I'm a fairly new pipe smoker: started beginning of 2020 with some Missouri Meerschaum corn cob pipes and some Country Squire Rivendell. Probably like a lot of people, my influences that led me to piping include:
-My granddaddy was always smoking a pipe with Sir Walter Raleigh
-I was a huge fan of the works of Tolkien growing up, including the amazing 1977 Rankin/Bass cartoon and the Peter Jackson LOTR movies (for the love of all that is holy, please don't mention the Hobbit "trilogy" ?)
-I happened upon Muttonchop Piper's channel at the beginning of the pandemic
-I stumbled upon Country Squire Radio soon after and I was hooked