Hair

  When I was at Anderson College, I had kind of long hair.  It wasn't down my back, but it was longer than it was in high school.  I liked longer hair.  Despite my political beliefs of accepting the hippie lifestyle, I also wanted to kind of look the part.  At least, it was over my ears and below my neckline.  I was cast in a play called "Up the Down Staircase", where I was to be a very conservative teacher.  So, I had to have shorter hair for that.  It was the Spring of 1972.

   There was a barbershop in downtown Anderson.  When I went in to get my hair cut, I knew there might be a problem.  Everybody in there had short hair.  The barber was old and bald.  They all stared at me.  Some chuckled.  I was used to the stares, because I knew I didn't fit into the Anderson, SC mold, but it still should have been a red flag. I don't like to judge others, but these guys had red necks.

 I sat down in the barber chair and told him what I needed.  Short back and sides.  He proceeded to cut.  And he cut.  And he cut.  I was sitting there thinking how long it would take to grow back my hair to my desired length.  The barber was almost finished, when he asked me if I wanted him to shave my neck.  Of course, I wanted him to shave my neck.  All barbers, in the history of my going to the barbershop, had shaved me neck.  So, I said yes.  He pulled out his electric razor and proceeded to shave my neck all the way up the backside of my head.  He stopped at that bone that is at the back of one's head.  

 When I got out of the chair, I paid him and left mortified.  The other patrons were laughing.  By a stroke of luck, I ended up with a dual role in the play.  My other character had to have longer hair than the butchering I got at the barbershop, so I wore a wig.  I wasn't crazy about it, but at least it covered up my "shaved neck".  It took six months to grow out again.  Thankfully, it was long enough to play a part of a long-haired boy in November 1972.  No more wigs.