My first thought upon hearing that Matisyahu shaved his beard was that it was a publicity stunt and that it was somehow orchestrated by some folks at YU to take some of the unwanted publicity away from them because of their censorship and rampant premarital sex issues. The second thought was, maybe it’s just a regular marketing tactic, I haven’t heard much of Matisyahu lately and that means he must need som e sort of attention. Then of course, I started wondering about all the Vos Iz Neias types who will be fearing he’s going off the derech and not let their kids listen to his music anymore.
I’m pretty sure that the Beard Shave is getting more attention than the Beacon ever did and that pretty everyone besides me has forgotten about the YU Sex scandal that’s still raging as it’s finals season and those Stern Girls are getting frisky at Brookdale. It just so happens to be that I couldn’t care less about whether Matisyahu looks like a 19th century European or not, though I’m sure some people do – I’m almost required to write about it, because some people (I know none of them personally) actually care what I think. So here’s what I think.
Matisyahu is kind of like Obama, they both became famous because of their outward appearance. Yes, Matisyahu makes good music, but lots of people make great music and never become famous – Matisyahu makes good music and looks like a 19th century European. I’m willing to bet that this has bugged him for a long time, sure it felt great to be a millionaire – but when it finally set in that most of the people who liked him were into the look more than the message or music – he probably became a bit irate. Basically, he looked himself in the mirror and decided that he was a sellout. I’m not implying he’s a sell out – but I am implying that when you wake up and realize that the beard is your marketing feature, you may start to rethink life and wonder if you should get back to your roots. I’ve done the same thing many times, but unfortunately I can’t even grown a beard and no one would care if I shaved it anyway.
Now let’s get a little funny for a moment and list off some other possible reasons for Matisyahu to shave his beard.
He’s decided he wants to go snag (he couldn’t handle the cultish ways of chassidim and the only way to get out is to throw off the yoke of the beard)
He wanted to be more streamlined for those Santa Ana winds out in California
He was hired by YU to take the heat off the sex scandal
He wants to make music and see if people like it without the look
He’s sick of being asked to do mivtzoyom’s
He’s decided to go off the derech
He heard that the more loshon horah that get’s spoke about you the mitzvos you acrue
He was drunk and bored
He was high and bored
He has lice
His misnagdishe rabbi told him to do it
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
beard or not i’ll always remember when i saw him on jimmy kimmel in 2004 proudly representing the jewish people. As a musician he’s definately one of my hero’s. I totally stand by his new look. Its shocking to say the least but he had to do it.
So maybe it’s wrong for me to say I liked the beard? I think most men should have beards, Jewish or not.
I have a beard for one reason and one reason only. The girl likes it. Noone likes rubbing up on sandpaper.
It was a bit sandpapery at first, but then it grew and it’s fabulous now!
There is a reason why 99% of men in the US dont have beards it is because it looks messy and ugly.
The only woman who love the beard are lubavs.
Just goes to show you like what you’re used to.
No, no. Plenty of women like beards.
Plenty of women “are” beards. LOL
Yeah, I’m not Lubav either, and my ancestors have been clean shaven since the late 1800s
“There is a reason why 99% of men in the US dont have beards it is because it looks messy and ugly.”
No, the reason why 99% [sic] of men in the US don’t have beards is because clean shaven is currently the fashion. In the past – and in the future – most men wore facial hair. With and without facial hair are both trends and they come and go.
This is very true. Also, I love my husband’s beard and I’m not Lubavitch.
i’m just happy you didn’t use the frum couple makeout photo for this post….
heshy…if he was a snag he wouldnt have gone to the mikvah
maybe he had a nocturnal emission
Please chose the correct answer.
Matisyahu without a beard is like which of the following:
A. The pope without his yarmulkah.
B. Heshy Fried without a web-blog.
C. Lubavitchers without the Rebbe.
D. The YU Beacon without sex scandals.
E. All of the Above
F. None of the Above.
based on the “after” photo, I think it’s the drugs
Don’t forget, he didn’t just shave his beard, he also shaved his peyot. After all, he could have gone with the crazy settler look and only shaved the beard and mustache and kept long fucking peyos. As a side note, seriously, what is up with that look?
He’s got hos peyes still
I mean, yes, he still has halachic peyot, but I meant the long, uncut type that he and most Hasidim have.
I think matisyahu’s on a mission to try to find himself, and its easier to do that without a costume distracting him.
Without a costume distracting him? Lol. Now all eyes are on him, and people will be broadcasting his every move. If he didn’t want distractions this wasn’t exactly the most intelligent way to go about it.
That’s true, but it’s not what I meant. It’s easier to make an outer change and think everything is fixed. But then you learn that change has to come from within.
He looked stoned. This stunt reminds me of the time when Vince from entourage got a haircut. The idea of a hassid doing reggae is cool to people. Generally most people don’t listen to reggae
women like it, men fear it. he’s probably already lamenting the worst decision of his life.
As you know, you don’t need a costume to follow G-d and if you don’t want to follow G-d the costume gets in the way and the big question is:
Will he lose his following once he looks ordinary?
Based on his (Twitter?) comment I believe it’s because he decided to go off the derech
based on his facebook, it would appear not.
From his profile:
“For all of those who are being awesome, you are awesome. For all those who are confused: today I went to the Mikva and Shul just like yesterday”
Hes surrounded by chics who look at him like a weird odd ball, and hes sick of it and wants to get laid just like all other stars in the industry. Hes sick of feeling weird or guilty for being frum.
Bye bye frum style hello reggae star who could get laid like everyone else. Hello drugs, depression, party empty lifestyle, like most music stars.
To everyone, he’s making a series of concerts over Chanukah in NYC and Brooklyn. Go to matisyahuworld.com for tickets. Now to respond to the lubabs, they love beards! In the bed room they use it to hang on for dear life while the chasid gives her the wild west style.
First, the Adversary comes to entice.
Then to rationalize.
Then to encourage.
Then to give pleasure.
Then to accuse.
Then to divulge.
Then finally to make guilty.
Life — true and joyous life — is for us Jews only when we are with G-d and with His Torah.
I guarantee you that he is right now feeling like s–t.
(And what about his wife and children?)
Dude it’s just a beard it’s grow back
I think you might be overstating your case. Besides, sounds like he’s happy with his decision.
Britney Spears anyone?!
I have no doubt he was high or stoned.
Hesh,
You should checkout his new picture on facebook, when he isn’t doing the self pic in the bathroom style, he doesn’t look stoned, and you can see his kippah
I think the dude just wanted to move foward on his journey without having to “represent” anybody but himself, and over time he will grow it back, because he is a good dude at heart and still loves what he represented, but doesn’t want to be the one to represent it, if that makes sense
I don’t want to be the schmuck to play the “I told you so card,” but I called this from the beginning. People got pissed and hated me when I said that the ever-derech-changing chassidish look was what got him famous and that fame and stage dives don’t exactly match up with being “modest” and a “chassid”. I am surprised at how shocked people are, he was in a Kenneth Cole ad wearing a lime green sweater, are you seriously shocked? The only thing that surprised me is that he took so long and changed rebbes so many times before this.
I want to be the next REBBE.
Feel free to daven to me five times a day for my blessings.
Beards suck bigtime. I’ve tried growing ine 3-4 times, I can’t stand it, nor can my wife. Maybe he just git sick of it.
I guess we’ll see what happens to his career. Reminds me of some bands that went downhill after a change to their image, Rob Halford coming out, Metallica shaving their hair, X amount of singers off drugs. Usually turns out for the worse, hopefully he’ll survive.