Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 576
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Kevin Godbee - Sep 26, 2023
- 1 min read
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 576. Our featured interview tonight is with pipe maker Jesse Kulp. Jesse makes the Oliphant brand of pipes. He’s been a pipe smoker since he turned 18 in 2001. He started carving pipes in 2014 and started restoring estate pipes in 2016. He resides in the state of Wisconsin. When he is not making pipes, or smoking pipes, he is smoking meat. At the top of the show we will have a Pipe Smoking 101 segment where Brian will review the pipe tamper.
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The Pipes Magazine Radio Show features interviews with pipe makers, tobacco blenders, pipe and tobacco aficionados, collectors, and more. Episodes air every Tuesday.
Our show is sponsored by SmokingPipes.com, Cornell & Diehl, Missouri Meerschaum, Savinelli Pipes and Tobaccos, Peterson Pipes and TinBids. Please give them some consideration when making your next pipe or tobacco purchase.
We hope you enjoy our 1-hour show produced just for you—the pipe smoker and collector.
Written by Kevin Godbee
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Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 690. Our featured guest on tonight’s show is artisan pipe maker JD Wolf. JD just started smoking pipes a little over a year ago, and he started making them at about the same time. His impetus for becoming a pipe maker came from the problem that his preferences in artistic handmade pipes were out the reach of his budget. He strives to make precise smoking instruments that are also a handcrafted piece of art that the “average workingman” can afford. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will have a holiday gift giving guide for pipe smokers.
This may seem out of character for Pundit, but I am truly captivated by the Ser Jacopo Insanus. Years ago, I purchased an enormous, barn-sized pipe and tucked it away, only to forget about it. Recently, the urge to hold it resurfaced, prompting a frantic search through my collection until I found my prized Insanus. It’s an impressive, beautifully rusticated paneled bowl with bamboo shank extension—possibly weighing just over five ounces. I love it! To clarify, “insanus” in Latin can mean “incredible.” I must admit, I learned this not from my distant high school Latin but from consulting a dictionary. Okay, a few pipe makers go for heavy-duty pipes, of course. But the Ser Jacopo brand has not been shy about creating, well, great ol’ big ‘uns, and a few that defy the imagination. Some of the Ser Jacopo creations seemingly belong in a museum of art. Which makes sense when you look at the name’s origins. Giancarlo Guidi founded the brand and possibly named it for a 16th-century Italian painter. Now, Pundit does not go gaga for all the Insanus versions. Especially those that appear to have been in a bad accident and are broken and wired together. Or the larger-than-life bowl that twists back onto the stem to surveil your tobacco brand preferences before you load up. Do not get Pundit wrong, here. If your choice is the Insanus that is wired up or the pipe that looks back at you, then I will cheer you on. They are fun and spark a great deal of curiosity, especially in your pipe club gatherings. In research about Insanus pipes, I found that Guidi and Bruto Sordini founded Ser Jacopo in Pesaro, Italy, after leaving Mastro de Paja. They aimed to blend expertise and creativity, establishing Ser Jacopo as a distinct force in Italian pipe making. According to my research, Guidi was inspired by the imaginative art of Picasso and Van Gogh. This led Ser Jacopo artists to push creative limits, carving pipes by drawing inspiration directly from the briar and their artistic instincts. Pundit also owns a couple of Ser Jacopo’s more “sanus” (sic) pipes, including some of the beloved Picta Van Gogh rusticated styles, which have been put away for safekeeping. These pieces stand out for their unique craftsmanship and artistic flair. Van Gogh, you might recall, was a pipe smoker. He painted many self-portraits smoking a pipe. These paintings served as one of the blueprints for the Van Gogh Picta series. I first saw the Picta Van Gogh at a pipes and tobacco show in Nashville, TN. It was love at first glimpse. I bought it faster than you can say Van Gogh. I barely had time to get out my credit card, worried someone else would snatch it up. Some Insanus designs, such as those that appear broken and wired together or feature oversized bowls that twist back toward the stem, exemplify the brand’s boundary-pushing approach. The Picta Van Gogh is but one of a series of pipes in the Van Gogh pipe styles. A few include a cutty, a hawkbill, a Belge and even a poker. All appear in Van Gogh’s artworks. Giancarlo Guidi was inspired not only by Van Gogh but also by the art of other major artists for the different collections within the broader Picta series. Just a couple of these artists in the series include René Magritte and Pablo Picasso. Over time, my preferences have evolved—much like my ageing tobacco blends. As my pipe collection has grown, so has my appreciation for artisanship. I admire Ser Jacopo’s intricate Italian craftsmanship. But I also value traditional British makers and own Dunhills, Ashtons from the William Ashton-Taylor era, and Ian Walker’s beautifully crafted British style pipes. Ian’s pipe shop is on a transformed canal boat. Cool! If you are interested in an American pipe maker who also offers some larger-than-life pipes, check out J.M. Boswell Pipes in Chambersburg and Alexandria, PA. 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I always prefer to believe the best of everybody; it saves so much trouble. —Rudyard Kipling A Parting thought: We pipe smokers are part of a rather large family. And with the holidays in full bloom, it is time to be grateful for the artists who create magnificent pipes and craft exquisite tobacco blends. Just for us! Happy Holidays!
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 689. Our featured guest on tonight’s show is artisan pipe maker Patrick Kehler from Marchand, Manitoba Canada. He grew up in a strict religious environment where his behavior was restricted and smoking (and drinking) were frowned upon. One day, when he was older and in the process of providing himself more freedoms, a co-worker showed him a pipe. He was captivated. Hear the whole story on tonight’s show. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will have a review of four different brands of pipe cleaners.
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Your “101” on the tamper, its necessity and operation, was brief but very nicely done.
Like many of your “younger” guests, Jesse’s story probably elicited a nod of recognition by older smokers like me. Describing the development of his pipe-making technique was quite enlightening.
Kevin’s musical choice, “Brother Louie” was a “blast from the past” that resonates as strongly today as it did in 1973. “Ain’t no difference if you’re (fill in whatever social or cultural diversity) …brothers, you know what I mean.”
Pretty good definition of a friend. Here’s what Groucho once said, “When you’re in jail, a good friend will be trying to bail you out. A best friend will be in the cell next to you saying, ‘Damn, that was fun’.”
Thanks for another always entertaining show. Yeah, that was fun.
Dino
The Pipe Parts on tampers was useful. I have a number of expensive tampers around, but they are all locked up. The only thing I use is the pipe nail, The only use I have found for a Czech tool is for the poker. It is very good at letting to excess air out of my lighters. But if I can’t find it, I can always use the pick in my Corona lighter.
Your guest was interesting particularly in his story about living up-and-down the east coast as a child. I had the same deal in the 50’s. My old man was in the Navy and those guys didn’t think twice about relocating you. But my favorite place of all was when we lived in Key West. My god, it was paradise! As for moving, I attended 19 schools in 12 years. His back story on how he got into smoking was nice. Obviously, he was heavily influenced by his family and then by Tolkien. I swear that man has gotten more people into pipe smoking than anyone else. It is amazing the number of people who have said “I was watching Tolkien one night ……”. Hopefully he is getting some decent tutoring in pipe carving. Not good to continue with tools that maim a guy.
Kevin’s music “Brother Louie” was enjoyable for a while, but then they branched into one of those interminable 4- or 5-minute breaks that rockers feel they must do.
There are friends and then there are acquaintances. In last 40 years I have a had two best friends. It was great times when you have them but then one of them moved away and had a stroke and the other one, well, let us just say he isn’t a best friend anymore. No, pipe smokers are acquaintances and that is that.