1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Oh yeah, 2 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: this isn't our usual introduction. This is our very first 3 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: classic episode. Can you believe it already a classic? How 4 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:26,079 Speaker 1: long has it been? But we did we did the math. 5 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:28,639 Speaker 1: We we have three hundred and seventies something episodes in 6 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: the feed and we wouldn't typically do this, but it is, uh, 7 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 1: the lead up to Memorial Day weekend, and we are, 8 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 1: you know, human beings, patriotic human beings, and we've we 9 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: felt the need to, you know, take the actual time off. 10 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: So we're going to introduce this classic episode to you today. 11 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: Many of you have maybe not heard it, that's right, 12 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: that's right. For people who are on Apple podcasts, you 13 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: may in fact be unable to find this episode. Of course, 14 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: we had to have our super producer, Max Williams aboard. Max, 15 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 1: I think we told you, oh, and I'm bad. I 16 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:05,680 Speaker 1: think we told you that the uh that this episode 17 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 1: is is about British lawyers, right do we tell him that? 18 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: And all? I don't recall, but now he knows. How 19 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 1: do you feel about this? Max? Oh? I feel pretty good. 20 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 1: I mean thankfully. I read the tea leaves and I 21 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: already you know have the episode selected and everything, so 22 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: we should be good. You're the best. Well, it turns 23 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: out that British lawyers you may have seen them in 24 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 1: like you know, British law and order. That's gotta be 25 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 1: a thing, right or the very least, you know British 26 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:31,960 Speaker 1: crime procedural shows the lawyers still to this day out 27 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 1: of a sense of nostalgia perhaps and tradition, which we 28 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:41,640 Speaker 1: know the Brits are big on. Where these weird powdered wigs. Yes, 29 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 1: we're so glad to share this with you, folks. This 30 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: is I believe that one of the very first episodes 31 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: we ever did, if not the actual first Ridiculous History episode. 32 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,560 Speaker 1: So in a way, Max, we're we're welcoming to the 33 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 1: show from the very beginning, just as is our we're 34 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: doing it very late, we're doing it several years later. 35 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: It's true. Uh, And and just a word to the word, 36 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: to the wise, and and to to ourselves. Even this 37 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: could be a really fun kind of time capsule peek 38 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: behind the curtain situation because this was very very early 39 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: in the show. And as you know, sometimes these shows, 40 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: uh take a little time to stretch their legs and 41 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:23,920 Speaker 1: find their voice. So it could suck, but I seem 42 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: to remember it being fun. I played it for my 43 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: mom and she liked it, so that's my gauge. Yeah, yeah, man, 44 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: I think we all had a good time. And just 45 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:34,679 Speaker 1: I love that you mentioned Peek behind the Curtain, l 46 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,119 Speaker 1: because this is an episode we recorded when we thought 47 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:40,239 Speaker 1: we were only going to do this show for like 48 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 1: six weeks yep. So we definitely have a bit of 49 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 1: a fatalistic attitude. You can totally tell. We're just kind 50 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 1: of like Thelma and Louise driving off the cliff at 51 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 1: the end of the movie because you know, this is 52 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 1: all there is, so why not just go for it? 53 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 1: And so we hope that everyone has had a great weekend. 54 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 1: I hope that you have a month day off as well. 55 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: If you have ever asked yourself why on earth do 56 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: British lawyers wear those wigs, well, we're going to tell you. 57 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to the show. My name is Ben Bullen. I 58 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: am not a lawyer mine. You don't here like those 59 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: lawyer jokes. Lawyers really get craped on, don't they. Yeah, 60 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: they get a tough time, especially in the world of commons. 61 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: They say, llawyer, what's uh, what do you call a 62 00:03:57,120 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 1: hundred lawyers at the bottom of the ocean a good star. 63 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: I also heard one that says, what's the difference between 64 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: a dead lawyer and a dead dog in the street? 65 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 1: There are skid marks in front of the dog. So 66 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: hi to all our lawyer listener friends, I'm Noel Brown. 67 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: This is ridiculous history. Um. Before we started are a producer, 68 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: Alex said, all right, we're rolling on laser wigs. Yeah, 69 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: I want to do a podcast on laser wigs. But 70 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:29,919 Speaker 1: apparently that's not a thing. But lawyer wigs are. Yes, 71 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 1: lawyer wigs are a thing. Growing up as a kid, 72 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 1: I was always very skeptical about this night. I had 73 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:42,719 Speaker 1: assumed that it was just like a television thing, televisual 74 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 1: sight gag. So what we're talking about is something that 75 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 1: maybe unfamiliar to a lot of people, but it's definitely 76 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,359 Speaker 1: familiar to you if you live in a lot of 77 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: commonwealth countries, you know, and that is that in the 78 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 1: legal system, especially like the UK, I think is the 79 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:04,480 Speaker 1: most well known for this in the In the legal system, 80 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:10,039 Speaker 1: these people who are practitioners of law, the dark arts, 81 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 1: the dark arts uh. Their formal courtroom attire includes these 82 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 1: incredibly anachronistic wigs, you know that, like powdered wigs. Just 83 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: just think George Washington. Yeah, it's like they're George Washington wigs, 84 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: like a founding father wig and its the this goes 85 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: for uh, male as well as female judges and barrissters, right, 86 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 1: and there's like a hierarchy of like wig quality too. 87 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: We'll get into all that. But this is a fascinating world, 88 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 1: the world of of of legal whiggery. Um. I mean seriously, 89 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:53,600 Speaker 1: this is pretty comical, but it's also there's a lot 90 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 1: of really fun stuff to unpack here. So why don't 91 00:05:56,800 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 1: we get to unpack him? Sure? Yeah, So you know, 92 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: tradition is a dangerous and tricky thing, and our species 93 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:09,479 Speaker 1: loves doing stuff just because someone else did it earlier. 94 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,600 Speaker 1: Tradition is a hell of a drug. Rick James said that. 95 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure that was That was Rick James. The 96 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:21,479 Speaker 1: thing with these wigs is that they are thought by 97 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:26,360 Speaker 1: the proponents of the practice to impart and air of formality. 98 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:29,040 Speaker 1: You know that the idea is that you go into 99 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:32,360 Speaker 1: a courtroom and you sit down and you see the whigs, 100 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:37,320 Speaker 1: and that, coupled with the judiciary proceedings, make you think, 101 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: oh wow, this is serious. You think someone somewhere down 102 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 1: the line misconstrued the word formality with hilarity, right right, 103 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 1: And we're not. We're not making fun of We're not 104 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 1: making serious fun, I should say, of this practice. But 105 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:59,800 Speaker 1: you can understand how strange this seems to people who 106 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 1: are not familiar with it. The wigs, according to other proponents, 107 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 1: are an emblem of anonymity. They distanced the wearer from 108 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 1: personal involvement, and they visually draw on the supremacy of 109 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: the law. This is according to a guy named Kevin Newton, 110 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 1: a DC based lawyer who studied law at the University 111 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 1: of London. And they have a name. It's not just 112 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: called a lawyer wig or a laser wig. These uh, 113 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:36,880 Speaker 1: these headpieces are called perukes p e r u K 114 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 1: so punk sounding peruke. I don't know why you get 115 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: peruked up, you know, so the the rules are pretty 116 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: specific as well, So I'm going to peruke. But a 117 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: peruke it's got a name, and it's just I guess, 118 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 1: I guess that specifically, would could you use that term 119 00:07:56,560 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: outside of the legal the courtroom setting for this style 120 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 1: isle of wig? Is it referring to the style of wig, 121 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: or specifically a wig used in legal setting. I don't know. 122 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 1: Peruke is an archaic term for a periwig, which is 123 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: a highly styled wig that used to be warm for 124 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 1: both by both men and women. So in this situation, 125 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 1: I imagine them drawing the line at the use of 126 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:29,400 Speaker 1: the phrase periwig. I'm like, no, we're calling them peruke. So, 127 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 1: because this is serious, definitely has a more of an 128 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 1: air of kind of finality to it, you know, like 129 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:41,080 Speaker 1: it's a much more kind of sharp edged word of cherry. 130 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 1: Wig sounds frivolous, it sounds too there's too much whimsy, 131 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 1: and it's check this out, man wigs. If a barrister 132 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:54,079 Speaker 1: doesn't wear a wig, it's considered an insult to the court, 133 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 1: stop the process. A barrister, yes, a barrister. So there 134 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: are barristers, solicitors, and judges. Barrister can be distinguished from 135 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 1: a solicitor because they wear a wig and a gown 136 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:12,439 Speaker 1: in court, and they also work at higher levels than solicitors. 137 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:16,840 Speaker 1: Their main role is to act as advocates in legal hearings. 138 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:19,559 Speaker 1: So there they stand in the court and they plead 139 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,120 Speaker 1: a case on behalf of their clients to the judge 140 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:25,319 Speaker 1: who is also peruked up. But like I was saying earlier, 141 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:28,839 Speaker 1: been uh, you know, do you know about the whig arkey? 142 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:31,720 Speaker 1: The higher the hierarchy of wigs, Like it's it's a thing. 143 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 1: It's really really cool. Lay it out for me. Oh man. 144 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 1: So you know, you've got your barristers who wear these 145 00:09:38,679 --> 00:09:41,960 Speaker 1: slightly kind of frizzed up wigs that are kind of 146 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:45,600 Speaker 1: frizzy at the crown, and they have horizontal curls on 147 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:48,080 Speaker 1: the sides and the back like little uh like like 148 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 1: you know, like your mom's curlers, you know that kind 149 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: of like a little nice tight What do you call that? 150 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:55,679 Speaker 1: What kind of curl is that? Is there a name 151 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 1: for it? I would go, Jerry, it's a more of 152 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 1: a could you say ringlet? A ringlet? Yes, ringlet exactly. 153 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:07,120 Speaker 1: That is exactly the word I was fishing for. So yeah, 154 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:09,719 Speaker 1: but they're like very organized in there. They flow down 155 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 1: the sides and the back um and then they have 156 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 1: too long kind of Jedi braids of hair that hang 157 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:19,959 Speaker 1: down below the hairline on the neck and they sport 158 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:24,800 Speaker 1: a looped curl at each end. Right, So it's like 159 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 1: that's kind of like a Jedi a Jedi braid. These 160 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:32,439 Speaker 1: are yeah, these are very specific, very specific, and you've 161 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:37,200 Speaker 1: got different types of lawyers, different styles of wigs. The 162 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:40,520 Speaker 1: best one though, is the judge, because the judge has 163 00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:44,840 Speaker 1: a similar, similarly styled wig, but it's way like it's 164 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:48,120 Speaker 1: like a blown out version of the barrister's wig. It's 165 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:52,160 Speaker 1: a full wig um from a slightly frizzed out top 166 00:10:52,559 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 1: and it kind of transitions into this tight, horizontal array 167 00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 1: of curls that go several inches down your shoulder. And 168 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 1: these wigs, all of them, from judge to barrister what 169 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:09,960 Speaker 1: have you, are made of white horsehair um. And there's 170 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:15,079 Speaker 1: a certain amount of gravitas that's associated with the yellowing 171 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:18,560 Speaker 1: that happens as the whigs age, because it imparts a 172 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:22,480 Speaker 1: certain amount of you know, respect, You've got you know, 173 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:24,880 Speaker 1: you've got that yellow wig. You've been at this for 174 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:31,280 Speaker 1: a while, sir or madam. Nowadays, obviously wearing one of 175 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:36,120 Speaker 1: these is at the very best a fashion statement, you know, 176 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: like if our if our super producer Alex showed up 177 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:42,440 Speaker 1: one day and said, you know, it was wearing a 178 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:45,840 Speaker 1: barrister's wig. This is me now, guys, this is the 179 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 1: choice I've made in life. Of course we would support 180 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: him because we're all actually friends, but it would be 181 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:57,400 Speaker 1: weird because people don't typically wear wigs in that style. 182 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:00,760 Speaker 1: Now people still wear wigs in general, but they're very 183 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:06,640 Speaker 1: it's very different nowadays. And once upon a time, wigs 184 00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 1: were considered an essential part of being a well put 185 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 1: together professional, like if you if you were a person 186 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 1: of substance and means, then you wore a wig. It 187 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 1: was during that time culturally when wigs began to appear 188 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:25,440 Speaker 1: in courtrooms and so it was seen as a mark 189 00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:29,320 Speaker 1: of a bit of elitism, a mark of authenticity, mark 190 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:33,000 Speaker 1: of professionalism, and a mark of success. This was in 191 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:37,400 Speaker 1: the seventeenth century, so only the creme de la creme, 192 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:40,840 Speaker 1: socially speaking, were those powdered wigs that were made of 193 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:43,240 Speaker 1: as you said, no horse hair. Those were just the 194 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:46,200 Speaker 1: really dope ones though, like those are the the upper 195 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: echelon of powdered wigs. There's a whole array of materials 196 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:56,160 Speaker 1: that kind of stepped down the quality ladder. I guess 197 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:58,520 Speaker 1: he could say, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, there was a 198 00:12:58,559 --> 00:13:03,200 Speaker 1: goat hair, old cotton hair, stolen from the dead. That 199 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:06,240 Speaker 1: is true. I want one of those. You want to 200 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 1: you want a dead man's scalp. Dead man's scalps tell 201 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 1: no tales, my friend. And that's dark. I don't know 202 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:17,320 Speaker 1: what that even means. I don't know. I was into it. 203 00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:20,800 Speaker 1: I could see it contextually. Yeah, and like a line 204 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:22,520 Speaker 1: kind of cut your eyes at me a little bit 205 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:24,800 Speaker 1: there they cut my eyes at you? Is that a 206 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:27,800 Speaker 1: weird expression? It is? I was trying to figure out what, 207 00:13:28,679 --> 00:13:31,120 Speaker 1: how what would that would intain, know, like like like 208 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:33,360 Speaker 1: a little like a little side side eye. There you go? 209 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:36,240 Speaker 1: How is it okay? I'm just for everything. You can't 210 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 1: see this. I'm just moving my head and maintaining eye contact. Well. 211 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:44,439 Speaker 1: Whether or not the wig trade involved cutting of eyes, 212 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:49,000 Speaker 1: it also involved a practice that remains around in the 213 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,520 Speaker 1: modern day, which is that there were people who would 214 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 1: grow their hair out and then sell it, and people 215 00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 1: buy real human hair wigs and all joking aside. Uh, 216 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:02,920 Speaker 1: nowadays that is a thing, Um there is. There are 217 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:04,439 Speaker 1: human hair wigs that are sold. But the thing that 218 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:06,680 Speaker 1: I always associate that with is the whole locks of love. 219 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:10,520 Speaker 1: Uh scene, I guess where people will sell their hair 220 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:13,920 Speaker 1: to not sell, donate their hair to be made into 221 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:17,560 Speaker 1: wigs for cancer patients. Who have lost their hair through chemotherapy. 222 00:14:17,559 --> 00:14:19,800 Speaker 1: I think that's super cool. I have a friend um, 223 00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:22,440 Speaker 1: who I used to do sound with back in the day, 224 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 1: like a production you know, audio jobs, and he had 225 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:30,040 Speaker 1: the most luxurious head of hair just down his back, 226 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:33,040 Speaker 1: just like a like a great lion. And his mother 227 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:35,080 Speaker 1: got sick with cancer and he donated all his hair, 228 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 1: and I had a wig made out of his hair 229 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:39,640 Speaker 1: to give to his mother, and I thought that was 230 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:43,400 Speaker 1: just the sweetest. Yeah, that's beautiful. It's hard freaking yeah, 231 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 1: it really is. But the reason that this is important 232 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 1: that he would donate this, or that anyone would donate this, 233 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:54,960 Speaker 1: is because today these kind of wigs are very, very expensive. Yeah, yeah, 234 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:58,480 Speaker 1: this is the this is the top in real human hair, 235 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 1: and sometimes people rate it by the region of the 236 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 1: world where this hair originates. But this is still what's 237 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:10,800 Speaker 1: really weird to me about this man. In the seventeenth century, 238 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 1: while you could get a human hair wig, it was 239 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 1: still a couple steps down below the status symbol of 240 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:22,880 Speaker 1: a horse hair wig. Exactly different different times, different strokes, 241 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:27,160 Speaker 1: I suppose. But today these wigs that are used in 242 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:31,120 Speaker 1: the English court system, they're like a prerequisite, like you 243 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:33,040 Speaker 1: have to like you graduate, you get your law degree, 244 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,720 Speaker 1: you go and buy your first wig. But like I 245 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:38,760 Speaker 1: was saying before, you kind of want to hang onto 246 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 1: it because you want that air, that patina, that that 247 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:44,880 Speaker 1: yellow thing to happen. So people know that you mean 248 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,800 Speaker 1: business and that you've been in the game for a minute, 249 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:51,400 Speaker 1: you've been wigging out. You're an o g wigster. And 250 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 1: uh there they they go for from a you know, 251 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:57,920 Speaker 1: five bucks for like one of these smaller, slightly less 252 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:02,200 Speaker 1: ornate barrister wigs, harter wig, your starter wig too, like 253 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:06,320 Speaker 1: three grand for a judge wig, these ones that go 254 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:08,640 Speaker 1: you know, all the way down the back. There's a 255 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:12,520 Speaker 1: significant investment. And so maybe one of the questions we 256 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 1: would ask is we said that this was all the 257 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:23,480 Speaker 1: rage fashion wise, right, but why it turns out most 258 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:28,000 Speaker 1: most people overwhelmingly When I say most people, I mean 259 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:32,640 Speaker 1: overwhelmingly historians blame it on syphilis. Always comes back down 260 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:39,640 Speaker 1: a syphilis that took a turn. Things have indeed taken 261 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 1: a turn for the syphiltic. Uh, corpse whigs wasn't enough. 262 00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:46,480 Speaker 1: The corpse whigs that was just like a little bit 263 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:50,520 Speaker 1: of a slight ummi added into the story. But now 264 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 1: this is becoming. This part of the show is syphilis centric. 265 00:16:56,920 --> 00:17:01,000 Speaker 1: In the sixteenth century, a lot of people in Europe 266 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:04,639 Speaker 1: were contracting syphilis. It was also known as the syphilic 267 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:08,439 Speaker 1: sixt yes, yeah, as you probably know it better as 268 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:16,720 Speaker 1: the syphilytic. You know. So the treatment used for syphilis, penicillin, 269 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:21,159 Speaker 1: wasn't going to be discovered until nineteen, so people with 270 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:26,919 Speaker 1: syphilis didn't have a treatment program. Instead, they got rashes, blindness, 271 00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:32,800 Speaker 1: open sores, eventually dementia and then hair loss. I mean 272 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:35,239 Speaker 1: there's market for probably all kinds of like devices and 273 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:39,960 Speaker 1: cosmetic little accoutrement to cover up scars and things like that. 274 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:43,159 Speaker 1: You know, if you think of like half masks for 275 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:47,119 Speaker 1: faces and stuff that had some form of deformity that 276 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:50,080 Speaker 1: could have resulted from something like syphilis. Oh yeah, that's 277 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 1: a really good point. I didn't think about that. I 278 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:54,639 Speaker 1: just wonder who like cornered the market on you know, 279 00:17:55,840 --> 00:17:59,639 Speaker 1: that kind of stuff, cause cosmetic accessories, shall we say. 280 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:02,520 Speaker 1: I always thought those things were cool growing up, you know, 281 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:05,960 Speaker 1: seeing the seeing the half mask in the Phantom of 282 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:09,600 Speaker 1: the Opera, for instance, that was great. I if I 283 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:11,280 Speaker 1: could get away with it, I would just wear one 284 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:14,440 Speaker 1: of those but it would be a little bit anticlimactic 285 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:16,840 Speaker 1: and disappointing. You know when I finally took it off, 286 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:20,000 Speaker 1: if I had a normal face, So I can lose 287 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:21,800 Speaker 1: a nose, you can lose like a hole, like your 288 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:24,600 Speaker 1: nose can totally get eating away. Leg I just typed 289 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:29,240 Speaker 1: in syphilis mask, uh, and I pretty disturbing actually came 290 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 1: right up. It's a wire frame with a pair of 291 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 1: glasses and a fake nose, but it looks like clearly 292 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:37,600 Speaker 1: as is an artifact. Um, and then we've got masks, 293 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,879 Speaker 1: like we're talking about all that stuff. But you know, 294 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:44,679 Speaker 1: if you just had hair loss, a wig would be 295 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:48,639 Speaker 1: your best friend and a crucial one because hair loss 296 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:52,359 Speaker 1: was very problematic for people social lives at this time. 297 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:58,399 Speaker 1: So in this kind of this continues a little bit today. Uh, 298 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:02,159 Speaker 1: long hair at the time was super in fashion. It 299 00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:05,879 Speaker 1: was all the rage, and because of the prevalence of syphilis, 300 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:11,119 Speaker 1: if somebody was prematurely balding, everyone just sort of thought 301 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:17,600 Speaker 1: they had syphilis, which is is a really tough, a 302 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:21,760 Speaker 1: really tough situation, unfair for uh, people who are just 303 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:25,879 Speaker 1: balding naturally. But you know, Larry David would take great 304 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:31,000 Speaker 1: issue with this notion. Of but you know, bald um 305 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:33,600 Speaker 1: what's the word bald is um? You know, they look 306 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:36,959 Speaker 1: at a bald person and you immediately assume they have syphilis. 307 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:38,800 Speaker 1: You know, that's a that's problematic in the you know 308 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:42,280 Speaker 1: you guys. You know Larry David, right, Larry David one 309 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 1: of the most famous baldman and entertainment. I know, he 310 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: makes it. He sort of like carries that torch, you know, proudly, 311 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:55,399 Speaker 1: very proudly, and can tankerously. No, it's weird because even today, 312 00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:58,880 Speaker 1: especially in the entertainment industry, people who are prematurely balding 313 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:03,160 Speaker 1: are are kind of typecast. You know, well, they said, 314 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:05,760 Speaker 1: it's it's seen as like some sort of deficiency in 315 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 1: your your person, right, like a for instance, if you 316 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:14,760 Speaker 1: if you're watching most television shows, you're watching action film 317 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:21,480 Speaker 1: or something, and you meet a balding character, the chances 318 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:23,919 Speaker 1: are overwhelming that they're going to be like a lower 319 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 1: level sleazy villain. And that's completely not true about real people, 320 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:33,800 Speaker 1: uh real The idea of sleazy villain e knows no 321 00:20:34,359 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: specific appearance type or template. But that's still better than 322 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:43,399 Speaker 1: what was happening in the sixteenth century, where someone would 323 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:46,960 Speaker 1: look at another person who had hair loss and then say, oh, 324 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:51,520 Speaker 1: they have syphilis. Also, wigs were a big help for 325 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 1: people who had another, uh prominent hair problem lice. Oh yeah, man, 326 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:01,679 Speaker 1: my kid got lice. Why what's really? Oh yeah. And 327 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:05,320 Speaker 1: the thing about even today lice is seen. It's got 328 00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 1: this stigma that it carries, right where like your kid 329 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:09,880 Speaker 1: gets lice and people look at you here like you're 330 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:12,520 Speaker 1: a crappy parent, you know, like I did a bad 331 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:15,119 Speaker 1: job keeping my kid clean or whatever. You know. But 332 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:18,040 Speaker 1: the thing about lice is it spreads, and kids they're 333 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:21,160 Speaker 1: always you know, touching each other and you know, play 334 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:23,360 Speaker 1: in and being kids and all this stuff. And yeah, 335 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:25,200 Speaker 1: well you know when one kid at school gets lice, 336 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:28,280 Speaker 1: like it's can we assume like the whole school has lice? 337 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:31,520 Speaker 1: And so you know, let's just think of this period 338 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:36,200 Speaker 1: in English history as just like a a macro cosmic 339 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:41,480 Speaker 1: schoolyard where everyone is just giving everyone lice and syphilis. 340 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:45,720 Speaker 1: It might, you know, it did reach the higher realms 341 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:52,359 Speaker 1: of society. Here's an interesting story. Lice doesn't discriminate, lest 342 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:57,119 Speaker 1: does it discriminate. Louis the fourteen King of France, the 343 00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:01,480 Speaker 1: son king. He was the king from six three, seventeen fifteen, 344 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:06,640 Speaker 1: and he was prematurely balding. So he got over this 345 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:10,200 Speaker 1: by or I guess, compensated for this by wearing a wig. 346 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:16,959 Speaker 1: And yes, historians do believe that he contracted syphilis. And 347 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:20,400 Speaker 1: once he started wearing this wig, it's the king of France. 348 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:24,640 Speaker 1: He started a trend, and the upper class, the upper 349 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:27,760 Speaker 1: crust of Europe, a lot of them started wearing wigs, 350 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:32,679 Speaker 1: including Charles the Second, who was Louis's cousin and was 351 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:36,080 Speaker 1: rumored to also have contracted syphilis. I'm telling you, man, 352 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:40,119 Speaker 1: syphilis was out of control. Seriously. I mean, if the 353 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:44,879 Speaker 1: King of France has syphilis, then you know it's running rampant. 354 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:46,720 Speaker 1: I mean it's like he's you can't, like what I'm saying, 355 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 1: Like syphilis and lice, they don't discriminate there. That's not 356 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:54,200 Speaker 1: just like reserved for the unwashed masses, freaking the sun king. Dude, 357 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,560 Speaker 1: have you seen this guy? Have you seen his hair? Yeah? 358 00:22:57,560 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: And that's what we're getting with this, aren't we Yeah, 359 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:01,040 Speaker 1: it's a lot a lot of hair. But it's like 360 00:23:01,119 --> 00:23:04,000 Speaker 1: he kind of set this, uh, set this thing up 361 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:07,639 Speaker 1: as like a massive fashion trend. And then other people 362 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:10,480 Speaker 1: started doing it because you know, the king could have 363 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: you killed upon a word, and if you're hanging out 364 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:16,280 Speaker 1: in court all the time, you're probably I think there 365 00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:18,800 Speaker 1: was a little bit of syncophancy. You know. It wasn't 366 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:21,399 Speaker 1: even court though, just right, it was everybody. Yeah, it 367 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 1: was that court. Came later I kind of read, yeah, 368 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 1: the court, I guess, I mean the the King's court. 369 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:31,960 Speaker 1: Excuse me, see here we are. We're missing a misconstruing courts. 370 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:35,800 Speaker 1: It's a it's not our fault, it's English. It's my fault. No, 371 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,000 Speaker 1: it's my I take responsible. I take full responsibility for 372 00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:43,400 Speaker 1: misconstruing court. Just then in the court of the Crimston King, well, 373 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:47,480 Speaker 1: we can't judge whether we We can't judge whether you 374 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:49,760 Speaker 1: should be guilty of that responsibility because neither of us 375 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:53,359 Speaker 1: has a peruke. It's true, we can't even present our case. 376 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:58,440 Speaker 1: It's confusing to Alex s a who has a gigantic 377 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:00,600 Speaker 1: judge wig God right now, really really does. And he 378 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:05,960 Speaker 1: is looking at us quite judgmentally with those piercing bespectacled eyes, 379 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:09,320 Speaker 1: those long, long log Oh my god, he just kind 380 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:11,359 Speaker 1: of tipped them down, and I swear to God, I 381 00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:13,400 Speaker 1: looked into his eyes and I saw the void. Man, 382 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:20,520 Speaker 1: I saw the abyss went back at me. The practice 383 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:25,280 Speaker 1: of wearing these wigs in like legal courts, actual courts 384 00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:28,720 Speaker 1: of law did come later, and I believe it was 385 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:34,000 Speaker 1: in the late eighties or so. I think that's right. UM. 386 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:38,800 Speaker 1: In this article on how stuff works dot com plug um, 387 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:41,760 Speaker 1: you can see a rendering I guess it's like a 388 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:46,680 Speaker 1: woodcut kind of thing of UM some attorneys and it 389 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:48,639 Speaker 1: looks like one of them has got the wig on 390 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:51,280 Speaker 1: and he's got some really sick like mutton chops too 391 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:53,720 Speaker 1: on the sides. But then there's two guys behind him 392 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:56,800 Speaker 1: that don't have them. So I'm wondering if it was 393 00:24:56,880 --> 00:24:59,720 Speaker 1: like it didn't really get codified or become like it 394 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:02,359 Speaker 1: was be like a thing that people did out of 395 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:06,520 Speaker 1: fashion at first, and then over time it became more 396 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:10,160 Speaker 1: like this is the uniform of the court. And something 397 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:12,720 Speaker 1: we didn't mention that I came up in another article 398 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:16,600 Speaker 1: that I that I was reading. UM. As far as 399 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:19,719 Speaker 1: why they still do this today, we talked about the 400 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,359 Speaker 1: idea how it gave an air of anonymity and like 401 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:24,399 Speaker 1: sort of like we're all equal in the eyes of 402 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:26,439 Speaker 1: the law or something. But if you thought about the 403 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:33,240 Speaker 1: fact that, um, it possibly imparted some very literal anonymity, 404 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:38,240 Speaker 1: almost like a disguise, so hardened criminals. Maybe I wouldn't 405 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:42,920 Speaker 1: know you on the street. That's a really interesting point. Yeah, 406 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:45,560 Speaker 1: I wonder, I wonder if that played or how much 407 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:48,560 Speaker 1: of a role that played. You know, we do know 408 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:53,240 Speaker 1: that it persisted after weeks fell out of fashion, right yeah. Yeah, 409 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 1: And like you know, like you said, it's like totally 410 00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:58,760 Speaker 1: a historical kind of like like you know, the English, 411 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:02,920 Speaker 1: we're all about tradition and the English. Like I just know, 412 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:08,879 Speaker 1: like you know, everyone in England, the English and their traditions. Um. 413 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:12,600 Speaker 1: But you know, it does appear on first glance that 414 00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 1: this is like what that is, but they there do 415 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:19,320 Speaker 1: seem to be some functional reasons behind it the whole, 416 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:21,879 Speaker 1: Like maybe it's like sort of like a semi disguise. 417 00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:27,359 Speaker 1: It also could prevent jurors from judging you based on 418 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:30,679 Speaker 1: your your your fashion sense, because all I mean, it 419 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:33,760 Speaker 1: is a fashioning thing, but everyone has their own type 420 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:37,480 Speaker 1: of each role has a specific type of wig. We're 421 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:39,640 Speaker 1: not like these aren't bedazzled. There's no like you don't 422 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:42,320 Speaker 1: get special you know, buretts or anything. In your in 423 00:26:42,359 --> 00:26:44,480 Speaker 1: your court wig, and it is, as you said, part 424 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:49,720 Speaker 1: of a uniform. So it further, uh, it further removes yes, 425 00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:55,359 Speaker 1: individual or unique identifiers. This was interesting to me as well. 426 00:26:56,119 --> 00:27:01,520 Speaker 1: By the early eighteen hundreds, only a few types of 427 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:05,560 Speaker 1: people wore wigs in this in this sense, those in 428 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:11,680 Speaker 1: the legal profession coachman and bishops. And bishops I think 429 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:16,600 Speaker 1: short shortly after eighteen thirties or so, bishops finally cracked 430 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:19,440 Speaker 1: the deal and they were allowed to stop wearing wigs. 431 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:25,920 Speaker 1: And recently, as we record this, some of the laws 432 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:32,120 Speaker 1: regarding this historical tradition changed. In two thousand and seven, 433 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:36,960 Speaker 1: new dress rules did away with barrister wigs. Mainly, I 434 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:40,919 Speaker 1: think it's contemptible. You know. It's like, if we can't 435 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:46,000 Speaker 1: depend on British lawyers of all stripes wearing these ridiculous 436 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:49,960 Speaker 1: head dresses, what can we depend on. That's a good 437 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:53,119 Speaker 1: question you. I think you will be happy to note 438 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:57,840 Speaker 1: that wigs do remain in use in criminal cases, thank god. 439 00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:03,280 Speaker 1: So maybe maybe that's another thing, right, Maybe maybe that 440 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:07,080 Speaker 1: is another plank in the platform or the argument that 441 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:12,960 Speaker 1: wigs serve a practical purpose. They are no longer required 442 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:17,360 Speaker 1: for family or civil court appearances or even while appearing 443 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:20,160 Speaker 1: before the Supreme Court in the UK, but in criminal 444 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:23,200 Speaker 1: cases you got a wig up. All over the UK 445 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:28,399 Speaker 1: and Ireland, judges also continued to wear those luxurious what 446 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:33,199 Speaker 1: do you call it ben ringlets until when the practice 447 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:37,400 Speaker 1: would discontinue. And also English and British colonies like Canada, 448 00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:40,680 Speaker 1: UM who some of their provinces abandoned the wig deal, 449 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:43,920 Speaker 1: you know, throughout the nine centuries, or even Jamaica which 450 00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:48,560 Speaker 1: got rid of wigs back in um lawyers and judges 451 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:53,120 Speaker 1: now only wear wigs in like kind of ceremonies, I guess, 452 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:55,960 Speaker 1: or because I don't know what is a trial if 453 00:28:56,000 --> 00:29:01,440 Speaker 1: not a ceremony in a super official event. Yeah, so yeah, 454 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 1: that's weird. And let's say you're someone who's thinking, man, 455 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:08,720 Speaker 1: I really want to see this practice. I want to 456 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:12,200 Speaker 1: see history in action, you know what I mean? Then 457 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:17,120 Speaker 1: your odds, uh, your odds maybe best in Hong Kong 458 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:21,120 Speaker 1: of all places. According to a lawyer in Hong Kong 459 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:26,000 Speaker 1: named Johnny Moke, the symbolic aspect of the wig and 460 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:29,600 Speaker 1: gown is very important to Hong Kong, and he said, 461 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:32,440 Speaker 1: my feeling is that Hong Kong will probably be one 462 00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:36,520 Speaker 1: of the last jurisdictions where wig and gown will continue 463 00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:39,760 Speaker 1: to be used. So we might need to take a trip. 464 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:43,840 Speaker 1: You know. Now we've finally got a a compelling reason 465 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:47,320 Speaker 1: to uh tell our tell our bosses to send us 466 00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:51,440 Speaker 1: to Hong Kong. You know, I'm down. Alex says he 467 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:53,160 Speaker 1: has a friend in Hong Kong. We go stay with 468 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:57,320 Speaker 1: do they? What is their position on wigs? He says 469 00:29:57,320 --> 00:30:01,040 Speaker 1: their apartment is two square feet would means that, Um 470 00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:05,040 Speaker 1: that sounds like plenty of room. Yeah, what could go wrong? 471 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:07,880 Speaker 1: I don't know. Man, We'll have a misadventure, a gown 472 00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:12,520 Speaker 1: and wig misadventure. Um. Well, I think that's it for today, 473 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:18,640 Speaker 1: right yeah? Man, that history was dumb? Right, well, I 474 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 1: guess ridiculous? Was that dumb? It's ridiculous, absurd, it's wacky, right, 475 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:27,880 Speaker 1: It's strage, you know, It's it's strange how easily bizarre 476 00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:32,240 Speaker 1: things can become normal. Totally British listeners. I'm not dogging 477 00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:34,719 Speaker 1: your system. I just know it's just it's it's wild, 478 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:37,320 Speaker 1: you know. I guess when I say dumb, it's just 479 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:40,680 Speaker 1: like it's so easy for some little snippets, some little 480 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:46,040 Speaker 1: like thing to just infiltrate culture, like almost accidentally, and 481 00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:48,520 Speaker 1: it makes me. It makes me wonder about the stories 482 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:53,360 Speaker 1: of other things that are part of accepted forms of 483 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:55,640 Speaker 1: dress that are also kind of ridiculous when you think 484 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:59,360 Speaker 1: about it. Neckties, neckties, bow ties, bow ties, they're not 485 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:02,959 Speaker 1: doing anything, you know. Uh, polo shirts with two buttons 486 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:05,120 Speaker 1: at the top. What's that about? I'm wearing one now, 487 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:07,760 Speaker 1: I know. I was just spitball in here is if 488 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:11,040 Speaker 1: some people could see medallions, I guess you know, you 489 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:14,400 Speaker 1: want to just show a little nip. I don't even 490 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:18,040 Speaker 1: think that's going to reach a nip. Well before we 491 00:31:18,480 --> 00:31:21,520 Speaker 1: head into the slippery slope of nip slips, it maybe 492 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:24,080 Speaker 1: time for us to call it a day, book our 493 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:28,240 Speaker 1: tickets to Hong Kong and see wigs in action. I'm down, man, 494 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:31,800 Speaker 1: let's go, let's go. But before we do that, uh, listeners, 495 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:35,080 Speaker 1: tell us your wigtails. Does anyone have like a wig 496 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:38,600 Speaker 1: story or have you? Are you a hardened British criminal 497 00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:41,560 Speaker 1: and you had to be dressed down by a barrister 498 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:44,760 Speaker 1: with ringlets? I would find it hard to take that 499 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:48,160 Speaker 1: person seriously. The barrister, you know they're standing in there 500 00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:50,520 Speaker 1: with that wig. If it's supposed to like, I guess 501 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:53,160 Speaker 1: in part some kind of fear strike fear into the 502 00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:56,480 Speaker 1: hearts of criminals. I would just snicker the whole time. Yeah, yeah, 503 00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:59,800 Speaker 1: Well we're from very different culture, so true. World's apart 504 00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:03,560 Speaker 1: in terms of head covering in the legal system at 505 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:06,960 Speaker 1: least uh was at one point being send us your tails, 506 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:10,960 Speaker 1: send us your wigtails. We have Facebook, we have you 507 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:14,120 Speaker 1: can just start Ridiculous History. I think we're the only one. Yeah, 508 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:17,160 Speaker 1: you can find us on Instagram, all all the all 509 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:20,960 Speaker 1: the good stuff. We even discussed doing a Pinterest account, 510 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:24,600 Speaker 1: which we might get to. But you can also email 511 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:28,280 Speaker 1: us directly at Ridiculous at how stuff works dot com. 512 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:31,400 Speaker 1: And please be sure and tune in for your next 513 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:38,120 Speaker 1: installment of Ridiculous Headdresses Immune History. That's the name of 514 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:42,360 Speaker 1: the show. Can we get a law in order? I 515 00:32:42,440 --> 00:33:06,320 Speaker 1: love that sound effect. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, 516 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:09,040 Speaker 1: visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 517 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:10,720 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.