“Jesus turned the water into wine. I turned it into damned liquor.”
That’s legendary moonshiner Popcorn Sutton, talking to my buddy Tom Jester during one of Tom and photographer Don Dudenbostel’s visits with Popcorn. The duo ended up with an amazing chronicle of the ornery, contrarian mountain alchemist. The News Sentinel’s Fred Brown did a nice piece today on Tom and Don’s work with Popcorn, and it reminded me of the dividends I received from their work.
First was a jug of Popcorn’s moonshine that Tom nabbed for me. It was amazing. Much smoother than I’d envisioned. I still have a bit of it stashed in the back of the freezer, and I’ve saved the half-gallon jug it came in, autographed in true Popcorn style: “Popcorn Sutton sez Fuck You!”
Second was the photo that appears in this post. It’s one of Don’s shots that Tom gave me, and it’s just one example of what an incredible photographer Don is.
And finally, there’s this sound file (12mb MP3) that Tom sent me. It’s Popcorn Sutton telling it like it is. It’s raw. It’s funny. It’s a fine tribute to the late, great moonshiner.
