Since the dawn of man, there has been facial hair on men. In the pre-razor times, it was more prominent. But once the crafts of shaving and grooming became customary, beards were unjustly shunned, taken away from the face and chin of man. Men were stripped of their rights to grow their beards, soul patches, and goatees for the world to see. High schools made it regulatory for young men, in the prime of their beardy days, to remain clean-shaven. It was frowned upon to wear a beard with pride or as a fashion statement of sorts. Abraham Lincoln was impeached and publicly beaten. It was a terrible, shameful time.
Luckily, those days have passed, and the expression of facial hair for men (and occasionally, women) is now accepted and tolerated. But is it praised? Is there still some shunning involved amongst fellow beard wearers? Will we ever truly be able to grow a beard without the judging eye of society cast down upon us?
Fortunately, there is one voice out there embracing the beauty of the beard, one face amongst the crowd standing up for this creative form of expression, one woman who understands our plight and seeks to showcase the wonderful world of growing hair on one’s face. That woman is my good friend Julie, and her new blog is Bearded Beauties. Check it out, bookmark it, live it, love it, and help join the movement to unintentionally put Gillette out of business. Because there is nothing more prideful, more incredible, more individual, than a beard.
In an obvious parody of Glenn Beck’s recent media-whore marathon on the Mall in DC, Jon Stewart announced his plans for the Rally to Restore Sanity, happening at the same location October 30. Stewart proclaimed the rally is for those who are too busy and rational (you know, the majority of Americans) to yell loudly and irrationally in front of cameras and behind lecterns. He declared we will all gather, as one movement, to voice our support for those with microphones to “take it down a notch for America.”
Not to be outdone (but obviously part of the event in his own special fear-mongering, pundit-satirizing way), Stephen Colbert announced his “disapproval” of his “warm-up act’s” battle cry and made his own big announcement: the March to Keep Fear Alive, happening at the same place at the same time as Stewart’s. Whether you’re a rational, free-thinking Daily Show fan, or part of the fearless (yet also clearly rational) Colbert Nation, the event is sure to be fun, entertaining, and maybe even poignant, if those in the media and in power will listen to what these straight-talking comedians have to say.
And, in case you were wondering, yes, I plan on attending. My sis and I are booking flights to DC ASAP and we hope to see you there! Years from now, when my children study about this time in American history, when they learn of the ridiculous rhetoric and the legendary comedy it spawned, when they discover the crazed talking heads and the hilarious detractors (who would grow to become TV comedy legends) I want to be able to tell them, “Yes, my children, I attended that rally. You know, the good one.”
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
170. Dwight Yoakam – Give Back the Key to My Heart
No question the 80’s and 90’s were the prime years for Yoakam in terms of success, but after having his turn at the spotlight, he ventured deep into the crossroads realm, taking a more traditional approach to his brand of honkey-tonk. While most dug deeper into the cinematic country-pop Nashville world, Dwight stayed around Hollywood, acting and making indie records. One of the highlights of his work this past decade is this Doug Sahm cover, recorded for the Imus Ranch Record in 2008; it’s just good ol’ DY doing what he does best.
Including this one, an in-depth analysis of the phenomenon that is the Gathering of the Juggalos.
Today, Consequence of Sound released their Top 100 Albums of All Time list, and it’s pretty damn impressive, if you ask me. Take a gander.
Finally, Pitchfork had a pretty cool article on the new trend in indie album covers – amateur retro photography. Think the latest from Vampire Weekend and Crystal Castles.
We all know Kelis as the girl that brought all the boys to the yard via her milkshake, but you wouldn’t correlate her past with her present after hearing her latest effort Flesh Tone. Most critics have mentioned, when reviewing this new album, that Kelis recently went through a bitter divorce and had a child. She has been branded as a new woman, with a renewed purpose and a complete musical makeover.
And that’s all pretty much true. While we certainly can’t predict the future sounds this starlet will bring us (whose musical tendencies are sporadic, unpredictable, and always exciting), this time around she has traded in the slick post-R&B style for a Euro-pop, space-age approach. And because the songwriting is pristine and the hooks are focused, it totally works. The lyrics are poignant, emotional, and obviously dedicated to her new love – her child. And while the words are sentimental, the beats are overpowering. Never has a sweet dedication to one’s baby been so damn danceable.
Perhaps it’s my jaded cynical old age catching up with me, but lately I have been exposed to some things in the pop culture world that really irk me. And as a form of self-therapy, I’d like to share them with you today.
My sis and I are making a short film this weekend – hopefully it will turn out as awesome as it is in our brains. In the meantime, on a semi-related kick, here are some new movie trailers I’ve recently seen that look appealing.
