Do Bald Men Get Half-Price Haircuts?

The silvery clip of scissors. The scent of talcum and tonic. The game blaring on the radio. The lazy rhythms of friendly conversation. In Do Bald Men Get Half-Price Haircuts? Vince Staten perfectly captures the atmosphere of the classic barbershop and the special place it holds in the hearts of American men.

Staten visited more than three hundred barbershops, in towns ranging from Chowchilla, California, to Mount Airy, North Carolina. Displaying a great ear for dialogue, he re-creates the banter in a family-run Italian shop in Louisville, the relaxed jokes shared at an African-American barber's in a quiet neighborhood in Nashville, and the familiar conversations about local politics, the new baseball coach, and the meaning of life that make it clear why the barbershop is the communications hub of so many communities. In a wonderfully entertaining exploration of the history, secrets, and social contributions of barbershop culture, he provides answers to such pressing questions as: What's in those hair tonics anyway? Why are the stripes on the barber pole red and white? Why not a barbershop trio?

As in his earlier fascinating tours through the hardware store and the phar-macy, Staten combines a highly original sense of humor with a keen eye for telling detail. With Do Bald Men Get Half-Price Haircuts? he treats readers to an unusual, warmly nostalgic, and often hilarious tour of an enduring corner of American popular culture.

Contents

Introduction "You're Next!"

Chapter 1 A Bunch of Guys Named Floyd

Chapter 2 From Hair to Eternity

Chapter 3 The World's Oldest (Legal) Profession

Chapter 4 The First Time

Chapter 5 Name That Mane

Chapter 6 A Barbershop by Any Other Name...Would Still Smell Like Lucky Tiger

Chapter 7 Tools of the Trade

Chapter 8 A Close Shave

Chapter 9 Toupee for a Day

Chapter 10 Figaro, Figaro, Figaro

Chapter 11 Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads

Chapter 12 A Captive Audience: Barber Jokes

Chapter 13 Haircutting in Four-Part Harmony

Chapter 14 Famous Barbers I Have Known

Afterword Too Many Haircuts

Acknowledgments