A Pipe Smoker From 65 Years Ago - Impressions?

[ziv]

Then he'd click on the link to somewhere and

... be left wondering why he's looking at a weird dancing guy singing "never gonna give you up".

 

[mikethompson]

Great responses so far.

 

[Snook]

Nothing that hasn't been said already, but I would look at this forum and think that modern pipe smokers are far too fussy a bunch (my current self included!).

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Mostly, they'd be pissed that we don't live in space yet.

 

[wyfbane]

... be left wondering why he's looking at a weird dancing guy singing "never gonna give you up".

I needed that this morning. You are a rock star!!!

 

[Searock Fan]

So imagine it's 1960, and you are a pipe-smoking individual, no specific city, no specific area. You are somehow magically transported to 2025 and shown these very forums. Specifically, what would you make of the current state of the pipe hobby / industry?

Personally, I think the most glaring thing would be how 'niche' pipe smoking has become, how uncommon it is to see people smoking a pipe in public.

I don't have to "imagine", I can remember. Two things come to mind: 1. There were not all these "boutique" pipe makers back then and 2. The English blends that I love so much were a hell of a lot better.

 

[Wheels]

I bought my first pipe in '63, a small Comoy that I still smoke. It couldn't have cost much. I was only making a little over $3 an hour at the time. I also bought a copy of Weber's Guide to Pipes. I still have that too. It was my only guide to pipe smoking. I don't remember there being many pipe smokers then. There were a couple at work. One smoked London Dock which I felt was appropriately named.

There were a few pipe shops within easy driving distance that I visited and browsed. There may not have been as many blends as there are today, but there were plenty. My local shop had a wall full of them. I loved that shop. It had a real wooden Indian outside and smelled sweet inside. I tried a lot of those little cans of tobacco. I can't remember most of the names. One was Baby's Bottom, smooth as a baby's bottom. One tasted just like a cigar.

I tried a few drugstore brands. Sail was OK. Mixture 79 made my tongue numb. I never did settle on one blend.

I never was a very heavy smoker and I gave it up in my mid thirties for health reasons. But, I always missed it. This last year I figured what the heck. It's too late now for it to do me much harm. So I'm back to my pipes and loving them. In the 60's I could not have imagined the amount of help that is now available. I had forgotten a lot and appreciate having it.