BILLY BONES

As with any dragoon or cavalry troops in the 18th and 19th centuries, the right hand was always for the sword or saber. The left for the pistol or revolver. Of course, in the 18th and early 19th, only pommel holsters were used. Not that pirates necessarily gave a crap. Now having been an armorer on 2 & 3, I can tell you that the actors probably drew with the left out of conveniance at the time, although Barbossa liked to wear his pistol for a lefty draw. I believe Johnny wore his glove so that the audience would ask just such questions as you're asking. It gives a small history or backstory,-- oh--- and it looks cool.

14. 3 Chinese, 3 Islamic, 8 European

One of the most sought after bits of plunder from most Spanish ships was their Waggoner, as it had a wealth of info on coastlines, careening spots, etc., and the Brethren sought them out when boarding a Spanish vessel.

I wouldn't read too much into the flags. I drew a few "known" ensigns, and a few made-up ones, and Gore picked the ones he liked. Those were the ones I made. In the original script, Blackbeard, Roberts, etc. were all to be pirate lords, but since the script was being hashed out as we filmed, this all changed. In reality, while researching descriptions from first hand accounts, it has become clear that some of the flags I.D.ed as certain pirate's ensigns by the Maritime Museum weren't necessarily so. It also appears that several pirates borrowed designs from each other. If Gore wanted a flag for a certain ship, that's the one we used. The Lords were more composites than anything.

The "sparrow" isn't quite right on the large ensign. I drew the original, and the sparrow was copied from Johnny's tatoo. I'm sure you can find a good pic of that.

Saw it last nite in a kind of pre-screening. Pretty cool! I can't say much now though.

I've made several of these in a pinch. A large caliber lead ball can be hammered into shape on a vice or anvil. They work just fine!

The 2 pistols made from Johnny's were excellent, especially when aged to match the finish of the original. Unfortunately, when I was packing the pistols to leave the Bahamas and return to L.A., one of the copies fell, and broke along the grain of the grip. By the way, at least through the Bahamas, Johnny never shot the copies, only the original. I'm sure that changed for the last part of the film. I wasn't there for that.

From what I remember, the trinkets weren't anything too hard to come up with. I don't want to tell what they are, but most are common everyday pirate items.

Yikes! and other piratical expressions.

I was born on the California coast, and every weekend, my dad would take his lavish yacht (16' CrisCraft) to Catalina, with me hanging on watching pilot whales bump the boat.

When we weren't going there, I was hangin' at the Long Beach Marina feeling ill from the fishy smell combined with gas fumes. Ah, the good life.

I was fortunate to live where we did, because I got to be one of the first kids to ride Pirates of the Caribbean. Hell, I was always playing pirate anyway. As I recall, I must have gone on that ride 5 times a month. I could do all the voices and knew all the lines.

I can remember three Halloweens when I wasn't a pirate (in my life, and I'm 54). One of those years, I was Poseidon or Neptune, depending on your orientation.

Then, I discovered rum, and I don't remember much else. Working at a flintlock store for 13 years, the movie industry for 30, Knott's Berry Farm (I actually created the first Halloween Haunt), working on POTC, and a bunch of pirate related stuff in there about sums it up.

Just out of curiousity, why, with the huge pirate population in the northwest, has Disney not scheduled such an event in the northwest anywhere? Portland, Seattle, SOMEWHERE? BB

Sweet Merry,

What a beautiful child! I could think of nothing less, with you as Gramma. I know you've got to be proud! Congratulations, Madam Death

I have 2 period sea chests made along the same lines as the slant-sided chest in the earlier painting. Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out how to post pics. Both are painted with blue milkpaint, dovetailed, and have becket attachments, but no beckets. Both have a flat top, not only for stacking, but for a work space. Both have dings and wear on their lids from use as a "table". The wonderful thing about one of them, is that it has paintings on the sides of various types of fish and sea mammals painted in a delicate 18th century style. They're hard to make out in some cases, but really well done. I'm assuming that no decorative painting was ever on the top, because it would wear off from use. Both also have decided salt-water damage on their bottoms, and about two inches up the sides. I found both in odd places-- one in Santa Fe, N.M., and one in an antique store in Salem, Oregon --- being used to hold dried flowers.

This is somewhat off subject, and it's already benn stated, but this all reminds me of a western I was working on. I walked by a Sheriff's office on set, and the on-set painter was aging down all the reward posters I'd just put up. "Why are you doing that?" I asked. "Because this is taking place in the old west" was his reply. "It's not the old west now". Why are you aging a musical instrument again?

OK, Mr. Tar, much better!

Thank Ye All! I raise me jack to ya!

Happy Birthday, HUH?

Happy Birthday,HUH?

Birthday greetings are accepted

but the music unexpected

Iron Bess is such a beauty

and Christine a roving cutie

Your good wishes I must earn

Oh, you pillage, then you burn!

My dear Jill, now that you've landed

and as always, caught red-handed

and Maria, red as roses

may the red move to your noses

Jacky Tar, you're not so pretty

but neither is your ditty

I drink a toast to my good mates

and the thirst it satiates

What a lousy sense of meter

and the rhyming could be sweeter

Just remember, I am older

My extremities are colder

and my shamelessness is bolder

I apologize.---HUH!

When I was picking the weapons for 2 & 3, I asked for a time period. I was told something like 1724, but by the same token, I was told to pick weapons of any period pretty much, as long as they were cool looking. So there you go. Really, I wouldn't worry about it. I stopped obssessing when I got my first paycheck. Originally, they were going to have Capt. Kidd and Blackbeard as contemporaries. They knew it wasn't true, but it made a good story. Time periods in most productions are more of a guideline. You must realize that you have a story with undead pirates, giant squids, still beating hearts, a ship that sails underwater, a triple-barreled cannon, etc. Worry about time period? I don't think so.

Since someone has reinstated this topic, I thought I'd add an addendum. I made several Islamic and Chinese flags for the movie, and few of them will be seen, mainly because they didn't have a skull and crossbones on them! Go figure! I remade one of Roberts' flags, and actually improved on the first one considerably. Unfortunately, it was aged by putting it in a cement mixer with volcanic rock, and then washed in a washing machine. I was e-mailed by the propmaster, who complained that a lot of the paint came off. Well, DUH! I designed a flag for Sparrow, with suggestions from the Production Designer. Never got to make it, but I understand it has been made, and will show up in third film.

Happy Birthday, mate. I was glad to have met you Friday, and I'm sure we'll meet again. Regards, BB

Yikes Alex, you set this old man's mind reeling.

I often get burned out. I've been piratin for 30 years, at least in my head and heart, if not in some festival. It becomes discouraging, naturally, when you really try to do the thing authentically, and it seems that no one else cares. BUT, even with going to a "pirate fair", and everybody still says "me lord and lady", and you feel like they just got of the renaissance circuit, and decided they might make some money on this pirate thing, every once in a while you see a friend that's pirate all the way, and you feel better. I do find myself sitting with my books, researching things that seem like a parroting of Johnson's, with the same pictures, same quotes, etc. A couple of weeks ago, I found an original copy of the Act for the More Effective Suppression of Piracy 1700 and bought it for 35.00! It gave me a huge shot in the arm. Listen, I've been drinking rum, and I'm not sure where this is going, but I hate to hear the "old timers" or "hard core" filibusters get discouraged. It's true, that I'm older than any pirate has a right to be, but it's what I have left to reenact, and I still love the hell out of it. Sometimes, I slip into the movie pirate mode, but it's by choice, just to have fun--- but I know I've got the real stuff at home. I'd better sign off and see if young Hawkins can slip me another noggin. BB

I regret that I don't know the restaurant. I was working most of the time I was there, and didn't get to explore as much as I'd hoped.

By the way, there's talk of a Blackbeard movie or series being filmed there in September. I'll keep you posted as I find out more. BB

I used acrylic out of the tube for any painted flags on POTC III. It held up well, but there was some cracking, which turned out to be desirable for a movie. The only time the acrylic failed was when the flag was washed and then thrown into a cement mixer with volcanic rock to age it. Rather extrme, and I'm not sure anything would have held up through that punishment.