Last autumn saw a resurgence of the beard across Northern California as thousands of fans, rallying to the “Fear the Beard” battle cry, fuzzed up in support of their beloved Giants and closing pitcher Brian Wilson. On Monday, the softer side of facial hair will be showcased as the “Beards of Comedy” tour minivan rolls into town for a show at Don Quixote’s.
The beards in question belong to four Atlanta area comics—TJ Young, Andy Sandford, Dave Stone and Joe Zimmerman—who decided (after stroking said beards thoughtfully, one can only presume) to form a comedy tour around their shared choices in personal grooming. Well, mostly shared—Zimmerman, clean-shaven at the time, was forced to grow a beard to join the troupe.
Luckily, he’s received some advice from the more experienced Stone, whom Zimmerman describes as the dude who “has had a beard since he was eight. If you’ve ever seen a Civil War re-enactment, he’s that guy with that beard—the nice polished beard.” Zimmerman says of Stone and his beard, “He’s serious about it. He tells me how to cut it properly, how to treat it well, give it some brush, give it some conditioner.”
The show, which features each comic’s individual stand-up routine plus sketches and group improv, bills itself as “Comedy for people who like comedy.” Translation: Don’t fear the beard. “It’s important to note that we don’t really do bearded comedy, we’re just four comedians that have beards and we formed a tour,” Zimmerman says. “I guess we might appeal to your average guy with a beard, but we probably wouldn’t appeal to the guys with giant beards who live beard.”
