Episode 3: A look at one of our pipe collections!

Episode 2 of Country Squire Radio

On Aug 12th 2013, this first episode of Country Squire Radio was recorded. Enjoy and happy IPSD!

It's a look back at Country Squire Radio Year One! Funny enough we allude to an event that we would like to do... and it took us 10 years to actually make it happen... enjoy.

That's right! It's Episode 500 recapping the past 10 years of Country Squire Radio and brining this series to it's conclusion in front of a live audiance at (or at least right next to...) the Country Squire in Jackson Mississippi! We were stunned by the amount of support we got and the overwhelming numbers of folks who showed up for this event, including some major personalities in pipedom.

As mentioned at the top of the show, the Country Squire Radio Final Episode Tin is available for purchase at TheCountrySquireOnline.com while supplies last. Enjoy!

Alright... that's it. Let's go have a day everyone!

The end times are truly upon us... Enjoy this very silly episode of Country Squire Radio as our 499th and Pen Ultimate gift to you! Cheers!

...and a little shop called The Country Squire. Enjoy.

Formerly ‘Heroes of the Bowl’, The Half Bowl Histories series takes a look into the history, lore, and legacy of individuals, places, and events of interest that helped shape the world we know today for good and for ill. Here we get a chance to revisit some of the famous pipe smokers we’ve covered in the past and shift the focus from what they loved to who they were and the complexities of their lives. This week: The Inklings

Pipe Question:  

• Good morning gentlemen! I have a pipe question for you. How does (if it actually does) the chamber size and shape affect the burn and smoking characteristics of the tobacco? Blessings, Gabriel Roper

Listener Feedback: 

• Hey Guys I'm huge fan of the pirate and tobacco series. Nov 3 I was on a cruise to Nassau Bahamas where they have a pirate museum. Which was amazing . As walked around the island I got to learn alot of pirate history while puffing on my cob with captain black. It was amazing. I had downloaded and listened all the pirate ands tobacco episodes on the plane ride. Good job guys can't wait to hear more tells from the sea. - Antwan Butler
• With all the Pirate-themed episodes you are doing I thought you might like to listen to Alestorm, they are a Scottish Pirate Metal band. I recommend Keelhauled and Hangover to start. Not pipe related, but it is pipe adjacent. Thanks for what you do, I love the podcast and really hope to make the pilgrimage one day. A little planning coming from Ireland, but you never know. Cheers - Dwain Dunn

What is the pipe's role in modern mythology? Have we lost the narrative entirely? And what responsibility does the modern pipe community have in telling our own stories? Get ready from some major soapboxing this episode.

Pipe Question:  

• Jeremy Dukes - pipe cleaners. They come in “soft’n’fluffy” and “hard’n’bristly”. I’ve always tended towards the hard cleaners because I refurbished so many pipes and used those bristles to really get the gunk out, but some swear soft is the only way to avoid damaging the stem. What are the two different cleaners intended to be used for? Is it preference or do they actually have separate functions?

Listener Feedback: 

• Hi Beau and Master Jon David, Gerson here. I am writing you guys to share with you and all Country Squire Radio community a bit of a special Brazilian folklore character deeply connected with pipe and pipe smoking called Saci Pererê. The Saci Pererê is considered one of the main characters in Brazilian folklore. Of course, there are many versions of his lore, but he is commonly depicted as a young one-legged black kid who wears a red hat and is always smoking his pipe. There are a few stories to explain how he lost his leg, but the most common one is that he lost it fighting capoeira (a Brazilian type of martial art with African roots) or had it chopped off by slavers when he was enslaved himself. It is believed that Saci moves around as a wind swirl and there are ‘techniques’ to capture and imprison him in glass bottles. He likes to play tricks (usually harmless) on people wherever he goes, such as topping people’s hats, spoiling food, and scaring horses.  It is believed that he lives up to 77 years of age and then he is transformed into a poisonous mushroom. There are other versions of this mystical being in other South American countries, such as Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. However, in Brazil, his lore originated in the southern region during the 18th century among the indigenous people know as the Guarani but throughout time, it incorporated European and African influences. But let us get to the point. As I mentioned, Saci Pererê is always depicted smoking his pipe. Of course, there is no way of knowing what he smoked in it, but I guess it was some type of cured twisted tobacco (or “rope tobacco” as we call it here in Brazil), very common among pipe smokers of the past who lived in small towns, villages and farms on the Brazilian countryside. Symbolically, the smoke represents the connection between physical and the spiritual worlds, as it does in many African-based religious ceremonies. The smoking element originates from its indigenous roots but is also influenced by the African culture. Some versions of Saci depict him as having a through-and-through hole in his hand which has the purpose, among other things, of facilitating the emptying of his bowl by knocking the pipe on his hand. Some say the hole is where he keeps the cinder used to light his pipe. I included below a few illustrations o this amazing Brazilian folklore character. - Gerson Fernandino de A. Neto

Over the past few weeks we have been overwhelmed by the amount of emails sent in to the show and we thought what better day than International Pipe Smoking Day to record a special 'Mailbag' episode to ensure we can get as many of your messages on air as possible before the big 500.

Speaking of which, get your tickets for episode 500 today at TheCountrySquireOnline.com

The Library or Study has long been the haven of the contemplative pipe smoker. In our ‘From The Library’ series, we take a look into the musings, writings, poetry, and more that pique our interest and consider the mind of the author and how we can, or perhaps can’t, relate from our own experience. This week we have an article from Psychology Today on Integrity

Pipe Question:  

• So I had been smoking my first tin of autumn evening and was enjoying about halfway through the tin I started getting a very sour note that burned the back of my throat I thought it might be the pipe ,but it tastes fine either other aromatic tobaccos. I also smoked it in a different pipe first half of the bowl was good ,but the second half turned sour again why might this happen? - Jared Froese

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR EPISODE 500 LIVE FROM THE COUNTRY SQUIRE HERE!