The Cigar Crew (Interview)

I was sitting outside at the Starbucks in Bella Terra simply doing my homework when the old man at the table behind me captivated me. He was posted up in his lounge chair smoking a cigar with three other cigars to the right of him. Then several other men sporadically began to join him, all posting up with a cigar wrapped around their pointer fingers and thumbs. A stranger walked by inquiring, "Are you folks the cigar crew?" "Yes we are" replied one of the men, and that conversation ignited my sense of interest to conduct my first interview with people I've never met before. (All of the following photos are film from my in interview.)

The names of the fellow men making up the "Cigar Crew" are Lanny, Roy, Dave, John, and Rick. They've all met in various ways, through long term friendships, to intertwined connections, to Lanny's experience in simply passing by 10 years ago and meeting up with them ever since. In fact, they've moved locations three times and Lanny still always finds a way to meet up with the cigar crew, some true dedication haha. But the man who brought most of the men together was a teacher at Goldenwest College who passed away and may we bless his very soul for uniting the cigar crew together.

The cigar crew meets on every Monday and Wednesday stating that they have "very boring lives" but I find this ritual to be a beautiful symbolism of their long lasting connections - one that is joined through the bond of cigars. In fact, most of these men have been smoking cigars for at least 20-25 years. John gave me an interesting insight on the essence of smoking cigars stating that "smoking cigars is different from smoking cigarettes. You can't go out on a 15 minute break at work and smoke a cigar. Smoking cigars involves conversion, contemplation, and talk about withdrawal. Smoking cigars is something that is an acquired habit and young people just aren't interested in it yet. Cigarettes aren't the same thing - too much is being passed around. People pass us by all the time asking for cigarettes but we never have any - only cigars. Or people pass us by and either complain about the smell or say they love the smell. But I've realized ten years ago that it all depends on their opinion of smoking or whether or not that person had someone they loved who smoked cigars...and it has to be someone they loved because that factor takes them back to the memory."

John did such a phenomenal job in dissecting what it means to smoke a cigar or more so, what it means to be in the cigar crew. Smoking cigars is a practice, a way of expression, a way of life lived among these men. I then channeled through the interview asking more personal questions that were directed at expanding upon each individual.

Melissa: "If you could describe yourself in two or three words, what would they be?"

John: "Handsomest man in the world"

Roy: "Mr. Wonderful"

Lanny: "Old guy who used to"

Lastly, I wanted to wrap up my interview with a profound closure that entails an empowering message in which we can all reflect and learn from.

Melissa: "If you had something you would like to say or a word of advice for the current generation what would it be?"

Lanny: "Live long, set goals, and go to college."

Dave: "Don't listen to everything your professor says, use common sense."

Rick: "Look at what's truly important to you, or in other words stay set with your values because so many times people wander away from things and make excuses of 'oh that's no big deal' but stay true to it, stay conservative."

John: "You need to set a goal and work towards that goal. Be patient because it won't happen tomorrow, it make take years even. I think that young people want instant gratification, like 'I want this not' or 'i want to go out and buy a million dollar house' where most of us had to work for years and sometimes even decades in order to afford buying a house. So set goals and be patient, you'll get there, just don't give up on it."

Roy: "Don't take everything as the truth, start searching for yourself...and bring a cigar when you come."

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