Greetings Stache Friends, Stache Fans, and all other Stache Followers!

Our very exciting interview series for Mustache-A-Thon 4 comes to an end with this DELIGHTFUL look into the brain and inner follicles of Forest Juziuk.  Won’t you join us?

SW:  Hi there Forest, so pleased you could join us!  By now, pretty much everyone knows about Stache World – and from what we gather, you may be even BETTER known than we are!  Still, let’s pretend we’re strangers and unaware of each other by reputation.  Tell us a little about yourself.

FJ: Born in Port Huron, MI. An underground culture obsessive, I just can’t hang with Lady Gaga and fashion and all that stuff. So, I act as manager/buyer at Wazoo Records (one of 56 record stores left on the planet and the oldest one in Ann Arbor), wheeling & dealing with about ten excellent independent labels & distributors.

By night, I am a “Disc Jock,” playing psychedelic jams & cosmic jazz for very beautiful people; serve as one of several organizers of the experimental film night HOTT LAVA; and put on shows with my best gal, Erin Nicole Bratkovich, and a few indispensable pals. Most recently, I was on the Ann Arbor Film Festival’s experimental film committee & a final programmer. I’m about to embark on a short tour with the Thrill Jockey band Mi Ami.

SW: Wow.  Just so you know, Stache World has a night job, too.  We fashion topiary gardens in the likeness of lemmings.  Actually, it’s not a night job, so much as something we do clandestinely and without permission. Our day job, supporting 826michigan’s mustache-related endeavors, is TOTALLY authorized, though.  What are your impressions of 826michigan?

FJ: As a fan of Wholphin & McSweeneys, I was well aware of 826 Valencia & really loved the vibe of the store/writing center which is a great dichotomy of hilarious vs. sincere. When word of an 826michigan came down the vine, it was genuinely exciting; that 826 is so community-based makes it an effort close to my heart.

SW:  We agree.  The only thing closer to our hearts is a Really Nice mustache.  Speaking of which, have you seen our incredible mustache growers this year?  Which stache do you like best?

FJ: Justin Nichols and Daniel Trump have natural mustache personality. I ran into Phil Dokas last weekend & could not figure out what he was doing with his facial hair so I’m relieved to see it’s 826-related. But I really dig Aaron Shaul’s mustache/hair combo. As a balding male, it’s quite inspiring. And here’s hoping Jeremy Peters keeps the mustache when all this is over; he is transformed.

SW: We here at Stache World believe that mustache growing tends to be transformative for all parties involved.  What’s your most emotional mustache experience?

FJ:  The simple act of being able to grow a legit mustache is a HUGE feat for any young man. Graduating from “dirt-stache” (age 14) to “rat-stache” (age 17) and then to full-on mustache (age 27 — these things take time), you might walk into your parents’ kitchen during a holiday visit & be greeted by an excited “THAT’S AWESOME!” from your pappy. That’s a good feeling. On the other end of the spectrum, absent-mindedly shaving off one side of my mustache caused an inordinate amount of psychic pain that I don’t care to revisit.

SW:  We won’t press the matter, then.  One last question for you.

What if the story of Rapunzel were changed so that she had to climb up the preternaturally long mustache hairs of her beloved prince?  Would the story gain or lose charm?

FJ: I can’t help but imagine there is a non-western mustache-inspired take on this classic tale.

SW:  Good Call!  It looks like we have some research to do here at Stache World.  Forest, we really appreciate your joining us today!  See you later, mustache-a-gator.

---

That’s it for this week!  Tune in next week for the LAST UPDATE of Mustache-A-Thon 4!!

And if you haven’t donated yet, why not pick a stache to back from our growers page?  You can also donate directly below.  Thanks!

Greetings lip-hair lovers!

This week, we’re continuing our interview series with Mustache Grower Extraordinaire of M-A-Ts past, Josh Cohen.  Read on for some not-to-be-missed fundraising tips!

SW: Hi there, Josh, and welcome!  Why don’t we start off with introductions.  We are, of course, Stache World.  You are…

JC: I am Josh Cohen… father, ecologist, and mustache philanthropist.

SW: Delightful!  Here at Stache World we find all forms of philanthropy not related to mustaches dreadfully boring.  And you, sir, are quite the mustache philanthropist, holding the current record for most lucrative stache grower of all time!  Well, besides John D. Rockefeller, but he died before Mustache-A-Thon was born.  How did you earn your distinction?

JC: I launched a multi-media, multi-generational campaign fueled by obnoxious, shameless persistence.

SW: Sounds like a presidential election, but with a mustache.  How exciting!  Pretend that you’re not talking to Stache World and that we have NO IDEA about the Mustache-A-Thon.  How would you get us interested?

JC: How can you not be interested in 826michigan? Youth literacy, mustaches, and robots together at last! Honestly, it was easy raising funds for 826: they have so many great free programs and dedicated volunteers helping kids every day.

SW: Yes.  They are much more successful than our cousin Harold’s non-profit, which has many dedicated kids helping robots with great free mustaches.  What was your favorite fundraising tactic?

JC: I was part of the West Side ‘Stache farmers, a mustache intelligentsia dedicated to mustache growth and consciousness. Inspired by our mustaches, we delved into creative endeavors to further mustache awareness, including a collection of mustache haikus and a thought-provoking film on mustaches.

SW: We hope there are some current growers reading!  It sure would be great to see more mustache-themed creative endeavors in the near future.  Just one last question: if you could choose one mustachioed historical figure to be your best friend, who would it be?

JC: Tough question, Burt Reynolds and Sam Elliot come to mind but I have to go with Salvador Dali.

SW:  Surreal.  Well, Josh, it’s been a delight!  Thanks so much for your time.

---

That’s it for this week!  Stay tuned for Monday’s update to our grower profiles!

-SW

Amanda Uhle is the Executive Director of 826michigan and Official Contact Person for the Mustache-A-Thon. Since she’s kind of in charge, Stache World decided that she’d be an excellent first stop for our interview series! Reader, read on.

SW:  Hi there, Amanda.  Before we dive in to the Really Important questions, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?

AU:  Let me start by saying that I’m happy to be your first interview. I’d love to tell you about myself, but since it’s March 1 today, my entire personal life this month has been converted to mustache-centric topics.  For instance, I have a baby daughter, and I just bought her some cute mustache clothes.  I’m also a big fan of Arbor Brewing Company’s Sacred Cow I.P.A. which I plan to order at next week’s Opening Hair-A-Monies.  And, just speaking in general terms, I love a man with a mustache!

SW:  You’re right that there is probably no better combination than mustaches, I.P.A.s, and babies dressed in novelty clothing.  If there were a commercial for Stache World, those things would definitely be in it.

Amanda, many of our readers have heard of Movember, and may be wondering if the Mustache-A-Thon is also a “prostate thing.”  What would you say to those people?

AU:  I would say that 826michigan’s Mustache-A-Thon is strictly an above-the-collarbone event.

SW:  Classy.  You know, here at Stache World, we find nothing classier than a good, old-fashioned, above-the-collarbone mustache.  Unfortunately, we’ve noticed a shocking trend away from facial hair in U.S. Presidents.  Out of sheer curiosity, do you think a mustache could improve Barack Obama’s image?

AU:  Actually, only Presidents Taft, Cleveland and T. Roosevelt had mustaches.  A few others had beards (notably Lincoln), but beards don’t count for our purposes.  Having not been alive during any mustachioed president’s term, I’ll have to defer to older, wiser friends on that one.

SW:  I’m certain they would say that yes, President Obama would look stunning and debonair in a mustache.  In fact, Amanda, YOU might look pretty debonair in a stache yourself.  If you had to choose one, would you go for a Fu Manchu or a Handlebar mustache?

AU:  Great question.  The Fu Manchu is slightly more attractive in my opinion, but there’s much to be said for the commitment of the handlebar stache’s long growing-out period.  Since the Mustache-A-Thon only lasts 5 weeks, I’d probably have to go with the more-achievable goal of the Fu Manchu, but I give major respect to anyone who can do a HB in five weeks or who maintains the stache after our little contest.

SW:  And who knows?  Five weeks is definitely long enough to catch stache fever.*

Last but not least, what advice do you have for someone looking to get involved in this year’s Mustache-A-Thon?

AU:  It’s easy!  Email me at amanda@826michigan.org.  Participating mustache growers should also plan to arrive at Arbor Brewing Company at 8:26 p.m. Monday, March 8 and for the five following Mondays. We’ll give you a free beer (or root beer!) and take a lovely photo of you; your friends and family will make copious and generous contributions; and your whiskers will do the rest!

---

Clearly, Amanda is a delight.  Stache growers, you can hang out with her EVERY Monday night during the Mustache-A-Thon and enjoy that sweet, free pint of beer.

‘Til next time!

-SW

*No, by “stache fever” we do not mean scabies.  That takes considerably less than 5 weeks to catch.