The Editor’s pick of videos by some awfully talented people.
Commence Movember
Deadpan master and star of a thousand, thousand memes, Nick Offerman (aka Ron Swanson of NBC’s Parks and Recreation) has turned his considerable powers (most notably the ones on his upper lip) to good with this rhapsody for testosterone. It supports Movember, a campaign that encourages men to grow their mustaches during the month of November, in order to raise awareness for men’s health issues, particularly prostate and testicular cancer. (It’s like wearing one of those pink ribbons during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, except they come in all different colors — and grow on your face.) Swanson’s mustachioed mystique has drawn the ardor of many a young male on the interwebs, so the fit could not be more perfect. At RF, we like the cause, and we like the video, with its perfect concurrence of humor, theme, and iconic character.
It comes to us from MadeMan.com, a grown-up side project from the folks at Break Media, publishers of the video site Break.com (where man-boys go to watch videos of their peers breaking bones in skateboarding accidents, and generally tread the edges of inappropriateness and transgression). The Made Man project aspires to higher things. According to the site, its editors — one New Yorker and one Los Angeleno — are “dedicated to giving guys unbeatable information to live better, smarter, happier lives.”
Basically it’s all the info and advice that other generations got from dads, uncles, older brothers, and the old boys down-the-barber shop, but in a handy, image-laden online presentation that doesn’t require the lads to actually get grease under their fingernails, while waiting for the best moment to ask embarrassing questions about things like grooming and dating or the details of cars, tools, and general manliness. And of course there’s a heavy dose of current trends, pop culture, sports, etc.
Their YouTube channel features lots of other well-crafted videos, including a celebrity interview series called “Speakeasy,” and a (less entertaining) group of motorcycling foodies called “Chefs of Anarchy.” But the best of their work so far is the Movember series, including recent interviews with barbers on both coasts.
For Made Man Movember info visit: mademan.com/movember
