It's impossible to overstate the influence the Beatles had on us Baby Boomers. Well, I guess it IS possible, if you mention a certain Son of God ;-). But much more than their mere music affected us.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and within weeks of their arrival in New York, the hair of young men was allowed to grow longer than it had ever been before. And it wouldn't be cut short again for a very long time, stints in the military excluded.
Prior to this, guys were still greasing up and making ducktails. Even if hair was allowed to grow a bit long, it was slicked back to stay above the ears.
Then, out of the distant east, four British lads stepped off a plane and the slick look vanished, seemingly overnight.
By the time I entered school in 1965, there were many sons of tolerant parents in my class with hair that crept over the tops of their ears. I was decidedly NOT among them. Dad insisted I come home from the corner barber shop (within walking distance) with one of two styles: a flattop, or a crewcut.
The flattop allowed me to have just a tad of hair left to comb, so it was my usual choice. By the way, a flattop would be completely impossible for me today ;-).
Intervals between haircuts for me were generally longer in the summer. My parents equated well-shorn hair as a school-related phenomenon. So when I walked into the barber shop around August of 1966, the time was right for me to spread my wings.
"What'll it be today, Ronnie? Flattop, or crewcut?" asked Paul.
"Give me a Beatle" were my daring words.
Paul looked at me a little funny, as I recall, but granted my request. He cut a pretty decent Beatle for an old school guy. I went home proudly sporting my longer locks.
Dad hit the roof. He was livid that I would waste three dollars of his hard-earned money on a haircut that looked like it barely shortened my already-too-long hair. I was back in the shop getting my flattop within minutes.
I was in junior high in the 70's before my hair finally started creeping over my ears. And that was as long as it ever got. Some of my schoolmates ended up with two-foot-long ponytails. Hair on the shoulders was a common 1970's sight.
It wasn't until the 80's that guys finally started cutting their hair short again. The Beatle haircut began a trend that lasted twenty years.
That's a lot longer than my one and only Beatle lasted.
Comments (4)
I adored Paul of the Beatles and I had pixie/Beatle cut for years.
Posted by Rhea | March 23, 2007 9:20 AM
Posted on March 23, 2007 09:20
My view on the Beatles and hair was a little different when I was growing up. I have to start at the first haircut I had that was not done at home. I remember my dad taking me to the local barber school. The cost for a haircut was two bits. If you’re a youngin and do not know what two bits is I’ll tell you! Way back when, well before your and my time the and before we had coinage in America we used the Spanish “dollar/peso” and that just meant weight. The Spanish dollar/peso had a weight of eight reales or as seen in pirate movies the well known “pieces of eight” or “eight bits”. The meaning of “bits” is the division of the dollar so “two bits” is a quarter of a dollar. Enough of history but see what inflation does for your money now a haircut will cost you $25.00 in a better salon or around $10.00 (including tip) at an average barber shop but they are also disappearing as did barber schools that were made popular at the end of WWI to help returning soldier learn a trade. Let me get back to hair! Yes I used to use grease or better known as pomade and slick back with special dew in the front with long sideburns. I was from the Elvis/Lavern and Shirley age. The first time I decided to make the big change was before the Beatles even arrived. I was influenced by the TV series “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and “Illya Kuryakin”. Illya Kuryakin was played by David McCullum. Yes he is the same David McCullum that plays the eccentric medical examiner on “NCIS” known as Dr “Ducky” Mallard. When he played Illya Kuryakin he had the coolest looking hair and played a role that made him respectful and someone that a person could look up to, like the character “Roy Rogers”. As soon as I could muster up the courage I saved what I thought it would cost for the “Illya Kuryakin cut” I went to the local barber shop and requested it. The barber just kind of looked at me with wonder as I sat in the barber chair surrounded by pictures of men with short crew cuts and flattop haircuts. The barber did trim my hair leaving it long but neat. I’m glad the Beatles decided to follow my lead and arrive in America with long hair!
Posted by R. Capelle | March 23, 2007 12:12 PM
Posted on March 23, 2007 12:12
Great post, R. Capelle. I'd love to get my hands on one of those posters that hung in every barber shop with examples of all those haircuts! Remember those?
I also recall Ilya Kuryakin. I was so pleased when David McCallum showed up on NCIS. I haven't watched the show much since the Kate-killing shark jump.
Remember him in a TV movie in the 60's called Teacher Teacher?
Posted by Ron Enderland | March 23, 2007 12:26 PM
Posted on March 23, 2007 12:26
Speaking of hair and baby boomers.. here's an article i read from DailyCents.com I found interesting:
http://blogs.dailycents.com/?p=820#comment-9197
Posted by Mel | January 18, 2008 12:26 AM
Posted on January 18, 2008 00:26