"They are both nomadic, misunderstood people," said the Orem man. And besides that, "I've got the long hair. I wear jewelry. I love rum."
With a weathered tricorne on his head, beaded locks, kohl-smudged eyes and a wide leather sash draped across a billowing white shirt, he certainly looked the part as he rode in on a friend's custom pirate-themed Harley at the recent local premiere of the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."
For the Lopezes, pirate style is a family affair. At Christmas, their home is covered with festive buccaneer decorations. The last family vacation was to Orlando, Fla., to check out the updated Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World. Lopez's cocktail on vacation? A Pirate's Life, made with melon liqueur, coconut, rum and pineapple juice. His next Harley will be painted in a custom shade of "Black Pearl." And the family portrait is done a la high-seas plunderer, with the entire family dressed as characters from the movie, right down to his 15-month-old son as the jailhouse dog.
Lopez may take pirate style to an extreme, but he's part of a huge, not-so-scurvy, crew.
Pirate style has gone mainstream. From the grocery store to the mall to the tattoo parlor, there's more pirate stuff to buy, wear, eat and drink than you can shake a wooden leg at.
Fashionistas can wear an $800 diamond encrusted skull pendant from Nordstrom. Knitters can stitch up a Jolly Roger sweater. Epicures can take a "Pirates of the Caribbean" cooking class. Bikers can drive a hog with an $8,000 pirate paint job. CPAs can wear a skull tie tack to the office.
Kids can play with pirate ships, dress like plunderers for Halloween, go to school with Capt. Jack Sparrow backpacks, wear silver skull-and-crossbone earrings, and stick skull charms in their Croc shoes. Even babies can get in the act, with onesies and moccasins decorated with skulls.
"We've always loved pirates," said Gail Selinger, author of the book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pirates.
"These are men and women who took life and decided to live it on their own terms. They made their own rules," she said. "They are very romanticized today. . . . Most of them were thieves or desperate men, and they killed. We tend to take that part out of the equation."
That makes the current pirate rage all the more amusing to her.
"They have taken the whole concept of this mean, horrible, disgusting thing, and have totally transformed it," she said.
Some people believe that Johnny Depp deserves the credit. His portrayal of the pirate captain Sparrow resonates with kids and moms alike. Others say fashion designers turned the runway into a trend-setting gangplank.
But not everyone is happy about the rise of pirate style and perhaps its most popular embodiment - the skull and crossbones.
"We don't sell it anymore," said Jason Harris, owner of a clothing store called The Redrum Shop, which recently closed in Murray and is shopping for a new location. "It's just way too trendy and cute."
The symbol used to mean something.
Pirates put the skull and crossbones on their flags as a warning to others. "It meant, 'I'm a big, bad person and don't mess with me,' " said Selinger. Pirate captains hoped that other ships, seeing the dreaded flag, would simply surrender in fear and they could capture the ship undamaged.
In the last century, the symbol was sported by bikers, rockers, skateboarders and goths. It was a way to brand oneself as a member of a certain tribe or lifestyle, said Harris, who has at least 14 skull tattoos.
But ever since little girls started wearing T-shirts with pink-pigtailed skulls, all that has changed.
"It's turned it into a joke. It doesn't mean anything anymore," he said.
Tattoo artist Vic Back says that demand for skulls, pirate maps and ships has remained fairly constant during the nine years he's been doing the work.
"It's always been in the spotlight," he said. "But [it wasn't] a cute thing back in the day."
Cute has definitely arrived at Good Times, the Salt Lake City studio where he works. These days, he poses skulls in front of crossed lipsticks for makeup artists. Some people are choosing "gummy" skulls, a soft-looking, "cartoony" head. They add cowboys hats or pigtails.
Selinger hopes that the fad will lead people to a deeper understanding of pirates and how they influenced 17th and 18th century conquest, colonialism and political struggles.
"The impact pirates had made our world what it is today," she said, Maybe part of the pirate rage simply boils down to youth.
One local pirate, known only as "Neff," said he and his friends go "gallivanting" around town dressed as pirates and scaring kids for one simple reason: "It's fun."
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* JENNIFER BARRETT can be reached at jbarrett@sltrib.com or 801-257-8611. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
Learn to cook, ye landlubber
Learn how to make rum carrots, "Pirate Pearls," Caribbean jerk chicken, real ginger ale and more at a "Pirates of the Caribbean" cooking class at 6:30 p.m., June 14, at Thanksgiving Point Emporium in Lehi. The cost is $35. Register online at www.thanksgivingpoint.com, or call 801-768-2300.
Glossary
Pirate speak from www.talklikeapirate.com
* Ahoy! - "Hello!"
* Avast! - Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, which today makes it more of a "Check it out" or "No way!"
* Aye! - "Why yes, I agree most heartily with everything you just said or did."
* Arrr! - Not to be confused with arrrgh, "Arrr!" can mean, variously, "yes," "I agree," "I'm happy," "I'm enjoying this beer," "My team is going to win it all," "I saw that television show, it sucked!" and "That was a clever remark you or I just made."
* Grog - An alcoholic drink, usually rum diluted with water, but in this context you could use it to refer to any alcoholic beverage other than beer.
* Beauty - The best possible pirate address for a woman. Always preceded by "me," as in, "C'mere, me beauty," or even, "me buxom beauty." Surprisingly effective.
* Lubber - (or land lubber) This is the seaman's version of land lover, mangled by typical pirate disregard for elocution. A lubber is someone who does not go to sea, who stays on the land. Always an insult.
Source: www.talklikeapirate.com, the official site of Talk Like a Pirate Day, which rolls around each Sept. 16.
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Salty dogs with a thirst for grog can try one of these pirate-inspired cocktails:
Caribbean iced tea
1 ounce vodka
2 ounces coconut rum
2 ounces iced tea
1/2 ounce lemon juice
Slice of lemon
Mix liquids together and serve over ice. Garnish with slice of lemon.
Makes 1 drink.
- Source: Van Gogh Vodka
Bloody Hell
2 ounces vodka
3 ounces tomato juice (V-8 recommended)
3 dashes hot sauce
4-6 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2-3 pinches salt
2-3 pinches pepper
Shake all ingredients well and serve in a highball glass over ice.
Makes 1 drink.
- Source: Van Gogh Vodka
Rumfustian, an authentic pirate drink
Mix raw egg, beer, gin, sherry, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar to taste. Serve hot.
Source: www.gailselinger.com
Bumboo, another authentic brew
Mix rum, water, sugar and nutmeg to taste. Serve.
Source: www.gailselinger.com
