I have never really enjoyed answering
questions that ask me to define myself. I find the practice of
talking about myself, despite an obvious narcissistic bend, to be
embarrassing, perhaps stemming from a fairly negative self-image.
Instead of talking about Layne C, I would much rather talk about the
life and times of my alter ego, Pope Crisco.
The Pope was born out of boredom one
weekend when I was an English major at the University of North Texas
and feeling like poking fun at
organized religion. That project, dubbed the Church of the
Sacred Midget, really didn’t go anywhere, and I dropped the pursuit
relatively quickly. While the endeavor didn’t produce any fruit,
the self-given title stuck as my online identity.
About this time, well after the age
most of my peers began drinking and smoking, I as Pope Crisco began
visiting bars after classes, and the smoking of cigars and pipe
tobacco became a regular weekend diversion. Being somewhat of a snob,
more so than I feel I am now, I turned my nose down at macro
breweries, and would only drink beer either produced locally (which
at the time Texas, or at least North Texas, had a very limited
selection of), and European beers.
Circulating in various forums,
generally cigar centric, I began my hobby of reviewing and exploring
the discussion of flavors in tobacco, as well as bourbon, other
whiskies, and beer.
This conversation via forums lasted
until I moved to Atlanta, where my focus from cigars shifted to
include pipes and pipe tobacco. This was to bring on another change
in the growth of Pope Crisco, as I stumbled upon a group of men
celebrating manliness and pipe smoking via short videos on YouTube as
part of an ever-growing community. At first my wife was hesitant of
allowing me to join these weirdoes, but against her wishes, and a
need to create (a yearning my day job has never satisfied) I started
posting and interacting with that community.
After a year or two, I became, or at
least feel I became, one of the community’s moderate players,
offering reviews of tobacco as my mainstay of content in this new
context.
In early 2011 I decided I would branch
off and begin reviewing beer for a number of reasons. At the time I
was drinking heavily every evening for the purpose of medication and
not enjoyment. My craft beer selection had deteriorated to Miller
High Life, and a change was needed. I decided to ditch the nightly
four or five beers, for 2 or 3 craft beers twice a week. Furthermore,
while making the decision to refine my drinking habits, I chose to
revive the habit of reading and writing, habits that had become soft
and lazy since graduation.
In this last year, as well as expanding
on my understanding of the craft beer scene, I have also branched off
into brewing beer and cider, and obtained a moderate amount of
attention for a few of my posts.
As well as continuing Intoxico into the
coming years, I am also currently a contributor for The TMR Zoo, a men’s
interest website.
I am always looking to expand my
audience, and am hopeful that one day Intoxico will become a direct
or indirect opportunity to write for a living.
Thank you,
Layne C. / Pope Crisco
Email: intoxicobeer@gmail.com
Twitter @theintoxico
Facebook Pope Crisco’s Intoxico!