Friday, January 28, 2005
Great Parrotheads In History
Captain Sir Henry Morgan: Pirate, Profiteer, Itty Bitty Guy on Rum Bottle, and Early Parrothead
Most folks are under the mistaken belief that Parrotheads only came along in Jimmy Buffett's drunken-sailor, pirate-persona wake. Allow me to correct that thought. While the term is relatively new, the Parrothead mentality and lifestyle have been around in various forms for generations. So, beginning today, we'll highlight on a weekly basis those "Great Parrotheads in History."
Take Sir Henry Morgan (1635-1688), for instance. You know this had to be a fun loving guy. After all, he ended up with his likeness on a bottle of rum, and found his way into a country song. It was Morgan and his men who gave rise to the term "buccaneer," as they sailed their way around the Caribbean, driving the Spaniards who claimed that area absolutely nuts by raiding and stealing large volumes of their shit. While Morgan was considered a brilliant strategist and sea captain, it was his affinity for a good happy hour that really drove him. When he wasn't tearing around doing pirate stuff, he was in the local bars, dancing on the tables with a bar wench in one hand and a big mug of rum in the other. It's said he could drink several pints of good Caribbean rum and show no ill effects. If Hank was around today, is their any doubt he'd be found at pre-concert tailgate party, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and sandals, a parrot hat perched firmly atop his head, a gazillion leis and Mardi Gras beads around his neck, working the "shot luge," dancing in the streets, and organizing piratical raids on the bastard scalper camps? (sorry, but I just can't get past that one)
Hell, I'll hang out with him. Somebody's gotta keep him from pissing off the Spaniards.
