While it may have been true that I straddled the track between the rockin' 50s look and a decadent dishevelled image it can never be said that I ever wore odd socks! My footwear was always good and solid from the Densons of my youth to the Gran Botas and Carolina Engineers that will still take a shine. Back in the day, I affected a fantastic construction of Esquerita proportions, that would have rivalled Syd Barrett's legendary Brylcream and Mandrax quoif, but spending more and more time between minding Tex Mex legend Flaco Jimenez and Polecats / Morrissey band Boz's Bozmen I tired of the often unwelcome attention it brought me.

Any elitist fashion is grounded by some kind of conformist ideal; in Mick Farren's 1972 book Watch Out Kids a cartoon of identical mods illustrates this point. So it had to go. Having quite fine hair, I knew I was never going to get the Gene Vincent "bunch of grapes", but I had the leather pants and the western boots already. On recommendation from another musician, I took myself over to Slick 50 Barber Shop on the mean side of Southend and although the first couple of cuts were a little cautious, once the boss, Elaine, took over with clippers and flat topper comb I was looking as sharp as a Pachuco!

Of course it didn't end there. We hit it off pretty well, started going out and married in a fever just a year later. Now barbering and rock 'n' roll go pretty much hand in glove, in between musical projects and haircuts we have developed our own brand of wax - HAIR CONTROL - and deluxe styling creme, LIL' RED ROOSTER. Once you have a good cut, they will put the pomp in your pompadour!

And like the song says, "I get my fortune told for free".

Slick 50 Barbershop, 89 Princes Street, Southend on Sea, Essex SS2 4LP. Stockists of most brands of american wax and grease. Mail order no problem.

www.barbershoprockabilly.co.uk

'Before' photo: Jack, 1986

'After' photo: Dominik Schunk, 1996