“Not any fun if I have to ‘splain em.” Smorgass Bored
Well it's been a while. I am not much of a blogger although I should be since I really do write a lot on several forums I participate in. The John Barton update for this year is that my wife Karen and I are about to have our first child. Woo hoo! I am pretty scared but it's time I had something to be responsible for that I don't feel like I could walk away from at any time. The case business is doing well despite the slow economy. Money might be tighter but people's dreams don't die and when it comes to custom cue cases we are one of the few who can and will do just about anything so that keeps us rolling along. I also started another line to pay tribute to a pioneer in tube style cases. Jay Flowers pretty much invented the genre of cases that use plumbing and electrical tubes to make cue cases. He wrapped them in a distinctive covering of tooled leather using a wide variety of patterns and pockets and handles and straps and lids. He didn't tie himself down to just one way to build cases, didn't just offer a narrow set of options, and basically he inspired a generation of cue case makers to try their hand at the craft. My first "fancy" case that I owned as a young player was a J. E.F. Case as they were really called. Of course everyone now just calls them Flowers cases. I felt like a world champion whenever I walked into the pool room with that case. Jay really doesn't get much credit for the style he created though and people like Dennis Swift and Jack Justis who both make incredible cases get more credit simply because they are still active. I feel it's important to remember our roots and so I created the J.Flowers line to showcase what the man did and give him credit for the style. I met Jay once in Las Vegas while I had a booth there selling the Instroke cases, the last brand I created. We chatted for a while and Jay gave me permission to make a Flowers style case. I promised to call him later and discuss the details and never did. Sadly Jay passed on before he could see what I could create in his honor. Just today I received a gift from another person who stands as a giant among men in my eyes. Doug Wiley, aka Smorgass Bored on more internet forums than I can count, sent me Jay Flowers' personal case and according to Doug it was Jay's very first case. Doug had asked me a year ago if I would make him a case in trade for this one.  He was especially enamored over one we called the BasketCase, which stood out by it's extensive basket weave pattern stamped all over it. I agreed and it took me a year and prodding from Doug to get this done. Doug's case is called For, Um….Insanity Doug says he is very happy with it but here is what brings me to tears over the deal. Doug is someone who spends a lot of time online and what distinguishes him from most others in the forums is that he is so very funny and sharp and ALWAYS comes in at just the right time with the right line to break everyone up and cause general laughter. I completely regret that we once had cross words a decade ago, but as usual he made everyone laugh while upbraiding me. Now, he is not doing too well and still he remembered me enough to know that Jay's case would be so meaningful to me. He could have easily sold it and probably would have gotten far more money than the case I made for him is worth. I really have no words to describe the incredible generosity that Doug's gift is and what it means to me. I hope that Doug recovers from what is ailing him. It's serious but not insurmountable. We need him and more like him to keep reminding us that things that we get upset over are not nearly as serious as we think they are. Best of luck Smorg and thank you for all the laughs, now get your ass in gear so we can have you around busting on us for the next 50 years!
