New Sherlock Holmes Makes Pipes Cool...Again...

Recently, I was given the opportunity to start writing periodic pieces for Pipes Magazine, one of the largest and most trafficked pipe websites out there. I was thrilled and nervous, to say the least.

I had a lot of ideas for articles, some of which were good and some which simply wouldn't work for Pipes Magazine. In fact, a recent post on this blog, entitled Come Together...Right Now...Over Pipes, was my first attempt at an article for the magazine.

(Pipes Magazine Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Kevin Godbee)

Eventually, the editor of Pipes Magazine, Kevin Godbee, and I decided on a topic: the new Sherlock Holmes movies, starring Robert Downey, Jr., and their impact on pipes.

It was a challenging project. I consider myself linguistically acceptable, capable of pumping out a fifteen page research paper on a topic that I know nothing about within a couple of hours and receiving a very good grade. However, this was my first time writing for a real magazine.

I have worked on Washington University's newspaper, Student Life, doing restaurant reviews, but that was nothing compared to this.

After thinking and working and deleting and slamming my head against my desk, I managed to produce what I feel is a decent analysis of these movies in relation to the older films and the pipe world as a whole.

(Photo by Shining Darkness)

"So, imagine that there is a chain gun blasting away about 20 feet in front of you. Its target: you. How do you respond? By lying down and calmly smoking a pipe, of course! At least, that's what you would do as Robert Downey, Jr.'s rendition of Sherlock Holmes.

Naturally, this is quite a new situation for Sherlock Holmes, as is easily recognizable by even the most casual of fans. However, no matter which Sherlock Holmes we are discussing, be he played by Robert Downey, Jr., Jeremy Brett, Basil Rathbone, Benedict Cumberbatch, or even if he is simply a character on a page, we can be sure that he will have a particular item: a pipe. The pipe, even more than the hat, coat, and magnifying glass, is a signature of Sherlock Holmes. It defined him. The question that is rarely asked, however, is how did Holmes define the pipe?"

To read the entire article, check out my piece on Pipe Magazine.

Let me know what you think about any part of it: the pipes, the movies, the acting, anything!

Cheers.