new thread
First off, I commend you for having the courage to grow your hair so long in an era that does not seem to as tolerant as it used to be towards Men with longer hair.
on the ladies, it's ok, but hopefully things will change and "society" will come back to the realization that its only hair and some like it short and some like it long so let's just all get along.
anyway, I got a couple of questions for you:
How many of you are old enough to have been influenced by this group of guys called The Beatles
second, If another HUGE band like this came along today how long do you think their hair would have to be to have the same impact as it did back in 1964?
The Beatles - I Saw Her Standing There - The Ed Sullivan Show (1964)
I'm old enough to have been influenced by the Beatles to
grow my hair long. I was 10 at the time when they appeared on
Ed Sullivan, at which point I desperately wanted to grow my hair
long. I'm now 57 and my hair is still long.
I have to say I don't think another band could be that influential. After all these years i've settled on long hair
and it will stay long for the rest of my life or as long as
I have hair to grow.
I'm not a fan of todays music, for me the last good music was
made in the 1960s. Also with albums being history, CDs going
the way of the Edsel, Cassettes also going the way of the Edsel,
in this day and age of Itunes/mp3/ it's increasingly hard for
a new band to make it big today.
I would also mention i've determined my ideal length is
waist length. Back years ago I tried going longer (kneee
length back in the 80s, it was too long for me.) I don't forsee
another band coming along and influencing that in my lifetime.
BTW, with all the hoopla surrounding the Beatles and long
hair I don't recall hearing anything over the years about
David Bowie and his hair. It wasn't until it was mentioned
last week on this board that I heard anything about it. And i lived through that era.
Ever since the breakup of the fab four "Rock" music has become increasingly less and less about Rock and Roll and has become just another commodity-another product to be sold for mass consumption just like McDonald`s hamburgers!
today`s "Pop" music "performers" are artificial and most are manufactured. the industry has the technology to tweak some of the worst singers and make them sound like they have perfect pitch!
many even lip sync while on tour!!
the numerous "American Idol" shows where every performer is perpetually identical in sound and style all manufactured for the most naive to swallow.
today`s music as a product is more about image than substance.
have you ever wondered why there seemed to be so many guys with short sleek haircuts as opposed to the unruly long hair but true to rock and roll style of guys of the distant past?
the manufactured rebellion of many "Nu-metal", "Pop-Punk", "Emo", and Hip hop artists churning out something that only the most naive who are credulous to believe that these bands some how "relate" to them.
it's all bogus. it's part of the lie that has been perpetuated upon the American public just like the "American Dream".
the recording industry is laughing all the way to the bank knowing full aware that they are producing inferior trash, but they don't care it's only the $$$$$$ that matters to them!
they are in many ways not much different than the Wall-street scum!
you are better off getting together with a group of friends and forming your own band even if it is for your own personal enjoyment instead of partaking like the consumer sheeple do and purchasing the trash the corporate music machine has been churning out for years.
even if no authentic scene ever comes along again at least you will have the conscious to know that you had nothing to do with partaking in the bogus musical "entertainment" that so many indulge in.
I wish you luck in your fight to remain an individual in an increasingly hostile environment towards individualism!
It should be noted that with America Idol the viewers are voting
more on "image" "stage Prescence" and what the person looks like. Singing doesn't really matter in this day and age between
autotune, backup singers, and the many feats of magic that can be performed in the studio.
The recording industry is run by suits who have a very narrow view of what a "music superstar" should look like.
I think you're right. Look at Carrie Underwood, for example. When she won Idol, she had the wide-eyed innocent look-which was real-of a young girl who had taken her first plane ride to fly to Hollywood and attempt to win this competition. Absolutely beautiful girl. She turned every head who saw her, I think.
Have you seen her lately? They've turned her into a total sex bomb! She shows a little more almost every time you see her. Still very easy on the eyes for sure, but she sure isn't the same girl that she was when she was first introduced on the scene.
Vocally, she's always been excellent, especially for those who like country music. But, they're continually sexing up her image; that's a constant reminder that the music doesn't come first in this case. Just my opinion.
Steve
I agree 100% I play bass, guitar, and harmonica.
Darrin
yes, i was influenced.I was 12 at the time. My hair was in a style known as the "Princeton" cut. Longer on top and parted to the side, It took very little time to emulate the Beatles look for me. Also , Having a slight Brit accent. (Due to diction lessons my paternal grandmother had insisted on. The giver of these lessons was from London.) certainly got me noticed by my female compatriots. Super time to be a young person. Have loved and been comfortable with long hair since.
The Beatles were certainly the beginning of the long hair revolution. I saw them at their first U.S. concert at Shea Stadium in New York - I think it was either 1962 or 1964. I still have the ticket stubs somewhere. From the first time I saw a picture of the Beatles, something clicked inside me that created a longing for long hair. Have been a fan of long hair ever since.
I don't know if another such revolution would ever again play out as that one did.
I remember in 1963/4 when the standard "short back and sides" was replaced with a "Beatle haircut" - still almost as short at the back, but longer near the ears and with a longish fringe (bangs) at the front. Although not really long, that change did make me more aware of what hair I wanted, and thus began a long battle with my parents.
Difficult question. In the 60s, there were the beginnings of changes, especially for young people, and the arrival of the Beatles coincided with the breaking of the mould (as well as being part of it, of course!). Things are much more fluid now, with people of all ages choosing from a wider variety of fashion options, so I doubt if any band, however huge, would have as big an impact in that way.
I like the Beatles a lot. They had no effect on me growing my hair long. If anything I was influenced more my hard rock and heavy metal. I grew up in the 70's and 80's.
The Beatles did help remove the 1950s butch crop cut. Their music continued to evolve the very simple pop structure that prevailed at the time. But their drug use associated long hair with a high that continues to discriminate against it even today when looking at male hair styles in finance and industry.
I like RUSH for their technical precision. Their timing uses complex arrangements that needs to be well practiced and even written out for each instrument including percussion, similar to classical music reading. And I like Geddy Lee’s hair. I keep listening to their old CDs over and over again. I try the newer stuff, but then I just keep gong back to RUSH again.
That's kind of true for me in a way. I was heavily affected by the Beatles at the time, particularly when they got to number 1 in the UK charts in 1963, but it was the heavy rock of the 70s that led to me growing out my hair. Of course, by then I was a teenager, but ten years earlier when the Beatles really broke I was still a child. I got my bedroom decorated with Beatles wallpaper, but I don't think at that point it occurred to me to want long hair.
I was not influenced by the Beatles. I personally don't even like their music. I don't like Elvis either, so maybe it's just me rebelling against the masses by not letting anyone tell me who I should admire. I've always been a non-conformist and just did what I wanted. That attitude didn't help me during my years in the military, but I managed. I have always wanted long hair, simply because I like it, and because I'm part American Indian. I grew it out at my first opportunity and don't plan to ever go back to short hair.