Well, if I may say so myself... this interview is Jack at his absolute finest. Vintage Passion. And it's exactly why he is who he is; an inspiration to us all, bearded or not.
I want each and every one of you to heed his words and advice day in day out... Not because he's the beardliest man in the world, not just because he's a published author of the bible of facial hair, and not because he was the MC at the first ever National Beard and Moustache Championships... but rather because he's 100% right, 1000% just, and 5000% inspiring.
Jack has undoubtedly transcended his prize-winning beard... which is no small feat, since it keeps growing and growing. As such Jack keeps proving it and proving it... and that's why we here at Build-a-Beard.com love him so. I miss you already Jack, this weekend came and went too soon, too fast. Until next time my bearded friend... and it better be under a year.
Man, the gloriously hairy weekend in Bend seems further and further away... I'm saddened by the fact that I have to wait another year to see all the awesome people that i met and mingled with at the first ever National Beard and Moustache Championships... at least putting out these posts in piecemeal is making me relive the experience, over and over this whole week.
As such, I wanted to do a post on the judges that were the shot makers on June 5th, the people with the hardest job in the room... the ones that had to look through hundreds of competitors in 4 categories and narrow them down meticulously into the top 3 winners of each set. I would not want to have their job, but if Phil Olsen is reading this, I am available for judging next year!
Either way, they deserve their own recognition and thus this post... of course, I somehow managed to miss interviewing Captain Harry Lewis (aka Capt Big Dad of the FV Incentive crab boat, made famous on Deadliest Catch) though you can clearly see me walking and talking with him, here, via LA Times). As well as my new best friend Burke Kenny (former world champion in the full beard styled moustache category, and a member of As the Devil Dances), plus the local essay winner Laura Beverungen... if y'all are reading, drop us a line for a well deserved Q&A!
First off, Miss Oregon 2009 CC Barber -- Who's a small town girl with big city dreams. She graduated from Scappoose High School as a varsity athlete with an Honors Diploma in 2005. As a native Oregonian and a nursing student in her final semester at Samuel Merritt University, CC Barber, is a caring and driven young woman with a heart of gold... I asked her abuot beards and world peace.
Then comes Sirwan Singh -- he's the Guinness World Record holder for the world's longest beard... he really needs no other introduction... I had some fun with him and his translator talking about the god given gift of facial hair.
What would a bearding event be without a ton of beer? And what would beer be without a brewer... in comes Jason Buehler -- a brewer from the Shamrock Brewery in Pueblo, Colorado. In his plea to be a judge, Jason demonstrated proper beer drinking technique (3 gulps), and a nice set of chops. I asked him about, what else, beer and bearding.
Finally, perhaps our favorite judge (and one of only two to tell me I did a good job, thanks CC for the other nod), Seth Klein -- Seth's plea was perhaps the most significant... you see, Seth is a scholar on Joe Palmer and a his video was a treatise on bearded rights. Here's my quick interview with Seth on that very topic.
And since I did bring up Phil Olsen, the self appointed captain of Beard Team USA... here's a follow up with the man behind the whole shindig, while not a judge his hands were full (perhaps fuller) than anyone else last weekend. I talked to him about America's role in the world of bearding...
I promised that I would dive into HD vlogging, so... here's one of the videos that were made this weekend by yours truly at the first ever National Beard and Moustache Championships in Bend, Oregon... Please forgive the unsteady hand (one of the many reasons I don't shave) and the up-close and personal style...
I've been a fan of Michael Buchino, and his blog Beard Revue, at least since meeting him at the B3 (B-a-B founders, Mr. Buchino, and Bearduary founders) conference in February... Not that it's an excuse of the shaking/zoom issues but continuing the swagger of our first meeting in NYC, the beer was also flowing at Les Schwab Amphitheater pretty heavily by this point in the competition (Freestyle, my, category was last)... so be glad I got something coherent.
I guess, given the above set up it's clear Michael is a man that definitely needs an introduction... but in reality... if you are reading our blog, you really should know who he is and read his as well... we walk in his footsteps.
Seriously though, this experience of mine today has been nothing short of amazing. There was a Guinness record broken, some great beer, B-a-B fans left and right... and so so much more.
I'm on my way to the after-party but wanted to make sure to write up this quick post and show you all the winners of all the categories in today's inaugural National Beard and Mustache Championships. So that you too can join B-a-B in congratulating them for their hairy feat… this is something to look up to, admire, envy, and perhaps upchuck from (some guys can really do use some manscaping).
Either way, join me in congratulating the top 3 of each category… more about my weekend in Bend later...
So, I’m here and my envy is at about a 12 on a scale of 1-10... sure i've seen some massive beards and beardos in my tenure at B-a-B but the effect of seeing them in person delivers a knockout punch to my already fragile psyche.
That being said, everyone has been the nicest people ever, and welcoming at that. The town is great, the people are better, the beards are longer, and the mustaches are curlier.
To kick off the June 5th festivities, I joined a bunch of hairy folks for a much needed Beard styling seminar by the one and only partial beard champ himself, Toot Joslin at the Bond Street Barber Shop in downtown Bend.
Below are three videos that resulted from this enlightening session (apologies that it's indeed HD quality, so it'll take a while to load...). The first is a brief look at Toot, his personal and facial hair history… plus some focus on the products he uses. That is followed by a full styling video and finally a brief Q&A.
I gotta tell you all… one of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever observed… now to just grow out my burns to match Toot’s awesomeness.
This is amazing, so amazing in fact we are a bit speechless... so we wont go into describing the below video...
John... Thank you for your heartfelt plea and offer of inspiration for all those that are beardless, smiles for all of us that are... and entertainment for everyone. (and for Beard Team USA for finding you)
Everyone should send in their votes, and you know... We'd like to keep you out of the Freestyle category (for clear reasons)... but fate is fate, so if you meet El Beardo at the squared ring bearded circle at Bend... we'll rumble together.
However, we vote for Natural Beard category for your beard... El Beardo would've loved to enter that category, alas, the mass is just not there for us... but not for you, John. Godspeed!
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.
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!
Mustache love for all, this morning! So much so that we've nearly doubled our Sunday morning cartoon count to 5! Sure, 3 of them are Family Guy snippets... but it's the thought that counts. Stache owners rejoice, we love ya'll too... love us back, hug a beardo today!
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!
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.
Our friends at Beard Revue brought to our attention that our bearded brother, James Lipton is now starring in Give It A Ponder by LG. (Side: click that link - no, seriously - it's a beard that speaks to you - and there is nothing cooler than a beard talking w/o a face who strokes his own damn facial hair).
Jack in his element (pic by Michael Buchino)
