Author Archives: Lord Jim

Respect the ‘Stache

We here at MFL are big fans of the mustache. Our own tomvox is currently sporting one and I’ve been know to grow one from time to time. I think even Graham has one of those David Niven jobs on his upper lip but he’s always on the road and I haven’t seen him for weeks.

No matter, if you’re burnt out on your beard during these hot summer months, you may want to give the Magnum, P.I. look a shot.

tom-selleck-magnum-pi

On second thought, “The Selleck” is a pretty advanced ‘stache so maybe you should work up to that bristly wonder with a little practice lest you hurt your face.

We’re not sure how the classic stand alone mustache got such a poor fashion rep. Too many gold chain-wearing over-tan St. Tropez types in banana hammocks? The Village People? 70s porn? But we feel it’s a fine statement to make on the confident man’s upper lip. The squares may give you some confused looks but trust us, the ladies like ’em. And really, are you gonna follow the herd or be your own man?

The How To: Grow a beard for something like a week so you eliminate that awkward “shadow lip” phase and then shave and shape to your taste. You can keep a soul patch for support if you’re feeling vulnerable. But eventually try to make the leap to only the furry upper lip. Wahl trimmers can give you whatever shape and level of bushiness you’re looking for.

In the meantime, have a look at these other guys along with Magnum and tell us again that the ‘stache is not cool…

Paul Newman-Color of Moneysundance-kid,jpgBurt Reynolds (Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)Nigel-Mansell-1995-McLarenGraham Hillmoustache7-georgeclooneyClark_Gable-2Niven

And be careful with this last one–unless you ride a big Harley or a horse, you may not be able to pull it off:

Sam-Elliott

 

 

Gorgeous Lady of the Week–Famke Janssen

Famke-famke-janssen-2

This dark Dutch goddess was already famous as an Elite model when she starred opposite Pierce Brosnan’s Bond in Goldeneye–her Xenia Onatopp is #18 on the excellent list of Bond Girls over at Ropeofsilicon.com. And she only seems to be getting better with age. Not only does she still have drop dead gorgeous looks and have great depth as an actress but she’s a multiple threat, with screenwriting & directorial credits to her name. She’s also an alumna of Columbia University and has followed in the footsteps of other great actresses by becoming a UN Goodwill Ambassador.

Famke has a cameo reprising her role as sexy telepath Jean Grey in the newly released movie, The Wolverine. While I don’t know how good that’s going to be, I do know that she will definitely be her usual seductive self. This fascinating lady just can’t help it.

Famke-Janssen-3

(More info at Famke Janssen’s Wikipedia and IMDB pages.)

Website of the day: Gearpatrol.com

If you’ve got a hankering for adventure and the finer things in life, a wide range of experiences and interests, Gear Patrol is for you (http://gearpatrol.com/). Designed to appeal to your inner James Bond/triathelete/race car driver, etc, Gear Patrol is packed with adventure vacations, fine spirits and awesome gadgets.

As a really good example of what these guy’s are doing (and at the risk of stepping on Graham’s turf), check out this fantastic mini-documentary on the iconic Porsche 917 prototype: Faster. Farther. Porsche 917 (Click it, man. You’ll thank me later.)

These are definitely our kind of guys. In fact, I’ve just added them to our links page. But be forewarned: the site is huge with a ton of cool stuff. You could get lost in there for days so it can definitely cut into your productivity. But what a way to while away the hours until your next adventure.

Ads that confuse us–Gillette Body Grooming

OK call me old school but this Gillette Body Grooming commercial kind of pisses me off:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXzdbr7HvAc

Let me get this straight: According to Handsome Boy Modeling School there, us guys are supposed to Gillette-style our bodies according the whims of whatever hottie comes along? What if I get tired of the “hairless” chick and make a play for the one who likes the hairy chest (but not the back*)?  Guess I’m screwed then, right? Talk about a moving target! I’m gonna have irregular patchy fur all over my body if I listen to this pretty boy’s advice.

Nuh-uh. I don’t give a rat’s ass if that is Kate Upton and Hannah’s hot and Genesis is probably a bit of a freak. “Grooming” my wonderfully hairy bod to please some high maintenance babe ain’t gonna happen. Love the hairy chest rug or leave it, darlin’, and do not even say a word about my legs or I’ll send you back to momma. If a relationship starts with body hair demands, where is it going to end? (Hint: your nuts/her purse.)

Riddle me this, Gillette: are these demanding diva’s gonna make Superman shave his chest, too?

Kal-El ain’t shaving nuthin’, baby!

Yeah, didn’t think so.

*Admittedly, I have yet to meet a woman who “likes” a hairy back–sorry, my wooly friends. But I’m sure she’s out there…she’s just maybe in Turkey or something.

 

Tip of the Day: Take the time to iron, ya lazy bastard

Look, you’re not in college anymore and no one thinks it’s “cute” when you shuffle into work or the bar with clothes that just came off the bedroom floor. You’re a young man trying to make a name for himself in this world.  Look the part.

Now you could send everything to the dry cleaners.  But that would cut down on beer money. Maybe you have a man servant to take care of such mundane tasks or you send your clothes home to momma? Maybe you have a throwback 1950s June Cleaver wife who will gladly do it for you (yeah, that’ll last). In any case, we here at MFL prefer self-reliance even for the boring stuff.

So unless your work calls for overalls or a hazmat suit, take 5-10 minutes to iron whatever you’re going to wear, even a T-shirt and jeans. If there’s something that’s just too much of a PITA to deal with like linen, then sure, take it to the dry cleaners and have them do it for a few bucks. Same goes for your fancier dress shirts if you’re worried you might burn through them while you’re busy texting. But mostly you’ll do fine, lazybones.

Some helpful hints: Continue reading →

What we’re listening to now–Dahomey Dance by Coltrane

A groovy, near 11-minute workout by the Master of the Sax relatively early in his career as a leader, “Dahomey Dance” features an all-star backing ensemble of Eric Dolphy on alto sax, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Art Davis & Reggie Workman on bass and the inimitable Elvin Jones on the backbeat.

Originally released on the “Olé” album in 1961 but also available on the Atlantic Coltrane omnibus “The Heavyweight Champion” (among other compilations), this track is accessible to any listener and, most importantly, really swings with a loping groove and concise solos.  It’s long but somehow over before you want it to be. “Dahomey Dance” is what a great mellow jazz tune should be: smooth, full of soul and exhibiting superb collaborative musicianship. You owe it to yourself to check it out.

Plug it into your Pandora or download it from iTunes or Amazon.

Ads We Like–Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World”

No great revelation here: We like the World’s Most Interesting Man in the World campaign.  Who doesn’t?  Here’s why:

  1. I’m not privy to the metrics but it must’ve lifted the brand’s profile in the States immeasurably, which is, after all, why companies pay ad agencies.  So great value for money to the client.
  2. The commercials are worth viewing for enjoyment on their own merits.  I’m sure they’ve won a closet-worth of awards.  So great prestige for the ad team while doing creative & fun work = win-win.
  3. And, most pivotally, the dude kind of reminds us of our dads, who really did seem to have done a lot more adventuring in their heyday in the 1960s & 70s.  We could be biased but our pops were more well rounded and, yes, masculine than most guys tend to be today.  The MIMITW is a caricature but he resonates because those years really did seem extra “actiony”.  And our dads were definitely in the thick of things.

Sure, the beer’s good with Mexican food and in hot weather.  But the campaign is better than the brew.  It is an all time classic.

Wiki article here: The Most Interesting Man in the World

Mondays were made for hydration

If you’re like me, you take advantage of your weekends to have a good time, all the time…which means your liver is pretty cranky by Monday.

In general, I try to take the early part of the week off from booze (try being the operative word). Chances are that social engagements from Wednesday on are going to make it a gantlet of alcoholic temptations so best to try and get in a couple of “clean out” days early on (good theory, anyway).

So the key to recovery starting Monday is hydration, my brothers. As soon as you stumble out of bed, grab a shower and start pounding cool, fresh water, preferably filtered via a Brita or Pur system or the like.  If you’re feeling extra depleted from your weekend fling, you can supplement your H2O with some electrolytes from a concentrated add-in like elete (less is more with this stuff–it is extremely concentrated and contains sodium so follow label directions).  And probably the best (and best tasting) natural hydrator out there is good old fashioned coconut water, today commonly sold under the Zico and Vita Coco brands.  Slightly sweet and packed with potassium and other electrolytes, coconut water will quickly put back in what your drinking man’s weekend took out.  And it’s actually very light in calories unlike, say, Gatorade and other so-called “sports” drinks which are loaded with high fructose corn syrup and not really any better for you than a sugary soda.

Proper hydration is a key part of all around health and well being.  Among other things, it helps control histamines, blood pressure and, ironically, the better hydrated you are the less water your body retains.  It’s also good for your brain and digestion, not to mention better workouts. So sure you gotta pay to play.  But Monday seems like the right day to start refunding your body what the weekend’s beer, wine and cocktails took out.  Bottoms up, my boozy friends!

What we’re listening to today: Somethin’ Else by Cannonball Adderly

The best Miles Davis album not officially authored by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderly’s seminal  “Somethin’ Else” from 1958  belongs in every well rounded man’s jazz collection (you do have a jazz collection, dontcha pal?). It oozes class, can be listened to regularly throughout all the years of your life and is also a great makeout album guaranteed to impress hip chicks.  And aside from all that, it is absolutely some of the best music ever laid down on magnetic tape by the human race.

Plug it into your Pandora or download it from iTunes or Amazon (free samples here):

Song Title Time Price
Play   1. Autumn Leaves 10:59 $1.99  Buy MP3 
Play   2. Love For Sale 7:04 $1.29  Buy MP3 
Play   3. Somethin’ Else 8:13 $1.29  Buy MP3 
Play   4. One For Daddy-O 8:24 $1.29  Buy MP3 
Play   5. Dancing In The Dark 4:07 $1.29  Buy MP3 
Play   6. Bangoon (aka Alison’s Uncle) 5:09 $1.29  Buy MP3 

Once those first slinky, film noir notes from “Autumn Leaves” begin, you’ll know your music collection just took a big step up in class, my friend.

(Pro tip: Spring for the Rudy Van Gelder edition.  The warm remix by Blue Note’s master engineer will wrap you in a cocoon of cool.)