Redd Oktober

Arrr! By the stiff legs of Stiffy Mc Stiff Stiff me pet Starfish! Well...I have been known to do the odd bit o' stationary...t-shirt designs...book illustrations...etc. You name it...I've probably done it. ...except fer novelty bar napkins. I ask yer...what tickle-brained loggerhead in his right mind would be usin' bar napkins!? My daylight job finds me at a video game developer in the San Francisco bay area as a conceptual artist. That's where me livelyhood comes about. Piracy just sort of fills in the odd debt now and then (wooden prosthetics...parchment fer me dea parrot's cage...etc.) Oddly enough...one of me old schoolmates was one of the concept artists on Pirates of the Caribbean. I can do paintings...but prices on them are on a job to job basis.

Aye indeed! When I be ready...and ye be as well...I'll be needin' a photo of ye at yer piratical best! Brandish them blunderbi! Swash them buckles! Set a knife in yer teeth! Don't be shy! I should do the honorable thing and mention that...unfortunately....these posters won't be free. Part of the package, however, will be a one-of-a-kind, hand drawn portrait (not a scan and Photoshop filter). I'm thinkin' a full set would be the original portrait (suitable fer mounting and displaying in yer favorite cabin)..and ten posters fer immediate distrubution! But, the price will be certainly reasonable! Ye have Redd's word! Please keep them opinions comin'! -Redd

Arr! By Neptune's Belly Button! Four ...nay...FIVE replies in just under a day! Tis be the kind o' news I like to be hearin'. Alrighty then...I'll get to work on a sample...So keep yer eyes open. If anyone else is interested...please keep them replies comin'! -Redd

Anyone else out there a fan of Howard Pyle or N.C. Wyeth?

Some o' me mates have asked me between screamin'... "Oh Redd, where did ye get yer fine dreadlocks?" "Well," sez I, "These are natural. But ye can fake 'em, if ye like. Just go to yer local costume shop, or Spirit store, and buy one (or even two) rastafarian cap/wigs. Just cut out the yak hair dreads and sew them into the back part of a kercheif. Weave some bones and other trinkets inter yer hair...and AVAST! Pirate Dreadlocks." If ye wants ter find some bones to weave inter yer hair, there's a place in Albany, CA called The Bone Room. I think they be on the internet. That's where ol' Redd got his prized trinket: A real set of human finger bones that he mounted on a medal with a pierced doubloon. So now Redd can always say his captain gave him "The Finger".

Aye indeed there were! Hannah made her appearance in the actual film version of the song. The Lyrics Pirate Queen posted were an alternate version (which was available on a children's storybook record released about the same time as the movie). Here are the lyrics! The was Harpoon Hannah. Had a face that made you shudder... Lips like fish hooks, and anose just like a rudder! If I kissed her and held her tenderly, There was no other sea monster who could ever frighten me!

Anyone out there know where I can find good blueprints fer a small, wooden, dinghy?

Not just on steak, Peggy! Chips! Peas! Wood! Iron! Anything ol' Redd can get his greasy mitts on! :)

Not sure what my story would be...but I would certainly try to give the art direction the look of being ripped right out of a Howard Pyle or N.C.Wyeth painting! Arr.... H.P. ...not just a good English steak sauce! -Redd

Arrr. The Royaliste be a fine ship, sez I. Being a Bay Area Pirate, meself...I would love to see her sail along the Barbary coast in person some day! The engravings ye posted on the wall (over all the well aged maps) be truly spectacular!

Ahoy there, me hearties! Like the good Captain Clegg (a.k.a Dr. Syn the Scarecrow), my daylight identity be that of a "mild"-mannered illustrator. I was wondering if anyone out there would be interested in custom-made wanted posters? They would feature an "engraved" portrait of you in all yer piratical glory! Think of them being in the style of the old woodcut and print posters. Where would a nasty pirate be without some good press? It worked fer Henry Morgan...now he's got a rum empire to manage! If I get enough replies...I'll be happy to produce a sample and let ye all decide. -Redd

Aye...I be thanking ye fer them kind words, "Gentleman". Arr....I just came back from the warehouse where the talented folks of the Haunted Forest are currently building their haunt. Tortuga is HUGE and elaborate! They've even got a 14' facade/stage based off of "The Black Pearl" moored off to the side of the buildings. Everything is brand new, and they're plannin' to add more. There is talk of having a theatrical "slide to life" rope swing fer pirates to disembark upon. It would be a shame to waste such a wonderful set by only having lonely little Redd and a couple o' other swabs manning the decks. This is not a blood and guts Halloween show, the directors want to keep it delightfully frightening (not nauseating). Behind the scenes...it's a fun, warm, atmosphere (as warm and friendly as pirates get, that is). If you would like to learn more about the show, visit www.hauntedforest.org. They've got photos of past shows, and even got some "makin of" photos of Tortuga (and...I think... some rather rediculous pictures of Redd there as well). Redd an his mates can't wait to meet anyone from Pyracy willing to spend an evening with us.

I made a small flag (15"x27") out of leftover sewing bits. The black background was twill, while the white and red (for an hourglass) was made of dyed muslin.

I carry a King George black powder pistol as well as a black power long rifle. Test fired the pistol (with a string and the pistol mounted in a vise), and managed to blast apart a small bowling ball....would NOT want to be on the receiving end of this baby. Whittled the stock of the pistol meself...so I'm quite proud of that one. -Redd

My avatar is from a photo that's a little old. My pirate threads (in the photo)were finally thrashed last year during one o' me midnight raids...so I've had to start from scratch..A new one will be comin' soon!

Avast there, mates! For any of ye who might be havin the pleasure of setting yer anchor in California's, Silicon Valley, I'm firing the signal cannon fer yer help. The lovely people of Los Gatos, California (including merchants and the local constables) have constructed an enormous addition to their annual charity haunted house. The addition is a pirate village (nicknamed "Tortuga" fer all ye Johnny Depp fans)...and we be needin' a boatload o' buccaneers ta fill it! We need swashbucklers, drunks, rabble-rousers, and other forms of piratical brethren. We could also be usin' help in manning the other scenes (some are non-piratical...but still fun). Known as The Haunted Forest, the event's proceeds benefit: D.A.R.E. Los Gatos Volunteers in Policing Los Gatos Disaster Aid Response Team (DART) I and a couple of other Bay Area pirates will be helping out, and would love to have ye out there with us. This would be a marvelous opportunity fer us ta meet, and also for those of ye who attend other shows to practice yer interaction with landlubbers (the audience). If ye be interested...please hoist yer black flag and I'll be sending ye more information. -Redd

I need proper footwear...somethin fierce! Could anyone suggest a place to acquire hearty bucket boots fer me all-spice laden tootsies? -Redd