Today I Shave My Head

[bitflipper]

I was just thinking back on the varying lengths my hair has been over the years.

In 1968 I was hauled before the school board, along with my bandmates, and told that if we didn't all get a haircuts we'd be suspended from high school. We were chastised for being a bad influence on other students, told that we were heading down a path to damnation.

Shortly after my father, an air force officer, requested an overseas deployment to serve out his last few years before retirement. They gave him a spot at a spy installation in England. This is 1969, the Beatles are still together and Carnaby Street dictates fashion the world over. I was quite enthused about being there. To me it was a pilgrimage.

When I arrived at my new school, I was shocked that some of the teachers had longer hair than mine. The first friend I made let me know that hair rules were not a thing there. So I did not cut my hair again for three years. It was a magnificent head of hair, too. Voluminous - I looked like a walking tumbleweed - and rather long, past my waist.

When "Almost Cut My Hair" came out, it caught my ear because Mr. Crosby was informing me about something I'd not been aware of. That in America you could be harassed for having long hair. Then I saw Easy Rider, and began to feel a bit apprehensive about returning to the US. So days before leaving the UK, I took a pair of scissors and reluctantly chopped off my locks. To a very conservative length, or so I thought: just past the shoulders. I felt I'd be able to blend in and not suffer Peter Fonda's fate.

Turned out that shoulder-length was just the fashion in Seattle in the 70's, in fact almost a requirement if you wanted to work as a rock 'n roll musician. My guitarist had a fashionable "shag" haircut. I thought it made him look effeminate, but he enjoyed a rather impressive track record with taking barmaids back to the motel. The shag style wouldn't work for my wavy hair, but I got some tips from a beautician on how to manage long hair. She introduced me to the hair dryer, a device I'd not be without for many years. Every night before a gig I'd spend half an hour prepping my head.

Eventually, I tired of the road and took a day job as an electronics engineer, thanks to my mentor and previous boss from when I'd taught electronics. On a hot day in July, I cut my hair "short" (not really) to mitigate the heat. It was kinda nice. No more blow-drying to straighten the curls. A tiny amount of shampoo would do the job. I could even wear a hat if I wanted to. And the shorter style seemed more fitting for the nerd look I needed to cultivate in my new job.

But I couldn't leave music alone, and after a while formed a band and quit my job. Haircuts were no longer required beyond an annual trim. So dust off the hair dryer, we're on the road again. 

Nowadays I have my own business, work at home, and can present myself any way I want. T-shirts and jeans. Hair long, hair short, combed or uncombed, it doesn't matter. I cut my hair short for my annual trip to the Philippines, let it grow for a year, cut it off again. Doesn't matter to me which stage it's in.

Until now, anyway. Time has caught up to me and is enforcing its own rules, rules that would have made my Nebraska school board proud. Sure, let those hairs grow as long as you like. But there won't be enough of them to obscure your scalp. Ha ha. 

BTW, today I am wearing a hat.

 

[kitekrazy]

After shaving it, just buzz it every two days. 

[Starise]

Here in my area at least it isn't as much of a thing either way once people get to know you.

Back then though, my dad was a barber on a Navy ship in addition to his other duties before I came along. He also cut hair at a barber shop for awhile. I didn't have a prayer to have long hair. Living in a climate where it regularly gets to 98-100 F in the summer with high humidity didn't exactly make me want to have long hair.  We are talking about the deep conservative south here and my mom was  fundamental Baptist. That was another BIG strike against long hair. When I got older I grew it out more. This was the late 70's and long hair had been a thing  for awhile for the younger people even in the conservative south. Long for me was over my ears. It never went to my shoulder. 

Later on when I took a job in the trades I was around torches, high voltage, moving belts and pulleys. Catch your hair in the belt system of a 30hp electric motor and you were probably going to have a closed casket funeral. You really put yourself at risk unless you have the hair put up somehow. Not to mention passing a job interview looking like Tiny Tim probably wasn't a good idea since most employers looked at it like a possibility you were into drugs and they didn't want to hire anyone who did drugs. TBH Most of the people I knew who had long hair at the time were in fact doing drugs.  In my area now ( The NE US) service industry employers who send employees to personal residences tout that all of their employees have been drug tested and have no criminal records. I hate to say it but they do look at how you look and they do judge even if it isn't true. I have learned from going into many personal residences that sometimes it's customers you have to watch.

Now I work at a university with computer controlled automation. It's a union shop. You aren't supposed to in any way judge anyone by what they look like so theoretically I could look like just about any way I wanted to look. We have workers who have pony tails. The unwritten rule though is you probably hurt yourself for future promotions if you intentionally want to look especially odd. Having a pony tail is not considered odd compared to some of the other stuff I've seen.

The music biz is a whole other thing. Metal and Rock acts are probably expected to have long hair, though this isn't always true just look at Metallica. I guess for a business owner working from home it really doesn't matter. The main thing is what look makes YOU the most comfortable. That's what I have always gone by. 

[craigb]

I wanted "rock" hair soooo bad when I was young, but it never really happened (my hair tends to grow thick, not long).

So, I only have my Halloween costume to look back at.

[kennywtelejazz]

 

Hang in there Dave ! I dug your most recent post in this thread . I hope this pic brings you a smile .

 

Kenny

 

[craigb]

I like how the guy in the background looks so jealous! ?

[kennywtelejazz]

 

On 5/13/2020 at 3:18 AM, craigb said:

I like how the guy in the background looks so jealous! ?

Yeah come to think of it I think you are right .  He does look jealous .

Kenny

Edited May 16, 2020 by kennywtelejazz

[kennywtelejazz]

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 5/12/2020 at 7:01 PM, craigb said:

I wanted "rock" hair soooo bad when I was young, but it never really happened (my hair tends to grow thick, not long).

So, I only have my Halloween costume to look back at.

 

Kenny

Edited May 16, 2020 by kennywtelejazz

[PhonoBrainer]

Damn, Kenny, fastest Photoshop in the West. I liked the Hamilton-esque one best! Major skills.

Edited May 16, 2020 by emeraldsoul

[craigb]

48 minutes ago, emeraldsoul said:

Damn, Kenny, fastest Photoshop in the West. I liked the Hamilton-esque one best! Major skills.

Ya!

However, I couldn't help but think how much more fun my fantasy self is having than my real self...  LOL!

Good job Kenny! ??

[Bapu]

My dad did not have long hair. He did not like it on anyone. However..... he was a bit of a rebel in other ways.

When I got kicked out of school, in 1967, and was told don't come back until I cut my hair my dad said "Well then why not take a two week vacation?" So I did.

 

[bitflipper]

Global warming, bring it on. My ears are cold. The back of my neck is cold. My whole head is cold.

[InstrEd]

2 hours ago, bitflipper said:

My whole head is cold.

A little too much information ?

[kennywtelejazz]

3 hours ago, bitflipper said:

Global warming, bring it on. My ears are cold. The back of my neck is cold. My whole head is cold.

Hey Dave !

You said you got cold ears plus the back of your neck is cold ? In addition  to those symptoms  your whole head feels cold in the middle of the month of May ?

You Shaved Your Head ? You Shaved Your Head ? You Shaved Your Head ?

 

Kenny

[InstrEd]

So the question is how many pounds lighter is Dave now after his haircut

[craigb]

5 hours ago, bitflipper said:

Global warming, bring it on. My ears are cold. The back of my neck is cold. My whole head is cold.

*Don't kill Dave's hope Craig!  He doesn't need to know that CO2 levels actually rise after the temperature changes, not before, and precede a severe cooling period; possibly a new ice age...*

 

?

[bitflipper]

Oh sure, bring up science. In the Coffee House. Seriously, Craig?

How's this for a newly-discovered scientific observation: living in quarantine makes your pants shrink. Anyone else notice this phenomenon?

[Starise]

My pants were shrinking before the quarantine. They will soon call me Dunlap. Dunlapped over the belt.

I did loose some serious weight last evening though. Something didn't agree with me about 2 in the morning. I know what it was.

Trying to stay healthy I had a health shake. It was healthy alright. I probably stopped up the local waste water facility. I seriously didn't believe that much could come out of a man all at once. TMI? A two flusher? H** I needed a dump truck. They called the priest thinking it was a demon possession.

Edited May 19, 2020 by Starise

[craigb]

4 hours ago, bitflipper said:

Oh sure, bring up science. In the Coffee House. Seriously, Craig?

How's this for a newly-discovered scientific observation: living in quarantine makes your pants shrink. Anyone else notice this phenomenon?

Sorry, I won't be able to confirm this until I go back to wearing pants... ?

[bitflipper]

When you do, know that sweat pants are unaffected.

Yoga pants, however, are quite susceptible.