Why Should I Care If I Have To Cut My Hair?

“I’ve got to move with the fashions, or be outcast…”

The story of our WHO weekend in 1980 continues. Episode 1 is here.

After our adventure in Columbia, Geoff and I rode the bus back to St. Louis on Monday, arriving mid-afternoon at the downtown bus station. I showed him around a bit; I think it was his first visit to the city, other than trips in and out of the airport. I still remember his question: “Where are all the people?” Yes, St. Louis in mid-afternoon is a ghost town compared to NYC, but hey, it’s home.

We got a ride home from my dad, going home on highway 40, which took us past the Checkerdome, with the marquee: “The WHO – Sold Out” We’d be back there in a few hours, and I was already pretty hyped up.

First we went back to Webster Groves, where I was going to shed a few pounds. I’d been letting my hair grow over the previous few months, and I figured the Who concert was as good a reason as any to get it cut. We snapped this picture in the front yard, on the way to the hair place. My hair was never longer than it was in this picture. And trust me when I say it will never be that long again.

After cutting it to a more 80s length — that’s me, always moving with the fashion —  we walked around the corner and down a block to Streetside Records, one of my main hangouts in those days. Not only was this the day The Who were playing in St. Louis, it was also the release date for Empty Glass, Pete Townshend’s first (or second, depending on your definition) solo album.

We took it back and I suppose listened to it. On any other day, acquiring this album would have been a momentous event, but that first listen barely registers in my memory. I went on to listen to that record a million times, of course, and it’s one of my all-time favorites. But we had more important things to think about coming up that evening. Soon we were out on the street again, leaping along…

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“South Coast Police have warned that if the fights between rival gangs of mods and rockers continue, stricter security measures will be enforced in railway stations both in London and on the South Coast.”

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