This round of my beard interview series is an extra special one.  This gentleman has been interviewed by and mentioned in major media outlets like Vice Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, and The San Francisco Chronicle.  He also wrote a guest article for ESPN.com.  Below you are going to read my interview with beard royalty – The King of Beards – Jack Passion.

For those of you who haven’t heard of Jack Passion, the first thing you should know is that he is the reigning champion of the Full Natural category at the World Beard and Moustache Championships.  And for those of you that haven’t heard of the WBMC, you can read about it at the offical website.  Very briefly, it’s a beard and moustache contest held every two years in a different host country.  It’s like the Olympics for beards… and Jack Passion is a two-time champion in his “event,” winning in 2007 and 2009.

The second thing you should know about Mr. Passion is that he has published a book entitled The Facial Hair Handbook, and if any man is qualified to write a handbook for facial hair, it is he.

Onward, intrepid beard fans!  To the interview!

The Beard Coach: Let’s start with a two-part question.  When did you decide to grow an extreme beard and when did you realize that you and your beard could attain a certain level of fame?

Jack Passion: I started growing facial hair early, and big sideburns were my style for my formative years.  Growing up, facial hair was definitely part of my identity.  I actually began growing a beard with the intention of shaving/grooming it into another design, but the beard came in great, so I went with it. It wasn’t until I went to Berlin for the 2005 World Championships that I realized facial hair was something I should take seriously.  Since then, it’s become my day job, and I love my job.

TBC: I would love your job too!  I’d say Beard Ambassador is many a bearded man’s dream job…  Tell us more about the World Beard and Moustache Championships.  How did the feeling of winning your first championship compare to your second win?

JP: Both were, and still are, of equal standing.  I have the most beautiful beard in the world, which I learned in Brighton, and confirmed in Anchorage.  It feels really good.

TBC: Do you plan to defend your title in 2011?

JP: I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I would love to make the trip to Norway…  We’ll see how it pans out.  Are you going to make it?

TBC: If I could scrounge up enough money, I would love to go for the camaraderie, but I doubt I’d compete… certainly not in the Natural category.  On the topic of competition, do you have any beard rivals at the WBMC?

JP: I love to win, but I treat beard competitions more like facial hair appreciation conventions than I do all out war.  My name is Passion; I’ve got nothing but love!   For beards, competition, my bearded brothers, and travel…  However, politics and misunderstandings have definitely left me with a few rivals.  It’s truly sad that even with something as fun and lighthearted like a beard competition, people can get upset and act like children.  That said, I offer no apologies for my successes, nor should anyone else for theirs.

TBC: Bold words from a boldly bearded man.  How do you feel about your category at the WBMC, the Full Natural? Some would argue that it is the purest category and thus the most important.  What’s your take?

JP: I feel like it’s definitely a beard contest with Full Natural.  With the styled categories, you’re accepting an award for the work of a stylist.  Furthermore, I feel like those outlandish designs just perpetuate the unfair stereotypes that beards are for weirdos and freaks.  I’m all about well-groomed, healthy beards, and Full Natural celebrates big healthy beards!  I’m not going to be the one to say any category is more important than any others, but Natural Full Beard is always the biggest category (and therefore the most competitive), and it is “pure” in the sense that it’s just you and your beard.  It definitely resonates with most of the reasons I wear a beard.

TBC: Moving on from the championships… you have your own damn page on Wikipedia.  How does that feel?

JP: It feels great!  If I didn’t love the attention, I would just shave my beard off!

TBC: Yes, I think we all enjoy the attention a fine beard attracts.  And that is one attention-getting red beard, my friend. What’s your ancestry like?  Any other bearded men?

JP: I wrote an addendum in my book about my personal journey and experiences with facial hair, so I won’t ramble the story here, but there is some extreme red facial hair in my ancestry that I never met, only hear about.  Additionally, I’ve never seen my father without a mustache.  That’s the way it should be.

TBC: Without giving away too much of the material from your book The Facial Hair Handbook, talk about the level of care that goes into your luxurious beard.

JP: That’s definitely one of the reasons one would want to pick up the book.  Beard care extends far beyond application of product, or daily grooming routines.  The book has five “laws” of facial hair, one of which being that beard care is a defensive game.  Approach, mind state, diet, exercise…  All of these are important to good beard care.  Thanks for calling it luxurious!  And that’s a GREAT point.  Men, treat your beard like a fine fur.

I spend a great deal of time on my beard, as should any man with facial hair.  The idea that a beard is a sign of laziness can only have been started by someone who never had a beard!

TBC: Very true.  Or at least someone who has never worked toward a longer beard style.  For guys that are interested in growing a beard, there’s a lot of free beard care info floating around out there.  What sets The Facial Hair Handbook apart?

JP: I’ve been doing this full-time for a while now, and even with all the advice available for free on the Internet, we’ve still got a lot of bad beards, itchy beards, and men quitting their facial hair experiments and returning to shaving.  My book recognizes the efforts we’ve made so far as a community of men who wear and promote personal style that includes facial hair, but it provides the necessary focus and voice that men have been missing.

Part motivational speech, part philosophical treatise, and part how-to guide, the thing I’m most proud about The Facial Hair Handbook is that it’s truly informational while still being fun and easy to read.  Any man can read this book, but like you, I really focus on guys who have been shaving and know in their hearts they should have hair on their face.  When they read the Facial Hair Handbook, they’ll have the knowledge to grow good facial hair and groom it such that it takes them up a notch style-wise.

I know facial hair, and over the last few years, I’ve come to know a lot about shaving as well.  My research and my accomplishments are proven; just look at my face!

TBC: It really leaves no doubt about your expertise.  So, obviously, you’ve already accomplished a lot in the beard realm.  Any world record aspirations?

JP: None actually, and c’mon, Hans Langseth set the bar REALLY high!

TBC: Or really low for that matter… Lastly, I like to ask everyone a general set of questions.  It’s entertaining to see the various views of people in the beard world. First, what is your take on the state of the beard today?

JP: This is one of the catalyzing reasons behind authoring the book:  The beard is at a critical point in history.  A lot of people are claiming that beards have made a comeback, but we’re not quite there.  The last 100 years have been an awful, media-induced, facial hair failure.  But the beard grows back, in all of us.  That’s a sign, and I think efforts like yours and mine are a huge step in the right direction!

TBC: Name your 3 favorite bearded people.

JP: All three spots would be filled with my bearded friends.  It’s great when famous people and historical figures have beards, but for me, knowing that I have friends that have the balls to be their own man is just so clutch.

TBC: Name the top 3 people you wish had a beard.

JP: 1.  President Obama.  A clean, close, well-groomed beard on the president would do wonders for the bearded climate.  I side with the Beard Coach on this one!!!  (coach’s note – go sign the petition!)

2.     Brad Pitt.  He has had great beards in the past, and continues to experiment with facial hair.  One thing about Pitt’s beards is that they’re always well-groomed such that you don’t even think “Oh my God, look at his beard!” you still just think, “There’s a handsome man doing well in the world.”  Same for George Clooney, Spencer Pratt, and almost any NHL player.  Both these guys can grow such great beards, it’s just a shame that they don’t always wear them.  Same for all men:  If you got it, flaunt it!

3.  Every man who wants to grow one!

TBC: Why do you think people enjoy beards?

JP: Beards are honest and authentic.  They set us apart, just like markings on animals.  The time required to grow one precludes it from ever being a gimmick, but it definitely becomes a fun conversation piece.  It’s part of becoming a man, a ritualistic passage once revered, now oft ignored.  Why do people enjoy boobs?  I think people enjoy beards for many of the same or similar reasons.

TBC: Much of my site is devoted to beard-growing motivation. What is your best advice for guys who are currently growing a beard?

JP: Get my book.  Shameless plug, or killer advice?  I wrote my book for the legions of men who want to grow and wear facial hair but don’t know how to, or end up shaving when a girlfriend or boss tells them to shave, or give in when it starts to itch.  Facial hair used to be a way of life, but as a culture, we’ve collectively “forgotten” the good techniques, if you will.  Remind yourself what it means to look like a man with The Facial Hair Handbook.  I promise it will change your life as a man, with or without facial hair.

I should note that we’re doing a promotion for Movember.  (Even though it’s for mustaches, it’s still a great cause).  Any Facial Hair Handbook you buy donates $1 to Movember!

TBC: Well, that wraps up the interview.  Huge thanks to Jack Passion for contributing his thoughts and story to The Beard Coach.  It’s cool to see how closely our attitudes toward beardedness and our methods for promoting it align.  If his beard doesn’t inspire you, then I’m afraid you have completely lost touch with your inner man.

If I were looking for help growing a beard, there are two things I would do immediately.  Buy the World Beard Champion’s Facial Hair Handbook and sign up for the motivational beard growing e-course right here at The Beard Coach.  Just enter your info below and get growing!

Let’s face it, bearded men, thinking up a great costume just isn’t as easy as it is for our non-bearded brethren.  Lots of hilarious celebrity ideas idea go out the window along with any current politician.  Masks are out… why hide that glorious beard you’ve worked so hard to grow and maintain?  As a result of my own personal frustrations, I’ve decided to create this list as a reference for future Halloweens.  In the brotherly spirit of the bearded community, I want to share it with all of you.

#1: Paul Bunyan

Items Needed:
Work Boots
Blue Jeans
Buffalo Plaid Flannel Shirt
Suspenders
Wool ski cap
Axe

This is a super easy one as most bearded guys have these items lying around anyway.  I know I do.  When I first thought of this idea, I was pretty excited until I looked in the mirror and realized I was already wearing the “costume” minus the suspenders, hat, and axe.
Note: Please don’t ask your wife to be Babe the Blue Ox.  Trust me on this one.

#2: Zeus/Socrates/Pythagoras

Items Needed:
White Sheet
Safety pins
Sandals
Cardboard lightning bolt if Zeus
Cup of hemlock poison (fake!) if Socrates
Cardboard right triangle if Pythagoras

Let’s hearken back to the glory days of beards… ancient Greece!  A sheet is not ideal toga material, but it will get the job done.  Just fold it so that it is only about 3 feet wide.  Then wrap the folded sheet around your waist 1.5 times, pin it together, and throw the rest over a shoulder.  Bring the material back down to the waist and pin it again.  Choose an accessory to make and get into character.  Smite people with your thunderbolt!  Pretend to poison thyself!  Teach people math!

#3: Gorton’s Fisherman

Items Needed:
Yellow vinyl rain suit
Sky blue scarf
Hair gel
Cornstarch

If you are okay giving Gorton’s some free advertising, this is another super easy costume.  Just wear whatever you want and wrap the scarf around your neck.  Put on the rain suit and you are good to go!  Now for the distinctive white beard.  If you have already attained a naturally white beard, you can ignore the following.  However, if you need a bit of help, just comb a small amount of hair gel into your beard and liberally dust it with cornstarch.  It would also be pretty great if you baked up a mess of fish sticks and gave them out to people instead of candy.

#4: Alan Garner – i.e. Zach Galifianakis’ character from The Hangover

Items Needed:
This T-Shirt
White Jeans
Baby Bjorn
Baby doll
White baby ski cap
Blue baby shirt

Finally, a hip pop-culture-reference costume for a bearded guy! Even if you haven’t seen The Hangover, if you can scrounge up all the above items, all you have to do if put them on and keep saying, “It would be so cool if I could breast-feed.”  People will love it!  No jokes, people are buying terrible fake beards to be this guy for Halloween.  Be glad you can one-up them with the real deal on your face.

#5: Fidel Castro

Items Needed:
Green Army fatigues
Castro Hat (of course!)
Cigar

Lastly, another easy and recognizable costume for the bearded man.  To really pull this one off, you have to have a pretty big beard; because, honestly, love him or hate him, Fidel has always had a great one.  Beyond that, it’s just a matter of putting on the right clothes and carrying that ever-present cigar.  If you could somehow borrow a friend’s old rusty 1950’s Packard and drive it around blaring revolutionary rhetoric, that would be ideal.

There you have it, my bearded friends.  A good five year’s worth of costumes.  But there’s no reason to sit around to keep on brainstorming.  Help me expand the list even more by adding your own ideas in the comment section!

I posted a couple weeks ago about Dennis Haysbert, The Allstate Guy, appearing with a beard and how great I think that is.  I’ve been scouring the web looking for a clip from the commercial, but have yet to find one.  I did, however find a recent photo of him on the Raleigh Star’s site of his appearance at the Jimmy V Golf Classic, held in Raleigh, NC.

That, my friends, is a sweet gray beard.

And I’m not the only one digging it.  I did a quick Twitter search for “Allstate beard” and here are some comments that popped up.

KikiLu2: The Allstate guy has a beard now? I like.

NotQuiteBella: Ooh. I’m loving the Allstate guy’s sweet beard.

kriisco: The Allstate man grew a beard. It’s a good look.

Of course, there were the naysayers as well, but that’s just added evidence that this site and all the other sites out there promoting the beard in a positive light need to work harder. I’m obviously not going to promote their negative bearditudes here.

Several people were disoriented by the Allstate Beard…

ShiningRhino: When did the guy from the allstate commercials grow a beard?!?!

ShileeM: Why did the AllState guy grow a beard?

guitar_freak78: The allstate commercail guy grew a beard!?

However, the most common Twitter reaction to the Allstate Beard was not positive or negative… but simply to shout from the rafters about it.  Consider these:

DrCholes: The allstate insuarance guy grew a beard!!!!!!!

Pazzler: The allstate guy got a beard!

xdaveohx: WOAHH THE ALLSTATE GUY HAS A BEARD NOW!

Catiejay: The Allstate man has a beard!! O my!!

happyhalli: the allstate guy grew a beard!

shelbylynn29: OMG THE ALLSTATE GUY HAS A BEARD NOW! ….that comment didnt really merit CAPS…oops

Love it or not, the Allstate guy’s beard is making waves.  Let’s hope he still has it in the next commercial, and the next, and the next…

Lastly, I’ll leave you with the most hilarious tweet about the Allstate Guy’s beard that I ran across.

D_Beautifulone: Lol, the allstate dude has a beard now. He looks like he should be in a just for men commerical.

The Beard Coach: Thanks so much for taking the time to be here.  You are an icon.

Kenny Rogers’ Beard: Thank you for having me.  I really like what you’re doing with the website.

TBC: Wow, thanks.  That means a lot.  So let’s cut to the chase… I’ve been a fan since back in the early eighties.  The Gambler, Islands In The Stream… you’ve been there the whole time.  As far as I’m aware, you’ve always been white.  Is that true?

KRB: You know, that’s actually not true.  I was dark brown in my youth.  I’ve just been famous for a long time, and you’re a bit too young to remember the early days.

TBC: I guess that’s true.  But I scoured the Internet looking for a picture of you in a non-white state and I couldn’t find one.

KRB: Well I’ve been around a lot longer than the Internet.

TBC: That’s a good point, Kenny Rogers’ Beard.  Speaking of the Internet, what do you think of menwholooklikekennyrogers.com?

KRB: I think it’s great!  I like to log on every now and then and see who’s paying homage to me, the face I grow on, and my good friend Kenny Rogers’ Hairstyle.  I mean, it’s proof that we all have teamed up for years to create a classic look.

TBC: I wholeheartedly agree.  For years, you were part of a classic style that appealed to many men, but I’d like to bring up a tougher subject if that’s okay.

KRB: Go ahead.

TBC: Unfortunately, in recent years Kenny has undergone several obvious cosmetic surgeries and as a result, he has become the butt of many jokes.  He has even gone so far as to carve you into a goatee from your former full-bodied self.  What has this done to you emotionally?

KRB: (long silence) It’s tough, you know?  I mean, I thought we were looking pretty good, aging gracefully, and then, BAM, I’m under the knife and under the razor and frankly, it stinks.  It makes me feel so helpless.  Kenny and I were so tight for so long, and now it’s like I don’t even know him anymore.

TBC: So what do you do?

KRB: That’s the thing… there’s nothing I can do.  I mean, I’m a beard.

TBC: A beard makes a man look so powerful, but the beard itself is so powerless.  That’s some insight, my friend.  But let’s bring things back to the positive side.  You’re still out there performing.  People are still raging fans.  What’s in store for you?  Retirement soon?

KRB: I’m blessed to have been partnered with a legendary vocal artist, and we’ve achieved a level of success and recognition that most people and their beards never come close to achieving.  Performing is getting pretty stressful on me especially with the changes we just discussed.  But Kenny’s a workaholic.  I’d love to just kick back in the woods of East Texas and reflect, but I doubt I’ll be able to convince Kenny that he might enjoy that as well.  So I guess we’ll just keep on keeping on.

TBC: As a fan I have to admit that’s good to hear.  We’d hate for you to drop out of the spotlight.  Thanks again for sitting down with us today.  It’s been a real treat.

KRB: It’s been a pleasure.

TBC: Say hello to Kenny for me, if you would.

KRB: Of course.

I was watching tv the other day and I heard the familiar voice of the Allstate Guy (i.e. the president from the first season of 24) telling me something about insurance.

“Yeah, yeah, Allstate Guy, I’ve heard it all before.  I’m in good hands, blah blah blah.”

I was kind of zoning out or talking to my wife or something, not really paying attention. Then I glanced at the screen.

Holy cow, the Allstate Guy grew a beard!

This is great news.  It’s one more bearded face in front of America to help increase our comfort level with the beard.  Not only that, but this is a character who is perceived as trustworthy and full of good advice.  It’s good to see a bearded man who isn’t supposed to be a weirdo or some kind of slacker or something.

Congratulations, Allstate Guy, on growing out your beard.  I am now 23% more likely to switch to Allstate.