Radio 4
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About John Peel
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Hair Raising? "You can’t stick it back on, you can’t easily reverse a hairdo, and you trust they don’t have a sadistic sense of humour " Ian Peacock investigates our relationship with one of the most important people in our lives - our hairdresser… Ian begins his exploration a Bombay Gents Hair, where they not only offer a haircut, but an Indian head massage too. The owner comes from a long line of hairdressers; his grandfather and great-grandfather were also trained in the art of taming hair, "At the moment I got in my hand a razor - people have to trust us, you see," he explains to Ian. There’s a nervous laugh from a waiting customer. The slightly violent undertone continues with slapping sounds as a head massage is administered, which despite the noise of flesh on flesh goes down well with his client, "I don’t like hanky panky, but a head massage is good." Moving on to the a wig shop in Oxford, Ian finds Doreen cooing to a client who would like her current wig to be just a shade darker, "Can you see that on you - it looks absolutely gorgeous!" "A wig-fitter," Ian helpfully points out, "is a person you’ve got to trust that a) they’ll keep it confidential and b) they won’t fob you off with a thing that resembles a nylon guinea pig - an Abyssinian one of course." One woman, Doreen tells Ian was having trouble finding a man, and thinking her solution lay with a fashion wig, she came to Doreen for help. To Ian’s delicate enquiry as to "What sort of wig is a man-pulling wig?" Doreen replies, "Well she went for a short red-hot sexy wig to go with a dark catsuit and long blonde one because she’s heard that blondes have all the fun." There is the serious side. Clients are sometimes in tears, "They’ve had to go through the trauma of losing their own hair and having to subject themselves to wearing a wig," says Doreen, "At the end of the day it is a foreign body." On his way to his final port of call in South London, Ian canvasses a couple of opinions from passers -by. "My hair’s big hair and I love it - you’ve got to claim your hair…!" "Politically?" exclaims Ian. "Absolutely!" is the reply. At Gita’s hairdressing salon in Clapham, Ian finds one of Gita’s clients, Katy ready to sing the praises of her hairdresser, not just as hairdo-maker, but as a friend. As she drove past Gita’s salon, Katy felt mysteriously drawn to it, "It was an epiphany - like my road to Damascus - my road to beautiful hair." Gita and Katy are friends, as is Connie, a ninety-five year old client who’s been friends with Gita for ten years or more. Hairdressing, friendship, and also the role of marriage guidance counsellor. One client is thinking of leaving her husband, "We spent two or three hours talking about it - I gave her advie . I’ve also been divorced," she explains, and goes on to say, "Other clients that may have sexual problems. You’d be amazed at the things I know!" she adds as Katy does a quick intake of breath. It requires discretion because Gita reveals, "I do the other party as well, so when they come in, I keep very straight face and pretend I don’t know anything…" "Like a priest," Ian observes, "You can’t let on what’s been confessed!" And there, we’re back full circle to the importance of trust. Who do you trust with your secrets? What is it about the person that encourages you to reveal the intimate details of your life?  | |
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