The Doctor Busker show has always included the occasional pirate night. In fact, the early Revolting Peasants performances were mostly done in pirate dress. The pirate lifestyle and ideals always held a certain fascination to Doctor Busker who feels a sort of affinity with a bunch of scruffy bastards all out to have a good time and drink a lot. Pirates came in all sizes and colours, there were no racial prejudices and every man was based on his own merits, nor was there discrimination by class. Pirates came from all walks of life, from the poorest peasant trying to better himself to the landed gentry who had either disgraced himself in some way or, like Captain Bonnet, simply got bored with the gentile existence and set off in search of excitement.

In fact a pirate crew ran as a meritocracy, if someone rose through the ranks, it was due to their ability and dependability and not social status as was the way of the navy. If the Quartermaster, Boatswain or even the Captain was useless, they could be voted out of their position by the crew and replaced by someone who could the job better. The pirates adhered to the Pirate Code, which was as follows.

Although the code mentions every man, more than a few female pirates joined their contemparies both during their wild adventures and at the gallows. In keeping with this tradition "The Pirate Crew" includes several buxom female buccaneers, who can sing and drink as well as any of their rowdy male shipmates.

As part of the crew, musicians were required to entertain on ship, in port and the customary pirate barbeques (from which the term 'buccaneer' is derived), in brothels and in battle. It may seem strange that some pirates played music when their ship was attacking, but a holy hullabaloo kicked up by musical ruffians would help intimidate the victims. It's similar tactics to the Scots using bagpipes when marching to war.

Dr. Busker's alter ego, Captain Bartholomew Rabscallion, reckons that mendozas would make bloody good weapons in the average pirate brawl, although it would probably be a good idea not to hit anybody with a squeezebox.

In recent years, the pirate theme show has gained in popularity probably due to the Pirates of the Caribbean films which have taken an old movie genre and given it a good kick up the arse to bring it into the 21st century. The Pirate Crew are a bunch of scurvy dogs who herald from the Revolting Peasants, Dorset Rats, Pox Doctors and any of Doctor Busker's friends and associates who will answer yes to the old pirate call "Will ye serve?"

Famous Pirates admired by "The Pirate Crew" include both historical and fictional creations :-

Francis Drake (good name Francis). Englishman, privateer and Queen Elizabeth's I pirate.
Famous for defeating the Spanish armada after finishing his game of bowls and credited with being the first captain to successfully circumnavigate the globe (voted Greatest Briton by Dr Busker in the BBC Poll)

Henry Morgan. Welshman, pirate and buccaneer.
Famous for crossing the swampy, snake infested isthmus of Panama and capturing and sacking the city, returning triumphantly with masses of gold and silver and eventually ending up as Deputy Governor of Jamaica after he was pardoned and knighted by Charles II. Rabscallion and the crew really rate his rum.

William Kidd. Captain of a fine ship named 'Adventure Galley', supposedly his buried treasure has never been found. We reckon it might be under Haulage Hill at the Great Dorset Steam Fair, so get digging lads!

Blackbeard (Edward Teach). Most notorious and frightening of pirates. Captain Teach went into battle with lighted matches in his hat and a beard to rival John Marshalls'.

Captain Bonnet. He was a Major in the British Army, living a gentile lifestyle with a nagging wife. He soon got bored with this and in order to get away from the harpy he had married, he bought a pirate ship (one of the few who did not commandeer one) and went to sea on account. He is one of the few pirates known to have made his victims 'walk the plank'.

Calico Jack (Jack Rackham). A dashing young pirate known to be a hit with the ladies, akin to Vicar from The Pirate Crew.

Anne Bonney. Lady Pirate, ferocious fighter, one of Calico Jack's girls, a good role model for our pirate wenches.

Mary Read. Lady Pirate, started her career dressed in man's clothes and fighting bravely both as a soldier in Flanders and as a pirate at sea. It is rumoured she could hold her drink as well as any man and as a result would be more than welcome at any of our events.

Eric and Maria Cobham. Pirate married couple, one of the few recorded cases of a successful marriage at sea resulting in them causing chaos up and down the Newfoundland coast.

Long Ben Avery. One of the most successful pirates who took the greatest treasure prizes of all, but died in poverty in the west country having pissed it all up against the wall (Yay! Good Man! After all you can't take it with you.)

Red Legs Greaves. Successful pirate, having many adventures, retiring to the good life only to be recognised, put on trial and thrown in a dungeon. Whilst awaiting execution, an earthquake destroyed the prison, Greaves escaped, returned to a life of luxury and lived to a ripe old age renowned for his good deeds and generosity.

Black Bart (Bartholomew Roberts). One of the most successful pirates ever to sail the seas. He was almost unique amongst the Brethren of the Coast in that he only drank tea and would allow no drinking or gambling on his ship (Gadzooks!). He dressed flambuoyantly when going into battle, favouring long coats and flashy hats with plumes and gold braid.

Mrs Cheng. A true pirate queen (Elizabeth Swann as Pirate King/Queen is not a ridiculous as it seems in the movies). Mrs Cheng, at the height of her power, commanded fleets of Chinese pirate junks and a crew of over 50,000 pirates. She was a brilliant tactician and managed to negotiate as a cessation of hostilities with the Chinese government, which resulted in pardons for her pirates and a comfortable retirement for herself lived out in charge of an enormous gambling establishment.

Grace O'Malley. Irish Lady Pirate, she had a successful career in piracy, but eventually died in relative poverty and was buried on Claire Island.

Morgan Adams. Fictional Lady Pirate Captain, from the film 'Cutthroat Island' played by Geena Davis, several members of the band wouldn't mind crewing with her.

Captain Jack Sparrow. Fictional Pirate, star of the most successful pirate movies to date.  Although it is not Johnny Depp who turns up as Captain Sparrow at The Pirate Crew's shindigs. Come and see for yourself and make up your mind as to who is the 'real' Captain Jack Sparrow.

Captain Barbossa. Jack Sparrow's nemesis. Barbossa certainly talks the talk of a pirate captain (aarrrr!). Bears more than a striking resemblence to our own Bartholomew Rabscallion, but there is no record as to whether or not Captain Barbossa could play the squeezebox.

Long John Silver. The most famous pirate of them all. Complete with wonderful turns of phrase, such as 'shiver me timbers'. This wonderful character sports a wooden leg, a parrot and associates with as colourful gang of cutthroats who's ever sailed the seven seas. Him and his crew would certainly not be out of place at any of our pirate beer festivals.

Captain Bartholomew Rabscallion	Captain Jack Sparrow	Plukka Maurice
Two Swords Whitebeard	The Vicar	Jimmy the Cabin boy

Watch out for gigs on the list with the symbol to find out which of the events will be pirate themed. The full title of these nights being:

 The Doctor Busker Show proudly presents

Captain Bartholomew Rabscallion and The Pirate Crew



The Crew, plus extras

        

approach with caution unless carrying beer !

"Where's my ship, Jack?"
Jack asks Jack silly questions at Barnsley

Mr Benn goes Pirate - short story inspired by the TV show Mr Benn - written by Jimmy Baldock