Realism is sometimes a very scary thing, but here is an example of it. The whites of the eyes, without sunglasses, without any photoshopping or touching up of photos. I think I've captured a little snippet of what post-modern bleakness looks like in a fractured and fragmented world.
The beard is uncombed, the wind is blowing, and I have no idea what I'm looking at! The tree in the background is very pretty though.
¡Yo soy El Diablo! Most frightening! Great gods on Olympus!
This last photo does an especially exemplary job of showing just how far back my hairline begins.
That's enough for today; I would daresay as much as could be tolerated by anyone.
Matt B.
Aaah, at least. You post photos less often than me :)
With hair and beard like that, you look like a antic god, like Hephaistos, Poseidon or Zeus !
Don't worry for the hairline, though. Mine begins far too [sigh].
Bye
Vivien
Merci beaucoup, Vivien! I don't post many photos, just because my hair never looks much longer although it has grown. I love your use of the word "antic" in its French/Latin sense rather than the English. Great. Also, it's cool that you chose the names of the three gods that rule the three division of the earth: land, sea, and sky. I am actually thinking I should trim my beard though; we shall see.
Thanks, Matt B.
Dunno what you're complaining about, the top photo especially looks really good.
That tree, that expression, and the angle at which the photo of the face is taken, makes you look like some warrior of the ancient world!
Also, in the top and bottom photos you look a lot like Kevin Smith, my favourite actor/director/writer :D
Thanks Derf, I'm really not complaining; I just get in odd moods sometimes and write from different perspectives. An ancient warrior, you say, thanks. I can see the Kevin Smith resemblance, beard-wise, especially. I think he's a good director as well ;-)
MB
LOL! Postmodern bleakness, I love it! your hair appears to be in really good shape, Matt. The curls are well defined and appear quite healthy. Lookin' good for sure! With that said, I really enjoyed this update. I found it to be funny and highly original despite it's simplicity. Ah, the complexity of simplicity :-) Anyway, thanks for the update Matt y que las pases bien!
Thanks Chris.
My hair is in pretty good shape, but it gets really stringy and flat looking sometimes according to the weather. With increasing length, I cannot get the volume I could when it was shorter, but, oh well.
And nothing is ever simple, is it? ;-) Maybe the el diablo part was a little over the top. I'm not really the archfiend of darkness, I promise.
MB
Awesome pics! Your beard is really great looking, along with your head hair of course!! The curls looks super. Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Hegg
Tackar, Hegg.
I'm a better beard grower than long hair grower I have decided.
MB
Bravo..bravo...fantastic!
Rather an anticlimactic response to a much anticipated event, isn't it? HAHAHA! Thanks John, and all the best as always. Tell the Queen hello at tea this afternoon.
MB
I will certainly do when I see her later.
Just proves if you ask nicely all is forthcoming!
Cheers,
John.B
Matt, the lovely tree in the background, the picture-perfect white cotton-ball clouds against that blue blue sky, and the just plain gorgeous lush green "end-of-summer" rural setting and feel all add greatly to the photographic beauty of those 3 shots; but, it is YOU that is the most handsome and interesting feature in those pics... You and your hair look hands-down TERRIFIC!!!
- Ken
PS - Hey, no worries about the hairline: I think I've got you beat by a country mile in that department, --- and high foreheads only tend to make our types look more "intelligent", anyway (lol)!!
Awwww, Ken, you are too nice. Your honey tongue always knows exactly what to say. Thanks, and hope all is well with you and your goings-on in the city by the bay.
MB
Hi Matt. Your hair looks good, and it has some good waves to it. It looks like you are wearing a mullet.
Regardless
Thanks Regardless for the compliment. I have a natural mullet of sorts inasmuch as the hair on the top of my head is neither as thick nor as long as much of the remainder, thus, the effect of a mullet; your observation is valid.
MB
Your hair looks like Holy Hell! If a friend won't tell you, who will? :)
Man those curls are getting longer and longer down your back. Looks like your patience is paying off. Studying must be good for the hair, complex minds produce curly hair, and well straight hair like mine must be the result of ... what was I saying again?
Great pictures of your many moods :)
Take care!
Thanks for the honesty Chris; I knew I could rely on you to tell it like it is. Don't sell yourself short Chris, I think you've got a very complex mind as you proved just the other day on your pleasantly vitriolic reply to a thread somewhat down the page!
Thanks Chris, and glad to see you back here with greater frequency.
MB
Very cool indeed Matt, you look like a greek god in the top picture!
~ Dave
Yes, I am Zeus, Iuppiter, Jove, Giove, Tonans, Pistor, etc!!! I rumble and tumble through the heavens with my fire-bright lightning bolts and smite the wicked and engage in love trysts with manifold paramours!
Thanks again Dave, and though I wish I could rival you in terms of volume and sheer bulk of hair, I am usually satisfied with my lot, but you'd think for a god I ought to be able to do better.
MB
Whoa! You have eyeballs!
Complete different look without the shades; hair is looking good, noticeable length coming back after the "job cut" a year or so ago.
Yes, eyes with white and pupils and everything. Who'd have thunk it? Thanks for the compliments, and I am really excited to have regained some length. Though not apparent in the photos, it is there.
Thanks, Big G.
Hey Matt
What a great, (and fun as well) update you have presented. Your long hair is looking marvelous! So glad you have been able to grow it out this long since that episode at the bank. Whew.......were they ever bums!
Just curious because you couldn't get a photo of just the back. How long does it extend at present?
Take care Matt and thanks for posting this great update for all of us.
Justin~
Thanks Justin,
You're probably not half as glad as I am that I have been able to do all this regrowing! The actual length: no one will probably believe this, but my hair really does reach past nipple length when wet. Just the same, a few strands reach mid back when wet as well. I guess next update I will have to demonstrate this, though if anyone is sqeamish about back hair and extreme chest hair, they'd better not click on the link for that picture ;-)
Thanks, MB
Hey Matt!
I truly can't believe it but finally unedited photos of you showing off what is an awesome mane blowing in the breeze:)I mean this is really a treat that we all get to see you more than just in the drivers seat.I guess we have to thank John for finally prying you out of that truck and into the fresh air as I never thought you ever left your vehicle.LOL.Seriously you have great hair my friend for sure!
Mark
Thanks Mark,
John sure did pry me out, though I was tempted to post some in-vehicle photos just to get a rise out of him! Thanks so much for the compliments as that means a lot in bolstering my resolve to grow longer. I really do get out in the open a good bit.
Thanks, Matt B.
Hey Matt! Love that realism. Great pics of you...even the devil shot...woohoo! Great hair and great beard. Thanks for "gettin out" the drivers seat!
Cheers,
Max
Thanks Max,
You know I just ran across what your name means the other day, not really ran across it just so much as I thought it through. Not you especially, but I saw an Italian fellow's name, "Massimo," from the Latin, "maximus," "the greatest." Max ultimately comes from the same word. Thought it was kind of a cool etymology.
Thanks for the compliments, and I look forward to your new updates as well. When I have taken pictures before, I was careful to be more groomed and make sure everything looked polished, but these shots were no preparation whatsoever.
Thanks,
MB
Hey Matt, thanks for the etymology on "Max". Wish it was true in my case! :-) Look forward to seeing more realism shots in the future. Hope you have a good week,
Cheers,
Max
Wow! You look like a totally different person without the shades, and outside the car. Whowouldathunk?
Thanks Carol, and I look forward to your next update.
MB
Well what a treat! After all the banter back and fourth you did it. Actually not a bad update and as for the hairline welcome to the club as mines as high as yours.
Kevin
Thanks Kevin, Yes what's that we've always heard about a high forehead as a sign of intelligence? I think that's the story we should go with.
MB
Hi Matt,
Thank you for sharing with us these fabulous photos, and your hair looks great in these natural settings in these outdoor settings. Be sure to kep it growing!
Take care,
David
Thanks David. You always are so kind and omplimentary to everyone. Hope your trip is going well and you return home safely.
MB
Who's that guy without the shades?! Good to see you for real Matt and your hair looks wonderful in these shots. Do keep on growin'
Bruce
Thanks, Bruce, and I do intend to keep on keeping on, though I do get a little discouraged trying to deal with both curly and fine hair. It can be a battle, but I think it's worth it.
MB
...Great "tongue shot" HA!
That is a good update Matt...I did not realize just how long your curls have gotten.....
...I have been noticing that, as many men in their 50's, 60's and up, are growing long hair, that thinning areas are just not an issue to many. I am seeing many long ponytails with very little bulk on top.....looks fine to me. (Except on me....HA!) I usually wear a hat when out and about, more for sun protection than vanity though.
Thanks for the update
Walter
Thanks Walter, for everything! I've quit worrying about thinning, though I'm not in my 50's or 60's! I estimate I've got about five-six "hair on top" years left. I'm just going to enjoy it and go from there. Remember too, Walter, that we are our own worst critics; from the pictures you posted a while back, I think you "do" long hair as well as any can hope too -- that is, you have nothing to hide with a hat. Don't hide your light under a bushel.
MB
Thanks for sharing, your hair has gotten really long.
Thanks, Vincent, and welcome again to the moderator team.
MB
Very nice, Matt! Also some pretty surroundings. Take care, and have a good rest of your week, sir. =)
-James
Thanks James, and a good week to you as well, kind sir ;-)
Oh my gods! It's Matt without his glasses! Run for the hills!!!
;-)
In all seriousness, you look great in the "real," Matt. The curls are first-rate!
Mouse
I agree, it is a very scary image that I posted. Thanks, Mouse for the compliments, and I wish I could get some better shots to show off the "curlage," but maybe next time, when I lapse back into the unreal.
MB
Woah! This is like Darth Vader removing his mask or something : P Obviously not quite as ugly : )
Awesome pics Matt. It's great to see some different ones of you!
Take care
Neil
Thanks Neil, for the praises and compliments. I like the Darth Vader analogy. It really does change a perspective when you've seen someone one way for so long, and then, bam -- a change. Well, if I could look like Darth as a strapping Anakin, pre-incident with Obi Wan on the volcanic planet of Mustafarr, that is like, Hayden Christensen, a likeness with Darth wouldn't be too bad at all. :)
MB
A great look for you, Matt! I think it great that many of us have decided, against societal norm, to challenge the conservative notion of what 'professional' looks like. You are certainly professional-looking if less conservative than many.
You look good.
Keep it long!
Shawn (Mr.Crow)
Thanks, Mr. Crow. I think it's great to test out the bounds of things too. I think that anything that is by definition established, whether cultural, societal, political, religious, or governmental, ought to be challenged and shaken up frequently as established implies that it is static, and how can anything static ever hope to serve the dynamic dynamo that is humanity?
Next update, as you have done before with that photoshoot you posted a while back, I will try better to look professional, in something more than a t-shirt, to better show less conservative professionalism. That's an interesting term, and seems somewhat of a contradiction, but I don't think it is.
Thanks again, Matt B.
looks great Matt! def a true Scotsman i see :) long hair and beard suits you very well lad keep it growing for sure!