new thread
Much to my surprise, someone has just sent me this scan taken from a recital program held in New York City years ago in which I was the Recitalist. Alas, for this one particular recital (because of its importance) I had my hair cut alot shorter to what you see because of fear of what the Critics would say to the press. I was "trying" to look like the "normal" of the day. (Me......."normal?" Much too boring.)LOL
The sideburns suggest 1977 or 1978, but the tie isn't wide enough for me to be sure, so I'm at a loss to guess the year of the picture.
Anyhow, I'm sure you did well in the recital.
So, when did you grow your hair to it's present length?
I just assumed it had been that long for a while. The picture's length was probably on the short side for those days.
Wow a blast from the past!!!
John.B
Thanks Justin. It's always cool to see photos of people from long ago. And you still have a thick healthy head of hair today. How long was it before you cut it for the Recital?
It's always fun to see old photos, but I definitely prefer "our" Justin :)
I assume it was a piano recital because you recently finished a piano work, was it a piano recital?
Justin,
It was clear that you had fantastic hair all your life. What a great hairline! I'm so glad you were able to be your true self eventually and grow your hair long.
Jason
Very nice!
Oren
I agree with you. I try my best NOT to be "normal"!
Even with cutting your hair youdidn't go real short. You still
had enough hair to look cool.
wow - what a compare !
this photo is the best evidence that you should never cut your hair again :)
you look worlds better with long hair !
btw: your mane is so great !
greez,
ALH
Hi Justin,
Your hair seemed to be very dense and strong when you was younger ! I suppose it was during the sixties? Your look makes me think to Elvis, or to the Beatles :)
Hey Justin,
What a handsome dude, --- not to mention the killer hair & sideburns!!! Thanks for sharing. I think old pics are a hoot! I'll have to find old ones of mine someday.
BTW, I bet you looked even better before you decided to cut that hair for the recital. Too bad society of that era put such a "stigma" on long hair. I remember it well... and applaud you for having the guts to grow it long back then (which I wish I had done so myself).
- Ken
First off........thanks guys for all of your comments as well as questions about this "rare photo" just received. Much appreciated. Now about myself:
1. Except when very young and once when much older when I fell for the "Buzz Cut" my hair was always the longest or almost the longest of my age group. I just always liked long hair and luckily since my parents were into the "Arts" and very free thinkers never gave me any troubles nor my Sister in expressing ourselves.
2. There were a few upsets along the way while in the early grades..........NOT WITH THE OTHER KIDS REALLY......but with either a teacher making a mean comment or a Principal. Thankfully I had a father who made mince meat out of them all. And like cowards (which they were) they backed down. One episode went to the Board of Education. A Social Studies teacher lashed out at me in front of the whole class and demanded I get my hair cut because "I was a Communist and belonged in Russia!" This even made the news eventually as my Dad was livid with anger, threatened a Law Suit against the School System and demanded to meet with the Board. I never knew exactly what he told them, but I DO KNOW he carried with him to that meeting an artist depection of Jesus and asked them if Christ was also a Communist because he had long hair? (Apparently they got so scared that the teacher was let go. :-)
3. Yes, some kids would sometimes say some things to me about my hair which just made me laugh because I am and have always been my own person. A few boys liked it and wanted long hair also but unfortunately were usually held down by parents. A few made it. One even longer than I chose to wear mine! I do remember quite a few girls that I think were envious. Can you imagine?
4. But for the Recital, because high-up critics were going to be there from the New York Times, and by then everyone hated (it seemed) long hair because of the Hippies I decided I better cut it much shorter as well as get rid of my "Claude Debussy" style beard. The recital was held at Riverside Church in New York, and I was the Organist. Looming at that time in the background was an agent who through the Collage I had done Post Graduate Study with, was an Organist (My teacher) who was then very old but still considered tops in this country as well as in France and still active and playing circles around everyone else it seems.
5. Through the college, a beginning on mapping-out a years worth of travel throughout North America as well as Europe in which I would be giving recitals had begun. (If Marcel Dupre just before his death in Paris France said I was good because my teacher sent him some tape recordings.........then I must have been a little bit on the talented side I guess.) Of course there were politics involved as all expenses were to be the colleges as well as my salary. Why? It would shed a good light on them and they would be able to tout me as being one of theirs, thus attracting more $$$$$ for themselves in people wanting to study there. The world tour never happenned. I was suddenly struck with something that made my entire Right Side go Numb. I could barely even feel the keys under my fingers as well as the ground under my right foot. Dr. after dr. was tried to no avail. A Stroke was ruled out. It took 2 years, but little by little the numbness faded-out very slowly. I never regained playing as well after that, but still guess was good enough to never have trouble finding a job and being declared by all in my area as the best and luckily in much demand.
6. And of the hair before it was cut? It was mid-length in the back and was always center parted and worn in a Ponytail. I had it cut down to what was about average(?) at the time for many a 22 year old, and it was "my decission" to do so with every intention on letting it grow-back after the recital. But the trouble I had with it was now just terrible! The center part kept appearing and had to be constantly disguised back to a side part. There was gel or some sticky stuff spray used for that professionl photo which had to be taken very quickly before the hair went banannas again! After the "best" was chosen, someone actually went over the photo and erased imperfections where the hair was sticking out and even the center part could be seen a little bit. (They did a good job however they disguised it.) It was a very doctored-up photo. And, little did I know that I was in the Awkward Stage with this haircut back then! And of that tie? Ha ha ha. It was given to me by one of the men to wear because they said whatever I had on was not "Conservative enough." Ha ha ha ha............me being conservative? Impossible.
7. In closing, my hair has remained on the quite long side throught my entire life. I once had a tail down to my waist. Too bad I cut it after several years. At present it is almost as it has always been. Probably because my whole lifes work has been in the arts, Long Hair for me has given me no troubles with the outside world. Funny, but when I fell for that Buzz-Cut you should have seen the expressions on everyones faces. I think they were in a state of shock or something and autually didn't like it. I knew it made me want to throw-up and that I had made a terrible mistake. Oh well...........never again.
Hey............is anyone still awake out there? Hope this didn't bore you too much.
Thanks all.
Justin~
Very nice Justin!
Thanks for sharing the story behind that picture.
Oren
Bravo...a great story behind the pic.
John.B
That's an incredible story, Justin. I'm sure glad you got better from whatever that was.
Your dad is really cool the way he went after that school board, great story!
Hi, Justin,
Very interesting is your little "biography" ! You had chance to have understanding parents and a good protecting and tolerant environment :)
I'm also a little musical artist. Composition, poetry and interpretation... Why do most artist like long hair ???
Not at all. Quite interesting actually. I didn't realize that you were more or less a lifelong longhair so to speak.
And your dad reminds me a lot of mine. He never backed down an inch when someone was giving him (or his family) a bunch of senseless crap. He stood up for me many a time when I was younger. Kudos to our fathers. :-)
To be a lifelong longhair and have parents who allowed it.
Ed
Great story, Justin. Thanks for sharing.
That is a wonderful 'early' photo of you. You looked handsome with short hair and in those days it was more or less expected of you to have your hair that length.
The STORY is great! And I enjoyed every word of it! I will read it again because I always get more out of a story on the second reading.
Thanks for posting both the story and the photo.
Good Luck, Justin!
That was quite a good story Justin. We don't get too many of that caliber on the board. Especially interesting to myself, as a younger version of you! I too play recitals and am expected to "look good"... although, times have changed. My signature look during solo recitals is to perform with my hair down, and it's almost a given to anyone when they see me perform my hair will be down. I only wear it up during "ensemble" performances such as the Orchestra and Symphonic Band which I also play in to name a few. My hair adds a lot to the performace, as it moves to the music as I do. I usually get lots of comments afterwards.
I have also had "long-ish" hair most of my life. There was a 2-3 year period where I wore the spiked-prep hairstyle, but before that my hair was always fairly long (for a kid), and i even had a mullet and a rat-tail at earlier points (Grade school). After my last short haircut in 2001, I just stopped getting haircuts, as I knew that a long-hair was who I was inside... I was tired of being mistook as a "prep" and being shoved into the stereotypical category that most spiritually devoid city-boys fit. Plus, being as heavily involved with the arts as you are it just seemed right...
Thanks for sharig.
-Ardroth
"... Hope this didn't bore you too much." Not in the least. Great story! BTW... you were very lucky to have open-minded, free thinking parents.
Your comment re: the teacher who called you a Communist reminded me of a time when I was around 12 years old. I've always been the 'liberal' one in the family and had quite conservative parents. My hair was as long as I could get it [which, back in '64, wasn't much] without my dad having a cow. Anyway, one day I received a package of books in the mail from the John Birch Society! I think my parents had something to do with that. I guess they though I needed some 'reforming!' Yeah, right... :) Needless to say, the books never got read and I have no idea whatever happened to them. Don't care, really.
--Rick [longhaired jazz musician and pipe organ technician]
Great story it was good reading. I think also some people still feel that way abouy men with long hair. Do you have any photos of yourself before you got it cut?
To be very candid, I like the way you looked in your older photo. Part of that may be due to your avatar picture being not as flattering of your current hairstyle. Some of that also is our facial features change and often soften as the years go by.
What a great picture!!
And the sidebruns!
In any case you're one of the lucky men out there Justin, who can pull it off and look good with either long or short hair.
Again, what a picture, thanks for sharing it1
