About The SC: When we last saw The Smoking Christian in 2007 he was spending an alarming portion of his days in the garage, smoking. Smoking and thinking. Smoking and thinking and writing. Asking: Is there life after death—that is, the death of a career and a marriage?
Yes, our hero has had much to write, think and smoke about, having witnessed first-hand a migration from the highest levels of the advertising world, through the depressing loss of a marriage that, interestingly, ended when his income was shaved by, say, 99%.
But life after death of career goes on and, after consulting an Indian Shaman in the Mohave Desert, Peter has found his voice again… and some paint, brushes and other strange tools that he uses to express on canvas some of what’s going on in his head. The back patio is a much healthier place to ruminate. Fresh air and ventilation for the cigarette smoke, the sound of happy golfers on the nearby course. This all makes for some care-free days. The creative juices once applied to corporate capitalism are now funneled into his art and writing.
Along with the painting will be regular essays, observations and other fun entries in this blog. We will follow the Smoking Christian as he processes life after death.
Now, you may be wondering, who the heck is the writer of this 3rd-person narrative?
Recall that Johnny Carson had Ed McMahon. David Letterman has Paul Schaffer; Jay Leno has Kevin Eubanks. Well, the Smoking Christian–aka Peter Mooney–has J. Michael Key with him in the broadcasting booth today. If Peter perhaps reflects some of John Lennon’s view of the world, then perhaps Michael is Paul McCartney with much less talent and money. If you ever read anything remotely complimentary of Peter, it will have been written by Michael.
So Michael will jump in now and then, to help finish a chorus or add a line to a verse. We also have a cadre of (slightly-too-well) educated thinkers who will add a post or article under our Other Voices department. But the dominant voice will be that of the Smoking Christian, pondering life after death of a 25-year career. Any complaints should go to him.
Stay tuned-
We’ll be right back after these words from our sponsor!
