"Mad Men" & pipe culture

Doc Manhattan · Aug 1, 2008

I really dig AMC's Mad Men--not only well-written and well-acted, but their attention to early 1960s detail is impeccable. (Even the dollar bills are authentic.) As was the custom, everyone smokes and drinks at the office, including one pipe-smoker ("Paul") in the regular supporting cast. So I was especially pleased to read an interview with that actor:

I actually love smoking a pipe and I'm very happy that Paul does. Does that mean he takes himself too seriously? No. You know what it means? It means he's a man who appreciates quality and he takes time to enjoy the things he enjoys. Cigarette tobacco is so cheap and you're always just sucking them down to get a fix but a pipe is an event...My big goal for season two is that Paul should have more than one pipe because it's not good to smoke the same pipe everyday. It's a nice accessory actually. Is today the bent pipe day or is it the straight stem day? Is it the black pipe or the brown pipe? It could go with the suit. There are all sorts of possibilities.

Sounds like a pretty good new advocate for the Briar.

P.S. The second season just started, and I'm pleased to report that Paul has at least one more pipe in his rotation. 8)

ZuluCollector · Aug 1, 2008

As a result of my pipe blog, I've gotten to know Michael Gladis (Paul) of Mad Men. We've been corresponding about pipes now since the show started about a year ago.

The producers - who are so cheap - refused to pay for a better pipe for him on the show. He'd been smoking the pipe he had for six to eight hours at a time.

He's been looking to upgrade and is not only a pipe smoker on the show, but in real life.

He loves the briar.

jhuggett · Aug 1, 2008

Cool stuff!

Doc Manhattan · Aug 1, 2008

Very cool, Neil!

It's funny how producers will spend however much tracking down a vintage Frigidaire, then go on the cheap for pipes. No accounting for accounting.