How the teenage David Bowie rebelled with his hair ｜ BBC Global)

They're tired of persecution, they're tired of taunts, they're tired of losing their jobs, they're tired of being sent home from college, they're tired of being sent home from school, they're tired even of being refused the dole. So with the nucleus of some of his friends, a 17-year-old, David Jones, has just founded the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men. Now exactly who's being cruel to you? Well, I think we're all fairly tolerant, the last two years we've had comments like darling and can I carry a handbag thrown at us, I think it's just had to stop now. But does this surprise you that you get this kind of comment, because after all you haven't got really rather long hair, haven't you? We have, yes, yeah it's not too bad really. No, I like it and I think we all like long hair and we don't see why other people should persecute us because of this. You see a lot of people, you can't tell the difference between a man and a woman, can they, if you've got your hair that long. Well that's ridiculous, if the stage has got to the point when you can't tell either sex by a few inches of hair, I think it's pretty poor show, don't you? Most of us just like it long, whereas some like it short, others like us like it long. Did you get this off the rolling stones? No, no, no. But did any of you have your hair growing long more than two years ago? Yes, did you, before the rolling stones ever did? It takes a long time to get this length, you know, it's quite easy. Can I ask you what you say when you go into the hairdressers? When you go into the hairdressers, don't you go and have it shampooed and set? No, no, no. Your mothers do it? Yeah. Do they? They're very good at it, they're better than I could ever be. Well when was the last time that any of you ever went to a barber? Three years ago. Three years. Exactly how are you going to stop people being cruel to you? Come on, that's your idea. Well if anybody is chucked out of a factory job or removed from a public bar or saloon bar, you'll get a petition written up and sent to either the LCC, the people that hold the publishers license. But do you think this will do any good? Well it will help, people will eventually come. But do you really think that many people are on your side is what I'm saying? Oh yes, there's quite a few. A thousand teenagers over Britain. All of them with long hair? No, lots of them with short hair. No, I haven't got long hair. Either their companies they work with or their parents. Don't allow them to have long hair.