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UTC 004 – Cindy Vallar, Pirate Historian and Author

August 25, 2015 / Phil Johnson / 0 Comments

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It’s Ladies Day on Under The Crossbones!

My guest on this episode is pirate author and historian, Cindy Vallar. Her website is a treasure trove of ways to waste your work hours reading about pirates instead of getting stuff done.

We’ll get deep on pirates… Why weren’t there more mutinies? What about Viking pirates? Oh yeah, there were.

(Side note: In the podcast I mention that Cindy’s story involves Vikings and Unicorns… Which is utterly ridiculous and wrong. It’s Vikings and Dragons. – I remembered it wrong. )

We also talk about the craft of writing and how Cindy used writing to relax after her day job of working with emotionally challenged teens.

And ending today’s show is killer comedy from Sandra Risser and a great song called “So Sweet” by Monica Marquis.

Be sure to pick up Cindy’s books on Amazon and Monica’s album. Clicking through here gets me a little commission and helps support the show.

Important Websites:
Cindy Vallar – www.CindyVallar.com
Sandra Risser – www.SandraRisser.com
Monica Marquis – www.MonicaMarquis.com
Under The Crossbones Official Site – www.UnderTheCrossbones.com
Phil’s Comedy and Music – www.PhilJohnsonComedy.com

Thanks for listening. Tell your piratey friends about it. The show will be up on iTunes in mid-September. Until then you can subscribe here.

Do you know someone super interesting in the pirate community? I want to talk to them. Shoot me a note at Phil at UnderTheCrossbones.com

UTC 003 – Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers

August 18, 2015 / Phil Johnson / 0 Comments

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Tom Mason is a Nashville singer/songwriter who accidentally found himself a niche in pirate music. I can identify as that’s the way I found my way to comedy.

During the interview we get into a lot about the artistic path and making your way as a musician in the modern world.

There’s an unfortunate sound issue during the last 10 minutes of the interview where it goes all distort-y. I didn’t know about it until I got into editing the show. I’ve left it in for completeness. But if it bugs you too much, just fast forward 10 minutes to get to the next segment of the show. I don’t believe it’s happened on any of the other interviews I’ve recorded so far.

Also on the show you’ll hear some comedy from my recent opening act, Mean Dave and music from (duh) Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers.

During the opening of the show I mentioned the yard project I got myself into in 102 degree California weather over the weekend. Here’s the photos:

: Jasmine 3 feet deep and 15 feet wide before.

: The aftermath. It looks like a disaster. But at least I can fix the fence.

I also mentioned a fantastic book I just finished reading called “Pirate Hunters” by Robert Kurston. It’s a gripping true-life tale of a group of treasure explorers finding only the 2nd pirate ship to be positively identified. A great read for that end-of-summer beach reading.

Check out Tom Mason and crew performing “Throw Me In The Drink” at the Port Fairy Folk Festival in Australia.

The Websites:
Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers – www.TomMason.net
Mean Dave – www.facebook.com/meandavesnothere
Phil’s Comedy and Music – www.PhilJohnsonComedy.com

UTC 002: Captain John Swallow and Quartmaster Seika Hellbound on NOLA Pyrate Week

August 10, 2015 / Phil Johnson / 0 Comments

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What a way to start the show! Captain John Swallow and QM Seika Hellbound started NOLA Pyrate Week 8 years ago. And not just to dress up like pirates and drink like crazy while enjoying the magic that is New Orleans. They’ve also done a ton of charity work along the way for LowerNine, Gulf Restoration Network, the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, and more.

Their motto? “Take what ye can. GIVE something back.” You’ll find that to be a running theme among a lot of my guests on the show.

John and Seika were the first people I asked to interview and for good reason. They are a fount of pirate history knowledge. So if you’re new to the subject, jump right in and get your feet wet with pirate lore.

Plus they’ve both traced their lineages back to real pirates and we get into those stories in depth in this episode.

We were dealing with a few weird sound issues on my end which is why you won’t hear a lot from me during the interview. But with the stories these two have to tell you don’t want to hear me yapping anyway. 🙂

Also featured in this episode are comedian Tim Babb (with some pirate humor..) and comedy musician Chris Valenti. Both really talented dudes. Be sure to listen all the way to the end of the episode.

The Websites:
NOLA Pyrate Week: www.NOLAPyrateWeek.com
More killer pirate photos from Robert Warren: www.isthisinc.com/2015/03/portrait-of-a-pyrate/
Comedian Tim Babb: www.tancast.com/tim
Musician Chris Valenti: www.ChrisValentiMusic.com
Phil’s Digital Box Set: www.PhilJComedy.com

Captain John Swallow and QM Seika Hellbound doing a TV interview spot for NOLA Pyrate Week in the video below.