The Punk Haircut

As you pretty well know by now, I'm hooked on analysing my statistics. Almost every day, some readers come to this site via a Google search for "punk haircuts."

So, today, I thought I'd show you a variety of good ones.

Billy Idol had absolutely the BEST hair. What a look he had and maintains to this day. Even back in 1978, he knew the value of a photo opportunity. I always thought this photo would get more mileage than the one with Joan Jett, but I guess magazines like their multiple faces in one shot.


Penelope Houston, Avenger and Rodney Bingenheimer, Mayor of the Sunset Strip both had iconic hair cuts. Notice how Penelope and Billy are both so beautiful, blonde and photogenic. I always thought that Penelope could have been a big pop superstar like Billy. She's still a riveting performer even though she's not a house-hold name.


While Stiv Bators and Frank Secich wore shaggy versions of Beatle hair, Greg Shaw had the perfect pageboy. It was his trademark and it never looked out of place on him, even over the course of the several decades he wore it.


Hairdresser to the punk stars, Connie Clarksville, on Dave Alvin's right coiffed just about everyone you know. She's sporting a delightful bad-girl variation on the bob while Pleasant opts for a Cleopatra look and Belinda goes short and spiky. Lorna Doom, her high school pal, below goes for a blonder look, and short with spiky potential. Inspired by Billy Idol? You bet.



Notice that everyone's hair is either black or peroxided-out blonde. Unless you had some fabulous red hair, there was no middle ground here.


This is Kent Smythe, wonderful guy and loyal Runaways roadie. His natural blonde has been colored shoe-polish black. I guess he and Joan showed some solidarity in the fashion arena too.


The Cramps, one of the more style conscious of bands boast Ivy's curls, Lux and Nick's rockabilly bad boy cuts and Creep Meister Bryan Gregory's Bride of Frankenstein streak.

The Ramones each represented a different sensibility when it came to their hair.


Joey had the long hair that Howard Stern totally copied.



Dee Dee and Johnny opted for that Greg Shaw haircut that all the garage rock dudes wear these days.


Now, I was having a glam hangover for most of 1977 through probably 1979. I adored T Rex and Marc Bolan. My hair is naturally wavy, but I went for the total T Rex look. You can compare the hair. There's Marc Bolan and then there's me in one of the few photos of me from back in the day that do exist and are published. I'm going to get my hair cut just as soon as I'm in Detroit...in a couple weeks.

Here's the lady who cuts my hair:

Sandy Kramer, and her salon:

Barberella, Hamtramck, Detroit
That's her family - husband Jim and pooch, Cookie. Right after this photo was taken, Sandy made sure she made Jim over. Too bad his handsome new cut didn't get snapped. I left the salon, on my way to see the Detroit homecoming show of the MC5 Reunion Tour. Even Wayne Kramer was blonde!