During this brief reprieve from presidential politics, semi-bearded NBC News political director Chuck Todd took some time to talk with TVGuide's Stephan Battaglio:

TVGuide.com: Do you think you'll soon reach a point where you'll be contractually obligated to keep the facial hair?

Chuck Todd: I've been teased that there were previous regimes at NBC News where this beard might not have lasted this long. I don't know. My late father would be proud. He had a beard all his life. He looked like Nero Wolfe.

How Chuck Todd made it through college and whether or not he votes, after the jump...

TVGuide.com: You were a good enough French horn player to earn a college scholarship.

Todd: There was a moment when I was deciding where I was going to go to school, and I thought am I going to do this music career thing or not? I chose not to, but that didn't mean I didn't want music to help pay for school. If I went to one school, and pursued a career in music, I'd probably have ended up as a high school band director somewhere. But I knew I wasn't good enough to be in some symphony. My father said I'd never be big enough to get a scholarship in sports, "no matter how good you think your jump shot is. Go play the French horn and you'll be surprised how much free money was out there." And he was right.

TVGuide.com: Do you vote? Not everyone who has a job like yours does.

Todd: Yes. My feeling is I am lucky enough to know more people about who these people are. I'm doing a disservice to myself if I don't vote. I get all this extra information. Who am I not to vote?