My wife was telling me about some lame NPR piece she heard that started with news of Willie Nelson cutting his trademark long, braided hair. The news turned into a piece, she said, by some “kid” on most significant celebrity haircuts, or something like that. My wife thought it could be a fun story, but she was quickly put off by the correspondent’s reference to “back in the ’90s” and a description of Jennifer Aniston cutting off her long hair into a “layered bob.” This term really bugged my wife. “A ‘layered bob?!?!'” she complained, hours later. “How did this woman not know what a shag is, and if she’s some culture correspondent why didn’t she refer back to someone like Carol Brady?” She went on to tell me that the woman thought every celebrity hairdo was some variation on a bob. Keri Russell‘s shocking pixie haircut, for instance, was described as a “short bob.” At least the correspondent, according to my wife, did more than talk out her ass on Russell’s haircut, telling the story of her old tv show’s massive ratings dip following the haircut.
It was clear what my wife was getting at: This was a topic that needed to be discussed by the discerning minds of Rock Town Hall! So let’s keep it in the music realm, which we know and love best, and let’s get back to the beginning, considering the significance of Willie Nelson’s newly shorn locks. What are the most significant mid-career haircuts in rock? How did these haircuts change an artist’s fortunes, for better or for worse? How did these haircuts, perhaps, change the course of rock ‘n roll? Feel free to riff. We might uncover some important stuff.
All haircuts up for discussion must have taken place after the artist had already established his or her career. In other words, The Beatles’ groundbreaking moptop ‘do does not qualify because it was not a mid-career change in coiffure.
The most significant mid-career haircut in rock that came to mind for me was Michael Stipe‘s shaved head! I bet I’m not the only person who can remember where he was the first time he saw Stipe’s new Look. Shortly thereafter, a friend of our in the radio business who also had curly locks, showed up at a local diner with a similarly shaved head. All bets were off. A new age in rock had been launched!
Ip6a6oowSAM]
John and Yoko cut their hair off and donated it to charity in like 1970 or something. This was back when long hair was a political statement. I remember Lennon saying he’d cut it off because he got “cheesed off” at it, an expression I’d never heard before but loved instantly.
Seger going from blue collar stoner
http://www.losanjealous.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/bob_seger.jpg
to air-brushed 70s pop star
http://www.associatedentertainment.com/aec/images/main/Bob-Seger.jpg
had no effect on my appreciation of his music, which was minimal anyway, but I’m sure it was a shock to his original fan base.
I remember the uproar from Metallica fans in the mid-90s when Load was released. How could they? How dare they? They CUT THEIR HAIR! Sell outs!
TB
The Metallica and John and Yoko haircuts were definitely significant, landmark haircuts in rock. Like BigSteve says, the Seger cut was probably more of a shock to his initial fan base.
The nonsensical haircuts in Pavement’s Cut Your Hair video were pretty epochal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoMdkyeZOqE
Yeah, BigSteve. I’m going to be seeing Pavement next month and so will be able to give you all a full report.
In what i always thought was an attempt to shock/generate attention, Evan Dando shaved his head. Kurt Loder reported it on MTV news. Two hours later, Kurt Loder came back on and reported that Kurt Cobain blew his head off with a shotgun.
I’d say Cobain’s haircut won.
I remember in the mid-80s when Ozzy shaved his head. That was pretty big in the metal community, since long hair was pretty much essential.
Joe Strummer’s mohawk on the “Combat Rock” tour was clearly a way of stating that he still had the punk rock goods — or, maybe rather, that he was the only guy in the band who still had the punk rock goods.
Oh! Pete Townshend’s trendy short ‘do for the “It’s Hard” album and tour. I always thought that was his desperate attempt to look younger. But significant? Probably the opposite of significant.
So far, I think the John/Yoko shorn locks wins.
Now, if Sib Hashian had gone bald…
I disagree with your assessment of Strummer’s mohawk, hrrundi. I think it was a cry for help.
Townshend’s haircut for It’s Hard is a good one, though. It was almost like a way to finally establish his supremacy within the band by bringing his latent solo identity into the mix. The fact that it failed is not what matters.
Kilroy, that Dando story is really appropriate for this thread – and you tell it in a very funny way. Bravo!
So far I’m thinking that Metallica’s collective haircut is the most significant. It honestly may have saved heavy metal – and not only saved it but regenerated it and broadened its appeal. I remember it shocking and bumming out fans at first, but in a couple of years’ time this new form of Jock Metal moved way beyond its outsider ’70s roots and quickly outdated ’80s heyday. Suddenly Jock Metal was cross-breeding with grunge, punk, and rap, giving birth to all those STP-type bands and, to this day, making possible the likes of American Idol’s “I’ll Show You!” star Daughtrey. Jock Metal allowed dudes to do what the mullet could not quite achieve: party hard on the weekend but be ready to meet with the boss on Monday morning. John and Yoko’s haircut has nothing on Metallica’s.
I still mourn the loss of Bono’s mullet. Just imagine how the U2 sound would have progressed if he hadn’t gone the way of the ponytail. And now look at him! Our boy is all grown up, sporting the cropped hair and wrap around sunglasses look.
Remember when Linda Ronstadt went new wave? She got that short punkette hairdo around the time of her Mad Love album, and it was very controversial.
Sting and John Mellencamp went the other way, growing their hair out in the late 80’s. Bruce did the goatee and pony tail for Ghost Of Tom Joad tour..that was kinda creepy
Rob Halford from Judas Priest…..very scary chrome dome nowadays. Wouldn’t want him sneaking up behind you on a dark night…….
he looks kinda like Michael Berryman from the original Hills Have Eyes.
Pointy Head.
Freddie Mercury’s short haircut was pretty significant in its time.
Though seldom noted as such, I think Dylan’s “electric” hair of 1965/66 was one of the most significant looks of the period–a lot of frizzy looks from Jimi on down followed from this.
Bowie wandered off into the wilderness and grew his hair out for a more traditional Rocker look in ’87 too. It jus’ happened to coincide with the release of his possibly worst album “Never Let Me Down.” That’s the one that features Peter Frampton on lead guitar.
I’m not sure if Bowie ever recovered from that one…
Another one popped into my head as I was waking up this morning. Joan Baez went from the iconic girl with the guitar and the long flowing locks to the short-haired radical who talked as much as she sang. I know she’s not exactly rock, but she played at Woodstock, which is the image that surfaced in my brain. Was she still a fantasy figure for guys after that haircut? Did she inspire hippie chicks to cut their hair too?
Baez stirs me with the short hair, too. Now, if only I could erase all memories of her singing voice…