David Letterman’s first question for Joaquin Phoenix when the actor-turned-rapper settled himself in on the
Late Show stage Wednesday night for a now infamous (and controversial: hoax or real?) interview was about Phoenix’s giant, scraggly, unkempt beard. “You look different than I remember,” Letterman said to the first of many awkward spurts of laughter. “You’ve got a nice beard going. How is the beard? Is it comfortable, is it itchy, are you pleased with it?”
“I’m okay with it but now you’re making me feel weird about it,” Phoenix responded. “I can’t be the first one to make you feel weird about it,” Letterman noted. “No,I guess not,” Phoenix said, scratching at the beard.
Say what you will about Phoenix and the veracity of his new foray into the world of hip-hop, but his beard is formidable. There’s a strong history of rock beards — everyone from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin to My Morning Jacket to Fleet Foxes have sported them at one point or another — and it seems as though Phoenix has studied grooming at the Rick Rubin School of Hirsute Facial Sciences.
So whose style is Joaquin Phoenix biting? Check these photos and tell us what you think:
•
Rock Star Beards: From Joaquin Phoenix to Willie Nelson, Music’s Most Famous Facial Hair
And check out our coverage of Phoenix’s rap career here:
•
Joaquin Phoenix Appears On David Letterman, Kind Of
•
Joaquin Phoenix Stands By Rapper Act, Calls Career Change “Weird”
•
Joaquin Phoenix’s Rap Career Just A “Borat”-Like Hoax?
•
Joaquin Phoenix Makes Official Rap Debut in Vegas, Falls Off Stage
•
Joaquin Phoenix’s Next Big Role: Rapper Co-Signed By Diddy?
More...
Joaquin Phoenix?s Wild Beard: Whose Style Is He Biting?
Linear Mode
