The Pipes Magazine Radio Show – Episode 322
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Kevin Godbee - Nov 13, 2018
- 1 min read
Kevin Godbee
Thank you for joining us for The Pipes Magazine Radio Show—the only radio talk show for pipe smokers and collectors. We broadcast weekly, every Tuesday at 8 pm eastern USA time and are available on nearly all podcast sites and apps. Listen on your computer, tablet, phone and even in the car! Tonight’s featured interview is with Mark Johnson. Mark is a pipe smoker, and has worked in tobacco retail, in the tobacco fields, and is a retired college professor. He is currently self-employed as a novelist with his latest book titled, "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Undead Client". In Pipe Parts, Brian will continue the series of the quintessential pipes. Sit back, relax with your pipe, and enjoy The Pipes Magazine Radio Show!
Tonight’s show is sponsored by SmokingPipes.com, Cornell & Diehl, Missouri Meerschaum, and Savinelli Pipes and Tobaccos. 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. The following link will launch a pop-up player. Alternatively, you can download the show in iTunes and other podcast sites and apps after the initial broadcast is complete here.
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Mark Johnson
Written by Kevin Godbee
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Bigger. Better. More Pipe. This year’s Chicago Pipe Show was a larger event with an expanded smoking tent and the addition of the special events section at the back of it, and the show boasted way more attendees than previous years. While we didn’t have the most interesting man of the year at the show this year, there was an actor sighting at our hotel of Brian O’Halloran (better known as Dante from Clerks). It is unknown if he came into the show itself or was just there at the hotel, and sadly, I didn’t find any pictures of him there, just the rumors. Stay tuned on that one. Tim Garrity (Chicago Pipe Club President) shared with me some numbers this year; there were over 950ish in attendance. For those of you playing the home game, they reported to me that in 2024, a little over 400 attended (after checking with Tim this was just the attendees not including vendors it was around 800 with everyone). That’s more than double for 2025. “We had an increase in carvers and tobacianna makers. A large international presence with vendors coming from China, Brazil, Italy, France, Denmark, the UK, Austria, Germany, Turkey, Cuba, Cyprus, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Canada, and a few others as well…. I really want to highlight two pieces that stick out to me. As mentioned before, the international showing. Our guests came from all around the world. While it rained outdoors, only friendship and fellowship reigned in our tent. Our community continues to bring me joy, for in divisive times, we are coming together. Pipes over politics, personalities, and persuasions,” said Tim. The line to enter stretched almost outside this year. Below are a handful of pictures to give you a general idea. Upon first entry into the ballroom, vendors and carvers were stacked in with more tables than in the past couple of years, as Tim discussed. To the newcomer, this can be a bit overwhelming because there are so many pipes, but do yourself a favor and do the “Brian Levine” advice and walk the whole floor looking before coming back to settle on some pipes. New Tobaccos Coming out from C&D and Per Georg Jensen I ran into Per Jensen this year at breakfast and ended up heading out to the smoking tent with him before the show opened, and we sampled several blends that he’s working on in collaboration with Jeremy Reeves (newly minted Doctor of Pipes) at C&D. Per: In a collaboration with C&D. One week ago I was playing ping-pong with Jeremy at the C&D factory. Two tobacco-interested people who came into talks and discussions and decided to collaborate. So I’m coming out with four blends under the name Legacy Collection, where I honor my father and his job. The first four will be with sailor motifs because he was onboard the royal yacht Dannebrog. Per: Every summer, the King and Queen travel around Denmark visiting the different cities. This was a tradition that goes back to the Vikings because at that time they didn’t have any facebook or Instagram so a lot of people didn’t know how the king looked. So they had to travel around to all the cities to show his face. He didn’t have a castle. This tradition is taken over by the present kings as well. Per: The crew onboard the yacht are selected from the regular navy, and conscripts are hand-picked and sent onboard the royal ship to work for the summer. Officers were always assigned to the ship, but every summer a different crew. The ship he started on was the paddle boat steamer, and then in 1932, a new ship was built, and that is the same ship we use today, almost a hundred years old. When are we going to see these blends come out? Per: If everything goes as we would like, it will be the beginning of July. I’ve got two blends ready, and I’m smoking the new ones now. They are: 100% Virginia (Red and Bright) Virginia Dark Fired Kentucky Burley Dominant Blend One more Virginia blend. (Red and Bright) For all of them, they are going to be so natural, that means a little bit casing, no top note (with the exception of the burley). The goal, Per says, is to have balance in the flavors and no tongue bite. Kings Watch is a 50/50 blend of red and bright virginias. Interesting note: Per said, each tobacco company calls variations of Virginia something different. MacBaren, for instance, would call it bright Virginia because it had a higher sugar content. The red Virginia has all the flavor, so the more red, the more intense the taste. When sampling this, the flavor profiles are citrus fruit, mellow cream, and a slight floral note. Tasting the Burley heavy blend, which is ready to go as well, is smooth, nutty, and cocoa-flavored. With that nougat taste, I’m reminded of a Toblerone candy bar, but don’t go assuming it’s full-on aromatic. It’s subtle. Another commented that it was like a truffle. The Burley forward blend does have a hint of Virginia in it as well, but just a hint. The Dark-Fired Kentucky and Virginia blend has that expected BBQ smell/note. The room note is more mellow. Per says they are still tweaking the two other blends, and they don’t have names for them yet, other than being under the Legacy Collection banner. Stay tuned! Battle of the Briar This year’s Battle of the Briar featured Ping Zhan, Silver Gray, and Nathan Davis as the carver competitors. Once again, our Master of Ceremonies was Steve “Pipestud” Fallon, with Jeff Gracik providing the play-by-play. Missouri Meerschaum was a sponsor this year and also did a live stream of the event; you can go back and watch here. I’ll expand a bit on that video with things you didn’t know, with a couple of comments from the carvers and Judges, so strap in. I chatted with Jeff […]
Real good show tonite. I agree that for most folks estates are the way to go. I think Brad Pohlmann would be an excellent carver to get a pipe from. He’s underappreciated but he makes a pipe that will have your tobacco talking to you.
Loved the interview with Mark Johnson. I am a fan of Sherlock Holmes and was going to order the book until you mentioned zombies. I literally can’t stand zombie stories. Now I’ll have to wait until the reviews start coming in.
The Mark Johnson interview solved two great mysteries in my life, and for that I will be eternally grateful (or until I forget again!). I did most of my graduate studies in Louisville back in the 80s, and a major part of the curriculum was smoking my pipe. But I have no memory of where I got my tobacco, etc. The second mystery is a bent billiard that predates my memory, but has been in my regular rotation for as long as I remember. The brand name on the pipe is “Sir Calabash.” While its a fabulous smoker, it is clearly basket pipe quality, or possibly one step above.
After he mentioned the Sir Calabash store, a flood of memories came back to me. Bashford Manor was a really cool mall and we would go out there quite often to window shop and let the little munchkin stretch his legs outside the apartment. I got my tobacco at Sir Calabash. I couldn’t afford tinned tobaccos but their house blends were really good! And the pipe is no doubt an in-house brand. (Prior to this I’ve never been able to find any information on a Sir Calabash branded pipe.)
Thanks for clearing up a black hole in my memory and flooding me with fond thoughts of writing brilliant essays for unappreciative professors while smoking my pipe.
Piberyger,
I am delighted to have nudgedf open that door in your memory! I often think of that old Sir Calabash shop and wish that it existed in some form, still. I’ve been in many better shops, worked in one or two, as I stated, but there was something magical about that place. I’m afraid my only Sir Calabash house pipe, a small author shape, incidently, disappeared long ago, but I still have the Ben Wade freehand and a GBD African Meer that I bought from Al’s shop. Thanks for responding and happy smokes! MJ
Good show. Great interview. I am always hesitant when people wish to add to the Doyle canon, but Mark’s description of the research and copyright tell me that he has at least tried to honor the material. Very interesting, I am looking forward to the release.
Hi Brian,
I always enjoy the shows. Thanks for keeping me company as I prune vines here in Burgundy, France. I have the show on loudspeaker so my French buddies have the chance to enjoy it – well they have no choice :-).
Next time you drink a bottle of Chassagne-Montrachet, or Puligny-Montrachet, or Santenay, or Saint-Aubin, if you notice a waft of pipe tobacco it may be *me* puffing away while listening to your show.
Cheers!
Just wanted to say hello to everybody at the magazine and all of the members glad to be part of this club and wonderful industry/hobby.Best regards to all Paul W.