BEARDING Part 2: An Interview With Alex LaRoche

The second interview in a two part series about bearding and beard culture.

Meet Alex LaRoche, one of the best dudes to ever stomp the earth in colorful tennis shoes and an old and dear friend of mine. I'll never forget the epic costume parties we used to organize at our rental on the east side. Live bands, djs, dancing, our deck was the stage and our neighbors the cemetery and gospel church. We hollered in shorts together for 5 years of kickball and he filmed the super 8 footage at our wedding. (held in the side yard of said crappy rental house) Now we're "grown-ups", he starring in a tv show and I chasing babies. We see each other on holidays and birthdays if we're lucky. He is the proud owner of my Colorado Storms Jeep.

MS: Your dad has a cool beard. Did you always know you would grow up to be a
beard guy?

ALR: Dad had a beard when he and mom got married. But I only knew him with a moustache until this summer when he started growing out his full beard. It is waaay better than mine. His Moustache is insane now too. (note photo evidence)

MS: When we were roommates, you had chops but were clean-shaven. You were also a vegetarian. Do you find that beard wearing and eating of roasted meats such as a leg of mutton and home smoked bacon go hand in hand?

ALR: Actually, I started growing my first beard during sxsw of 2005. I was dating a girl at the time who loved beards. She also used to date Bryan Nelson (another friend on the show) back in the day. When I went out to Cupertino to interview for a job one of the interviewers asked about my beard and years later told me that it was the reason they hired me.

Before that I had sideburns for years and tried to grow a moustache once when I was working at a sandwich shop in west lake to piss off
the GM (he had one of those caterpillar-Magnum-PI style nut dusters).

But yes, I was vegetarian. Now I'm not. I am not sure what changed.
I think I just wanted to eat hot wings or Brisket or something. I was 30 lbs lighter back then. THANKS FOR BRINGING UP HOW FAT I'VE GOTTEN!

MS: Do you know any viking jokes?

ALR: There is nothing funny about Vikings except that they discovered the new world first and kept it a secret because the fishing and hot native ladies were so sweet.

MS: Do you find that hiding a good portion of your face gives you confidence or anonymity?

ALR: I think that if I wanted to fit in and disappear more I would shave. A bright red beard is hard to ignore which may be one of the reasons that I keep it. I definitely think having the beard boosts my confidence to a degree. One benefit is that it keeps the oils in my face somewhat under control which prevents complexion issues. Also 80% of my face covered by hair hides 80% of my blemishes.

However, when Bryan, Demling and I walk down the street or the airport terminal together, folks yell "La Grange!" or "ZZ-Top!" which kind of makes us anonymous.

MS: Have you met many young ladies with facial hair fetishes?

ALR: Certainly I have met a bunch of ladies who love facial hair and many who just don't understand yet how awesome it is. I think many of the ladies that like beards had fathers or grandfathers with beards and those memories of comfort are attractive.

I married a gal who used to like my beard, (see hot librarian photo) but it is far too long for her now and she wants it to be shorter. One day I'll have a short beard again but I'm too busy making spaceships out of mine to cut it off just yet.

MS: You have traveled the world for your competitions. Norway for the world beard and moustache competition and LA for the Whisker Wars series. Would you call it a hobby or a lifestyle?

ALR: I think the hobby and joke of growing a huge beard has definitely taken over as a lifestyle. I'm not sure how comfortable I am writing that, but it is true. The Austin Facial Hair Club does spend a lot of time doing events in Austin as well as around the country (and the world). We have at least one competition somewhere every month. We have several business meetings and social events in Austin as well. Some might say it is too much but we manage to raise enough money to help pay for other team members to travel around with us. We meet and hang out with a ton of really nice and fun people. We drink a lot, we eat great food, and sometimes we win trophies (but not that often).

MS: For the reality show, did they coach you or lead you into scenarios at all? Were you surprised, pleased or annoyed at the way they portrayed you in the final cut?

ALR: With any "reality" show there is a bit of coaching that can get annoying like "say that again" or "turn this way" or "walk in through the door again." But as far as the drama goes it's all sort of smushed together. Our (AFHC) characters in the show are rowdy, rambunctious, and occasionally accidentally irreverent about the old-school beard culture. For example I wore Texas flag swim trunks in Norway because I had an octopus beard. I thought that made sense. However, when 60 year-old bros come out wearing $3000 suits and $500 handmade ties it can make you feel like an ass.

Other characters in the show are mostly portrayed correctly as well. Myk is a rad dude (who we are trying to get to move to Austin with his wife and almost-daughter). Aarne is a sweet and brilliant guy. Those other dudes are in their own world. I don't really like to talk
about or mention them by name anymore.

I am happy about the way that they portrayed me and the team. I find it interesting that at the beginning of the show we were like "This guy is just trying to make money and brand us blah blah." Then in later episodes you see us selling tons of merch. Now we actually have to send cease-and-desist notes to beard teams who steal our logos and so on. We have greater than 20 different Koozie designs we have made over the years. It has become slightly ridiculous, but now it's gotten into this totally different realm of fun.

MS: Where can we watch episodes and when is the new season starting?

ALR: I'm not at liberty to say when the 2nd season is starting but you can read more here:
http://www.ifc.com/videos/whisker-wars-season-2-coming-soon

As far as watching the 1st season it can be found on iTunes, and now airing in the UK. I don't get any money for buying the shows, so don't feel obligated to do so.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/whisker-wars-season-1/id451234777

MS: I love your freestyle category, I know you use hairspray and beer cans to shape your designs, any other style secrets for burgeoning facial hair growers?

ALR: I'd say take care of your beard when it is short. Use conditioners or oils that you like. When it gets longer and you want to try out some freestyle ask some folks who have used rollers before for some techniques (ladies, hair stylists, beardos). Then practice! After a competition or party or whatever, make sure you wash out all of the products really well. The most important thing is to have fun and be proud of whatever style you choose. Also be sure to wet the moustache every-now-and-then with some Los Lonely Stars if you are into the whole beer thing.

MS: Is there any real animosity between the young beard enthusiasts like yourself and more traditional all natural old dudes? Say, similar to skiers versus snowboarders?

ALR: In general no, the old guys love most of us. When I was in Norway I spoke (mostly listened) to a couple of the German guys who were sayingthat they were sad that their own sons wouldn't compete. They are happy that young guys like us from the United States will help carry on the traditions. When they all started they were in their 30's too and just a bunch of totally ridiculous dudes partying in the 80's. Sometimes we need to
slow our roll at the serious competitions, but for the most part they love us.

MS: Is the movement getting bigger everyday, or is it a niche club where everyone is friends?

ALR: Man, this thing is getting pretty big but still somewhat limited. There are sometimes over 100 competitors at a competition and I've met guys who started clubs because of the TV show.

I don't think society is at the point where beards are mainstream again. Having that guy from the SF Giants celebrate his beard is a plus but not a lot of guys can go to a job with a 2ft beard. Austin, Portland, and the Silicon Valley can hang with beards, but lawyers, doctors or chefs have a hard time pulling them off. When was the last time our president had a beard? Why am I answering a question with two questions?

MS: Could you make bearding into a full time job, would you want to?

ALR: I enjoy my current full time job so much that it would be hard to quit it to do anything else. I don't think I have the patience to make my beard a full-time job. Maybe acting, playing in a band, or something else. I don't want to drive around in an RV promoting guitar strings or Tequila for a paycheck. I'd miss using my brain.

MS: Finally, is this a phase, or is it forever? Will we ever see your sweet face again?

This is my face!

MS: Will you lose all your strength if your beard is cut like Samson in the bible?

ALR: Nah, I'm sure I'd be equally as weak without a beard. Actually I might be stronger because I'd force myself to exercise since I wouldn't have the luxury of a giant beard to hide my man-boobs.
*

Alex LaRoche hails from Atlanta, Georgia and has worked for Apple computers for a million years. I'm pretty sure he's in charge of everything. He can be found smoking meats, inventing and brewing fancy beers, soaking his moustache in Lonestar, chillaxin' with his wife and giant dog (nicknamed "Pony") and generally kicking ass. Secret: He has dimples. I was so glad when he finally moved back to Texas.