Shiver me timbers! I thought “International Talk Like a Pirate Day” might be dying out after 10 years. Going into last Thursday’s scheduled event, I could find almost nothing new or exciting to share with you about pirates.
But clever blogs posted last week by Time magazine and the Huffington Post convinced me that talking like a pirate will continue — and some people are taking this event to new levels. I guess what finally convinced me to talk about pirates today was a catchy video posted by Pyrates, a swashbuckling band from Holland. The video is displayed here.
As Katy Steinmetz points out in her blog for Time, the event has gained the attention of some corporate supporters. For example, Long John Silver restaurants and Krispy Kreme donuts decided to offer some free food for people talking like a pirate. Free food. I’ll try to stay ahead of this next year.
Talking like a pirate is not much of a challenge once you get the hang of it. In her blog, Katy offers instructions and points out other places you can learn the lingo. She even offered a video of “Time’s Favorite Pirate Moments,” embedded at the bottom of this page.
The idea of talking like a pirate each year began with a racketball game between two friends, John Baur and Mark Summers. During their games, the two started throwing around phrases in pirate slang. They had so much fun that they decided the nation needed a new holiday, “Talk Like a Pirate Day.” For seven years, they celebrated the event among friends. Then in 2002, they contacted syndicated columnist Dave Barry to explain the holiday, and he loved the idea. You can read “How it all started … “ on the official website of International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
In her Huffington Post piece, Sara Nelson quotes Summers (now known as Cap’n Slappy) on his reasons for keeping the event going:
“Part of my passion for this particularly silly event is my long-held belief that the world needs a healthy dose of ‘silly’ in generous portions from time to time. This is just how Ol’ Chumbucket (Bauer) and meself make that contribution on an annual basis. It’s hard to harbour hatred for your fellow human beings whilst bellowing, ‘YARRR! Great Neptune’s Salty Man-Nipples!’”
Yes, we may be hearing about International Talk Like a Pirate Day for years to come. Although writers are waiting until the last minute, it appears more are writing about it this year. Even Fritz Hahn of the Washington Post, in his “Going Out Guide,” tells us where we can go and feel less self-conscious dressed as a pirate.
Previous Water Ways entries about “International Talk Like a Pirate Day”:
- Pirate Videos on Tap, Sept. 24, 2012
- “It’s Talk Like a Pirate Day Today,” Sept. 19, 2011
- Sunday is ‘Talk Like a Pirate Day,’ Sept. 13, 2010
