20 Mustaches that Molded History: Part II
16. FRANK ZAPPA
“One of the most artistically influential musicians whose mustache inspired a style, in that it brought in the Soul Patch, to a style that’s now called ‘The Zappa,’ which is the Chevron mustache with a small Soul Patch.” – AMI Chairman Aaron Perlut
Zappa’s still lives on today as his ‘stache displays a striking resemblance to the Toyota Truck logo. The similarity is equally breath-taking as it is disturbing. Much like the late Mr. Zappa himself.
15. JOHN WILKES BOOTH
“Oftentimes actions of criminality are associated with mustaches, and he tends to be one of the infamous criminals in American history, having murdered arguably the most popular president in U.S. history.” -AMI Chairman Aaron Perlut
On March 24, 1865 at the Bamum Hotel in Baltimore between Italian barber Cipriano Ferrandini (who was a central figure in the assassination plot to kill Lincoln on February 23, 1861 as he went through Baltimore on his way to be inaugurated) and actor John Wilkes Booth (who eventually killed Lincoln on April 14, 1865).
While waiting for Arnold his co-conspirator friend, Booth gets his hair cut and mustache trimmed by the barber at the Barnum, Cipriano Ferrandini. During this encounter Ferrandini retells the story of the Baltimore Plot of 1861. Booth, having recently failed in his attempt on March 17,1865 to kidnap Lincoln, is inspired by Ferrandini’s story to once again make a commitment to kill Lincoln. Abigail, one of the bar maids at the Barnum, becomes a love interest of Booth during this encounter with Ferrandini.
Both Ferrandini and Booth had mustaches which spawned an opera titled, “The Moustache” and features, “If You’ve Only Got a Moustache” as the central song of the opera.
13. ALBERT EINSTEIN
mc2=mustachE
He will always be known as one of the most brilliant minds in the world. His style was wild and shaggy, his mustache followed suit. Which was perfect for a man who spent most of his time contemplating things beyond the grasp if 99% of the rest of us.
Einstein was able to comprehend and explain some of the most complex aspects of the universe. Now we salute the genius who kept that magical soup strainer for his entire life.
12. SALVADOR DALI
Artist, filmmaker and all-around weirdo Salvador Dali is generally famous for two things; his surreal, disturbing paintings and his even more surreal and way more disturbing mustache. Although he wore a fairly standard mustache in his youth, it grew wider and wilder as he got older and more famous/crazy. It is said by the time of his death it was so large that he had to hire two African Pygmies just to support it. That’s not true, but it was a pretty crazy mustache.
A lot of Dali’s craziness is in his googly eyes, but without the two curly, waxing tufts of hair to give his face some pizazz, he just looks like a creep with a staring problem.
11. JOSEPH STALIN
Joseph Stalin aside from issuing mass murderers did have a mustache. It was inspired by the Soviet dream of peasant labouring stock, from which he hailed (but never tell him that or he’ll send you to the Gulag). Also it is a psychoanalytical truth that mustaches make it easier to lie to other people by obscuring one’s words.
The greatest lie Stalin ever told was to his good friend Trotski when he promised to meet him in Mexico for a camping trip in the Siberian Alps. His second big lie was to his old buddy Lenin as he gave him his afternoon cup of tea with hemlock. The third and most devastating lie was to the people of the Soviet Union when he promised them a Soviet Paradise of Freedom and Equality.
Stalin’s mustache has been preserved in perpetuity, along with the rest of his body in some mausoleum in Russia. It is thought to be the last testament to the dream of Soviet Communism. Stay stachey USSR!
