1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:03,320 Speaker 1: Jersey and Amanda jam Nation. 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:06,520 Speaker 2: So I read an article by William McGinness well. He 3 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 2: first spoke about this story from his life on a 4 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 2: podcast for The Guardian, and then I read the story 5 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 2: in the Guardian and it's so good. The story is 6 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 2: titled nineteen seventy nine, The year my Wendy Sykes Perm 7 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 2: of Love came to Grief. And he's talking about how 8 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:25,120 Speaker 2: he grew up in Queensland and he said, the funniest 9 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 2: and most terrifying thing happened during the May holidays. My 10 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 2: hair was down to my shoulders. I was sent home 11 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 2: from school with a letter from one of the sportsmasters 12 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 2: informing my parents that this boy needs a haircut in 13 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 2: appropriate style and length, so he won't be coming back 14 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 2: to school until it's cut. William says, my mother used 15 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:42,519 Speaker 2: to give us some haircuts all the time, but she 16 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 2: was too busy to do it, so she gave me 17 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 2: ten dollars to head down to the shops to get 18 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:48,280 Speaker 2: a short back in signs and. 19 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: Haven't have been a bit of money back. 20 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:52,919 Speaker 2: I'm saying here it probably costs about six bucks. So 21 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 2: the four dollars for a hamburger and a thick shake 22 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 2: or something like that. So he walks in and where 23 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 2: the old Ashley's barbershop was was now Ashley's unisex hair salon. 24 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 2: And there was an apprentice, and this was a girl. 25 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 2: The apprentice was a girl called Wendy who he recognized 26 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 2: from the rolodrome. Now, what was the roller drome Brendon? 27 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: Was this? It was? 28 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 2: So this is when the four that it wasn't blading, 29 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 2: it was the four was your forte, wasn't it? Yeah, 30 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 2: you were a roller skater. 31 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: So you have to say it was such, Yes, I was. 32 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: I liked to roller skate. And a school, sure, the 33 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 1: teachers would tolerate our to roller skating and pretend that 34 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 1: we're doing gym, but we're actually roller skating because underground, No, 35 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 1: it was your underground, a little underground movement of roller skaters. 36 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: I got a lot of enjoyment at it. 37 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 2: Well, apparently this was the place to go here as 38 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 2: well for William in Queensland. But and he'd fallen in 39 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 2: love a few years before. He had just seen her 40 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 2: at the rollo Drome fel So he walks in, sees 41 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 2: that she is the apprentice hair dresser. So he says, 42 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 2: three years later, I walk into Ashley's unisex hair salon 43 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 2: for a short back in sides, and I see Wendy 44 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 2: even more beautiful. She smiles at me, and I stare 45 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 2: and she says hello. She sits me in the chair. 46 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 2: She looks at me and says, would you like a perm? 47 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: Would you like? Would you like a perm? 48 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 2: As she proceeded, I don't know what. I didn't know 49 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 2: what a perm was, he says. I just knew I 50 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 2: was in love with her. It went on for about 51 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:34,359 Speaker 2: ninety minutes, me getting a perm, and I just thought 52 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:37,640 Speaker 2: to myself, I'm in so much trouble. It had foils, 53 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,399 Speaker 2: it had everything. She was doing it as a hairdressing exercise, 54 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:43,960 Speaker 2: and when it all came off, my hair just exploded 55 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 2: in this sort of auban beach ball on top of 56 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 2: my head. 57 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: It looked like a giant afro. 58 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,959 Speaker 2: She said, there you go. He said. It was the 59 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 2: worst hairstyle. It was a tight perm, those ones that explode. 60 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:56,920 Speaker 2: It wasn't a nineteen eighties one, It wasn't. This was 61 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 2: like Boogie Boogie Night's Gone mad. And I said, oh 62 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 2: my god, I've got a head full of pimples. And 63 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 2: I knew I was in trouble. The cost was twenty 64 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 2: seven dollars fifty so I said to the guy, I'll 65 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:10,640 Speaker 2: give you ten bucks and i'll come back with the rest. 66 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:12,920 Speaker 2: He said, you'd better come back by three o'clock. By 67 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 2: clothes of business. He said, Oh my god, I'm going 68 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 2: to get killed. So he walks in and his mother. 69 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:19,959 Speaker 1: Crawls out, Oh Jesus Christ. 70 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 2: And his father runs in and says, what's happening. And 71 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:24,359 Speaker 2: this is what his father said. 72 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 1: Ah Christ, alive boy. 73 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 2: When I was your age, I was jumping out of 74 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 2: planes killing Germans. 75 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 1: And for what. 76 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 2: He says here. The following week was terrible. I had 77 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 2: to cut wook for my father to make up for 78 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 2: the perm difference. My sister stitched me up, saying, you're acne. 79 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 2: Your pimples will be better if you wear a hairnet. 80 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 2: So I wore it. I had this effing thing on 81 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 2: top of my scalp, and my father went ballistic. He'd 82 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 2: see me come down to my pajamas and my hand net, 83 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 2: and he'd see that. My mother'd say, stop it, Colin, 84 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 2: he said, But my Wendy Sykes perm of love came 85 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 2: to grief when I played a game of club rugby 86 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 2: I was playing third grade as a second rower, and 87 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 2: I ran on with my hair. There's a television show 88 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 2: that had recently ended called Welcome Back Cotter. They had 89 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 2: a character called horse Shack. There was a hapless dru 90 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 2: with a perm. I got caught in the bottom of 91 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 2: the rucket. I heard someone from the opposition say let's 92 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 2: get Horseeshack, and my teammates joined in. He said, my 93 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 2: perm got pulled every point to the compass. I got 94 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 2: up and I thought, is my scout bleeding? It was 95 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 2: a terrible experience. I walked off and stayed in the showers. 96 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:31,280 Speaker 2: There was a bloke there, a Fijian fellaw who was 97 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:33,360 Speaker 2: playing for the team of the scene is of second grade, 98 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 2: and he said, William, that hairstyle's. 99 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: Not for you. 100 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 2: So I shaved it off. At best, I looked like 101 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 2: I was recently released from Bogo Road, which is a prison. 102 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 2: At best, I looked like a collaborated with the Germans 103 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 2: at the end. 104 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: Of the Second World. 105 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,480 Speaker 2: But that was the end of his perm perms. 106 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 1: Did you ever have a perpse? 107 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:52,480 Speaker 2: I had a perm. The one thing you can do 108 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 2: if you have a broken heart is change your appearance. 109 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:56,800 Speaker 2: And the way you can dramatically change your appearance is 110 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,839 Speaker 2: to get to do different haircut. I once got a PERM, 111 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:02,159 Speaker 2: thinking it would be like Meg Ryan with those big 112 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 2: loose permi curls. It wasn't. It was tight like old 113 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 2: ladies get when they get their hair set. That's what 114 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 2: my PERM was like. Terrible And once it's done, what 115 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 2: can you do there? 116 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: It is so there's nothing you do other than shave 117 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:16,279 Speaker 1: your head, other. 118 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 2: Than look like you've been in Boggo Road. That's pretty 119 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 2: much all you can do. So many of us got 120 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 2: caught in the trap of the perm. Lure it in 121 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:25,400 Speaker 2: by thinking it'd be attractive, and it just isn't.