Inside the Parlor

Dad’s Parlor began as an idea for a whiskey tasting room. Not a bar. A place to find good people, have engaging conversations, and have good whiskey.

I realized that it didn’t have to start as a physical place. I could build the groundwork virtually. I could start with the things I wanted to explore: writing, history, cars, artistic expression, curiosity, and creativity. Of course, I can do it all over a dram. 

Whiskey has its own history or exploration, innovation, philosophy, and flavor. Many great thinkers like Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner were known to enjoy a pour before, during, or after their work. It can calm the nerves, focus your attention, and open up a conversation by sharing it with the people you care about and even strangers you just met.

You’ll find a heavy influence from my grandfathers throughout Dad’s Parlor. I was named after both of them. 

One made his name in the racing world, an engine builder, and an entrepreneur. The other spent 30 years as a teacher at a school for the blind, served as his town’s roads and walkways commissioner, and later its mayor. He was also a family historian and part of several historical societies and associations to help preserve the stories, knowledge, and art of the past.

I find real humanity in all of those places. The rebellion, freedom, ingenuity, and expression are the core of the world of hot rods and racing. You’ll find real human choice, sacrifice, heartbreak, and joy throughout big and small events in history.

When I explore these things in fiction, my preference is in horror. I find that you can explore what really makes us human in horror.

When I explore them in nonfiction, it’s through a focus on how and why. Dates and places are only important when it can answer those questions. Good stories don’t care about what year it was. Good stories are good because of the conditions that led to it.

Dad’s Parlor is my place to open the doors to my explorations. It’s a place to share my stories, my research, and my ideas hoping to encourage others to follow their curiosity and share their creations the same way.

I hope you’ll join me.

Jimmy Bunty