Last summer, out of sheer boredom, I decided to do something I had never done before. I decided to grow a beard. Now, for background, I was never able to grow facial hair. It seemed to come in really patchy (and it still does) and I never had the patience. But last summer, while on my yearly retreat in Wildwood, NJ, I decided to give it a shot. I am in a mostly solitary state there all summer, so I figured why not. I really enjoyed how it turned out, so I kept it, on and off, for the last 7 months or so. But now, since summer has come back around, I figured I would experiment again.
Here are the rules for my experiment:
- No trimming, shaving, clipping, or shortening is allowed until the set end date
- The set end date is August 23rd, my 21st birthday
- If I want to, I do not have to shave on the 23rd of August
- Every now and again I will post updates here, with pictures, a story or two about being bearded, and a video or song by one of my favorite bearded bands.
So, without further ado, here is...
"The Bearded State - Episode 1: Sarsgaard."
So I was looking through Us Weekly magazine yesterday, and doing so without shame thank you very much. In this magazine, I stumbled across a picture of a very bearded Peter Sarsgaard. For those who don't know, Mr. Sarsgaard is what you could call a character actor, known for his roles in Jarhead and Garden State. Mr. Sarsgaard is usually pretty clean shaven, with maybe a little 5 o clock shadow now and again. But in this picture I saw, he had what one can describe as a "Megan's Law Beard," where the wearer immediately looks like an imminent threat to your children. Jaoquin Phoenix has been sporting the same kind of facial hair. When I saw this, I started to think, is that what mine will look like at that length, and how do I stop from looking like a total pedophile? I guess I will cross that bridge when I get to it.
108 days to go
Pattern Is Movement - Sound Of Your Voice
King Of Leon. They've been around for years now. Years. From humble beginings in 1999 down in Nashville. Had a kickin' indie track from years past with "Four Kicks" off Aha Shake Heartbrake back in '04, but now they're getting some great recognition. Rolling Stone magazine did a cover story on them, MTV asked them to play their lousy excuse for a movie award's show, and they're concert tickets are selling. They're sound is not revolutionary, but compared to those dominating radio and charts, it might as well be. These guy's would've been sick in the mid-90's by sound alone, but now here they are, rockin' as a family and opening up some eyes. Strive forth, southerners. Nice guys don't always finish last. Keep your eyes on this group, as we here at NMTM always cross our fingers for saviors of rock.
