Fear the Beard, Not the Broad

Last week, B-a-B blogged about the trend of post break-up beardos (aka: those that grew a beard after being dumped as a final f-you act or those that grew a beard after breaking some partner's heart).  We put a call to action - we wanted to interview someone who fit this description - and the extremely talented Max Dana answered the call.  

Max runs the popular blog 'Dissentertainer' - dedicated to uncovering the hidden treasures of music, film, art and the culture at large.  More importantly, he sports one fine looking beard after experiencing some heartache (Note: I've known Max for years - and it's completely the girl's loss - he's a New York City gem). 

Recently, we sat down over beers and discussed Max's hairy tale.... when his beard "became a man," the experience of growing an epic Civil War-style beard, how beards are "catnip for girls," and how Max balances both his mod & lumberjack facial hair styling....

BAB: How long were you dating and why did you choose to grow a beard after the relationship ended?  
Max: We dated for about a year, but I didn't give birth to the beard until a few months after we broke up. It was actually more of an "accidental beard" and didn't initially have anything to do with my ex, but I don't love it any less for being unplanned or conceived out of wedlock. 

BAB: Did the post break-up beard start as a mustache and grow into a beard - or did you decide to go all out?  Was it a conscious decision? 
Max: I grew the beard as a form of self-defense. At first it was just some light scruff that I was sporting after a particularly lazy Labor Day weekend. I was a few weeks away from my 30th birthday and facial hair seemed like a really grown-up thing that I had never tried, so I decided not to shave for the rest of the month.  

A few days into the experiment, I let the ex-girlfriend in question take a shower at my apartment while I was at work because she had been sleeping at her office and needed to clean herself up before visiting apartments that night. I told her to be gone by the time I got home and to leave her set of keys behind, but of course she was there upon my return.  Further, when I got back to the apt, she didn't want to leave. When I insisted that she leave she got a little crazy and a little violent (note to self: don't leave box cutters around the house), so I decided to take an evening stroll to the local police precinct.

She was gone by the time I got back, but the next morning I noticed that my underwear felt a little breezier than normal and discovered a gaping hole that had been slashed in the crotch. She had apparently used my time at the precinct - to not only cut up most of my clothes - but also to fold and hang them up perfectly so I would discover a little bit more of her "crazy" each and every morning.  That was the day my beard became a man.  I abandoned my plan to shave it and decided to wear it as a disguise instead.

BAB: Did your ex see you with a beard weeks or years later - did she have any comments (good or bad)?
Max: She may have seen a photo online because she was cyber stalking me for a good three months after that, but she never saw it in person. I'm sure she would have hated it because she would have understood the meaning behind it. It wasn't until I grew the beard that I also grew the balls to finally change my phone number and excommunicate her permanently from my consciousness.  

BAB: How long have you rocked a beard since this relationship ended? 
Max: I kept it for about a year, but eventually had to shave it off for a show. It's hard to maintain a consistent beard as an actor unless you have branded yourself as a beardo, but once in a while you get to really go for it. Last year I grew out an epic Civil War-style beard for a show based on a Faulkner novel. I felt like I got to know my beard in a new light. 

BAB: Will you keep growing it?  Why?
Max: My mod side and my lumberjack side are still fighting this one out, but shaving is a pain in the ass.  Besides, beards are catnip for girls so I don't see myself going clean anytime soon.

BAB: What does your beard mean to you?
Max: My father sported a super manly beard when I was a kid, but shaved it off recently, so my beard sometimes feels like the passing of the torch. It makes me want to learn how to restore muscle cars and hunt with a bow and arrow.

Max the Beardo

Dapper Days (and proof point on why beards are catnip to us ladies - meow...)

Clean faced Max (prior to the break-up)
 

American (Beard) Idol

It will be a bittersweetly hairless win if Siobhan Magnus goes all the way on American Idol this season...

As some (if not most, shamefully) have seen, last night on Idol, Siobhan's boss ("Booker") committed to not shaving his beard until his talented (ex?) employee is awarded the top title this year. If you were wondering, Siobhan is from Massachusetts and was a glassblowing apprentice before she was chosen for the show... we're assuming Booker was her mentor... a bit scary.

      

Either way, for the benefit of our devoted readership -- not due to personal interest -- we've tracked down the photos above from the man who made beards famous on Idol, and we have nothing but the most beardly respect for him... however, we don't have to root for Siobhan now, how can such a flannel happy beardo go to waste?! NEVER!

However, Siobhan's rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition"  is definitely something to behold... hear it for yourself (we spared you the judging, the "yo dawg, yo c'mon" comments and most importantly Miley's drivel)... but remember, don't root for Siobhan... root for Booker, thanks.

Grin & Beard It

With all the beards running around Hollywood these days, on the streets of Williamsburg, and the 'staches sported on Sunset Boulevard, Build-a-Beard wanted to examine what is causing the sudden burst of follicle fierceness (not that we're complaining).

It is believed by some that the recession has sparked this bearded trend - with more layoffs and fewer people in corporate America - there is no need to shave.  Yet Hollywood should tread lightly here - men should always grow out for the love and dedication of their facial fuzz NOT because of a 'trend.'  In the months to come, it will be interesting to watch what actors go beard and what actors go home.  But as of right now, men have realized that facial hair magically transforms the average zero into a bearded hero.  Afterall, letting hair follicles hang out changes a man's perceived masculinity (trust me on this - I am a woman - I know these things).   To this point, B-a-B is interested to know how many beardos got laid at SXSW vs. unshaved faces?  Think about it - SXSW is the Hipster Beard Mecca! We're sure the % of happy beardos leaving that festival is significantly higher than those who rocked nothing on their faces.... 

Yet the point about the recession brings up an interesting question - how has our bearded brotherhood impacted the razor business?  How are companies such as Gillette, Schick, and BIC combating our hairy army of awesomeness?  Surely, fewer men are picking up razors these days causing a definite backlash against the blade.  But shaving companies can rest easy - a recent report by The Global Industry Analysts (GIA) titled, "Men's Grooming Products: A Global Strategic Business Report," found that the world market for men's grooming products is projected to exceed $33.2 billion by the year 2015. This is primarily driven by a rapid rise of metrosexual male, innovative appealing products, growing middle class population, increased Internet connectivity, and universality of prestige across the world.

As far as Build-a-Beard is concerned, presitge comes from turning on, tuning in, and growing out. That said, we'd be interested in hearing from any shaving companies about their thoughts on the wave of lengthy facial follicles.  Email us for a possible Q&A. 

*LA 'stache tweeting @buildabeard spotted on Sunset

Pitt Stop To Boredom

Recently, NY Daily News reported that Brad Pitt was growing his kick-ass beard (respect points = +10) out of boredom (respect points lost = - 20).  As most fans of Pitt know, the actor has toyed with several stages of facial hairdom - ranging from a 'stache to goatee to a beaded beard!  The staff at Build-a-Beard respects all these stages, particularly the use of decorations in the beard (we love to award points for creativity), BUT to state that he is growing his beard out of "boredom" is LAME. 

Growing a beard takes commitment and dedication - it has nothing to do with being bored.  Build-a-Beard's theory -- Brad has no time to keep his unruly beard trimmed with six children running around: Maddox Chivan, Zahara Marley, Pax Thien, Shiloh Nouvel and his new set of twins; the boy Knox Leon and the girl Vivienne Marcheline.  So with six kids between him and Angelina - three being adopted and the other three biologically theirs - does not leave much time to trim, but does allow for boring bullshit answers to the media.

10 Qs with Josh Hamilton Rufer (@inmybeard)

It’s been just a few months since we welcomed Josh Hamilton Rufer (aka @inMyBeard) to our bearded family... but the site he created was dedicated to a full year worth of stuff in his beard has closed up shop... Whether by suggestion or by personal initiative, the hairy creations Josh injected into the web -- in some cases odd and in others melancholic, it was always entertaining -- is nothing short of amazing... the good news is he will keep the beard, or is a goatee?

Regardless, to commiserate over the news of the deadline’s passing, and to celebrate the 365 days of pure beard goodness, Build-a-Beard flew down to Alabama right after our exclusive meeting with Rocky and Balls in the UK, to sit down with Josh to take a look back... For the record, Josh's chin mane achievements are just about the only reason we'd go to Alabama... seriously.

B-A-B: What prompted you to embark on such an expansive (and dedicated) bearded adventure?

JHR: Near the end of 2008 I found myself in a creative rut. I wanted to find something that would force me to be on my toes inventive without consuming every moment of free time I had.

I was inspired by ZeFrank's year long project The Show, but didn't feel that I had something to say that was worth listening to. I decided that I should leverage what I did have. A camera a beard and a whole bunch of junk.

B-A-B: You do know that technically your beard isn’t a beard… it’s a Goatee… a fine one, but a Goatee nonetheless. Would you ever grow a full on beard? Why, why not?

JHR: Not to be contrary but I believe my "beard" is in fact a beard. Merriam-Webster defines a beard as "the hair that grows on a man's face often excluding the mustache." By That definition, What I have is a beard. One could even argue that my "beard" is not technically a goatee by the most strict definition, as a goatee is described to be "a small pointed or tufted beard on a man's chin." Though the term "small" is subjective, I assert that my beard would not generally be described as such.

I have wondered what I would look like with a full beard. In fact, I have even let my cheeks grow out a bit from time to time. Unfortunately, when I do so, the cheek hair appears sparse and splotchy. I am unsure if this due to an uneven distribution of hair follicles across the entirety of my face or simply an optical illusion caused by the new growth's proximity to my already substantial chin hair. Either way, I would have to shave the chin to give the full beard a chance. I'm just not sure I'm willing to do that yet.

B-A-B: Hm, seems like we’ve hit a nerve… we say, give it a whirl and #proveit when you’re ready, goat boy. Regardless, we’ve never seen your face… why the incognito approach?

JHR: When I first came up with the idea for this project, I took several test images to see what would look best. I noticed that most of the full head shots I took looked like pictures of me making funny faces. The fact that something was in my beard was easy to over look and if the object was small it could disappear all together. I knew that if my full face was in the images, the result would be a bunch of pictures of me... not a bunch of pictures of my beard.

For the record. I do have a face.

B-A-B: And a fine face it is Josh, not to switch topics of anything, but… How many of the items were suggestions? Or did you come up with most  of them yourself?

JHR: Most of the objects in my beard were of my choosing. Some days I selected an item that fit my mood or a theme. Other days, the item was the first think I found on my desk or. That said, I did get both fantastic and disruptive suggestions from friends and followers.

My new found Twitter and DailyBooth friends were very helpful.

       

@NutellaCoffee requested a romantic comedy DVD to counter balance a recent action video game. What she got instead was a copy of the video game Lips. @ReelVixen suggested a garden gnome. @Mary808 was awesome enough to snail mail me two vinyl figures for use in my beard!

       

My real life friends were far more likely to make suggestions that involved fire and the general destruction of beard material. After giving them the "I'm not lighting my face on fire" look, they were also very helpful.

B-A-B: What was the heaviest thing that was ‘In your beard’? How about the silliest?

JHR: The heaviest thing by far was the octopus soap dispenser. Though not that large, it is made of thick porcelain and full of liquid soap. I had to screw it's lid onto a small portion of my soul patch. I had to tense my entire face to keep the weight from pulling my bottom lip down. As for the silliest thing, that has to be the shaving cream. It sounded like a great idea at the time. I didn't take into account how it would lather when water is applied. I spent a long time trying to wash it all out before giving up and jumping in the shower.

      

B-A-B: You sure do seem to have had a LOT figurines in your beard this year… did you buy them special or is there a private collection you tapped?

JHR: I do have a small collection of figurines but eventually I had to make a weekly ritual of hitting the discount bins at toy stores for new and relatively cheap material. When Christmas came around I found lots of little treats taped to my presents. Most of the material for the weeks on either side of the holiday was of those extra gifts.

B-A-B: What is YOUR favorite ‘in your beard’ post? *ours is still the conjunction in your beard, but it’s close to the cupcake and candle… we like the danger factor.

JHR: My absolute favorite was the Halloween post.

I knew I wanted to have a costume for my beard that day and decided on the jack-o-lantern headed mummy. I was planning on wearing it all day so I spent the day before fitting the head and building a little skeleton out of metal wires so I could pose it. That morning was spent braiding the skeleton into the beard, wrapping the arms, legs and torso and then attaching the face. It was the most work I put into any of the posts but it was very rewarding to do it.

B-A-B: Build-a-Beard got two spots on the montage… we are honored… do you  read our blog? What’s your favorite post? #selfishquestion

JHR: Though I have sported a beard for several years now, I never though much about beard culture before starting IMB. I was amazed to see how many people were interested in beards. Since then I have been reading Build-a-Beard along with a few other sites. My favorite post was the one about the guy lifting small children with his beard. I felt that guy's pain.

B-A-B: There was a bald chin shot in the montage… when’s that from? Or are your follicle growing skills unmatched by mere humans?

JHR: Sadly I do not have super-human beard growing powers. The bald chin pic was my April Fools Day post. I wanted to fake shaving my beard so I photoshopped a friend's bald chin onto my face.

B-A-B: Finally, what’s next for “In My Beard”? Another year of awesome? Mass hysteria? A shoulder to cry on? TELL US!

JHR: The In My Beard project was a year long experiment and is now complete. The project archive will remain available on my site. If the good people of twitter continue to use the #inmybeard hash tag I may update the site to feature other user's pictures.

I will definitely be starting a new project soon but I haven't decided what that will be. I'm very open to suggestions and have even been talking with some of my DailyBooth and Twitter followers about ideas. Whatever I do next, I would like it to be a more interactive experience.

In short, I vote for mass hysteria. I think that would be a lot of fun.

=========================================================================

To catch the entire voyage from cover to cover... see below for the amazing montage that Josh put together to commemorate the end of such a hairy initiative and overarching devotion to the hirsute we can all be jealous of… take it away JHR:

Beard Building

We are not the only ones thinking about building beards... surely we've seen other blogs and sites that reference the build-a-beard moniker, but looks like the ultimate honor has to go to Canada, for erecting the Beard Building at the turn of the century... kudos.

Here's the download for all you architecture buffs (our Brooklyn Beard King included)... check out the brick beard while you're at it, our kind of builder!

(mostly via Wikipedia) The Beard Building is regarded as Toronto's first skyscraper, and was completed in 1894. Designed by E.J. Lennox, It was planned to be a nine-story, iron-framed structure, but it only reached seven stories when completed and was a more traditional wood/brick combination.

At the height (har har har) of its' time, the Beard Building was a bank at street level, a commercial and office tower, and a hotel. The building was named after George Beard, the original landowner of the site at Jarvis St. and King St. East.

Sadly, it was demolished in the mid 1930s, but surrounding structures, including St. Lawrence Hall, in the intersection survive to this day. The current site is occupied by a low rise condo development... depressing.

10 Qs with Rocky and Balls (EXCLUSIVE)

Whether from our posts on various sites (Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter), or your own hairy YouTube searches, by now you had to have heard of Rocky and Balls, The Beard Song, or at least figured out how awesome a ukulele can really be… We’ve been on this particular ‘Beard Folk’ bandwagon since connecting the seminal song to the overdub of Beardo: The Movie (another favorite) and swooning over it ever since that very moment on… but the story gets even better.

Seemingly following the Build-A-Beard 'all inclusive' philosophy, Rocky and Balls didn’t just want to recognize beards among the facial fuzz elite; to prove their true devotion to loving all things hirsute the duo went above and beyond their calling to raise money for Movember with The Mo Song… at that point the halls of Build-A-Beard were buzzing, we knew we had to find these two fair neighbors to the east, get into their heads and see what other fuzzy things we can uncover.

To scoop an EXCLUSIVE interview, Build-A-Beard’s own El Beardo gladly flew across the Atlantic over the weekend to sit down with Sophie Madeleine and Hannah Rockcliffe and get to the bottom of everything we and our readers were dying to know. Below is the resulting unedited conversation, and is our gift to you on this Monday, hopefully the three of us can make it a brighter day/week for y'all... and maybe, just maybe... the duo will love us for more than our beard now. Hopefully...

B-A-B: First things first, how did you meet and how long have you been singing together? What about the name… where’d that come from?

Rocky: I was flat-share-hunting because I was moving to Bath to start an MA in Songwriting. And, as fate would allow, I unknowingly came across the house of another prospective Songwriting MA-er, Balls!!

Balls: Yes, we met through a flat-share website, and I actually had to pay a membership fee just so I could message her back! She was worth it though!

Rocky: I moved in and we became great pals indeed. That was September 2007 and we've been "Rocky and Balls" officially for about a year now. The name is from our surnames and nicknames pertaining to our surnames. Rockcliffe and Ball.

B-A-B: I'd say it was worth it for sure, and a happy belated anniversary ladies! One of the pillars of your repertoire is The Beard Song, which is absolutely amazing, how did the idea come about?

Rocky: We had to write a song together for a University assignment, so we were thinking of all of our commonalities, the list was: fajitas, being a student, cats, and then beards! So we rolled with the beards idea.

Balls: Yes, a few weeks before the assignment I had just started writing songs on ukulele, and Rocky really liked what I was doing and wanted to write a song for ukulele too! I seem to remember it was a lazy Sunday and I was in my pajamas throughout the entire process. 'Twas a good day!

B-A-B: You say that the song was made by Balls to cheer up Rocky... what was Rocky so sad about?

Rocky: I was moving home from University early due to the terribly sad passing of my uncle (which helped inspire us to support the charity Movember with a song about Mustaches in aid of Prostate cancer) so Balls recorded a video of our song and sent it to me to cheer me up. And it worked!

Balls: I was in the middle of recording my album. I was getting a bit tired of it, but then I came across the lyrics to "that song about beards" that I had written with Hannah a few months before. It made me laugh so much that I thought Hannah should hear it because I knew she was going through a tough time. 

B-A-B: Do beards always cheer Rocky up? or is it Balls' uke playing that puts a smile on Rocky's face? We'd think a kazoo session can always help too...

Rocky: Laughs "just the sight of a beard can cure a frown!" springs to mind! When we get together there is usually a lot of cheeriness.

B-A-B: The Beard Song was used in the trailer of Beardo: The Movie... is that a big and furry honor? I’m sure you can get a private invite to the World Beard and Moustache Championships now (the theme of the movie), will you take up the offer if it comes?

Balls: A very big honor indeed! And if we ever receive in a invite to go to the championships we'd happily accept! (hint hint)

B-A-B: The Mo Song was a great charity initiative for Movember; was that your first charity work with the organization? How much did you raise?

Rocky: Yes, 2009 was our first bit of charity work using Rocky and Balls. We felt we wanted to raise some money and awareness the best way we knew how, and that was to write a song. We posted it on http://rockyandballs.bandcamp.com for download for the week leading up to the charity's event in London and managed to raise £350. We were so pleased to raise so much in such a short time and all the proceeds went straight to the charity.

Balls: Also, my Dad had the most amazing mustache for all of his adult life. He sadly died of cancer when I was in my teens, so when Rocky suggested the idea, I had every reason to agree to it!

B-A-B: Rocky, we have to admit, you look awesome with a stache…you donned not one, but two fake staches for The Christmas Song Song... why not during The Mo Song? 

Rocky: The tache's were a present and unfortunately I didn't own the mo's til after we had finished the video for the Mo song! 

     

(B-a-B: Rocky used it also for The Mo Song 'promo' as seen in middle picture)

 B-A-B: What is each of your favorite beard or facial hair style? Please say corporate beardos…

Rocky: I enjoy a dense but neatly trimmed beard on a man.

Balls: I concur, very much so indeed. I just visited the BUILD-A-BEARD website in order to research "corporate beardos", because neither of us had ever heard that expression before. And I THINK that is exactly what Rocky just described, no?

B-A-B: You just made me the happiest beard blogger alive! Let me compose myself, take a cold shower and switch topics… In The Gay Song you make it a point to say that your gay fans' beards are “always neat,” do you find that the straight beardos don’t upkeep their beards as much?

Rocky: Laughs some don't…

Balls: All the bearded men that I know have very neat beards, regardless of their sexuality. But our gay friends are very well groomed in general, and we wanted to express that in lyrical form. Plus, we love beards, so of course we're going to mention them at every opportunity!

B-A-B: ...And finally, what's next for Rocky and Balls? Any more opportunities for facial hair recognition in any future songs?

Rocky: It's difficult living so far away from each other to come up with regular videos. Although, we are brainstorming a new song at the moment, but its subject is a closely guarded secret! What other types of facial hair can we write about!? Eyebrows perhaps?

Balls: We're also traveling to Italy at the beginning of April to do a show in our respective solo guises, and the organizers have requested some Rocky and Balls songs as an encore!

Build-A-Beard on Tumblr

Many of you are wondering whether the Tumblr site we created will take over B-A-B.com... the answer is a resounding and forceful : NO, it will not. This will forever (and always) be our long form home... but as you know, we love Social Media and community engagement, as such we must tap into the various opportunities out there to promote awesome facial fuzz goodness... as such, we have been building out our bearded site on Tumblr.

If you haven't yet seen, you can find it here: http://buildabeard.tumblr.com/

Look forward to many Q&As and longer features on this site, but if you need a quick bearded fix throughout the day, check out our Tumblr or Facebook and Twitter pages (all linked up of course... so look at all if you like double up).

All the best and bearded,

El Beardo and Riss

Top 10 Artists with Beards

A little artistic education wouldn't hurt anyone right... get ready to be impressed (har har har), get into a surreal state (har har har), and admire the hairy expression (har har har) of these fine artists with beards. ANYway... Below is our ranking, based on clout as well as facial fuzz goodness... if you have something better (i.e. more accurate), please please let us know.

1. LEONARDO DA VINCI (1452-1519) – For better or for worse, Leonardo will be forever known as the author of the most famous painting of all time, the "Gioconda" or "Mona Lisa". But he is more, much more. His humanist, almost scientific gaze, entered the art of the quattrocento and revoluted it with his sfumetto that nobody was ever able to imitate.

B-a-B take: The Sang Real Beardo

2. TITIAN (c.1476-1576) – After the premature death of Giorgione, Titian became the leading figure of the Venetian painting of his time. His use of color and the taste for mythological themes defined the main features of the Venetian Art of the 16th century. His influence on later artists -Rubens, Velázquez- is extremely important.

B-a-B take: Venetian Beardo

3. CLAUDE MONET (1840-1926) – The importance of Monet in the history of art is sometimes "forgotten" by the fact that Art lovers tend to see only the overwhelming beauty that emanates from the canvas, ignoring the complex technique and composition of the work ( a "defect" somehow caused by Monet himself, when he declared "I do not understand why people want to understand my paintings, when it is enough to enjoy them). However, Monet's experiments, including studies on the changes caused by the daylight on an object at different hours of the day, and the almost abstract quality of their "water lilies" are clearly a prologue to the art of the twentieth century.

B-a-B take: Impressive Beardo

4. ÉDOUARD MANET (1832-1883) – Manet was the origin of Impressionism, a revolutionary in a time of great artistic revolutions. The "Olympia" or "Déjeuner sur l'Herbe" opened the way for the great figures of the Impressionism.

B-a-B take: Always confused with Monet Beardo

5. EL GRECO (1541-1614) – One of the most original and fascinating artists of his era, with a very personal technique that would be admired, three centuries later, by the impressionist painters

B-a-B take: Dark Pallet Beardo

6. VINCENT VAN GOGH (1853-1890) – Few names in the history of painting are now as famous as Van Gogh, despite the complete neglect he suffered in life. His works, strong and personal, are one of the greatest influences in the painting of the twentieth century, especially in the German Expressionism.

B-a-B take: Troubled Beardo

7. PAUL CÉZANNE (1839-1906) – "Cezanne is the father of us all." This lapidary phrase has been attributed to both Picasso and Matisse, and certainly it doesn't matter who actually said it, because in either case is true. While he exhibited with the Impressionist painters, Cézanne left behind the whole group to develop a style of painting never seen so far, which opened the door for the arrival of Cubism and the rest of the vanguards of the twentieth century.

B-a-B take: The Father of all other Artist Beardos

8. PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR (1841-1919) – One of the key figures of the Impressionism, he soon left the movement to pursue a more personal, academic painting.

B-a-B take: Pretty Eyes Beardo

9. REMBRANDT VAN RIJN (1606-1669) – The fascinating use of the light and shadows of his works seem to reflect his own life, moving from fame into oblivion. Rembrandt is the great master of the Dutch painting, and along with Velázquez the main figure of the 17 th century Painting. He is, in addition, the great master of the self-portrait of all times, an artist that had never show mercy at the time of depicting himself.

B-a-B take: Needs More Facial Fuzz Beardo

10. ROBERT NORMAN ROSS (1942-1995) – An American painter, art instructor, and television host. With his calm, patient demeanor, Ross came to prominence as the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, a television program that ran for twelve years on PBS stations in the United States. He parlayed this success into a commercial "Bob Ross" brand: an industry of art books and supplies. He died of lymphoma in 1995 at the age of 52.

B-a-B take: Happy Trees Beardo (aka Gone Too Soon Afro)

Update on 2010-03-18 18:41 by Buildabeard

Ok Ok OK! Fine! These artists should have been renamed to Painters... we get that art comes in many forms and is a very broad definition... apologies, didn't mean to leave anyone out, surely we'll subcategorize from now on.

 

Best,

Build-a-Beard

Mark Krayenhoff - Hail To The Brooklyn Beard King

As we happily announced last week, Mark Krayenhoff is Brooklyn's Beard Ball winner.  Mark is a fabulous architect in New York who recently granted B-a-B the chance to sit down for an exclusive interview with the man behind the glowing (but no longer growing) gray...  

How long have you grown your beard?  
I grew my first beard when I was 18, almost 34 years ago - and I’ve never been clean-shaven since.  I was crazy about facial hair ever since I was young and I was very eager to grow my own beard as soon as I could.  Over the years I’ve had a short beard, various forms of goatees, and for one summer, a mustache.

*Mark in picture series - "My Beard & The Weather"

Have you always admired beards?   
Most definitely – it’s part of being a man!  When I was a young teenager in the 70's I was dying to have big mutton-chop sideburns (think Engelbert Humperdinck), although they went out of style by the time I could grow them.  I always noticed bearded men like Glenn Hughes from the Village People, Kenny Rogers, Al from Home Improvements, or even Raymond Burr when he had a beard.

How long is the beard?  Is it still growing?
My beard reaches below my nipples.  The longest hairs are 14.”  It has reached terminal length, so it’s not getting any longer.  I was hoping it would reach my belt buckle like ZZ Top but this is where it stops.  (My boyfriend has a beard too, so we get compared to them a lot).  Also, my longest moustache hairs are 4 to 5” so I use mustache wax to keep them out of my mouth.  It’s like painful dental floss if the hairs get caught in your teeth.

*Mark in picture series - "My Beard & The Weather"

Being an architect in NYC, how is your beard received by your clients and peers?
I’m lucky – I work in a small firm that does mostly high-end residential projects, so most of my clients are sophisticated, intelligent people, so it’s not a problem.  I can imagine that some of them are surprised when they first meet me, but they soon realize that I’m good at what I do, and I’ve never had a complaint.  And for those clients who want something really new and original, I think my appearance is an asset.  They know they won’t be getting the same old thing from me.  It would be much harder if I worked in a big firm designing office buildings where the corporate culture was more conformist.

Who is your favorite famous beardo and why?
Jack Passion has a truly incredible beard – although I don’t think he’s famous outside of beard circles.

We noticed you were drinking beer at the 2010 Beard Ball... any advice on how to keep the froth from the 'stache/beard?
LOL – that’s a very good question!  You really have to change your way of eating and drinking with a big 'stache, but it’s more than worth it.  Once in a while I like getting beer foam on my 'stache so I’ll drink from a mug, but normally I only drink bottled beer to keep my mustache out of the way.  (And eating soup is even more of a challenge, because it’ll get in my 'stache at the same time that my beard is dipping in the bowl).

What did you enjoy most about Beard Ball Brooklyn, other than this honor?
It was great to have the opportunity to chat with other men about their beards.  I know it’s something that a lot of men think about, but they don’t often have the opportunity to talk with other men.  I often hear guys say they wish they could grow a beard, but their partner won’t let them, or they have to be clean-shaven for their job.  There is a lot of anti-beard prejudice out there, so it’s great to have a friendly place to talk about it.

Are you going to "go Beard or go home?!"
Absolutely! 

----------------------

Here is a special tribute to Mark Krayenhoff's hairy life -- 8 historical photos of his progress from 1980 to the present – short beard, various goatees, and now his long beard.  Note: progression from brown to white.

1980 - Mark's 1st beard – 22 years old

1991 - "The 1990s were all about goatees" – 33 years old
 
1994 - "Experimenting"

1995 - "Another goatee"

1996 - The least facial hair Mark's ever had as an adult – a chin strip - 38 years old 
1997 - Mark growing his beard long for the 1st time

1998 - "A bit fuller" - 40 years old

2005 – "Going gray quickly now" -  Shortly after this, Mark ceased trimming his beard completely

2010 – 52 years old - Brooklyn Beard Ball Winner.  
Mark's beard has reached maximum length and is mostly white

*Build-A-Beard would like to sincerely thank Mark for sharing his pictures - and allowing us insight into his awesome bearded journey. You make NYC proud, sir!

Presidents' Day Salute

Happy Presidents' Day to all you in the US! Hopefully you too have a lazily happy day (if not we are sorry, please try to keep up) to absorb some awesomely bearded factoids about our nation's presidents and their facial fuzz goodness (or lack there of)...

FACT: Before Abraham Lincoln (who had to be convinced by an 11 year old Grace Bell, FYI), no President had a beard (discounting Martin Van Buren who had a set of very large mutton-chops). So let's give good ol Abe the kudos he deserves for signaling the shift (however brief), and throw in some wishful thinking for George Washington as well (read: A Beard That Should Have Been: George Washington), after all, we get the day off mostly because of these two:

 

cool FACT: after Lincoln and all the way through William Howard Taft, every President except Andrew Johnson and William McKinley (of note: assassinated on September 6, 1901 in NY) had either a beard or a mustache...

sad FACT: no President has worn a full beard since Benjamin Harrison (who took office in 1889), and no President has worn any facial hair at all since William H. Taft (who's term ended in March of 1913)... told you this was sad, nearly a century without facial hair in the Oval Office...

summary FACT: Only five (5) US Presidents in total sported full beards. A glaring trivia question within this is that two (2) of these five were also assassinated (a horrifying 40%). Obviously, we do not blame the beards, and hope neither John Wilkes Booth nor Charles J. Guiteau did either. Regardless, our top Federally Bearded Idols of all time are:

• Abraham Lincoln
• Ulysses Grant
• Rutherford Hayes
• James Garfield
• Benjamin Harrison

There, now don't you feel more educated? And yes, you're welcome for getting the brown Trivial Pursuit piece on the first try next time... we aim to please, and we can also dream...

For more information about the beards, staches, and goatees of our elected (or not) leaders, visit Nicholas Whyte's all inclusive page: http://www.nicholaswhyte.info/presbeards.htm

The Story of the "Power W"

While out and about in my favorite Lower East Side bar, or should I say holy beer shrine (aka Burp Castle aka Shush Central) this past weekend catching up with Riss post the hairy awesomeness that was 2010 Beard Ball... I stumbled upon Glenn Chocky (aka @ChockyDude) sitting comfortably and quietly at the bar (next to a lovely facial hair enthusiast of the fairer sex), and was immediately drawn to his certain je ne c'est quoi... ahh who am i kidding, just LOOK at this gorgeous specimen of facial hair DIY!

Upon closer examination and discussions with him (and his lady admirer) I discovered that Glenn calls this fantastic facial fuzz iteration (he has had various styles for 5+ years) the Power W, works as a producer in the beauty industry and refers to beards as "a version of Samson on your face" ... i mean, how can you NOT like this guy, right?!

Well, we'll tell you how... you see, Glenn also resides in Brooklyn and even admitted to us that he was talking about the Beard Ball earlier in the night we met him, and how he should've gone, was encouraged to by others, read about it... but, in the end, he didn't... Dude, how you gonna miss an event like that so close to home, have you no sense of community?! Also, awesome Tumblr site (no really, keep at it!) and non working namesake website... you probably couldn't find your way from Park Slope to Greenpoint anyhow.

Truth be told Glenn, the Power W intrigued B-A-B enough to stick with you, but to be brutally honest here... if your Twitter bio didn't quote my (non bearded) idol Hunter S. Thompson, your pics may have found the cutting room floor (like your chin hairs)... but you've redeemed yourself in the end. We better see you next year (or sooner) if you want to avoid another hairy situation.

Anyway, thanks for being a good sport (we kid those we love) and remember... I wouldn't risk getting thrown out from Burp Castle just for anybody... consider your story told.

P.S. I hope you wound up going home with that lady friend that night... the Power W deserves to.

Valentine's Day: Feel the Beard!

In a recession economy, what better way to tell your partner how much you adore them than by committing yourself day & night to the art of facial hair awesomeness in the name of love? Ladies - imagine being greeted not with a bouquet of typical flowers, but showered by scruff that slowly blossoms into something greater - something more meaningful (and green friendly).  Your partner proudly confesses to the world - openly & through physical restraint of shaving - that he's "growing this for you." You get to watch (with awe and wonder) how his face begins to express his dedication to both the beard & yours truly.  That's the recent scenario (we said it better though) raised by PhillyBurbs today - and we almost fully agreed with the article up until the following:

I think beards are sexy. Well, maybe I should rephrase. Facial hair is sexy. Full-blown beards can be kind of hit-and-miss.

No way!  Full-blown beards are the balls to the walls types - the men that throw caution and razors to the wind - the kind that obviously take their love for facial hair (and the reasoning for their commitment to it) very seriously.... 365-days-a-year-seriously!  So lay off the big beards - and expand your horizons past chin fuzz.  If you think that is fun *wink wink* imagine the bigger possibilities.  (Ahem)

BREAKING NEWS: Gary Shaves... B-a-B Crushed

MAN, this week is a tough week for beards... as horrified as we were by Jon Hamm's razor capabilities, or as scared as the woman beardo from Seattle really made us... what we realized today was a blow to our inner and outer community more than even if Jon Hamm shaved that lady himself... Looks like Gary Vee (@garyvee), our beloved Bearded/Passionate/Wino/Beardo, has shaved his playoff beard! We know, we know, you too are crushed... believe us, we felt the slice of the razor all the way over here as well.

So, yes, it's true, the playoff beard is gone, will it return? we are not sure... will we miss it? Absolutely... do you like it when we ask and answer our own questions? probably not... Either way, this also means #garysbeardwatch is over... but we can't help but wonder and almost believe it's somehow our fault... or was it?

Were we not encouraging enough for him?! Did we not highlight the VaynerMedia hirsute (we did: VaynerMedia - Now Is The Time To (Grow Beards))? Did we not talk up Gary's facial fuzzness enough (we did: BREAKING NEWS: Gary IS growing a beard)? I guess, what we DIDN'T do is grab the last known photo of said playoff beard before Gary went to Indy (below) and post a #garysbeardwatch update... perhaps breaking the chain of Karma we were holding onto together...

Regardless of the truth, or even the reality... we will forever remember this as one of the more noble attempts at growth (it left us nearly as fast as it came to be), and as such these things tend to end in tragedy... even still, when people mourn some grow beards...

Gary you lost a Superbowl chance... we lost a beardo friend... let's commiserate together and grow another beard! What do you say!? or we can sulk together until the FireFly Sweet Tea Vodka runs out at #beardball...

RIP GaryVee Playoff Beard Dec 28, 2009 -- Jan 28, 2010 (we rounded up)

Sunday Morning Cartoons

We like traditions at B-a-B, and good thing there is a TON of great animation out there, so we're able to continue last week's trend... besides, don't say you don't like nor appreciate it. Beards, presented in cartoon form and on a day off; three of the best things in the world combined into one hairy, weekly post. Sit back, bask in the fact that it's just Sunday morning, grab some coffee and enjoy! 

The first is a cute (and informative) teaser of toxicjOEcartoons 's The Adventure Beardcomb! Says it should've been available this past summer and yet we can't find a trace of it... sad, and we do feel teased.

We particularly like the second video (via fayheady), not just because of its lovely elevator type, uber peppy chorale music in the background, but mainly because of the beard that fights back against those that wish it to be shaved... right on hairy brother; needy significant others take notice. 

The last one found us by way of, Beardo creator himself, Martin Fletcher and it's on the longer side (over 20 mins) because it's a full episode of Dexter's Lab, titled A Beard To Be Feared. Brilliant indeed, thanks for passing it along. 

Well that'd be all folks, hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday and what remains of the much needed recovery from the weekend's escapades. Chin up y'all!

Top 5 Beards at the Golden Globes

Before we jump into our round up, we'd like to point out one thing... there were undoubtedly more beards on a red carpet since the heyday of Hollywood or at least since last year's Beard and Mustache Championships... to us last night's awards event serves as just another example of the "Year of the Beard," we hate to tell i told you so... but we did, you know it.

The credit goes to Pop Candy and USA Today for making the first round up (their top 10 can be found here), for tackling this important ranking and helping us with the perspective on last night's facial fuzziness -- which Whitney Matheson called "last night's must-have accessory" -- and also to thefrisky.com for last year's round up (which can be found here).

Now that the accreditation formalities are out of the way, below are the winners and our top 5 (with a tie for 5th)... enjoy, and know that we know beards, so why argue...?

1. William Hurt -- Best All Around
2. Jon Hamm -- Best New Beard
3. George Clooney -- Best Salt & Pepper
4. Vincent Kartheiser -- Best Two-Tone
5. Jeff Bridges/Robert Downey Jr -- Best Goatee(s)

1. This magnificent facial mane was surely used as a distraction from crap on his shoulder... success!

2. If you will it, they will come with an awesome beard... YES!

3. It's George... with a beard... what's not to love... it's GEORGE!

4. Well, whatever this is, we think we like it... probably have to, Mad Men and all...

T5. We just love both of you dudes... and unlike beards, goatees rule only as much as those they are attached to.

Sunday Morning Cartoons

Good morning all, happy Sunday! You know what that means: cartoons, laziness and good ol bearded fun while dreading the week ahead... Here are a few clips to help you rise and shine and finish the weekend strong... You're welcome.

One Hero To Rule Them All...

I can't speak on behalf all of B-A-B community (or staff), but I've personally never been much of a comic book or super hero kind of beardo. However, I did always try to understand those around me that were/are completely obsessed with the trade, because real people are more fascinating.

That said, in comes Martin Fletcher (a fan on Facebook) and blows that whole perspective out of the water. B-a-B community, please meet Beardo, the bearded super hero (followed by several shots of the creator himself, with a fine style and chin mane of his own). Mr. Fletcher (can we call you Mr.?) what you did here is good, nay, great. Let this be a call to action for you to develop this character, and we'll post your strip on B-a-B... our door is always open for such talent and facial fuzz goodness. Think about it, and say yes.

Now, I will reiterate, i am by no means an expert, and yet Mr. Fletcher's initiative induced an interest within me to answer the burning question which superheroes have beards or other facial hair... I am not going to attempt to claim that i fully answered this question (you can see much more involved folks discussing it here, and here), but below are my top 3... I encourage a civil discussion.

Aquaman

Tony Stark / Iron Man

Thunder Strike

Don't Judge A Man (Negatively) By His Beard

Pogonophobia (n): Fear of beards

I am saddened to report that beard profiling - just like racial - is alive and well in the world.  Not that this should come as any surpise with numerous haters of beards out there, but it is rather shocking that some are beginning to associate 'beards' with 'evil.'  In addition, it's one thing to have a phobia... but it's quite the other to discriminate against the scruff. 

Here are some highlights taken from The Guardian article above (which you should read in full):

Reporter's admission:

My pogonophobia possibly stems from my own inability to grow one – it is well nigh impossible to tell if I have not shaved for three weeks or three months – but, at least in the case of Islam, beards and bigotry do often seem to go together.

Further down in article:

I don't want to tar all beardies with the extremist tag, but among Muslims possession of a big beard does seem a prerequisite to being able to rant and rave against the evil heathens of the west.

I just took one look at his beard, feared the worst and did a fast one.

Hair is hair... is it not?  This type of facial hair profiling... which we danced around in December when we mentioned Bank of America's odd beard policy (i.e. you cannot grow one) seems to be a bit outdated for 2010.  What's that song - free your mind, and the rest will follow?  (Yes, I just referenced En Vogue). 

Help this kid not fear the beard:

Finally, a reason to watch the Golden Globes!

Jon Hamm has grown a beard!

All bearded Mad Men fans rejoice, finally the star of a show where they seem to only allow one beard per season (hippie friend of Don's brunette lover in season one and Paul Kinsey starting in season two on), discounting the Bertram Cooper Van Dyck of course... Maybe Don Draper will follow Kinsey's lead on the show... that would be awesome.

That being said, The Huffington Post is stirring the pot by posting the photo below, in lieu of Paul's forthcoming Golden Globes appearance on Sunday (where he is nominated), accompanied by a "love it or leave it" poll.. we of course voted to love it. You should go help out, last we checked the sentiment was negative (27.09% love it vs. 48.88%, with 24.02% hoping he will shave by Sunday)... beardos unite!

Personally I don't think I've ever watched the Golden Globes (I do tend to exaggerate though), but now I think I'll have to... Will he? Won't he? We are on the edge of our seat... you?

Update on 2010-01-17 01:45 by El Beardo

Think we struck a nerve, both last night and with our "Year of the Beard" perspective... People Magazine is now asking... "From Goatees to Full Facial Hair: Are Beards the New Leading Man Must-Have?"

The answer, is simply... yes.

Update on 2010-01-18 16:45 by El Beardo

CONFIRMED: Jon Hamm at the Globes with the beard intact! Give yourself beardos a big round of applause... we did it. Huffington Post can go suck it... yeah we said it, we were less surprised than Jon himself.