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Hey everybody.
Well I was a longhair in High school, then I spent my entire 20's clean cut. Honestly, IMO, I get a lot of attention when I am clean cut. I am told that I could be a model or whatever. Sort of like a james bond type.
I sound like a self absorbed prick, but that's not the case. I had suffered from self esteem issues my entire life, and never really believed I look great. Anyway, ever since I was about.. 20, I always wanted to be a rock star. Yeah Yeah, I'm sure this has been heard of before.
But as a kid, I was in shows and plays, I play guitar, and I am just an entertainer at heart, that's who and what I really am deep down inside. Anyway, against unemployment, and my family sort of forgetting about me, (and often giving up on me) - I grew my hair out long, and I just turned 30.
I'm not giving up on my dream. I have been playing guitar for.. Sheesh, just about 20 years! So you would think, I would have gotten started on this. Anyhoo, ever since I was about 20, I have had this fascination with Jim Morrison. In short, I suppose I wanted to be him.
Poetry, being a longhair, being a rock musician, it's just something I've been obsessed with for many years. But reality always got in the way.. working blue collar jobs, even conformist security jobs, I always ended up cutting my hair.
This is my long running corny little secret. It's something that's been in my heart since I was about 23. I didn't know it was there finally until about 27, and now, I'm 30. Sometimes I ask.. "Is it too late?" - Who has all wanted to be, Jim Morrison at one point?
Iggy pop, the lead singer of Pearl jam were inspired.. Hey, Cobaine inspired me as well. So what does this have to do with hair? I suppose everything. In a world now, where it seems the lifestyle of a longhair is absolutely non-existent and insupported, in a world where, even women are getting clean cut buzz-cuts, and the industry is marked more about sexuality and instinctive survival of the fittest.
.. Growing my hair long, at age 29, was a huge step, even my family seemed to shun it. Nobody knows the real reason though, it is just a symbol of expression to me. I suppose to me, the essence of a free spirit, rock and roll, poetry, and all that jazz has always been in me, and I always felt this urge to express what was once a big dominant thing back in the 60's.
I played the confirmed pretty boy role for so long I never grew it out. I have to say, it's tough. I remember having long hair when I was about, 22, I don't remember it being so hard to have, at age 30. Possibly because, well, it's not really expected by 30 (I think?) - I think people expect you to move beyond
"Fads" or what not, and to do what you can to become economically viable in this world of competition. But to me, it's not only symbolic of my inhereint rock and roll spirit, (I grew up on just about anything you could imagine that came out of the 60's, 70's, and 80's if it involved a guitar) - but to me it IS rock and roll.
Well now you all know it. That's my secret fantasy. To be the next Jim Morrison. Well, I mean, obviously, I want to be (ME) - but I've always wanted to write songs and give my philisophical lean on them, Having long hair has been tough.
I live in a very conformist, right wing, redneck sort of town. It's been the hardest thing I've ever done. For a while I was wearing my cap and tying it in a pony tail. but lately I've been forcing myself to just let it fly man. Like Hendrix says, Let your freak flag fly.
Today I recalled a song by CSN, "Almost cut my hair today." - I really did. I almost wanted to cut it. but as the song says, "I will not give into fear." - It's who I am. It's been very very tough, I will tell you that. The stares, the dirty looks. I'm used to being clean cut most of my life, you know, James bond.
That's why I've been tying my hair back! But lately, letting your hair down, man that's a signal for trouble it seems sometimes. But I gotta be me man. It's who I am. Thanks for reading. I hope I didn't come off as pretentious or blowhardy.
Alot of it depends on where you live as to how long hair friendly it is. Up here where I live long hair is very common. I don't get any stares or dirty looks. Long hair around here is very common and very well accepted. But then now that i'm 60
I don't care what others think. I do what I want and if they
don't like it ..........that's tough.
I've had long hair since 1964, but i'm not a rock star. I couldn't carry a tune with a handle on it.
There won't be another Jim Morrison. He was a unique person,
being 60 I grew up on him and his music.
I know how you feel. I used to sing in a rock band. OTOH, my guitar playing would make people run away. And nowadays, my voice is not what it was, but I'm a lot older than you.
However, the last time I had short hair was my early teens.
I often wish we had really gone for it. No-one in our band was ever serious about making it full time, and at the time that suited me. Go for it, man.