Season 2 of the podcast continues to barrel forward at an unbelievably fast pace! We are firing on all cylinders these days, really finding our rhythm, and I think each episode so far has been a winner. But of course my opinion is slightly biased so why don’t we ask a completely impartial yet extremely knowledgeable outside party –

“Doctor, would you say the high level of entertainment on The Tuesday Night Cigar Club’s recent podcasts can possibly be maintained over a lengthy period of time?”

“In my professional opinion… it’s far too early to tell”

Seriously though folks, please drop us a review on iTunes and let us know how you’re enjoying the show (or not enjoying the show… in the event that you’re a humorless asshole). Our “analytics” as Tut refers to them, I call them “confusing number thingies”, are telling us that you are out there and that both our listeners and website visitors are growing weekly but it’d be nice to get some feedback from some actual living breathing people as opposed to a robot in New Delhi.

THE CIGAR – GUAYACAN MADURO by NOEL ROJAS

   
The Guayacan may not have a name that’s easy for a dime store putz like me to pronounce but it’s a very easy cigar to look at. A beautiful Mexican San Andres maduro wrapper encases filler leaves that are impressively rolled in what is referred to as an “entubado bunch”. This is the time consuming and rarely utilized technique in which each filler leaf is rolled into itself almost like a small scroll. In theory, this lets air travel easier through the cigar resulting in a much more open draw which hopefully will carry more flavors to your palate. Thanks for the lesson Tobacconist University!
   

   
The construction on the Guayacan is top notch with an even burn line and no retouching with the lighter was needed at all throughout the entire smoke. Semi-sweet baker’s chocolate is the primary flavor with this robusto (5×50) and everyone at the table picked up on it almost immediately. There were no noticeable transitions throughout the duration of the cigar but that chocolate profile is so appealing that no one was complaining. If a stogie is going to lack complexity it better damn well be doing that one thing it does very VERY well and the Guaycan delivers on that requirement. If you’re looking for an expertly constructed stick that delivers a smooth semi-sweet chocolate experience, seek the Guayacan out! While these samples were provided to us by Guayacan’s former distributor House of Emilio, the Guayacan maduro can be found for purchase online for around $8.

THE BEER – DEVIL’S BACKBONE by REAL ALE BREWING COMPANY

   
The Guayacan cigar paired really nicely with tonight’s beverage of choice. While everyone in the group often drinks beer with a higher alcohol content at their respective homes or at our beloved pub, we haven’t really tackled that many on the show. And listening back to the last hour of this particular episode I can see why! The DEVIL’S BACKBONE is aptly named my friends. This is one powerful beer and much like Satan himself it deceives you into welcoming it into your soul with its slight hoppiness, pleasant sweetness, and overall smooth profile. You see, the more we talk the more we smoke… and the more we smoke the more we drink… so you can see easily guess where this pattern eventually got us – to a very happy tipsy place and I hope our giddy good time is contagious to you as you listen along. Real Ale Brewing is on an roll with us as of late – first we gave massive high praise to their crisp German pilsner Hans Pils back in Episode 12 and now the Devil’s Backbone has us under its spell. I could ramble on and on but my memory is fuzzy for some reason and I really think you’ll learn everything you could possibly want to know about this beer by just listening to the show below or on iTunes (WARNING: Tonight’s episode is NOT for sensitive ears. I blame The Devil.)

THE FILM – IT FOLLOWS

I have a confession to make – I may have, possibly, been too critical of this film on the podcast. Damn you Devil’s Backbone!!! But in all honestly I can’t entirely place blame on the beer. Any time a film is publicly touted by many as “Carpenter-esque” my level of judgment and the high standards that I’m going to apply to that film immediately skyrocket. Hell I’m the guy that wants to make a film where every single frame is pulled from a John Carpenter film, remember?

While I do stand by my criticism of the “musical” score as amateurish and distracting it should be noted that the other TNCC members enjoyed it and felt as though it worked effectively in the film. And that was just one of many debates we had over “It Follows”. The biggest question we wrestled back and forth with was “What exactly is It Follows?”

Is it a straight-forward traditional horror film?

Is it a cautionary tale warning young adults of the inherent dangers of sexual tomfoolery?

For answers, let us turn to a respected man who always has valuable insight!

“It’s my opinion that It Follows could possibly be both these things and potentially much much more but for now… it’s just too soon to tell.”

Well that got us absolutely nowhere. Why exactly do we keep The Doctor around again? The truth is we all have different opinions on exactly what is happening in “It Follows” and that’s perfectly fine with me. It makes for a very lively discussion on the podcast as we discuss all the possibilities and theories that our unsober minds can conjure up.

There’s Just Something About Maika

One thing that we all agree on is that nobody does John Carpenter like John Carpenter himself and that Maika Monroe is a very talented young actress who we want to see more of. After her work in “The Guest” and now “It Follows”, she’s on The Tuesday Night Cigar Club’s radar for sure. And that’s not just the 8% beer talking!

THE NUB

While discussing the Sleepaway Camp films on Episode 14, Tuttle asked Mense and I what were some shining examples of modern horror films done right. We sadly, as lifelong fans of the genre, were unable to give an extensive answer to that question and that’s how we came to tonight’s show. Critics and fans seemed to universally give “It Follows” a giant Thumbs Up and I can see why. It took me some time and lots (and lots) of beers but I can now see why. It utilizes the style and tricks of the true Masters like Carpenter and Craven to tell a story that we haven’t seen or heard told quite this way. So go rent “It Follows” and support original cinema. And have fun with it, don’t be a super critical dick like me.

Thank you for checking out The Tuesday Night Cigar Club and we’ll see you next time when we review another cigar, adult beverage, and film. May the wings of liberty never lose a feather.

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