What It Is Right Now

The newspaper clipping above was kindly given to me by a friend a few years ago. I planned to include it in a volume of the Famous Hairdos of Popular Music, the series of sporadically published booklets that document this project. That book was going to be dedicated to drawings inspired by Dusty Springfield’s imposing coif, but that book has yet to be made, so I’m sharing it here today.

For those new to this project, I feel that this curious artifact is emblematic of my goals for The Famous Hairdos of Popular Music. That’s an odd thing to write considering that relinquishing my own artistic goals was one of my hopes when I started this endeavor almost four years ago. I hoped to create a forum for the personal expression of anyone kind enough to contribute, inviting them to inscribe their peculiar visions on artifacts of popular culture. I wanted to see what, if anything, would happen.  Judging by the hundreds of great and varied drawings which have been showcased on this blog and in six small books, I feel that I’ve succeeded. A seventh volume, dedicated to drawings inspired by Loretta Lynn’s hairdo, will be available very soon. Additionally, nearly all the drawings received so far can be viewed on this blog.


Above: The most recent hairdo template

By reducing celebrities to abstract shapes, I hope to create a place where people feel free to play. I’m not interested in a celebration of celebrities. I hope to celebrate noncelebrities drawing wonderful pictures.

Someone attending the first annual Chicago Zine Fest, leafing through the second volume of The Famous Hairdos of Popular Music, which was dedicated to drawings inspired by Diana Ross’ hairdo, informed me in conspiratorial tones, “She would hate this.” He said this in a way that left no doubt that he possessed special knowledge of Ms. Ross’ tastes and likelihood for personal affront. Needless to say, I was flattered, though insulting the nominal subjects of my books has never been my intent. Simply put, the actual subject of The Famous Hairdos of Popular Music is all the people— friends, strangers, kids, adults— who have made drawings.  So the newspaper clipping at the top of this post is both a reminder of why celebrities are often so horrifically captivating and a reminder that it’s probably best to keep them in perspective.

The name of this project is ironically intended to imply definitiveness, in the same way that a bound set of encyclopedias once presented itself as a compendium of all human knowledge. 2012 will be the first time in 244 years that The Encyclopedia Britannica will not publish a printed edition. This has been chalked up to another sign of changing times—the online edition will continue to exist—but it is really an admission of the actual diversity, diffuseness, and breadth of human knowledge and experience, subjects that no book, not even in 32 volumes, could hope to dent. A cursory glance at The Famous Hairdos of Popular Music should show the irony in its title. It is not an exhaustive study of celebrity hair. What I hope this project does achieve is to offer a glimpse at the creativity, thoughtfulness, and generosity of humans. I am still having fun with this project, and I hope you do too. Check back soon for new drawings and information about the latest volume.

Deepest thanks as always to anyone who has ever drawn for me.  Consider printing the hairdo template above and mailing your completed drawings to keep this project going.