Cigar Dave
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Zeplowitz, more commonly known by his nicknames "Cigar Dave" and "The General" - is the creator and host of Smoke This! - a nationally syndicated radio program devoted entirely to the Cigar smoking and collecting lifestyle.
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[edit] Radio Show
Cigar Dave's first Smoke This! broadcast occurred in July 1995, with one hour on WSUN Radio in Tampa, Florida. The show became an instant hit with his cadre of listeners known as "Cigar Lieutenants." Smoke This! quickly expanded to two hours and began national syndication in December 1995. Smoke This! is also broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio.
From his opening greeting of "Long Ashes!", to the national cigar-lighting ritual, The General - Cigar Dave provides his "Cigar Lieutenant" listeners with current news and information regarding cigars, local events, spirits, "dames," and other lifestyle diversions, in a fast-paced and lively format. Always "truthful" (as he says) and usually politically incorrect, the General "leads his troops" and "wages battle" in the fight against America's self-anointed "Pleasure Police" and "Big Pleasure."
The "Pleasure Police" and "Big Pleasure" are plays on George Orwell's Thought Police and Big Brother themes from the novel 1984, where governments and corporations combine mass surveillance assets to oversee all aspects of an individual's professional and personal life. In Cigar Dave's world, "Pleasure Police" refers to politicians and other public figures who The General portrays as striving to set (or strictly enforce) laws that would outlaw personal pursuit of otherwise legal pleasures - such as smoking cigars, pipes, and other tobacco products, and imbibing "adult beverages" such as beers, wines, spirits, and even coffee, in public. "Big Pleasure" refers to employers, insurance companies, and other organizations that would, for example, discriminate against employees, customers, or other guests, who might happen to legally smoke or drink, on their own time - even at their home - due to the perception of increased health risks to themselves and others they may come into contact with. These "Pleasure Police," according to The General, use outdated, flawed, and repudiated scientific studies to "prove" various health issues claimed to be caused by, for example, "second hand smoke." The General promotes adult enjoyment of these personal pleasures in moderation.
The General's loyal "Cigar Lieutenants" have bestowed upon him a long list of tongue-in-cheek cigar-related titles, including: The King of Coronas, the Pope of Panatelas, the Rabbi of Robustos, the Sultan of Smoke, the Professor of Puff, the Prince of Pleasure, the Cigar Sommelier, and the Connoisseur-in-Chief.
One of the features of the Smoke This! broadcast is the annual "Cigar Draft" [1], which mimics the annual Sports Drafts conducted by Major League Baseball and the National Football League. Listeners to the Live Program call in to the show, and select their favorite cigar by brand, version, size, shape, and vintage. Cigar Dave also hosts occasional on-air Tasting Events of various adult beverages, such as beers, wines, and spirits, and usually accompanied by a professional Sommelier, with the idea of pairing beverages with cigars of appropriate strength and character, so they complement each other.
The Cigar Dave Show - Smoke This! is broadcast nationally on Saturday afternoons from Noon to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, or tape-delayed, on over 90 radio stations across the United States. The program may also be heard live on the internet at SmokeThis.com or CigarDave.com. Smoke This! is also broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, and overseas on Shortwave Radio.
[edit] TV Show
In 2006, Cigar Dave began hosting his own television show called "The Cigar Dave Show." It currently airs on ABC Action News (WFTS) in Tampa, Florida on Saturday nights at 11:35pm and focuses on cigars, fine wines, grilling, and music around the Tampa Bay area.
[edit] Personal life
Cigar Dave is a native of Buffalo, New York, and is a graduate of Syracuse University in 1986. He now resides in Tampa, Florida, and traces his love of cigars to his grandfather, "Cigar Abe", who faithfully enjoyed Gold Label Cigars for many years.
When not pontificating about cigars and life's other pleasures, he enjoys (as he says) being "serviced by his harem".
