Handsome Boy Modeling School is a conceptual hip-hop duo that parodied and acted as a commentary on
vain,
consumerist,
materialistic, and
self-absorbed members of
upper class society, such as
supermodels and people from
old money. The pair often satirize upper class
snobbery and perceived beauty. In 1999, they released the
concept album ''
So... How's Your Girl?, loosely based on "The Prettiest Week of My Life", an episode of the sitcom Get a Life'' starring
Chris Elliott. The episode contains the origin of the name Handsome Boy Modeling School, where Chris Elliott's character enrolls to become a
male model. In the album, Dan and Paul assume the characters of Nathaniel Merriweather and Chest Rockwell, respectively. The Rockwell name is in reference to a pseudonym used by a porn star in 1997 film
Boogie Nights; the Merriweather name is likely an homage to the character Nathaniel Mayweather, also played by Chris Elliott, in the 1994 comedic feature
Cabin Boy. Dan the Automator continued to use the pseudonym Nathaniel Merriweather alongside Mike Patton and
Jennifer Charles for the collaborative project
Lovage. A number of guest musicians appear, including
Róisín Murphy (one half of the duo
Moloko at the time of the album's release),
DJ Shadow,
Del the Funky Homosapien,
J-Live,
Sean Lennon,
Miho Hatori (of
Cibo Matto),
Mike D (of the
Beastie Boys) and
Don Novello (as comic character
Father Guido Sarducci). Their second album,
White People, was released in November 2004. Some collaborators from the first album returned, and new collaborators included
RZA,
Cat Power,
Casual,
Alex Kapranos of
Franz Ferdinand,
Chester Bennington and
Mike Shinoda of
Linkin Park,
Jack Johnson,
Cedric Bixler-Zavala of
The Mars Volta,
Mike Patton,
El-P,
Pharrell,
John Oates,
Chino Moreno,
Lord Finesse,
Black Sheep, and comedy actor
Tim Meadows. In 2006, Prince Paul announced his retirement from Handsome Boy Modeling School due to business conflicts with Dan the Automator. However, the duo reunited to play a concert hosted by
Saks Fifth Avenue, New York City, on 14 February 2018. According to
HipHopDX, they announced plans to release a new album at the performance. In March 2023, the group released
Music To Drink Martinis To in partnership with Ford’s Gin. ==Discography==