When does a beard stop being ironic?

OK, so I am finally writing my second ever blog post (don't all clap at once). This one is about facial hair. I just have one question: when does this whole indie hipster thing of facial hair and bbad late 70's/early 80's clothes play itself out? At first I sorta liked the beard thing, but after awhile, doesn't it stop being ironic and just become kind of unappealing? Are there chicks who really dig guys who look like they just stepped out of Napoleon Dynamite or the latest Wes Anderson flick? I mean, a beard is a pretty big committment. At what point does the irony end and the realization that "man, I have a beard on my face" begin? And where do you go from there? Can you really go any further than that? Are we all devolving into the guys from the "Even a Caveman Can Do It" commercials (which, by the way are getting their own TV pilot, according to today's news)?

I think quoting my favorite exchange in Ghost World is appropriate at this time:

Rebecca: This is so bad it's almost good.
Enid: This is so bad it's gone past good and back to bad again.

All right, so I asked more than one question. But it really comes down to one question: When does looking bad stop being all cool and ironic and become just...well, just plain bad?

OK, the obligatory section with a music tip and fake band names:

Might I suggest that you listen to the new Deerhoof album, Friend Opportunity? It rocks (I know, I need to stop using that word). It is even more accessible than their 2005 album, The Runners Four. Some people hate SF experimental indie pop band Deerhoof. They hate the mix of somewhat difficult, ever-changing music and the child-like lyrics sung by a Japanese expat with a little girl voice. One critic even said they were "like John and Yoko...without John" (which I would actually argue was not always a bad thing). Anyway, Runners Four found the band becoming much more listenable and catchy for the average person, and as a result much more endearing. Friend Opportunity is even better. Check it out. Check them both out.

And here are this blog's selections of Fake band names.
As I said in the last blog, my friend Chadd and I have been building up a list of hundreds of suggested band names for several years now. Some I consider off-limits because they are so good (or horrible), but I will share a few of the sharables with you:

-The Pornados (this is Chadd's contribution, and he informs us that it is pronounced like "Tornados", except with a "P" in place of the "T")
-The Ladyfriends
-Nauga Ranch
-The Tina Yothers Experience
-Rainbow Suspenders

My first blog (Reprinted from a January 9th 2007 blog originally posted somewhere else)

OK, I have become a cliche. This is my first blog--anywhere. I intend to do this on a fairly regular basis. My blog will be free-form, with observations about life, the occasional current event, cool music I have heard, movies or TV I have seen, something that pissed me off--the typical blog crap nobody is interested in. Two things that my blog will always include each time:
-Music recommendations
-At least one suggested name for a new band
A WARNING: this blog will not be pretty. I have limited HTML skills (OK, none) so count yourself lucky if I can eventually figure out how to add photos, or links you can actually click on.
That's pretty much all I have to say today, except I need to deliver on my promise...
What I'm Listening To: Everyone who knows me is aware I am obsessed with Yo La Tengo, so that's a given. Right now I am really into Broken Social Scene. Unlike pretty much everyone else, I feel that their newer album ("Broken Social Scene") surpasses the excellence of their much-lauded "You Forgot it In People". Everyone else sees it as a lesser work, and says that the prior album's songs "grabbed" them more. I feel quite the opposite. Either way, both are fantastic records. If you go to their page on Arts and Crafts, you can view some of their videos. "7/4 (Shoreline)" is my favorite off their new album. Don't ask me to link to it, because I don't know how.
Suggested Name for a Band: I have a head start on this as my friend Chadd and I have been trading an email back and forth for nearly two years, filled with nothing but fake band names. We are into the hundreds now. For the sake of our friendship and some kind of warped code of honor, there are a few choice names I just cannot share. Ever. But there are some other really good ones I feel comfortable letting out of the vault. Here are just a few (the last one is Chadd's contribution):
-Brecht's Washcloth
-The Ranchettes
-Martin Mull Saved my Family
-Hostel
Well, there you have it. My first blog. Make sure the flash is on when you take a picture. See you next time!