Nate King is making a nicer pipe today than Dunhill is. He visits frequently and every time I see him, his pipes look better and better. He is a very dedicated pipe maker and one of the rising stars in the craft.
P&T Magazine Summer 2013 Issue is a Travesty
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Interesting thread.
I wonder now how many featured pipemakers (feature article, such as Joe) had their work on the front cover of the magazine? If the usual approach is to put the featured pipemaker and/or his pipes on the cover then if I were Joe (who is a personal friend) I'd be a bit disturbed about the slight. That does not mean that I wouldn't appreciate the exposure in the magazine, but that it is that much stronger (and a much greater milestone in ones life as a pipemaker) when one is on the cover. I know that Joe is a humble man who would have been deeply grateful for making the cover of P&T.
If indeed it is customary that for a featured article pipemaker their work or they themselves are on the cover, I would have to wonder why Joe got the unintended slight.
The Steampunk movement in pipes deserved it's own issue feature in the form of putting Nates pipe on a cover of an issue that featured his work and idealogy. That could be followed later over time with other Steampunk design pipemakers and their artistic approach to a smoking pipe.
Were my issues of P&T readily available I would look through them to see what the ratio of featured pipemakers on the cover VS featured pipemaker not on the cover and see what the real numbers indicate, just for fun. Unfortunately at this time my treasured issues are packed away while the house undergoes full renovations.
Either way, I truly enjoy P&T, Joe Skoda and his excellent briars, and the forum here - and try not to take any one of them for granted...
Smooth sailin' all
Randy
This is not about disparaging P&T, a fine magazine for which I have gladly had a subscription since it's inception. It's about opinion, nothing more. We all have points of view on this, and this is just mine.
I wonder now how many featured pipemakers (feature article, such as Joe) had their work on the front cover of the magazine? If the usual approach is to put the featured pipemaker and/or his pipes on the cover then if I were Joe (who is a personal friend) I'd be a bit disturbed about the slight. That does not mean that I wouldn't appreciate the exposure in the magazine, but that it is that much stronger (and a much greater milestone in ones life as a pipemaker) when one is on the cover. I know that Joe is a humble man who would have been deeply grateful for making the cover of P&T.
If indeed it is customary that for a featured article pipemaker their work or they themselves are on the cover, I would have to wonder why Joe got the unintended slight.
The Steampunk movement in pipes deserved it's own issue feature in the form of putting Nates pipe on a cover of an issue that featured his work and idealogy. That could be followed later over time with other Steampunk design pipemakers and their artistic approach to a smoking pipe.
Were my issues of P&T readily available I would look through them to see what the ratio of featured pipemakers on the cover VS featured pipemaker not on the cover and see what the real numbers indicate, just for fun. Unfortunately at this time my treasured issues are packed away while the house undergoes full renovations.
Either way, I truly enjoy P&T, Joe Skoda and his excellent briars, and the forum here - and try not to take any one of them for granted...
Smooth sailin' all
Randy
This is not about disparaging P&T, a fine magazine for which I have gladly had a subscription since it's inception. It's about opinion, nothing more. We all have points of view on this, and this is just mine.
Not sure what the whole beef is about. Pipes and Tobaccos magazine is pretty much the only magazine that highlights pipemakers, (here in the US and abroad). I have quite a few of their magazines that have covers such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Clark Gable, professional Golfers, paintings, etc. Each one of the magazines also highlights a pipemaker. Joe makes a nice pipe, he has been working his backside off in the business, doing the show circuit, building a following, and his craftsmanship is still improving with every piece that he turns out. Whether there is a picture of one of his pipes on the cover or not does not change what he has done. By running a story on Joe, the magazine has just opened up a potential "new" segment of pipesmokers that,(up until reading the article), had no idea that there was a Joe Skoda and that he made pipes. The magazine, IMO, has done the utmost in promoting the makers. As a matter of fact, I see that they have Rad Davis, (another craftsman), making their Pipe Of The Year for 2013. One question Nero, cover picture aside, what did you think when you read the magazine?
A true artisan pipe maker can make a classic shape, like this apple:
Or this Danish style:
But they can also think outside the box, like the steam punk pipes, or this modern saucer:
Yes, that last one is mine. Anyway, my point is that it's one thing to make a good pipe, but it's another to have vision and push the envelope.
Or this Danish style:
But they can also think outside the box, like the steam punk pipes, or this modern saucer:
Yes, that last one is mine. Anyway, my point is that it's one thing to make a good pipe, but it's another to have vision and push the envelope.
It is a beautiful pipe - the craft and imagination that went into the design. I remember a young gun named Trever Talbert who set the pipe community into a tizzy years ago with his Lovecraftian pipe themes and Halloween pipe monstrosities. I can appreciate these artisans' vision and rule breaking as I sit here puffing a pedestrian no name billiard.... :
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I don't see what the big deal is. Pipe shapes and how they are made change from time to time, so why shouldn't P&T occasionally take note of that? If this or nearly every magazine only stuck to old school thinking, they wouldn't last long. The publishing business is in crisis in this new age of Kindle and internet. Editors and publishers need to stay relevant and get attention, or their publications die. Look at all the book stores that are no longer in business. People are not buying magazines, newspapers or print books as they used to. A lot of newspapers have folded or have reduced content. Comic books only sell to a small niche audience. Playboy isn't even a monthly magazine anymore, and if you can't sell a monthly issue of that, then you can see there's a problem. You can get a year's subscription of Playboy for $12 now, and if you look at the cover price, not to mention shipping costs, you realize they are practically giving the magazine away. Magazines need subscribers so they can entice their advertisers to buy ads, which at times keep magazines afloat more than their customers do. And many advertisers are forsaking print media for digital. This very forum is supported by advertisers, and without them, it might not exist or survive.
Once upon a time, a book had to sell over a 100,000 copies to make the New Times Best Seller List. Now, that number is reduced to 25,000. Yes, e-books and online magazines are rising in popularity, but the numbers are generally not high enough to keep things going. But a good, eye catching cover can give a small boost to sales, and so long as the magazine content is still of high quality, it shouldn't matter if a steampunk pipe cover - relevant to the times- is used. It may even bring in a new reader or two, which is very desirable and necessary to the magazine's survival. You don't like that genre of pipe? Don't buy it. Don't read the article. But it's unfair to criticize a magazine for reflecting a new movement in pipe making and design simply because you don't like steampunk pipes or feel they neglected an inside story.
I imagine Joe Skoda's career isn't harmed by not being on the cover of this issue, and at some point, the editors may revisit the subject and put him there. It's not like he's being ignored because they did a story on him. Btw, Loborx's comment on Trever Talbert is very relevant to this subject. He gave a new look to the pipe world, and created a deservedly devoted fan following. The audience decided on his craftsmanship just as it will on newer artistic visionnaires. There's room for all kinds of pipes, otherwise all we'd be smoking are standard shape pipes, which would limit some of the fun of our smoking pleasure.
In the meantime, I find condemning P&T for this cover to be waste of angst. We have bigger issues in the pipe smoking world - and in print media - to concern ourselves with.
Once upon a time, a book had to sell over a 100,000 copies to make the New Times Best Seller List. Now, that number is reduced to 25,000. Yes, e-books and online magazines are rising in popularity, but the numbers are generally not high enough to keep things going. But a good, eye catching cover can give a small boost to sales, and so long as the magazine content is still of high quality, it shouldn't matter if a steampunk pipe cover - relevant to the times- is used. It may even bring in a new reader or two, which is very desirable and necessary to the magazine's survival. You don't like that genre of pipe? Don't buy it. Don't read the article. But it's unfair to criticize a magazine for reflecting a new movement in pipe making and design simply because you don't like steampunk pipes or feel they neglected an inside story.
I imagine Joe Skoda's career isn't harmed by not being on the cover of this issue, and at some point, the editors may revisit the subject and put him there. It's not like he's being ignored because they did a story on him. Btw, Loborx's comment on Trever Talbert is very relevant to this subject. He gave a new look to the pipe world, and created a deservedly devoted fan following. The audience decided on his craftsmanship just as it will on newer artistic visionnaires. There's room for all kinds of pipes, otherwise all we'd be smoking are standard shape pipes, which would limit some of the fun of our smoking pleasure.
In the meantime, I find condemning P&T for this cover to be waste of angst. We have bigger issues in the pipe smoking world - and in print media - to concern ourselves with.
My understanding, and maybe Joe can correct me if I misunderstood, was that Joe was supposed to be the cover piece for the latest issue. Joe is an incredible artist and deserves all of the exposure that he can get. I agree that articles like this can give an artisan carver the push he needs to go "over the top" and break into "pipe stardom" and attract a wider audience. Joe really deserves that IMHO. However, Nate makes some really interesting pipes and he has developed quite a following in his own right. Everyone has different tastes, to each his own, no?
My only question to NerWolfe is: Why are you posting this rant on every pipe related forum?
While I think it's cool that you really appreciate Joe's work and feel strongly about it, posts like this only create "flame wars" and bad feelings. Personal opinions are fine, but slamming P&T everywhere you can, is in my opinion, poor form.
I would just like to think this hobby is more than a Halloween costume. But then I guess to some that is part of the hobby with Lord of the Rings pipes, Steampunk pipes, and Sherlock Holmes pipes.
The best part of this being all the good commentary on the pipes magazine.com forum !!!!!
Thanks for stirring up the pot Nero. :rofl:
Thanks for stirring up the pot Nero. :rofl:
Neverknowsbest - Better than Dunhill ... LMFAO!
Test of time ... wait a hundred years and see if you still think so.
Test of time ... wait a hundred years and see if you still think so.
Oh, Steampunk's far more than costuming - the aesthetic got its start (or at least its name) in literature in the 1970's and has expanded to include visual arts, music, fiber arts, film, and yes, pipemaking. Besides - if one is enjoying the pipe (whatever shape one chooses), what's the problem with one that evokes pleasant memories of reading Tolkien, Doyle, Wells, Verne etc., or watching the films and TV series based on their work?
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