For those who have not seen Todd's posting on PMF from 2 days ago I have copy and pasted it below. But as for me, maybe I am getting a little old and soft as I approach 60..but hell I dunno..I feel like maybe Todd regrets what he said...but not so much what he said but how he said it. I can easily see where he was coming from and where he was going to but he could have expressed his opinion in a more gentler,kinder way. Emotions are a funny thing and once your hit that post button there is no getting it back. I can only assume but my bet is that Todd possibly wishes that he had taken a different approach to his new ventures (and PR style) and that his past posting was nothing but a hard learned lesson. It's all part of being in any business and it donlt take much to rock the ship and send people overboard. Anyway, I ain't holding any grudges nor will I stand in line to stone him to death. I personally wish Todd Johnson the best and hope he stays on track and focuses on his true talents and avoids slipping down to the lower levels that will only cause him more headaches and sleepless nights. Remember Todd, you can't change people. And if you force things, it backfires back at ya. The old saying goes "when the students are ready the teacher appears." Maybe just make some nice pipes, stay focused and do not compete with anyone. Talking bad of others always has it's blow-back effects.
Here's TJ's post:
I've had a couple of snowbound days to sit and think about all this. I'm sure everyone is aware of the beating I've taken as the fall guy for this thread, and hindsight being 20/20, I guess this is why the "private" section of this forum exists. Being as passionate and vocal as I am about pipes, I'm sort of used to having my turn in the barrel. That's nothing new. Clearly, if you actually read this thread, you'll notice I'm not the only one who feels a sense of loss over the current state of pipes and pipe making. Nor is it limited to pipe makers. It is a collective viewpoint, and we've all had dozens of conversations about it. I respect the measured viewpoint you've laid out, Tyler, but I don't agree that this is just "sour grapes" over someone else getting a piece of the pie. My question is what are we as pipe makers putting into the pie before we take our slice?
Speaking only for myself, and in a personal capacity, I consider pipe making a noble craft, one that has been honed, nurtured, and passed on from one skilled craftsman to another for more than a century. It's disheartening to see pipe making combined with social media in a way that preys on the consumer and dilutes the craft. Yes, everyone has their own tastes and can buy whatever they'd like, which is why my admonitions were addressed not to the consumer, but to guys making pipes on a pipe making forum. I admit, in retrospect, this was galactically stupid on my part, and now that it's gone viral, I hope the focus will eventually become less "who hates Todd Johnson for being an a-hole," and more "what are the standards of quality one should expect from any pipe in a given price range."
To close with an example of what I was hoping to get across, this is something that legendary Bakersfield country artist Buck Owens put out as a personal statement of his own individual commitment to country music. The goal was to inspire his colleagues to commit themselves to a similar set of ideals. Some did, and some didn't, but we now have an exhibit in the Country Music Hall of Fame entitled "Buck Owens, and the Bakersfield Sound," paying tribute to a group of folks that chose to ply their trade in a particular way and ignore the trends that were diluting it.