The Rockin’ Barber

Posted by Miriam On March - 11 - 20115,957 views

Make sure your hair’s in a good shape; that’s very important in the scene. Us women need to arrange this with a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but for the men among us it’s a lot easier. And especially the lucky ones who live in the Netherlands. We have a real “quiffbarber”. I’m not talking about a barber who thinks he has some sense about ordinary hairstyles. No, a real rockabillie who’s made his hobby by cutting quiffs and this of course to the delight of the rockabillies in the Netherlands who travel to Hoorn for a good hairstyle.
Ritchie Mensingh is his name and he manages to have free time, besides his job and the cutting techniques, to be a drummer in the rockabilly band Buzz Barton’s Brothers.
Time to ask Ritchie a few questions about his hobby.

Tell us how you’ve come so far to begin cutting quiffs?
As a teenager, you’re being a bit like everyone, looking for your identity and I didn’t want to be like the rest (in the eyes of an adolescent anyway hahaha).

Ritchie Mensingh aka The Rockin' Barber

 

A friend and I decided to start with our hairstyles, but then to go to an hairdresser wasn’t an option for us (school adolescents with little money) so we decided to do our hair ourselves.
We decided to go for a flat top, because we had seen it in a guitar book I ever bought. With the idea if it fails, we just shave our heads because you were just a skinhead.
As it turned out, it seems that I was really good in cutting this hairstyle.
And one thing led to another. I started to cut more and more people and I ran into the guys of the Black Cats where Richard from the rockabilly band  El Rio Trio played. It turned out to be  guys from around who played rock ‘n roll and soon I began to cut the guitarist and I moved into the world of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Did you learn this yourself or have you learned the technique from someone else?
I taught the technique myself.

 

You’ve been pretty busy here, is this all created through word of mouth?
Most clients I got through word of mouth and here and there I’ve left some business cards.

 

Would you like to specialize in women’s hair or do you keep it exclusively for men?
Well, women’s hairstyles actually never happened, because I only cut men and once in a while a few ladies, but they had the standard style and back then the ladies had “cotton candy hair” and that wasn’t really my thing.
I cut very strange hairstyles often at that time and nowadays it’s been done by the kinky hairdresser. No, I haven’t that patience anymore. I stick to men’s hairstyles.
Hereby a call who would like to support me with ladies hairstyles? I’ve been asked to cut on the festivals Lowlands and Pinkpop (both in the Netherlands).

Is there anyone from the Rock ‘n’ Roll scene, maybe a famous musician whose style you think is totally awesome?
Well, no I don’t really have preferences for one style, for me it’s become just normal although I do see a difference in the type of hair. There are people with a good head of hair to make something of it. Eddie Cochran and James Dean, yes I would have that kind of hair.

Have you ever had a moment that you refused to cut someone or that you didn’t like his idea?
No, I’ve never refused someone, sometimes I thought “man what do you put in your hair” hahaha.
Usually I ask the customer not to wash his hair. That is to get an idea what it is he wants and how his hairstyle really is. There are so many styles.

Which festivals this year can we run into you as The Rockin ‘Barber?
You’ll see me this year at the Drive-Inn Barn and the Rockabilly Swamp. Actually you’ll se me everywhere and 9 out of 10 times I have my cut stuff with me. I just can’t resist. Otherwise they’ll ask for it, hahaha.

Recently you’ve formed the band Buzz Barton’s Brothers; tell us something about it?
The Buzz Barton’s Brothers, well that’s a different story. Guys who just want to have fun and make music and it even succeeds also. Yes, what others may think of it, we don’t really concern. We’re booked already for 3 gigs and they haven’t heard a single key we played. 

What’s your motto?
Enjoy life, life is too short anyway. People who know me, know exactly what I mean. And if your hair’s in a good shape, hahaha. 

Do you have your own website when people are interested in a good fifties hairstyle?
I don’t have a website, most people I cut see each other at festivals or another party and for those who still have a doubt, they can always check my pictures at Hyves or MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/piekfijnhairdesign). I’m doing  this for almost 30 years now, so yes I do have experience and I’m still doin’ it with pleasure.

Is there something you would really like to tell?
I think I’ve told pretty much everything I wanted to tell.

Check out some of Ritchie’s master pieces:

2 Responses to “The Rockin’ Barber”

  1. Jan says:

    Yes, Ritchie is great barber! And a swinging drum-machine in our band as well! Jan

  2. […] Mensingh (drums, you’ll all know him by the interview earlier this month on rockabilly-online: http://www.karto.nl/?p=5800#more-5800). Why this unusual name for a rockabilly band?  Well, way back in the good ole’ times of real […]

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