'Stache bash While some men wax their chest and pluck their eyebrows, this Boulder
resident grew a mustache. He plays the ukulele, not a guitar. He'd rather
be a gadabout, dandy or cowboy, than a rock star. His parents named him
Aaron Johnson, but he's known as Ukulele Loki. Boulder is a great town for facial hair, according to this 28-year-old
CU-Boulder graduate. Not only does a beard or mustache serve as wind buffer
or scarf, but it also serves as the ultimate fashion statement. “Men don't have many opportunities to wear things that are flamboyant
or fun,” says Loki. “Facial hair is a huge untapped medium
for style.” With his derby hat, blazer and friendly disposition, Loki has no problem expressing himself, but it's his handlebar mustache that makes an instant impression. “We have this stuff on our face, how can we not be fascinated?”
asks Loki. “Barbarians said it was a sign of manhood and what's
more manly than a mustache?” Growing a mustache is hard work. Well, not like laying bricks or shoveling
asphalt, but it still takes effort. People don't just wake up and have
a great mustache. The process takes time, love, care and more time. Loki started his mustache back in 2000, when “it wasn't hip at
all,” he says. For a while he rocked a pencil-thin mustache, like
that of famous film director John Waters, but now sports a blonde handlebar,
reminiscent of a Snidely Whiplash - the dastardly “Rocky and Bullwinkle”
villain. In order to style his 'stache, Loki uses Clubman's Mustache Wax because it's relatively available, but only found “wherever old men shop.” Without the wax, Loki says his mustache is a “total mess.” Even so, he still lets it go “au naturel” from time to time. While cruising the Internet for some tricks and tips for facial hair
care, Loki stumbled upon The World Beard and Moustache Association homepage
[SEE INFO BOX]. After viewing the world's best displays of facial hair,
Loki knew it was time for a club in Boulder and the Boulder Hirsute Mustache
& Beard Growers Society (HMBGS, or the HuMBuGS) was born. Within minutes
of forming the club, Loki had two members he had never met or seen before. Today there are about 14 HuMBuGS in town, and with the First Annual Moustache
and Beard Championship at Burnt Toast Restaurant on the Hill Friday, Feb.
24, Loki hopes the group's numbers will grow. A few years ago only truckers wore trucker hats, only cowboys fashioned
belt buckles and only professional wrestlers and trailer park denizens
had mullet cuts. Are mustaches going to be the new trucker hat? “I'm wondering if we are seeing a renaissance of mustaches,”
says Loki. “The weird indie-music kids are starting to wear mustaches.” Loki says the trend is picking up, and the number of facial hair fanciers
is growing. Unfortunately some people still associate mustaches with cops or homosexuals - not that there's anything wrong with that. Most people he meets love the mustache. A recent trip to Japan (where
facial hair is uncommon but respected) gave Loki overnight popularity. Guess what ladies, Loki is spoken for. He says the mustache originally
intrigued his girlfriend and she has formed a love/hate relationship with
his upper-lip hair. Some of the HMBGS members explain that their astute facial hair has “other
qualities for women,” meaning that - nah, we probably can't print
that. Loki is the co-host of the 1190 AM Route 78 West radio show, and, at
times, appears as a circus sideshow performer and burlesque MC. Eventually he'd like to settle down as a teacher, but if the school makes
him shave, “I'll probably find a way around it,” he jokes. Loki may appear older than he actually is, but that doesn't bother him
in the least.
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