+1 Doc, very well said.
I am glad that Doc didn't ignore me when he turned the wrong way down that road! LMAO!
I am glad that Doc didn't ignore me when he turned the wrong way down that road! LMAO!
Snobbery....
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I read Searock's comment with interest. Unfortunately, I can think of several makers who would fit his description, not all of them recently grown. It's a shame, really. In the end, those of us who are in the public eye, whether pipe makers or tobacco blenders or retailers or pipe journalists, are just people doing something we love, and hoping that others might enjoy it, too. We put passion into our work, but for any of us to separate ourselves because of a tiny little bit of celebrity is folly.
I know quite a few of the world's pipe makers, and, fortunately, I can say that the phenomenon Searock describes is far from universal. I could rattle off a list of names of truly exceptional makers who are just delightful, wonderful, kind, generous people, who know full well that they put their pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of us.
Celebrity can be seductive, and some will fall into its trap. Hopefully, they'll grow out of it...
On the subject of snobbishness, and perhaps more importantly, exclusionary behaviour, I've seen it on both sides of the railway tracks. Most of us in the pipe world are welcoming, enthusiastic folks who will gladly help a newcomer make good choices, build a collection, cultivate an understanding of what he's smoking. Sadly, some are less egalitarian. But, for every high-end guy who insists that if you're not smoking a $1k+ pipe, you cannot possibly be getting the full experience of pipe smoking, there's a guy who says that only an idiot would pay that kind of money for a pipe, and that his cheap pipe du jour is the equal of any. Neither attitude serves to engender good will in our hobby.
Some see the enthusiasm of the high-grade collectors as snobbishness, but that's not always the case. For the most part, the uber-collectors are just excited about their pipes. They have the ability to buy them, and love to share their latest finds. We all do! Most of the guys I know get just as excited about someone's old GBD or Comoy as they do about the latest straight grain Framussenellotomison. For the most part, pipe guys are really a great bunch.
I've known a few collectors who come off as pretentious, but really aren't, and just suffer from some social awkwardness. Fortunately, the real snobs are uncommon. They exist, for sure, but not in the numbers they may appear to at first glance. It's often just misunderstanding that leads to false conclusions, so let's be careful not to let our own prejudices and intolerances create any additional divisiveness. We need to band together as pipe smokers and enthusiasts, no matter the pipes we smoke, or the tobaccos we smoke in them.
(And, just for the record, a lot of the snobs at the shows snub me, too. Don't take it personally.
)
I know quite a few of the world's pipe makers, and, fortunately, I can say that the phenomenon Searock describes is far from universal. I could rattle off a list of names of truly exceptional makers who are just delightful, wonderful, kind, generous people, who know full well that they put their pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of us.
Celebrity can be seductive, and some will fall into its trap. Hopefully, they'll grow out of it...
On the subject of snobbishness, and perhaps more importantly, exclusionary behaviour, I've seen it on both sides of the railway tracks. Most of us in the pipe world are welcoming, enthusiastic folks who will gladly help a newcomer make good choices, build a collection, cultivate an understanding of what he's smoking. Sadly, some are less egalitarian. But, for every high-end guy who insists that if you're not smoking a $1k+ pipe, you cannot possibly be getting the full experience of pipe smoking, there's a guy who says that only an idiot would pay that kind of money for a pipe, and that his cheap pipe du jour is the equal of any. Neither attitude serves to engender good will in our hobby.
Some see the enthusiasm of the high-grade collectors as snobbishness, but that's not always the case. For the most part, the uber-collectors are just excited about their pipes. They have the ability to buy them, and love to share their latest finds. We all do! Most of the guys I know get just as excited about someone's old GBD or Comoy as they do about the latest straight grain Framussenellotomison. For the most part, pipe guys are really a great bunch.
I've known a few collectors who come off as pretentious, but really aren't, and just suffer from some social awkwardness. Fortunately, the real snobs are uncommon. They exist, for sure, but not in the numbers they may appear to at first glance. It's often just misunderstanding that leads to false conclusions, so let's be careful not to let our own prejudices and intolerances create any additional divisiveness. We need to band together as pipe smokers and enthusiasts, no matter the pipes we smoke, or the tobaccos we smoke in them.
(And, just for the record, a lot of the snobs at the shows snub me, too. Don't take it personally.
)
Quite astute observations and good points Greg. I may have been guilty of misjudging someone as a snob, but I'm not sure. I am sure that I will try to not come to false conclusions though.
Not to brag, but I just got a Framussenellotomison, unsmoked.
Not to brag, but I just got a Framussenellotomison, unsmoked.
Bubba, LMAO.
Nice post Mr. Pease. I think a lot of pipe smokers mistake me for a snob because I don't smoke aromatics; but it's just a communications problem. I enjoy the racy taste of natural tobaccos too much to confound my senses with other flavorings. (Truth be known I enjoy an occasional bowl of 1-Q in, of all things, a cob! And I would never criticize someone for enjoying Middleton's Cherry Blend.)
Nice post Mr. Pease. I think a lot of pipe smokers mistake me for a snob because I don't smoke aromatics; but it's just a communications problem. I enjoy the racy taste of natural tobaccos too much to confound my senses with other flavorings. (Truth be known I enjoy an occasional bowl of 1-Q in, of all things, a cob! And I would never criticize someone for enjoying Middleton's Cherry Blend.)
I first started smoking a pipe nearly 40 years ago while in college. I stopped about 15 years later as the world began moving away from tobacco. Several months ago I decided to fire up some Captain Black in one of my old pipes. It was a tentative decision as I thought, if people are seriously offended, I'll just put the pipe back in the rack and avoid the noise. To my surprise, the smiling responses of non-smokers was uniformly positive. Comments like, "my dad used to smoke a pipe" and "that brings me back to my childhood" were common.
I happened to be outside my office door when a cigarette smoker approached me. He began asking me about pipe smoking and how he could get started. He wanted to move from cigarettes to a pipe. We ended up talking for more than half an hour about everything from tobaccos to politics. The fraternity of pipe smokers continues to grow as more people are gently exposed to the wonderful peace to be found in a well made briar. We are in this together, friends. That is very good.
I happened to be outside my office door when a cigarette smoker approached me. He began asking me about pipe smoking and how he could get started. He wanted to move from cigarettes to a pipe. We ended up talking for more than half an hour about everything from tobaccos to politics. The fraternity of pipe smokers continues to grow as more people are gently exposed to the wonderful peace to be found in a well made briar. We are in this together, friends. That is very good.
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