Rich Cohen wrote a really captivating article last year on the toothbrush mustache. Among other things, I learned from it that the style was invented by American expats living in Europe during the culturally explosive 1920s.

Also: ever notice that today's Euro and American politicos tend to avoid facial hair altogether?

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/11/cohen200711

This sounds a bit apocryphal, but I heard from a filmmaker friend that when Paul Thomas Anderson met Tim Burton for the first time, he said only, "You stole Danny Elfman from me."