Indie has won
Went for a haircut with Laura at Toni & Guy in Reigate. Nothing revolutionary. Just a trim. But while I was there, I noticed something that has far-reaching cultural significance. Toni & Guy have their own in-house TV station (it's called Toni & Guy TV), piping a constant feed of pop videos onto screens placed around the salon, with the occasional advert for ladies' hair products with distressed typewriter lettering on the side. I have watched a lot of Toni & Guy TV in my time, and I have noticed that it's mostly glossy pop music. But not today. While having my hair washed, conditioned (mmmmmm ... peppermint), cut and dried, I saw The Rakes (All Too Human), followed by the Mystery Jets (You Can't Fool Me Dennis), followed by Starsailor ( cheap dig removed by author due to pricked conscience), followed by Belle & Sebastian (that one set in the laundrette), followed by an advert for etc. etc. This was a 100% indie hairdressing experience. Pop is dead. Indie has taken over the world.
I tipped the young man who washed my hair two pounds today, instead of my usual one pound. I don't know why. One pound suddenly felt a bit insulting. I hope he appreciates it. (Laura got more than that, obviously.)
posted by Andrew Collins @ 9:00 PM
23 Comments
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23 Comments:
Toni & Guy charge top whack and only pay their employees minimum wage, you should boycott them all together.
Ah, the indie mainstream takeover... The London indie club that my missus DJs at use the term 'Topshop Indie' for this phenomenon. Y'know the NME ran a promotional feature a few months back about how "you too can look like Ricky from off of the Kaiser Chiefs thanks to our friends at Topman". When I started reading NME in 1991 that sort of thing would've been unthinkable. Utterly depressing.
In a way it's good that I can hear the new Mogwai and Justice singles (true) while my girlfriend tries on shoes, but I as an indieboy feel it is my duty to snub anything that is easily available to the mainstream.
Hearing my music on the High Street devalues it somehow. Normal people shouldn't be allowed to hear this stuff. It's not for them. They've got Keane, Orson and The Kooks - isn't that enough for them!
Sadly, but honestly, I'm only being partially ironic. But it is a bit sad when something you love and have been part of for so many years gets diluted and shipped out to the masses just because Sienna and Jude have been Spotted! The Barfly.
Toni & Guy never seem to have the music on the TV playing. They always have some other rubbish playing, while the TV shows some other music video.
indie boys have always had 'radical' haircuts. perhaps 's just there for hair ideas...?
"i'll have it like that please"
I agree with ians. It's pleasing to like music that not everyone in the world has heard of, it makes it special and seeking out people with similar tastes used to be a fun way to spend free time.
Now I can't out obscure anyone with my fabulous arcane indie band knowledge ;-(
Still it's good for the bands that they can afford to give up the day jobs.
Did they offer to tidy up your eyebrows this time?
My housemate is a Toni & Guy stylist so I get my hair sorted for a tenner - takes less than half an hour so I guess I'm paying him much better than they do.
The downside to this perk is when his trainee friend from the same salon comes around and I have to listen to what goes on at Toni & Guy. I swear, the pair of them have no concept of a world beyond the salon...
I thought you liked our music and found it both uplifting and inspiring. I must have been mistaken...
Blimey, James Walsh, you make me regret my flippant remark in brackets. Even if you are not James Walsh, and there's no way of knowing, you have drawn attention to a low jab of mine, typed in the usual haste, and this from someone who usually tries to celebrate rather than denegrate. I have recently had to endure some personal abuse on a certain discussion forum from people hiding behind pseudonyms, which is not pleasant. Sorry about that, although at least it wasn't personal, or done from behind a pseudonym. I don't remember saying that thing about uplifting, although I know this music uplifts other people. I did, however, make Starsailor the favourite band of a character in the little-seen sitcom Grass. Let's all love one another. Apart from politicians and people who run large multinationals and Simon Heffer.
NB: Because I am charge and I can do whatever I like, and because of the abuse I've received on that discussion forum, I have used my Stalin-like powers to remove my own lazy abuse of Starsailor. Unecessary and unbecoming. You must treat as you expect to be treated by others. (And at least I am notifying you of my own self-edit.)
Wha? Indie?
Oh, that............
Bring back Lush and Slowdive!!!!
Ok, maybe not.
Andrew, where is this forum so I can go and slag you off............
=D
Psssst Andrew, I missed what you said and as a non starsailor fan am interested to know what it was. Any chance of letting me know please?
Ill Man, I reported the abusive comments and they have been removed by the board's moderators, so there's nothing to see.
When I had my yearly haircut, they were listening to Chris Moyles, it took me a while to work that out, the show was so bad, I thought it was local radio. As for the haircut, that was so bad, I didn't even go home, I went for another haircut on the way. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learnt.
Anyway, I like decent music in the shops. I can't stay in shops that have booming dance stuff playing. If it is decent music, it's probably only the musicologists who take note anyway.
Andrew does your sitcom have Jon Holmes in it?
There's a lot to be said for music being played in shops. I had something of an early 80s flashback when in Asda the other week and the PA system piped in the mighty 'Wired for Sound' by Cliff Richard for a few glorious minutes. What a tune. 'The Feeling' would kill for a chorus that good. Sadly they weren't also showing the rollerskate-tastic video.
You can mock, but any supermarket that wants to remind us of Lord Clifford of Richard's late 70s/early 80s run of power-pop classics is ok by me....
What they should have is an experience similar to being on a plane, i.e. earphones with a choice of different music. It would require a skillful hairdresser not to accidentally snip the cords but given the amount T&G charge I'm sure that could be done.
Matthew, my sitcom does not have Jon Holmes in it. It has Lee Mack in it, and it's his sitcom really, not mine. I just co-wrote it.
Billy, what about cordless Headphones!
Are you going to write to Toni & Guy or shall I!
Ian
Whilst we're on an indie kick ... What do you reckon to the new Jarvis track on Myspace? www.myspace.com/jarvspace?
Unlikely to get much radio play methinks ... or be played in Toni & Guy
I love that new Jarvis song. Very sweary but very good. Can you play it on sunday Andrew? Stupid question really...
I have a number 3 done by the council whilst listening to the Redskins & Fugazi. I am so anti indie that I am typing this whilst destroying all my revolving paint dream 7" singles. I'm way harder than Toni or Guy or even Indie. I demand a demographic pigeon hole and I demand it now! S'not fair! Ed - SoulSonicSauce
Hey, Nice comments. I have to listen to TONI&GUY TV 48 hrs a week, It has some fab songs on there.
Just to note to the anon person who commented that staff get paid a pitance, I think thats a general remark. Most salons are franchised so it depens on the owners. I'm a manager of a salon and some of our staff are on as much as £30k, not too shabby! They also get world class training...competitions...award ceremonies etc...Not that bad I guess.
I get my hair cut by Laura at Toni and Guy in Reigate. I've never tipped her, but she has never given me a bad haircut at all. From talking to her, I don't think she is on minimum wage at all - she's been there for at least four years that I know of and I don't think she'd have stuck with it if she was on minimum wage.
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