We are speaking today with our friend and OneDTQ Brand Advocate James L Doran, AKA @renegadepriest. James is a public speaking instructor, a beardsman, an actor, a communicator and a blogger. James recently competed in the tenth annual Come and Shave It facial hair competition at The Mohawk, presented by the Austin Facial Hair Club (AFHC). We got together to talk about Austin, beards and related matters.
Barry:
Hi James, thanks for joining us today.
James:
My pleasure! Thank you for having me.
Barry:
Sure thing. I’d like to talk about your experience at the competition in Austin and about your recent blog post “Competition Versus Camaraderie” that covers it, but first I’d like to talk about the show “Whisker Wars” that you recommended. I watched it last night and it provoked some thoughts I’d like to share. Are you OK with that?
James:
Absolutely! Go for it.
Barry:
First, being from Brooklyn, I wasn’t aware that beards are so big in Texas. The show covers the AFHC quite a bit and you were just in Austin for the competition. What makes Texas such a big beard place?
James:
Yeah, Texas is pretty big into beards, particularly Austin. I think it all goes back to the “Keep Austin Weird” mantra that I oftentimes hear. Austin prides itself on supporting local businesses, encouraging individualism, and promoting self-expression. Those values manifest themselves in many ways, including facial hair.
Barry:
Is there a long tradition or is that something new?
James:
You know, I haven’t really looked into Texas specifically. It could be relatively new. I mean, there will always be people who wear beards and perhaps certain climates or jobs or personality types will lend themselves more or less to beard growing, but I don’t think it was as popular culturally in Texas until recently. I think the Internet and the use of social media have been a huge factor. I also think the reality TV show, Whisker Wars, played an important role in growing the popularity of facial hair.
Barry:
OK, thanks, this is also Texas related. You know, watching the show there seemed to be quite a bit of tension between the AFHC beardsmen, especially Bryan Nelson and Jack Passion.
James:
Yes, the AFHC and Jack Passion always seem to be butting heads. I think it has to do with two things: 1) Jack Passion is overly confident, borderlining on arrogant (at least that’s how he comes across), and 2) The AFHC and Passion fundamentally disagree on what facial hair competitions are truly about (namely the camaraderie versus the competition).
Barry:
Right, camaraderie versus competition. Is that the big issue today in the beard competition world or are there other lines being drawn?
James:
One interesting thing I have learned is that there is currently a movement within the competitive bearding community to break away from the “officially” recognized National competitions and to form a different branch of facial hair clubs. Let me see if I can find the website or Facebook page. Here we go: https://nacbma.org The Facebook page is: The Alliance - NACBMA (North American Competitive Beard and Moustache Alliance)
I’m having trouble finding a particular quote that speaks to the heart of the division, but I remember it having something to do with not liking the way that the official national competition is being run and also endeavoring to find a better way to organize all of the local competitions so that there is uniform judging, and also where competition dates don’t overlap with each other.
For instance, there were a lot of people who were not at the Brooklyn competition because there was another competition going on somewhere else. I also think The Alliance is a response to the commercialization of beard competitions. On a personal level, I had a lot of fun in Brooklyn with all of the reporters and cameras and all of the attention, but some people are put off by that and feel like it’s not in the true spirit of beard competitions.
Barry:
That's really interesting. I see that on their homepage. The Alliance says the following:
“The Alliance strongly discourages holding competitions for monetary gain, and likewise encourages all competitions to put profits toward charity and the greater common good.”
It relates to something that struck me when listening to Jack Passion. He talks about using his fame and status for commercial benefit and about his quest for personal freedom. He wants to be free to live the life he wants to live and be a real man doing it with a real beard. He’s really competitive and goes after the money with his book and seeking of sponsors and modeling and competing hard to win. What was really interesting to me was the underlying motivation of freedom. I know you haven’t seen “Whisker Wars” for a while but do you have any recollection of that?
James:
I vaguely remember him talking about freedom, but I never put it together in my head like you aptly put it just now. I certainly see both sides of the coin. I am in a similar boat in terms of wanting to be free to live my life passionately without having to job hop and dabble here and there and then move on to something else when it doesn’t work out or when I get miserable at a dead-end job. By the same token, I don’t want to work a job that pays well, but that also sucks the life or the freedom out of me.
I think it all depends on the person and their life situation. Someone may have a good paying job that affords them the opportunity to travel and raise money for charity and be very altruistic, while another person might not be in that same situation or might not be willing to do something they love “on the side” rather than as a career.
Barry:
Yeah, it’s not easy to find the balance - we can all relate to that. Maybe we can talk again about Jack Passion after you see “Whisker Wars” again. I’m curious to know if it hits you the way it hit me now that I have pointed that out. I can see why some would look at Jack and say he went over to the dark side, but it’s the motivation I found so interesting.
I guess what I am proposing is that growing a beard has a lot to do with self expression, individualism and freedom. That freedom is a common underlying motivation but viewed, defined and approached in different ways - that in a way it is different ideas about what makes us free and how to get there that is the real underlying issue between Jack and the AFHC.
James:
Sure, I see what you are saying, I will definitely watch “Whisker Wars” again and look for that. I think it is absolutely true that those concepts and those motivations are what can draw people together in a way where we all can relate, whether we have a beard or not. It’s part of what makes us human.
Barry:
Great - BTW, I like the picture you posted on instagram of you and Aarne Bielefeldt. From what I saw on Whisker Wars, he is really living off the grid up there in Northern California somewhere, living just as free as he can. Did you get a chance to talk with him?
James:
Yeah, Aarne is a really cool dude. From what I see on Facebook, it looks like he travels to as many competitions as he can. He is really popular among competitors and is such a friendly and approachable guy. I was only able to briefly speak with him because he is always being approached by people to chat and take selfies. He was also running around snapping photos of his own.
Barry:
I can imagine. It must have been quite a scene. Whisker Wars covered Austin one year and it looked amazing - I wish I could have made it this year. From the show I couldn’t help but notice that it’s far from a fashion scene. Living in NY and being on social media all the time I see a lot of beard model types and GQ writes about things like beard-to-hair ratio. Men’s Health pushes you to have ripped abs with your beard - that sort of thing.
So, from what I saw on Whisker Wars it’s way more laid back, more natural. Is high fashion also seen as a commercialization of the beard world? And let me ask something related; what is the attitude toward beard models and do they compete and or fit in with the competitive scene?
James:
Those are also great questions. I am not sure if high fashion is seen as a commercialization of the beard world. I do not think it would be seen as that in and of itself, but perhaps beard models might be looked down upon because they are profiting from their beard. On the other hand, beard models could also be viewed positively because they are drawing attention to facial hair and making it more of the norm within society. Additionally, they could potentially help obliterate the many stereotypes surrounding bearded fellows, namely that they have dirty beards.
Barry:
So, getting back to Austin and your impressions, could you tell us more about what it’s like to compete in a beard competition?
James:
Absolutely! For me, I had been aware of the existence of beard competitions, but never thought I would ever be ready to compete in one myself. Assuming my beard would continue to grow at its same rate, I thought I might possibly be ready to compete at a year or two of growth.
However, it was a splendid coincidence that led me to participate in my first competition. I was a graduate student at Texas State University when a random stranger walked up to me on campus and suggested that I enter Austin’s Come and Shave It #9 event in February of 2015. I took their advice and was tremendously excited about the opportunity to be an active participant in my first beard competition. As I quickly learned, this was arguably the most exciting competition to compete in, with people from all over the country (and some even from other countries) showing up to participate.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into. When I first arrived at the venue, I looked around at all of the competitors and was struck by the sheer immensity and creativity of the beards and moustaches before me. What really struck me is how I did not stand out among the crowd as I normally do. At this particular venue, I was just another beard in the crowd, which was wonderful! It is nice to stand out, but it is also great to be among my brothers and sisters who came together to share in the celebration of facial hair.
Even though I knew my beard wasn’t nearly ready to compete, I still felt that competitive spirit arise in me and had a strong desire to compete and to win. Nevertheless, my big takeaway from that first competition in Austin is that, while it is fun to win competitions, facial hair competitions are not about winning or losing. In my experience, they are about camaraderie. I expand on that theme a bit more in my recent blog entry (“Competition Versus Camaraderie”), but that is the gist of what I have learned from my limited experience at facial hair competitions.
Barry:
Well James, keep up the good fight - I look forward to speaking with you again soon. We are running out of time for now. Till next time... BTW - my copy of “Of Beards and Men” just arrived so i’m sure there will be a lot to talk about.
James:
Excellent! That is such a good read. I am looking forward to speaking again. Thank you for having me.
To read James’ blog post "Competition Versus Comaraderie"
Photo By: Cristopher Benitah: www.cristopherbenitah.com/
