PORTLAND — John Linscott understands that his 15 minutes of fame are ticking away.

That’s why when he heard about a bill making its way through the Legislature designating the whoopie pie as an official Maine treat, well, he knew he had to act quickly.

Additional Photos

John Linscott of Portland sits at the piano in his music room, which is being remodeled. Linscott has been writing plays for years and lately is getting attention for a song he wrote about whoopie pies, the dessert that has been nominated for designation as Maine's official state treat. John Ewing/Staff Photographer

“I thought, ‘Oh, man, I’ve got to get up there.’ “

And up he went, as fast as the speed limit would allow. Linscott, an 82-year-old retiree with a sharp mind and a great sense of rhythm and timing, carried with him a boom box and a CD of songs from his original musical “Love & Lobsters.”

One of the songs from the musical extols the virtue of Maine’s sandwich-style, sugary treat. “You’ll agree it’s wicked, the first time to you lick it,” says “The Whoopie Pie Song.”

Emboldened, Linscott played his song for anybody who would listen. He cornered legislators in the hallways and in their offices. Finally, he found the bill’s sponsor, Paul Davis of Sangerville. Davis liked Linscott’s song enough to put the Portland playwright on the podium to testify in favor of the bill.

Since that fateful day of testimony three weeks ago, Linscott has been answering a lot of questions. His lyrics have been quoted on public radio, and friends have told him they saw him on CNN.

“I think I’ve used up most of my 15 minutes,” Linscott said.

The blitz of attention has served him well. For three years, Linscott had been banging on every door trying to find someone to listen to his songs. Now, people are asking to hear more.

Linscott has sent his script to several producers since his appearance in Augusta, and he’s confident that someone will like his musical enough to offer to produce it.

“I’ve been told by enough people that it’s a good story, that it’s well written with good music,” he said. “I just hope it takes shape. I never would have predicted that a song about whoopie pies would be what causes it to get all this attention.”

“The Whoopie Pie Song” is actually a small part of the musical, tucked deep into the subplot. The larger story is about a woman from New York who moves to Maine, falls in love with a lobsterman and has to choose between a simple life in Rocky Point or the fast-paced life in Manhattan.

Linscott, who made a living in insurance and sales, began writing the musical in 2005. He plugged away at it for a couple years, and staged a concert version of it in 2007. He’s been tweaking it ever since.

Meanwhile, the fate of the whoopie pie bill remains in flux. The State and Local Government Committee voted last week to amend the bill to say that the whoopie pie would be the state’s official “treat,” instead of the official “dessert.”

Committee members said they wanted to avoid a battle with supporters of blueberry pie and other worthy desserts, but still give whoopie pies a designation.

That suits Linscott just fine.

“They can call it whatever they want,” he said. “As long as they sing my song, I’ll be happy.”

Staff Writer Bob Keyes can be contacted at 791-6457 or at: bkeyes@pressherald.com

Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/pphbkeyes

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