Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and join me...yours truly, Primo on what, hopefully, will be the start of a beautiful friendship.
Deciding on the topic of my first submission (as a newly-appointed member of the Article Team) has been difficult. One would think after 6 years on TSD and other shave fora, I would have plenty to talk about. Indeed, I have never been short of words or comments of which many of you can attest.
Here I sit, up since 4:45am, working on my second cup of coffee, with nothing to say.
Which reminds me of the television show, Seinfeld...the show about nothing.
Maybe I should I reminisce about my life post re-discovering the joys of traditional wet-shaving? That's a topic to which most of us can relate. Remember the drudgery of shaving? Remember the 2 blade carts, three...4 and 5? Most recently, I remember spending $35.00 for an 8-pack of Gillette Fusion carts. Yes, I though that was a lot of money, but keep this fact in mind: I only shaved about once every 6-7 days! I was professor at a university, looking like a BUM! But the fact still remains, I really wasn't spending a lot of money on shaving.
Back in my singing days, If I didn't have a performance, I didn't shave. Period. I tried every different kind of razor. I had a Phillips (Norelco) triple-headed razor. (That wasn't cheap). I got such razor burn with that sucker, you have no idea. The only way I could get a relatively irritation-free shave, was to sprinkle a handful of talc on my beard and then shave. What a mess!
I had a big, glass bottle of ED Pinaud Lilac Vegetal. Yes, friends, I was using The Veg as far back as 1982. That's before you were born Andrew!
@Linuxguile I also had a huge bottle of the Hair Tonic, Eau de Quinine, they called it.
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Remember that red juice? That...smell? Remember when I had hair?
Beautiful bottles, BTW. My last bottle of the Quinine fell off of a shelf and smashed to smithereens in the bath tub. Never bought another. I can't recall what happened to my glass bottle of The Veg
I wish I still had it. I recall vividly removing my makeup after a performance, washing my face and slathering a HUUUGE amount of that green juice on my face. The burn was excruciating. As I think back, it's a wonder I had any friends at all...not to mention women.
So, those of you who call yourselves "Chosen", remember that Primo has been "chosen" for almost 40 years.
I also recall using my first shave brush in the early '80's. A singer colleague of mine used one and I was intrigued. Bought one. It was a boar bristle with a plastic handle. I used Noxzema shave cream in the tube...oh, how I wish that product was still available. There was Palmolive in the tube as well, but the Noxzema scent has always been one of my favorites, so I stuck with it. I cannot recall what cart I was using at the time. My best guess is a Gillette Trac II with the solid, knurled handle.
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These babies are commanding some real money on Ebay. Naturally, I probably dumped mine in the garbage can.
Speaking of dumping shave gear into the garbage can, I trashed my very first puck of vintage AoS sandalwood.
It smelled EXACTLY like Ben Nye greasepaint makeup.
What else have I binned
Oh, yes, a very generous forum member (don't think it was TSD) included with a purchase, a tub of Castle Forbes Lime soap and a bottle of the matching aftershave balm.
Extremely generous, right? Tried it. They smelled EXACTLY like Lestoil cleaning solution
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and I immediately trashed them both. Now, in all fairness, I was a shaving
so about 4 years later, I repurchased the soap to give it another chance...nope
still stunk and this time, rather than binning it, I had the presence of mind to sell it.
Am I the only one who acquires...sells...PIFs...acquires...sells...you get the point. This hobby is a real merry-go-round.
Just a few minutes ago, I am looking at a BST thread. Up for sale is a jar of Martin de Candre rose. Now, I do like MdC, and I really like rose, but for goodness sake, I just purchased ONE KILO of Klar Kabinett. I need more soap, like I need a hole in the head. Thank goodness it was sold before I succumbed. But there's always the vintage ______, which if I mention the name, some other soap junkie will grab.
Real-time edit: Just scored that vintage, SEALED tub of Yardley.
It's not always soaps. In fact, I have about 50% more aftershaves than I do soaps! As a matter of fact, inbound is a brand new bottle of St. Johns Bay Rum. Gotta great deal.
You can NEVER have too much Bay Rum.
Shall we talk about razors? Sure, let's. I purchased basically an entire collection of vintage Gillettes. All gone. Everyone of them. they are all over the world. But don't feel bad, I still have 7 DE razors, including my second Feather AS-D2 (sold the first) and my THIRD 1947 Gillette Super-Speed (sold the first AND second).
Then there was last spring's raffle. I see a straight razor, that
@Paul76 is offering. I told myself, if I win and that's still available, I am going for it. Booyakasha. I won. Paul not only sent me that razor, but another one to boot! Enter (drum roll, please)
The Dark Side.
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Now, one would think that I would be satisfied with these two razors, seeing that I had NEVER used a straight before, but noooooo. Let's just say I now have 11 straights and a shavette. Hones? I got me some hones. Strops? Of course, got to have some strops. I have a nice, nicked up one hanging in my closet as well. Yes, I was warned.
Let's not forget the "enablers". Oh yes, this diabolical sub-set of shavers (and you know who you are), who post magnificent photos of their gear, accompanied with elaborate descriptions of shaving bliss, high-lighted with a touch of unicorn tears...
After they lay their trap, they sit back and wait
knowing it won't be long, because most of us are weak...very weak. Side note: I have an appointment with our handy man to discuss a bathroom addition.
I have often mentioned my lovely wife, Dr. Mrs. Primo. We have been a couple since 1975. Do you think that she had a clue, that in 2020, she would have to share her bathroom not only with her husband, but with a small apothecary? Unlikely. Every once in a while, she counts things. I am not exaggerating, she counts things. More often or not, it's brushes. When that number no longer "computes", she, not-so-subtly, brings it to my attention. Now, to combat this inevitability, I have sold quite a few brushes over the last couple of years...most of which I regret deeply, but...these sales buy me some good graces, and in this hobby,
I need all I can get.
In case anyone has made it this far...I'll bet this treatise isn't what you were expecting, is it? But in my defense, I am no expert in the geometry of blade exposure as it applies to a Gillette New LC vs. a Lersche 77. There are far more knowledgeable members, who can explain the differences between a Barbasol Floating Head and a non-Floating head.
Why using vintage Williams is preferable over modern; why blooming a soap....oops, in this instance I am an expert.
I do, however, love to tell stories. I love to see TSD members interact and enjoy their shaves. I love how generous TSD members are. Every time I see that a new member has joined, I secretly wish they stay for a long time and share as much as possible. In other words, become a part of our family.
So this "article" isn't really an article. It's an invitation. An invitation---and a request to allow me to be part of your lives once in a while. Next time I may talk about opera, or teaching or my dogs. I will sprinkle in some shaving antics and perhaps spew a few heretofore unknown shaving facts, but mostly, I will just hop on my stream of consciousness train and see where it takes me.
If you have some topic requests, post them. If you want to throw virtual tomatoes, feel free, Primo has a stiff spine. But get involved. Get involved with our Forum.
Lastly, I never---but never thought that I would have anything to do with social media. I don't do Facebook. I don't do Instagram, I don't even go to my high school reunions.
But I do do TSD.
See you next time.
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