That Cat Called Johnny Trash: Don`t Mess With My Ducktails!! A brief history of the thinking mans hair cut.

"If you mess with my ducktails I`ll get so mad with you"

So I`ve been wearing my hair in a quiff for a few years now, I`ve messed with it a bit over the years and have toyed with flat tops, slicked back short back and sides style, Morrissey style boufant, the psychobilly mohawk and the traditional long slicked back sides pulled back into a DA that I currently sport. The quiff must be my favourite hairstyle that I`ve ever had and seeing as though I`m massively into 50`s style and music it`s a very fitting addition to my look as well as being absolutely essential!!

DJ Johnny Trash

It`s very difficult to live with

a quiff these days and this is mainly due to the `youth` of today! Not a day goes by that I don`t get called Elvis when I`m walking down the street and this is a regular `insult` (I `` the word insult as I`m a massive Elvis fan and to be honest it`s quite a compliment!) However, the best `insult` I must have had threw at me by any of todays hip and happening follwers of fashion must be when I was walking down Oxford Street in Manchester a few weeks back and a group of knuckle dragging Oasis types walked past and shouted `huh, there`s The Wild One`.
Now, I took this as a compliment but I`m sure that as cool as the Brando is in that film, he never actually quiffed his hair in that part??

Anyway, I chuckled to myself and walked on, chewing imaginary gum and strutting like I was Johnny Strabler himself!!

"Driven Too Far By His Own Hot Blood! "

Now, aside from jibes aimed at my choice of hairstyle from local youths I`m pretty proud of my look as it does get a bit of attention and people in the know do usually have nothing but nice words to say about it!

The greatest compliment I`ve ever had would be from the legendary guitarist Boz Boorer who claimed when we met him a few years ago that my hair was better than his!!

Don`t mess with his duck-walk!

I`d hazard a guess at saying the style came to prominence in the 40`s as if you watch any old movies from this era you will see the beginnings of the style. Men of the time either had no hair at all or some form of quiff and the style was seen as pretty much mandatory.

During the war years and throughout the 50`s in mainly the U.K and US these hairstyles were seen as stylish and versatile and a few variations cropped up, such as the buzz cut or flattop and even stars of the big screen wore their hair in these styles so the average Joe was up there in the style stakes with the Hollywood gentry.

" You`re tearing me apart!! "

Your Rockabilly and Rock and Roll musicians also saw the style as a must as artists in America rocked buzzcuts, flattops and slick greaser quiffs just like the man on the street.

" Er, gimme a number naught on the back and sides and take a little of the top. Thank ya very much "

In the UK and Europe you basically had the mandatory short back and sides slicked side parting type of quiff however, a small group of rapscallions were also knocking about down the Kings Road, in cafes all over the country and bringing up families in back to backs in Northern England, the likes of the Teddy Boys rocked flamboyant hairstyles to match their painstakingly high Brothel Creepers and Drape Suits however, the style was a little over the top but was still seen as very hard wearing, stylish and suitable for every day wear.

" Pub? "

Every man and his dog wore their hair in one of these styles and the music of the time showcased some great variations, through rock and roll and rockabilly both black and white artists all pulled a comb through a greasy main on a daily basis. Elvis was obviously the main focus here and poster boy for the quiff throughout his whole career but I`d say as well as the rockabilly icons that adorned many teenage girls walls and made their panties drop I`d say my fave exponant would be the one and only Tutti Frutti man Little Richard:

" Woooooooo!! "

The hairstyle seemed to disapear in the 60`s in America due to hippie types and mop top scousers growing the hair long however the buzzcuts worn by official types like above were still present while in the UK the Mods attacked Brighton and kicked against the Rockers who were still rockin the style with pride but it was seen more as a revivalist thing and outdated:

The 70`s saw punk, glam and disco which brought many crazy variations to the style in the UK and yet again it kind of became non existent in America apart from with Astronauts and Army seargents still sporting the buzzcut.

Now in the 80`s the style evolved. Popular icons such as Morrissey gave the quiff a new lease of life with wild pompadours gracing Top of The Pops every week as well as the covers of magazines and newspapers all over the world, giving the youths of a disapointed and disenfranchised UK a haisrtytle of their own to match the soundtrack of misery and dispare.

Rockabilly evolved in the 80`s too with bands such as The Polecats, Stray Cats, Meteors, The Cramps creating new genres such as Neo rockabilly and Psychobilly and the quiff was reborn and reintroduced into the UK as a popular style:

The style got wild within these genres and ranged from crazy pompadours sported by the likes of Brian Setzer and alien flat tops worn by the psychos of The Klub Foot club.

Ever ebbing and flowing, the style slipped away as we crawled into the 90`s through grunge, acid house, baggy and britpop in the early days and was a rarity in music as bowl cuts, curtains and generally unkempt hair was the norm.

However, Morrissey was still here and the rockers of the 80`s were still going strong at revivals in Brighton, Hemsby and the like.

Nowehere to be seen in the 00`s I don`t think, aside from Morrissey still whoring himself out and then turning into a silver fox extradicting himself to Rome and surrounding himself with canines and Passolini! Plus the likes of Mark Kermode, Marc Lamarr and David Lynch were still showing off a proud hair full of grease.

So to today, where is the quiff? Well, it`s on the catwalks and in fashion magazines being worn by GIRLS!! Not that there`s anything wrong with that but personally I think you need the attitude to go with quiffing your hair and I really don`t think wags on a night out at the Living Room have very much attitude!! :

We need to reclaim the quiff and add that vital ingredient - music!! La Roux sports one but her music is shite!! Glasvegas are poster boys for the style however so have faith dear reader, like minded souls are there and are walking down your street in the clothes that they went out and chose for themselves!!