Here, hair, here

I was up at my parents the weekend before last. Sitting on the sofa in the morning, going through the papers with them I became aware that my mum, sat at my side, was studying my head. "Have you had your hair cut?", she asked. I nodded. "Hmm...it's not as good as usual" was her verdict. I had to smile.

Pay your income tax

I've been away for longer breaks but I'm finding it very hard to readjust after this last one. It's mainly work I think. I don't know why, nothing has changed there. I don't seem to be able to relax. Maybe it's the large amounts of coffee I can't seem to stop myself from drinking?

Or maybe it's my new extra short haircut that's disturbed my equilibrium? As before, almost two months to the day in fact, my hair looked great but I thought I ought to have it smartened up for some reason. The lady had done an okay job but I went and asked for just a little bit more off the back. The clippers came out and zub, zub it was all over - a massacre. Of course, I said it was nice, you might as well - they can't stick it back on. Normally I think it takes a fortnight or so for a haircut to settle down, with this one: four weeks and counting.

Anyway, I'm sure it'll all calm down by the autumn. In the meantime some laidback stuff from the monstrously overlooked JJ Cale. I was first introduced to his music as a junior stoner. He's released loads of albums that are all basically the same, I've got six of them. "Naturally" provides "Crazy Mama" which drifts in and out of my top ten tunes. "Right Down Here" is from "Really" which is probably my all round favourite. Apart from the quality of the songs I think it's possible that my preference may stem from the fact that round about the time he was knocking out "Really" in Nashville and Muscle Shoals I was making my first appearance over in North Manchester. Some kind of cosmic umbilicus.

JJ Cale: Right Down Here


JJ Cale: Crazy Mama

Hair are your aerials

Had my bi-monthly (every two months) haircut today. I find it a bit of an ordeal. As usual I sat in the chair, looked in the mirror, and thought "What am I doing? My hair looks great". But it has to be done. There are broadly two types of hair cutting establishment - old school barbers (in the minority) and shiny salons. I alternate between the two but don't feel comfortable in either. Barbers will ask me about football and my job - two subjects I loathe. And in salons they ask me where I go clubbing (I don't). Also in salons they've normally got the radio tuned to a station playing back to back techno so loudly that the speakers are buzzing. The reading matter in both types of place usually consists of an FHM type magazine and/or The Sun. The papers capture it actually. These places are either reactionary tabloid or glossy sleaze. What I want is more of a Guardian hairdressers. Why don't such places exist?