Neil Halstead - Home For The Season is a track that will be appearing on "This Warm December Vol. 2" which also features tunes from Jack Johnson, G. Love, Matt Costa and the rest of the Brushfire family, check it out at http://thiswarmdecember.com.
Surely, and without question, Neil is the beardiest of them all... so, enjoy this beautiful tune, and we here at Build-a-Beard hope you get home for the season, and get there with a full on beard (or mustache).
"Be afraid..." - Ricky Gervais
Two years ago, we were enthralled with John Hamm's beardiness, the beardos turn out, and the ratio of beaded winners... Last year though, we were disappointed with the show, the hairless turn out, the winners, the show, the people, the show...
What can we expect this year? Well... whatever happens, happens... at least, the very least, the beard attached to Ricky Gervais will be back. And we are not afraid, neither is Lenny Bruce.
"We must depend upon the Boy Scout Movement to produce the MEN of the future. " - Daniel Carter Beard
Daniel Carter "Uncle Dan" Beard was an illustrator, author, youth leader, and social reformer who founded the Sons of Daniel Boone in 1905, which were later merged with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA)... he also had a pretty bitchin' goattee.
Well, more than 70 years after the death of Uncle Dan... the boy scouts finally started producing men of the future. And if you wondered, the men of the future will look like children with beards. Way to prove it Boy Scouts of America, well done.
The center of Amish life in America is closer to a donut than a whoopie pie. The outlying farmland of Lancaster, PA, is dotted with silos, buggies, propane tanks and volleyball courts. But the center of town is conspicuously devoid of the Donegal-sporting men of humble buttons. Not for lack of an invitation, though.
"The Amish are America's original beardsmen. And we would love for you to be a judge," Phil Olsen told a suspender-clad father of five in the last minutes of Amish camp Friday afternoon. The deal-breaker, as it probably would have been for any Amish he'd have asked, was the photography issue. Amish don't cotton to having graven images made of them or their families. And as many of the contestants Saturday will attest, the moment a beard entered Clipper Stadium for the Second Annual Beard Team USA National Beard and Moustache Championships, camera time was unavoidable. Moreso this year perhaps due to a certain IFC reality show. Even seasoned bearding veterans could feel the momentum and stigma of Whisker Wars hanging over the competition. The show undeniably attracted a new breed of fan, giving the Championships a noticeable boost in attendance. But that same attention was painted with an expectation of drama and politics.
Jon Rice"Is Jack Passion really a dick? Are the Texas guys really that petty? How much of that show is real?" cooed a Whisker Wars superfan whose own whiskers appeared about as old as the series. Myk O'Connor and Jon Rice, who were waiting in the same will call line, were patient and polite, neither of them indulging in the opportunity to perpetuate the hype.
And there the hype stopped. On-show rivals competed on-stage together without a hitch. With the exception of the evil fifth Teletubby accosting Jack Passion at one point, most controversy revolved around the newly minted Full Beard Groomed category.
At last year's Nationals, the more tightly cropped among beards were forced to compete in either Full Beard Natural or Freestyle, leaving world-class Verdis and Garibaldis to stand alongside the likes of Aarne Bielefeldt and Willi Chevalier. The Full Beard Groomed category was designed to mitigate this issue and give those with shorter growth a fair chance to compete.
"It's a step in the right direction," remarked John Myatt, whose immaculately trimmed, crimson Verdi took top Groomed honors, "but there needs to be more categories. There were a bunch of big, wonderful beards that weren't very groomed."
Gormon wasn't alone in that sentiment as category talk occupied the bulk of the Beard Team USA meeting the next day in the Lancaster suburb of Intercourse, PA. There, concerns were voiced for category fairness, the limitations of the English language and the marginalization of moustaches.
But after a meeting of mild grievances, competition announcements, screening invitations, Vegas talk and one wedding announcement (congrats Steve and Savannah), it was just a pleasant afternoon of beards, pulled pork, a couple Amish kids playing volleyball nearby and Jack Passion being photographed on a swing.
This story was lovingly and kindly written by Build-a-Beard's first ever freelancer scout and gonzo journalist, John Benedict (aka America's Beard). From the bottom of our hairy hearts, thank you John!
"Banks don't like beards." - Steve Jobs, 1999
It is with great sadness we inform you of what by now you already know... The icon of beards in Silicon Valley (perhaps anywhere), the most innovative beard of all time, the sage of the fruity tech and the ultimate proof that beards and dreams go together, Steve Jobs has passed away at the age of 56.
We will miss you Steve (we miss you already), but we know you're in a better place... side by side with the almighty, another long time successful beardo. When he checks his iList at the Pearly Gates, you're sure to be right at the top.
Your iBeard has always been everyone's Beard, and it will live on in all of us.
Tweet tip to Matthew for letting us know that Mike Monteiro is not only working on a first mailing for Quaterly, "a subscription service that enables people to receive physical items in the mail from influential contributors of their choice," but also that Mr. Monteiro sports one monstrous beard that could easily rock his own face off.
Check out the power:
(Photo credit: Quarterly)
Happy weekend beardos! We love being woken up by a buzzing phone, especially when it's with a new hairy find attached to a face of an old friend attached to it.
Check out the new beard kid on the tumblr block, {Beardsoup}, whom today featured a great old friend of B-a-B, Gary W Norman of The Society of Bearded Gentlemen (aka THE Buddha Bear).
Good stuff. Looks like Tumblr is getting quite the influx of late in the beard food category; cupcakes, soup... what's next, cream cheese? pizza?
We LOVE a good comedy skit, a cute video or picture with hairy protagonist... let alone two! And more over, we LOVE knowing what happens to wind up in people's beards.
So, take some time off this friday afternoon and check our this item sent to us all the way from the great state of Minnesota. This is the first (?) in a series (?) asks the question we all want to know: What's in your beard?
With utensils or a proper comb?
(Via BuzzFeed)
Keep this sage advice in mind when watching tonight's premier episode and any of those that follow... (the full interview and 2nd attempt can be found here). I will just add that, the beards on Whisker Wars transcend reality, they then for sure transcend reality TV.
A little late here (forgive me, I've been in Berlin scouting beards - more on that soon), but Philadelphia’s School Police are implementing a new dress and grooming code that bans goatees and soul patches, but permits beards. Besides the ban on goatees and soul patches, facial hair "just below the lower lip and above the chin," are also forbidden for men on duty.
As reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, "District spokeswoman Shana Kemp said Patterson was seeking to address "ineffective past culture among school police officers" and establish "a sense of discipline among officers."
So why are beards allowed? The same district spokeswoman noted, "beards are allowed in order to make allowances for those officers with religious preferences and those with skin conditions that are affected by constant shaving."
Michael Lodise, president of the union representing 635 part and full-time school police, stated that "I have guys calling me every day about the grievance. They want to grow it back."
But Philadelphia School Police are not the only law enforcement (or city) enacting these "groom" laws.
Not that we need more proof on the popularity of beards in our culture, but a recent infographic focusing on Kim Kardashian's $2 million dollar wedding ring used the length of beards (and proper coloring) to determine just how long it would take the average man to save up enough money to purchase this monster if he didn't shave.
So if you are hoping to score a ring the size of your ass as well - best to focus on CEOs and surgeons.
Berlin first caught our eye back in 2005 (before this blog was born), for the World Beard and Mustache Championships that were held in Germany - and hosted by the Berlin Beard Club (founded in 1996). But more recently, in 2011, Elmar Weisser, a German hairdresser, scooped the title of World's "Best Beard" after impressing competition hosts in Norway (his beard sported a moose and the Norwegian flag).
Not surprisingly, Weisser has a long history of winning - taking the title in 2005 in Berlin with his beard in the form of the landmark Brandenburg Gate, and 2007, dominated in England for his recreation of the Tower Bridge. Not to be outshone, Karl-Heinz Hille - also of Germany - won a 5th straight gold medal in 2011 for rocking the Imperial Partial Beard category.
Germany and the United States have traditionally dominated this eccentric contest - but beyond the world of competitions, Berlin has also made headline news in fashion. Remember in 2010 when German designer Patrick Mohr decided that his female models should be bald and sport molting beards? It was the most talked about show in all of Berlin Fashion Week.
So with all this intrigue, does it come as any surprise that Bab co-founder, Riss, is going to be heading over to Berlin for a few weeks to see if this capital can hold up to its reputation as the premier city that exudes God-like hirsute powers?
If you're living abroad, please show her the best bärte in Berlin!
(Photo: Elmar Weisser)
Sad news today, beardos. Ryan Dunn, best known for his antics on "Jackass," has died in a car accident this morning in Pennsylvania. He was 34 years old and provided numerous laughs on the show along side his friend, Bam Margera.
Further details are still coming in.... You'll recall that in May, Build-a-Beard also had to report on the car accident that took the life of Randy Savage.
BaB's thoughts are with Dunn's family.
As you may or may not know, we love both kiwi folkers Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, of Flight of the Conchords fame… we love them each for different reasons. Jemaine for the burns and Bret for the beard; Jemaine for his classical guitar skills and Bret for his steel string strumming; Jemaine for the baritone and Bret for the shrieks... but now, well... honestly, we're just confused.
This was the beard god of FoftheC:
Now, thanks to the kind consent to share this shot from a few days ago from our good friends Pearl and the Beard, this may be the new beard god of the duo, judge for yourself...
Photo credit: Marianne Ways
For a mere $12 on June 10th - you can see for yourself as well, but trust us that we're already sitting here aching.
"Josh T Pearson is a wonderful solo artist who came to prominence with his legendary, incendiary trio Lift To Experience (1996); highly regarded by all of us who know our shit from our shine-ola. Pearson is a fully bearded gentleman from Texas who now lives in Berlin, and sometimes hangs about in Paris too." - Bella Union Week
Check out Josh on SoundCloud.
Sorry to bring you sad news on a Friday, but we have to recognize and commend a fallen beardo... a macho beardo, a beardo so macho that he wrestled dudes for over 4 decades every day in spandex pants and tassels, a beardo who's trimmed beard spoke for himself, that is when the mouth wasn't screaming OH YEAH!
That's right, you got it... we are sorry to report that Randall Mario Poffo, better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, died today in a car accident in Florida (as reported by TMZ)... his black (turned snow white beard), will be remembered for years to come... definitely saddened by these news, he was an early inspiration for me to grow a beard, and to eat slip jims...
We would like to posthumously award Randy the title of Beardo of the Month. OH YEAH!
(November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011)
