The Pipes Magazine Radio Show – Episode 91
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Kevin Godbee - Jun 12, 2014
- 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 Thursday 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! Our Featured Interview tonight is with Mike Butera. Mike has had a great influence in the business of pipe making, tobacco blending and cigar making. He has been at it for over 30-years. He is a pipe maker, and tobacco blender for pipes and cigars. In our opening “Pipe Parts” educational segment, Brian will discuss three of the most dominant tobacco processes that create three of the most popular “pipe tobaccos” – Cavendish, Latakia, and Perique. Sit back, relax with your pipe, and enjoy The Pipes Magazine Radio Show!
Tonight’s show is sponsored by Sutliff-Tobacco.com, CupOJoes.com, SmokingPipes.com, Missouri Meerschaum, 4noggins.com, MeerschaumStore.com, Cornell & Diehl, 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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Mike Butera Smoking a Pipe While Making a Pipe
Mike Butera with his Butera Cigar Line
Written by Kevin Godbee
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Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 669. Our featured interview tonight is with Kirk Keener aka “Kaptain_Kirk32”. Kirk is a member of the Indiana Pipe Club. We’ll be talking about their upcoming pipe show in Gas City, IN on September 20th. Kirk has worked as a machinist, and played guitar in bands in the past, and he has a YouTube Channel with 985 subscribers and 346 videos devoted to pipe smoking and tobacco reviews. At the top of the show, Brian will have a tobacco review of Cornell & Diehl’s Haunted Bookshop.
Just to cop a great line for the return of Pundit, here is one of my favorites from “The Shining,” when actor Jack Nicholson scares the life out of everyone with the spooky, “Here’s Johnny.” So, Here’s Pundit! It is so good to return to PipesMagazine. In the interim, I have moved to a smaller apartment. I found out the long-cared-for pipe herd and tobacco cellar were a monumental chore to move. Boxes upon boxes, tobacco jars by the ton. Seriously. The late Bill Unger of The North American Society of Pipe Collectors (NASPC) said if you have one pipe you are a pipe smoker. If you have two pipes, you are a pipe collector. I followed that path like a yellow brick road. Pundit advice No. 1: Trim the pipe herd often without replacing too many. Pundit advice No. 2: Smoke the tins, except for vintage blends, and store as few jars of bulk tobacco as possible. I know, this is easier said than done. It is difficult to part with pipes and a precious and babied tobacco cellar. In the interim, I have been cataloging pipes and tobacco to come to a better understanding of this collection. Yes, Unger’s theory swamped me like a tsunami. What we have here is a perfect storm, a boutique of pipes and tobacco. And my old friends, and many vintage tobacco blends no longer available, make life quite a bit more enjoyable and relaxing. Along with perplexing decisions: What to smoke up and what to continue the aging process. Like adolescents. They will mature at some age. Right. But one never knows. Here is to the future and to your collecting and cellaring. It is a wonderful hobby and enterprise. Before I launch into Pipe Smokers of the Past or in Quotable Pipe Quotes (a new Pundit feature), there is a solid ground rule that you, dear readers, can count on from Pundit. As long as I am writing Pundit for your entertainment and hopefully a bit of education on the art and love of pipe smoking, you will never have to be concerned that Pundit has resorted to letting AI handle the writing. Pundit does not believe in allowing some sort of artificial intelligence to write copy for me. In fact, Pundit is concerned that writing, creative non-fiction, and narratives of other genre in general, will succumb to this rage for AI in our lives. Can you imagine legendary pipe-smoking novelist William Faulkner’s prose style being AI’d? Or are Shelby Foote, John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, and any of the past great writers and pipe-smokers to be ripped off by AI? This is not for pipe smokers. Our writers were the contemplative authors, who penned magical works while puffing their pipes and special blends. AI is not a pipe smoker. It is a thief of words and styles that were honed by years of toil over pen and paper, typewriters, and eventually the computer. Sure, writing is easy. Just listen to the legendary New York Times sports columnist on how effortless writing can be: “There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at the typewriter and open a vein.” This is not a rant. Pundit is worried that our wonderful pipe-smoking authors, and those of us who write about it today, will be haunted by the shadowy AI, ready to strike at the heart of what is so important to the pipe smoker: authenticity. Good writing doesn’t come at the push of a button in a remote office somewhere. It takes dedication and years of learning to devote time to detail and intense observation. That’s not exactly a talent everyone has, let alone a machine. Becoming immersed in writing about pipes and tobacco takes time, learning and listening to and reading the masters of pipe making and tobacco blending. And pipe writers and storytellers. It takes years to craft a readable style about the briar and leaf. The sermon is over, but this is just to let you know Pundit will never, ever resort to using AI to write this column monthly. It is a privilege and an honor and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the community of pipe smokers. A favorite pipe-smoking quote: One of the best pieces of advice comes from Albert Einstein, Mr. Relativity himself, who is reported to have said: “Before answering a question you should always light your pipe first.” And that first spark of fire, curling leaf in the bowl; that first sip and taste leads to a more contemplative endeavor as Mr. E=MC2 once explained. Now for a July birthday of note is Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and the father of analytical psychology. Jung was born July 26, 1875, and died June 6, 1961. For an in-depth read, check out Chuck Stanion’s Carl Gustav Jung: Pipe-Smoking Founder of Analytical Psychology in SmokingPipes.com, Feb. 11, 2022, Pipe Line. A Parting thought: Pipes new and old brim with mystery and art, heart and soul. It’s a natural wonder, from earth to hearth.
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Hi Brian
Can’t disagree with you on your discussion of pipe tobacco processing.
I always enjoyed Mike Butera’s tobaccos, especially the Dark Stoved. I haven’t tried one of his pipes – yet. His stories of Baldi and Scotti were great.
Yul Brenner always was a great actor and pipe smoker.
May miss next week, but I will post a selfie from OBX.
Keep up the great work.
Hi Brian
Another great interview just finished listening to your podcast with Mike Butera and his road too pipe making. Looking forward too his return and talk about his tobacco brands.
Brian, as usual a great interview with Mike Butera. A very interesting Pipe Parts about Tobacco and as alway just a wonderful show.
On Andre Segovia, I was blessed to be able to hear him in person. Just wonderful. I think he could have made a broom sound good. To think of all those guitar lessons I’ve taken. I should have just bought more Segovia CD’s.
With the podcast happening on Tuesday starting in July. I’ll be happy 2 days earlier. Be well. Light up….drink up!!
Thanks for the brotherhood.
PETER D FIELD SR
SAFARIPETE
Brian,
Great show with Mike Butera. I also enjoyed last week’s show but it is much better to watch Gina perform (online) than listen to her for a number of reasons. She is a very unique individual. I was glad I had the fast forward option for this weeks music.
I was planning to comment on the extra absorbent pipe cleaners last week but never got around to it so I’m glad it came up again this week. I have always used Longs pipe cleaners, both regular and extra absorbent. I used to be pretty regimented with my pipe cleaning doing it ever two weeks but those days seem to be long gone. I now clean my pipe right before I smoke it. My habit was to use 2 or 3 regular cleaners in the stem and the fluffy ones in the shank. First I’d run both ends of a fluffy into the shank and then bend the pipe cleaner in the middle making sure to pinch the bend to as fine a point as possible. Then I would run the bent cleaner through the shank. I would do this as many times as necessary until the cleaners came out clean (usually 2 or 3). For longer pipes I put a fluffy and regular together and run then down the shank side by side.
Lately though, I almost exclusively use the fluffy cleaners in both the stem and the shank. If I can get a fluffy cleaner into the stem I feel the added pressure from the tight fit seems to clean it better and I end up using less cleaners. If the air hole is too narrow I use the regular cleaners in the stem. I have had no real problems with getting the fluff stuck in my pipes they always seem clear. I’ve never really had fluff issues with Long’s cleaners.
So there’s my 2 cents. Keep up the good work. Guys, if you haven’t gone to the site to check out Gina’s shoot, take a few minutes… you won’t be disappointed.
Cheers,
Nelson
Hello Brian
It was amazing to hear from Mike Butera and were he got started from. The ladies have probably went over to Tobacco Pipe Collectors for Women (TPC4W) to get away from us guys. The Sutliff guys are extremely nice guys and are really in tune with us end pipe smokers and pipe makers, John is a super down to earth guy. another great show! I am very glad my kids still have 5-6 years before I have to worries about college.
keep it smoking
scott
Great discussion on pipe tobacco processing. Some times when the question is it this or that the answer is just yes.
Loved the interview with Mike Butera. Truly the godfather of American Carvers.
Seriously, complaining about the photos in college brochures?? If you don’t know what the weather is like where you are going you aren’t smart enough to go to college. It is just like a company that sells a product, oh say tobacco pipes, who takes extremely lovely photos of it products in the most handsome of settings. Just trying to make a sale, man.