Scott Hutchison Keeps His Face Warm

What makes for the best day ever? For starters, when Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit tweets back at you that he would happily partake in a Q&A on your blog. 

Confession: I screamed, danced around the room, IMd three of my friends in all CAPS, tried to keep my hands steady and not drool all over my keyboard (I failed), and not gush over the fact that one of my favorite concerts of all time was when Frightened Rabbit played this past April at Webster Hall (#FAIL).  But despite all my failures, I somehow summoned the courage to focus on what was really important - it wasn't Scott - it wasn't the band - it wasn't the lyrics - it was THE MOUSTACHE.  

The following is one of the best Q&As to ever result on BaB.  So without further ado... 

Scott, you've written a lot about keeping yourself warm... is that why you decided to grow a moustache?  Tell us what inspired you to rock facial hair...
Scotland does get cold, and it's a secondary benefit.  The main reason is simply to try shit out.  I think it's a blessing that we, as men, are able to change the shape of our faces with varieties of hair growth and clipping.  Originally I grew it out of laziness, but over the years and miles on the road I've met many a finely constructed beard/moustache, and that encouraged me to do something new.

How long have you had facial hair?  What age did you 1st start experimenting with the growth process?
I remember my elder brother telling me when I was 17 to 'just let it grow out'.  So I did, and it was initially quite poor (a fact I am reminded of every time I open my passport (see photo below: barely visible fluff on the chin)).  But I persevered, and have pretty much stuck with it in one form or another ever since.

Growing up, what's the beard scene like in Scotland? Or Selkirk specifically?
It's not great.  There is a handful of cracking ones down in the Borders region, due to the large farming community.  But there are a few too many 'metal' styles emerging in the youngsters.  Long goatees and such.

Is this new moustache an extension of your growth as a songwriter or is your growth as a songwriter an extension of your moustache?
The songwriting came first, but I'm hoping to turn a corner in every way with this new moustache.  I feel more artistic already, and the longer it gets, the more progressive (aka 'prog') the music shall become.  Capes and wizard hats have already been ordered online.

Tell us the truth - did you get signed to Fat Cat because of your facial hair?
You would have to ask them, but I do suspect that it was a very big reason behind the label picking us up.  There is a clause in the contract that forbids me to have "facial hair shorter than 1cm in length".  If I shave, I get sued.

Will this mustache ignite a rivalry with former Hold Steady multi-instrumentalist Franz Nicolay?
I don't think of us as rivals.  It's a brotherhood.  Hopefully, I can now get access to the famously exclusive 'Super Lenin Hot Nightz' club in downtown Manhattan.  That's where I have heard all the good 'staches go to share stories and dance.

Does your girlfriend love your stache? 
She does.  If Sally didn't approve it would be a non-starter, but I am still surprised as to how encouraging she has been...  It bodes well for the future of my growth.

Thoughts on the current hipster/moustache handle bar movement?
Well, I can't really take them to task, as I am now involved in the scene.  I dunno, I guess mine is an honest moustache, grown organically and by sustainable means.  I feel like there are a few fakes out there who are hiding behind it, thinking it can detract from their essentially mundane existence and terrible stories.  A good moustache can only be an extension of your character, not your raison d'être 

Does wax make you a real man?
No.  Twirling does.

Would you cite Salvador Dali as a principal influence?
He was an absolute groundbreaker in so many ways.  I actually hate his paintings, but rather like his 'tache.  My main influence is an English artist named Billy Childish.  Now there is a man...

Scott's passport photo:

BEHOLD.  Scott's sweet 'stache:

Many thanks to Scott for participating in this interview.  We will see you on October 30th in NYC, and readers go support Frightened Rabbit.  

Oh and follow this blog: Cock Robin

Coney Island, Here We Come!

In association with Coney Island USA, Donny Vomit presents the 3rd Annual Coney Island Beard & Moustache Competition taking place on Saturday, September 11th, with pre-show/registration from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. and judging/show to follow.  Tickets are $15 at the door.

It's a celebration of facial hair - all lengths and orientations, artistic stylings, and unkempt scruff - highlighting our local favorite beardos and 'stache supporters.  Contestants have the opportunity to enter their furry faces in the following follicle categories:

• Best Moustache styled
• Best Moustache Natural
• Best Beard Style
• Best Beard Natural
• Best Fake (or real!!) Female
• Best in Show
• The coveted Worst in Show

Jennifer Miller, the lady with the beard, will also be in attendance cheering on the contestants and scratching her own facial fuzz.  In past interviews, Jennifer has been quoted as saying: 

"You’ve got Hair Club for Men: they all want it! It goes all the way back to Samson and his big mane of power. That’s why men don’t want women to have too much of it in too many places. So, here I am, a gal with a beard, prancing around the streets of New York.”

Rock on, Jennifer.  BaB realizes that September 11th is a tough date for our precious city, but this competition full of shock, awe, pride, and amusement, might be a much-needed distraction that offers some sort of relief for how heavy the city feels on that day.

Consider going - and growing.  

We Love @PhillyPhaithful

Trolling through the Internets, I came across PhillyPhaithful - the source for originally designed Philadelphia sports apparel.  

Old-school die hards from the city of Brotherly Love will appreciate this gem:

Of course this is in tribute to Mike Schmidt, the former Major League Baseball third baseman who played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies.  It rocks out.  

Today's Word: Stache

Oh, the wonders of our online communities! Every day it's something new, hairy  (and at times blue) that we borrow from our legion of hairy fans. Today, it's an inside look at how the next generation of beardos is learning about facial hair. As always, Sesame Street is quite enlightening...

We stumbled on this awesome piece by way of our good friend Eric Harvey Brown (shown in his full BTUSU glory) none other than the 2nd place winner of the Partial Beard category at the first ever National Beard and Moustache Championships... and, he even makes a cameo in this stache filled segment (check him out at around the 4:50 mark).

Breaking News: El Beardo Shaved?

It has come to my attention that El Beardo has done something crazy.  I don't know how to break it to our loyal readers and supporters, but he shaved.  There, I said it.  Best to rip the band aid off quickly. But that said, to add more salt into our gaping wound, he shaved for a corporate work event.

The horror.

I remember when Alex did something like this two years ago - same corporate event - that resulted in the following look:

But it seems that today, July 7th, 2010, will be a date which will live in infamy as our beloved beard has taken a blade to his face and magically changed into El 'Stache:

Alex will write an update to this post once the corporate event concludes.  In the meantime, please feel free to leave your condolences in the comment section.

Got 'Stache?

The National "Got Milk" Mustache Mobile Tour has been crossing the country since March (and will do so until September) to help celebrate special moments that families share around the dinner table... blah blah blah.... most importantly, it offers families a chance to sport 'staches. (BAB hopes that once they see how cool they look with milk 'staches - an epidemic of upper lip hair will result shortly after).   

From July 9 – July 13, the 2010 Milk Mustache Mobile “Milk the Moment” Tour will be cruising through New York City hosting free local events that feature a variety of fun and educational activities for the entire family. In addition, the tour also offers moms a chance to share how they “milk the moment” at dinnertime for a chance to win an unforgettable family dinner with Milk Mustache celebrity and chef Tyler Florence.

Tour Stops:

Friday, July 9
New York Aquarium
Surf Avenue & West 8th Street
Brooklyn, New York 11224 
10am-2pm

Saturday, July 10
NIKETOWN New York
6 East 57th Street
New York, NY 10022
9am-11am 

Sunday, July 11 
Brooklyn Children's Museum
145 Brooklyn Ave
New York, NY 11213
11am-1pm

Monday, July 12
New York Aquarium
Surf Avenue & West 8th Street
Brooklyn, New York 11224
11am-1pm

Tuesday, July 13
Bronx Zoo
2300 Southern Blvd
Bronx, NY 10460
10am-3pm

Freedom's Just Another Word For Growing Hair

What better way to spend Independence Day weekend than to also celebrate your facial hair freedom? This Saturday, July 3rd, The Whisker Club (formed in 1998) will be hosting the 2nd North American Beard and Moustache Championship.  The event will take place in the Pacific Northwest - Bremerton, Washington, USA.

All of those with facial hair are welcome to compete and the fee to enter is $40.  To watch the championship, The Whisker Club is asking that spectators pay $20, BUT this fee includes a buffet lunch with proceeds going to The Washington Veterans Home, which recently added a homeless shelter.  

To join The Whisker Club click - HERE.   

Females Prefer the 'Stache - Study Confirms

                                                One fish. Two fish. Red fish. 'Stache fish?  

You betcha.  It has been confirmed that the Mexican male molly fish can grow a type of mustache to lure their mates - and size DOES matter.  According to a recent article on PhysOrg.com, zoologist and professor, Ingo Schlupp at The University of Oklahoma, conducted the study where researchers caught and observed the mating behaviors of over 100 male and female Mexican mollies. This included measuring the length of the mustaches on those male fish which grew them.

The results -- on experiments involving those 100+ fish -- females consistently preferred males with mustaches.  What's more interesting, the same study* was conducted in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with hipsters, resulting in the same exact findings.    

Male molly 'stache:
 
Greenpoint hipster 'stache:

(*unofficial study based solely on my friends dating habits)

Dr. Phil Shaves... B-a-B Unfazed (but disgusted)

I guess we're 'sorry' to bring you such news this late... but it's because we're not going to pretend we watch the show...Yes, it's true. "Dr. Phil" McGraw... the twang-y, knee-slapping therapist... has parted ways with his stache of nearly 40 years. What's worse is the reason (O Magazine's 10th Anniversary Celebration Episode) and at whose hands... Oprah's.

Stache-acide (as well as Beardicide) are crimes punishable by banishment from our extended communities... but then again, we are more than 10 days late on these 'news,' clearly signaling that we've banished Dr. Phil from our psyche's long ago, so added punishment may be moot.

Besides, look at him now... kind of pathetic... not the therapist I'd like to treat me or my family... with or sans stache that is.

Either way, as you all know, you can slap a stache on a pig but it's still a pig.

Mane 'n Tail: Fear and Loathing in MHT

I was somewhere around the office, on the east edge of Manhattan, when the fear began to take hold. I was headed to LaGuardia Airport just as I read a headline about flights to Canada being delayed or canceled because of the ash plume... I got worried for a second, I remember saying out loud "NH is not that high up north..."

Heading to Manchester for a 30 hour business romp, I jumped in a cab, got through security and to the terminal in record time... now facing more than an hour at the gate before boarding... So, as always, I was scouting beards... While there were surprisingly many there that day, for some reason, I wasn't on my game... the blame has to be the rigid environment of airports and the overarching loathing of travel that would preclude me from approaching other high strung beardos... or we can just blame Eyjafjallajokull.

That said, I did see a gent with an interesting and very neat beard style (thick but short trimmed side burns, with a twice as bushy goatee)... Finally, I get on the plane; a worn looking sucker with two propellers, with the landing gear that somehow folds in side them... Scary... Res ipsa loquitur… Let the good times roll.

Upon landing in MHT, and making a B-line to the men's room, like clockwork I came across that very beardo! Clearly, the beard gods were making me tell him about B-a-B and comment on his awesome facial hair DIY... it worked before... so we get to talking, and lo and behold Mr. JD Wilson divulges the secret to his tidy bushiness... it's a product called MANE 'n TAIL... yes, as in horse.

JD went on and on (about bees wax) and on and on (about mineral oils)... all to assure me that yes, while it's true this product was originally intended for horses, it does work wonders AND has a cult following, for HUMANS... all while we're standing in the men's room of the arrivals terminal.

And so dear B-a-B fans, I'm proud to present my bounty of beard scouting from New Hampshire... Search and ye shall find... Per their own Facebook group info:

Mane 'n Tail products were originally developed for horses. People started using the products to achieve the beautiful results they saw with their own horses manes and tails. This is where the legend of Mane n Tail products comes from, by nourishing, conditioning and fortifying the hair and scalp to aid healthier hair growth.

Wow, seriously? Yes, for real... The sages have spoken, the truth is here, the follicles will rejoice...  Bushy, itchy, medium length beards need this product, bad! You can get it here, and by clicking on the magic jar below...

P.S. As hairy fate would have it, I had the seat right behind JD on the loud and bumpy ride up north. He was reading the whole time with the overhead light on, it was the right time to snap a candid... which I did, twice, not yet knowing the wisdom his beard was to hold. So I guess the trick is on you JD... cheers.

    

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!

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:

Gentlemen, start your beards!

By now, either from reading this or hearing about that, you have heard of the World Beard and Moustache Championships, Team Beard USA and competitive bearding overall.

Well gents, it’s that time again, and you better get ready for the big leagues lest you be late to the festivities… you have 150 days to be exact. The event is Beard Team USA National Finals in Bend, Oregon. Wondering why we are giving you so much of a lead time? Well you have you ask yourself: are those 5 months of your chin's and upper lip's bestest effort enough to beat THIS guy?!

Didn’t think so… but, if you still want to try your hand at the national finals (which are apparently classified as a sporting event by the way), the hairy throwdown will take place at the Les Schwab Amphitheater on June 5^th. Per website: $5000 in cash prizes will go to best beards and mustaches in the USA. The competition is open to everyone. Even Canadians!

Beware that the competition is stiff and Beard Team USA is fresh from placing atop the world at the Anchorage, Alaska games last year. Oh yeah, and also don't forget B-a-B favorite Jack Passion, the 2007 and 2009 World Beard Champion in the full beard natural category (the most competitive category of all)... yeah, he'll be there, and he's only 25... our money is on him for the Trondheim, Norway games anyway (mark your calendars: May 14, 2011).

Nationals seem to be out of your league huh? It's ok, it's out of ours too... nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, Bend Oregon is far away... But, if you do make it out to the west coast next year and are into facial hair contests in remote towns... come right down to Taft, California, where the annual Whiskerino competition that started yesterday will crown their town's best beard during the Oildorado festivities in October. Read about it here, make sure to watch the segment, classic.

Well, what say you? You going to try your hand? Huh? Hmmm?! Right, that's what we thought... us too... the good thing we'll always have each other.

ack Passion can rightfully claim to be the current world beard champion, having taken first place in the full beard natural category, the most competitive category of all, at the World Beard and Mustache Championships both in Brighton, England, in 2007 and in Anchorage, Alaska in 2009.

'Stache Love

 

 ** Ultimate brand 'stache **

Not to neglect our 'stache brothers (and unfortunately, some sisters) this holiday season, we wanted to flag some cool gift ideas for last minute mustache shoppers. 

First up - mustache crayons - which are fucking awesome.  No need for us to edit - they. are. fucking. fantastic!  Buy them for your kids or yourself - who cares what the reason - you don't need one.


Fuzzy Ink is our new favorite place to shop! See below for one example on why they rule:


Mustache Pint Glasses.  I've purchased 4 of these to be delivered by next week.  This is the definition of multitasking - growing a 'stache with no effort while drinking.  2010 is looking up already.  Not a fan of pint glasses?  Try these.

Coolest belt in the world award!  How could you not buy this for $14.00?

Are you debating growing a mustache, but unsure if the look will suit your face?  The Mustache Mirror will solve all you problems (and provide a few laughs every a.m.)

Forget expensive jewelry for your female friends - we're in a recession!  Rather, buy her a gift that she will be able to stroke fondly for years to come.  The Mustache Necklace... because nothing says love quite like it.

"You Can't Grow A Beard Here!" - Bank of America

Wall Street FAIL!  Bank of America has a strange beard policy written in the employee handbook - employees can have a beard before they start working there or be clean-shaven, BUT they are not allowed to grow a beard while employed at BOA.  Yes, BOA has a mandatory grooming policy.  That said, employees have been known to take off for a week to grow a beard and come back to work with their facial fuzz glory (such dedication!!).  Note: If you are one of those employees, B-A-B would love the opportunity to interview you.

Don't believe this beard policy?  Check it.