Beauty and the Beats - Handsome Boy Modeling School

Writer: Sarah Marshall

Hip hop is never without humor – especially in the case of Handsome Boy Modeling School. The product of two quite ridiculous imaginations, it’s a concept with a never-ending punch line. When Dan “The Automator” Nakamura and Prince Paul (aka Chest Rockwell and Nathaniel Merriweather) were in London recently to promote their latest album White People, they took time to explain the intricacies of what it is to be handsome.

It’s an exciting time for the Handsome Boy Modeling School! We hear the concept is making a leap from vinyl into hardback?

Nathaniel: Yeah, we’re currently working on a graphic novel and DVD series.

Chest: It’s called Handsomeness of Steel.

Nathaniel: The series is about showing people what they could be. It’s like an abbreviated course on the Handsome Boy Modeling School and will probably be out in the spring. It’s not a substitute for actually taking the course.

Chest: It’s more like a correspondence course for people who can’t afford the fees.

Nathaniel: We’ve had people trek really far to attend our speaking tours. If you’re in the Himalayas and have access to a computer, you can order a copy.

How are you planning to educate us?

Nathaniel: We teach about hygiene and food; for example, we talk about what we eat on tour.

Chest: Sometimes you can’t take a proper chef with you. In those times of need, you have to be self sufficient and learn how to eat properly, how to exercise and obviously how to diet.

Nathaniel: We help people differentiate between different types of caviar.

Who’s doing all the illustration for your book?

Nathaniel: A variety of people. Chest sketches out the characters and then we have other people fill them in and flesh them out a little bit. We’re actually debuting some of our characters in the live show.

Are there any celebrities you’d like to educate?

Nathaniel: Is there anyone we haven’t educated? Ultimately we only want to help people who want to help themselves. We’re not really interested in trying to force the handsome lifestyle on people.

Chest: It’s like giving up alcohol. When you finally come to the realization that you really need this programme, that’s when you see the results. It might be nice to give someone a membership as a gift, but it’s only when people really understand it that the power really works.

When did you set up the Handsome Boy Modeling School?

Nathaniel: It was a little while ago, but when you’re handsome time tends to fly.

Chest: Every year becomes a minute. There’s so much going on a so little time. It’s like watching a good movie; it’s over before you know it.

What gave you the idea?

Nathaniel: Being very handsome and having all the perks of being handsome becomes relatively important if you have some conscience that you should give back for your good fortune. I think we both collectively realized within days of each other that living the handsome lifestyle is something we shouldn’t take for granted.

Chest: I’ll give you an example; I’m at the Maserati dealer. I’m looking for a cranberry Maserati. A guy comes in and we’re both bidding on the same car. He has the same sense of style. It gets so intense that we decide to open our own dealership.

Nathaniel: And besides cars we fall for the same women sometimes as well.

OK the, what is the very definition of ‘handsome’?

Nathaniel: [Points to Chest] That man right there!

Chest: That’s a good place to start. But there’s no general definition. We like to see it as an internal thing that sprouts outwards. Handsome doesn’t mean the same for everyone.

Nathaniel: Everyone’s unique.

Chest: Fortunately we’re worldly handsome.

So, would you say you’re a cut above?

Nathaniel: I wouldn’t say above; beyond is a better word.

Where do you draw the inspiration for your own personas?

Nathaniel: I think society at large has inspired us. We’ve learnt from our various jet-setting ways and lifestyles.

Chest: The man in the mirror!

Dress sense is obviously important to the School; where do you buy most of your clothes?

Nathaniel: Well, most of our stuff is tailor-made. We like to visit Saville Row.

How can people emulate your style?

Nathaniel: We really don’t emphasize people emulate our style. We emphasize making the most of your style. It depends on the person.

Chest: We also have our own fashion line. Our spring collection should be in the stores next month. We have a ‘papier mache’ line so we can design and mould your ideal body – like a 50 Cent or LL Cool J body. We waterproof as well, it in case you want to be in the rain.

All jokes aside, doesn’t the concept get a bit boring after a while?

Chest: Its always refreshing. You might think we’ve seen everything, but there’s still a lot to accomplish.

Have you started work on the follow-up to ‘White People’?

Nathaniel: It will happen when it happens. We don’t think about stuff. We just live it. We haven’t lived it yet so we haven’t made it yet. Right now we’re still in White People time. Each record is a snapshot of a period of time in our lives and we’re not at that period yet.

Chest: You never know what’s going to happen in your handsome lifestyle – like, who’s going to give you the next million dollars to blow on clothes.

How do you balance your other solo projects?

Nathaniel: Being handsome means being organized.

Finally, is there anyone you’d like to rope in for collaboration duties on the next record?

Nathaniel: We’ve been trying to figure out how to work with the Hawaiian Tropic girls. But they can’t sing very well.