by my mother; Friendly means thoughtful and nice; and finally, Pirate is a daring, fun-loving, and costume wearing purveyor of nautical-themed mischief. But why do I wear the patch above my eye? It is non-threatening to little children, it is less cliché than wearing it on me eye, I get dizzy when I wear it over me eye for an extended period of time, and it looks silly on my nose.

Isn’t the name Friendly Pirate an oxymoron, like the term Jumbo Shrimp? Yes, it is an oxymoron (just don’t call me a moron, unless you want ‘MORE Ron’ – haha). Generally, pirates are defined as thieves on a body of water. There have been pirates as long as people have been sailing. The pirates we are most familiar with in Western Culture are those from the Golden Age of Piracy when the European Powers were dividing up the spoils of the New World. Listen to my song "Pirates and Privateers" to hear about some of the Golden Age Pirates. Anyway, I talk and sing like a Pirate (no bad words of course), and I also dress and dance like a Pirate, but the only thing I want to steal is your heart! 

What about me family, you ask? Me pappy Renaldo makes locks for Treasure Chests. His locks are so fancy and so expensive, he has to give away the keys at no extra charge. So, they call him the "Free-key Pirate". Me mum Penelope loves tropical fruit such as oranges, bananas, and pineapple (her favorite). So ,they call her the "Fruity Pirate". The union of “Free-key” and “Fruity” produced “Friendly”, and my sister Pearl the Purple Pirate Princess (huh?). Other family includes my cousin named Silver Long Johns, who is known as the Cranky Pirate. I have pets - Polly Esther Pants, Scurvy Dog, and Scaredy Cat.

How did we end up in Vermont? Well, it is close to the St. Lawrence Seaway, but the real reason is that me mum, the "Fruity Pirate", heard that Vermont has pineapple trees. At first, she was disappointed that there were no pineapple trees... but there are pine trees and apple tress. So, we docked the Friend Ship and dropped anchor.

One last question. Am I the famous jazz bassist Ron Carter? No, but he did release an album called Peg Leg – haha!

Maiden Voyage & First Review

Unfurl the sails and unleash the adjectives! Its time for the first Avast Ye Pirates Blog from yours truly, Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate. As I say in my song 'FP Rap (Pirates on Board Go RRR!)', "I don't have a sword and I don't have a knife, I roll like a Pirate but I roll real nice". What I mean is that I am family-freindly fellow, but by jove, I'm also a Pirate. On this Blog I will explore various topics related to the world of Pirates. Below is my first review, which I posted on Amazon. Until next time... Fair Winds & Following Seas.  

Roger McGuinn's CCD gets an A!, February 24, 2012

By Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate

This review is from: Ccd (Audio CD)

As a singing pirate, the first buccaneer ballad that inspired me was Roger McGuinn's `Jolly Roger'. I then discovered sea-faring songs buried like treasure on Byrds' albums. Soon, `John Riley' and Jack Tarr the Sailor (which closely resembles `Go to Sea Once More' from CCD) also became favorites.

Therefore, me timbers shivered with excitement when I read in Mojo magazine that the legendary Mr. McGuinn was releasing an album of sea chanteys. I alternately like and dislike the title CCD. The pun of sea and `c' is nifty, but referring to a transitory format is naught. That is my only quibble.

McGuinn has created a sumptuous sounding group of songs. Acoustic guitar is to the fore (foci's) and he uses what sounds like electric guitar for texture on several tracks. Banjo is also prominent, but it is never overbearing and it fits the material perfectly. He sings the songs with a sailor's knowing and his trademark harmony vocals are the breezes that fill the sails.

Most of the songs will be familiar to maritime music buffs. `Drunken Sailor', `Let the Bullgine Run', and `Spanish Ladies' are among the 23 traditional songs on board. Two of the songs have new music and lyrics by McGuinn. My favorite song is `Back to Sea' with the rousing line, "her topsail's blowing free".

A reason to buy the CD of CCD is the sleek and classy package. Along with ship images and a picture of the artist, there are annotations for all the songs.

If you are a fan of sea chanteys, folk music, the Byrds, and of course, McGuinn's solo work, you will love CCD! Jolly GREAT Roger!!!