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I am bitterly disappointed with the Summer 2013 issue of the P&T Magazine! There is an article inside about Joe Skoda, who is one of the finest pipe makers in the USA / World (in my view), yet the cover photo is of a "Gear Pump" / "Steam Punk" pipe !!!!! No offense to the artisan associated with the cover, but Joe Skoda is a long-time innovative craftsman, artist and superb pipe maker, and it should have been one of his pipes on the cover of the magazine. If P&T is now oriented to the "steam punk" crowd, then it has shifted from a focus on fine smoking pipes, and has probably lost me as one interested in what the magazine covers and writes about. Seems like true, established craftsmen are getting short shrift (at least in this issue)!

Joe skoda is a fine craftsman and artist and definitely deserves the cover, but Nate King is also very deserving of the cover. Nate has created something that is amazing unique to pipemaking / collecting. I may have to buy a few extra copies.

Joe is a tremendous craftsman and I have always enjoyed his work. I am sorry you feel slighted by the cover article.

Oh please. The guy you admire more didn't get the cover story? Get over yourself.

Posting your disappointment here is unseemly. If I were Joe Skoda, I would be embarrassed by your post.

Rad

Well said, Rad. This is one of the worst posts I have read here at PMF. By stumping for your candidate you are essentially trampling all over another guys reputation, a guy who happens to be a member of the forum. You owe this group, and Nate in particular, an apology.

I wonder, just who is it that is part of the "steam punk crowd?"

Hell, I'm almost 60, have been smoking pipes before I was 18, and I find Nate's pipes fascinating, innovative, and gorgeous.

Guess I'm just one of those "steam punk crowd" type of guy.

Add to that damning evidence, I also like Davis and Bannard pipes. Guess that pretty much ties it.

NeroWolfe wrote:I am bitterly disappointed with the Summer 2013 issue of the P&T Magazine! [...] If P&T is now oriented to the "steam punk" crowd, then it has shifted from a focus on fine smoking pipes, and has probably lost me as one interested in what the magazine covers and writes about. Seems like true, established craftsmen are getting short shrift (at least in this issue)!

P&T contains articles on many different facets of the pipe world including makers running from craftsman, to artisan, to niche (the majority of Nate's pipes are more traditional - this is just one aspect of what he does). I've been surprised by numerous articles in the magazine on people I don't think are worth writing (or reading) about, but I see no reason to cancel my subscription. Nate's steam punk pipes may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they absolutely are an innovation to our hobby that bears some exhibition. However, I see no reason to think that P&T is now focused on "the steam punk crowd."

While your loyalty and appreciation of Joe's work is admirable, I would remind you that, not unlike the magazine, this is a public forum, and it's not be appropriate to denigrate another maker's work simply because you don't care for it. If that was the case, I'd be constantly posting about pipes that I find utterly sub par . No need for that.

I would encourage you to reconsider your post.

Ernie is much nicer than I am.

Rad

Well said, Ernie.

As per usual, I'm late to the party. I see this was already addressed in a duplicate thread.

e Markle wrote:As per usual, I'm late to the party. I see this was already addressed in a duplicate thread.

There's a reason for that. It's 'cause you weren't invited! *Zing*

I kid. We love ya, Ernie. Just don't go getting on any magazine covers. I can't stand that kind of crap.

On a serious note: well said, Ernie. You are a gentleman and a scholar.

RadDavis wrote:Oh please. The guy you admire more didn't get the cover story? Get over yourself.

Posting your disappointment here is unseemly. If I were Joe Skoda, I would be embarrassed by your post.

Rad

BRAVO, Rad

plus one on this. stop moaning. this I a pipe "making" forum. not discussing who you think deserves the cover.

btw Nate, I think the steampunk/gearpunk line is awesome and if I wasnt broke, id be smoking that long aircraft aluminum stemmed monstrosity (smokingpipes.com), right now

also, Ernie, you are too nice. the OP was childish and just plain stupid.

I think Nate and Ernie are retards, where do I post that?

wisemanpipes wrote:
also, Ernie, you are too nice. the OP was childish and just plain stupid.

Perhaps so. I don't know this man at all, and I'd prefer to offer a bit of grace first. I've certainly fired off an email (or a post or my mouth) without thinking about it in the past. I guess I'd rather a "come let us reason together" approach than the "hellfire and damnation" route when being called out.

...and besides, I've been a big softy ever since I left the Hell's Angels years back.

Sasquatch wrote: I think Nate and Ernie are retards, where do I post that?

I think you just did.

Sasquatch wrote:I think Nate and Ernie are retards, where do I post that?

Sas owes the world an apology. I'm just adding this to his tab.

e Markle wrote:

wisemanpipes wrote:
also, Ernie, you are too nice. the OP was childish and just plain stupid.

Perhaps so. I don't know this man at all, and I'd prefer to offer a bit of grace first. I've certainly fired off an email (or a post or my mouth) without thinking about it in the past. I guess I'd rather a "come let us reason together" approach than the "hellfire and damnation" route when being called out.

...and besides, I've been a big softy ever since I left the Hell's Angels years back.

yeah, I had grace too, at first, then I saw that he posted this exact same thing on atleast two other forums. The OP is a whiny little third grader

rev

Apologies:

1 - I posted this thread twice, as I was not sure which category to put it in. I know: naïve ! stupid !

2 - My expression of irritation was based on the view (my view) that the cover photo on the P&T Magazine was selected based on some tangible / intangible assessment of the quality / worthiness of the subject relative to other items in the issue. In reply to my post on this subject on the Pipes and Tobacco Foundations Forum website, Chuck Stanion, Editor-in-Chief of the P&T Magazine, replied as follows:

Quote: "We choose the cover based on the quality of the photo, not on the perceived merit of the pipemaker associated with a story. You'll get no argument from me that Joe Skoda is a great pipemaker. He provided the pipe photos for his story and none were adequate for the cover. At that size/resolution they were pixilated. The gear punk pipe was sufficiently different to be interesting and had the necessary resolution.
Several times over the years I've received angry emails from people who percieve the choice of a particular cover photo as an insult to another person covered in the magazine, and I've never managed to see the logic. The cover does not represent our idea of the most important story in the magazine; it represents our best shot at printing an interesting photo that will encourage people to open the magazine. Even so, I'd be uncomfortable even implying that one pipemaker in the magazine is more important than another. They all deserve full credit.
Chuck”...end quote

So, it came purely down to quality of the photograph / ability of the photograph to engage an audience ! This could lead to a whole new series of responses on the merits of such an approach, as the recognition associated with being represented on the cover of any publications can have significant impact on an individual’s stature in their area, etc., and to leave it up to the quality of a photograph seems quite banal. In any case, I certainly appreciate the “engaged” and “pointed” discussion, chaps !