JOHN
Haydock
7 July 2005
BD. So, how long have you been here?
20 years.
BD. And I take it you were a barber before that.
Well I was a barber for six years before I moved here. I was working for another barbers on a rent a chair basis.
BD. So are you from Haydock?
Yes. Born and bred.
BD. So you’ve always been a barber in Haydock?
I’ve always been a barber in Haydock but I’ve not always been a barber.
BD. What were you doing before you were a barber?
A pub manager. But basically I have a back complaint which meant that with all the heavy lifting in the cellar it could mean that one day my spine could crumble so I decided to have a change of career and I went and trained as a barber.
BD. How old were you then?
Er, late thirties.
BD. So working down the pit was never an option for you?
No. that was something my dad always said “None of these lads will ever work down the pit.” He’d worked down the pit all his life. And none of us did.
BD. Were you a barber when they started closing down all the pits around here?
Oh aye. I was barbering then.
BD. And did it affect your trade here?
No. Nothing’s really affected my trade here to be honest with you. I’ve always had a good steady trade. There’s not as many barbers about now, you know. There’s only one other barber in Haydock besides me. He’s down the other end. He’s got that end I’ve got this end.
BD. You know the pictures on the wall? Are they done by a friend or someone you know?
Me.
BD. Oh you do them. So that ‘s your hobby?
I’ve been doing them about five years or so. It’s one of my hobbies and I’m a bird watcher as well.
BD. I was going to ask because I do both painting and I’m into birds. So what got you into painting?
Sketching is something I’ve always enjoyed for years. And the painting started, I was on holiday in the Lake District and I took a photograph of a mountain and it was framed by a tree in front of me. It was a lovely photograph. And I said to the wife “I bet I could paint that.” So I had a go and it turned out alright, like, you know. Water colours you know. But I’ve since gone onto acrylics. I’ve tried oils as well but they’re too messy. I think acrylics are brilliant. But I’ve stopped for a while now as I’ve just moved house. I’ve got my hands full getting the house straight and the garden straight. So I’ll give the painting a rest for a couple of months.
BD. And what about the birds?
What started me off was on holiday again. I was at a place called Sea Houses in Northumberland. You could get a boat out to the Farn Islands to see the Seals. And we were traveling out towards the Farn Islands and this boat man in a thick Geordie accent that was very hard to understand was identifying all these different sea birds. And I thought that’s great been able to identify all them different birds like that. So when we got back to Sea Houses I went to a National Trust place and I picked up a book and it just grew from there. An addiction to identifying as many birds as I could.
BD. Have you got into the bird song too? Do you recognise them by their song?
Some of them yeah. Some of them. I’ve got a few tapes to try and recognise a bit the song. But as I say I’ve not done anything. The bird watching or painting, for a couple of month. I’ve had me hands full with moving house and that.
BD. So do you have any regrets taking up being a barber?
No. I love it. I mean you are meeting different personalities all the time. Some people want to talk. Some people want to sit there and be quiet. Some people like having a joke. And every heads different as well. People say to me “do you not get bored cutting hair all day long?” but I don’t because each one that comes in is different.
BD. Have you been doing some people ever since you started?
Yes. Some were coming in here as kids and they’re married men now. Bring their own kids in. Several generations of the same family.
BD. And the change of styles doesn’t phase you?
No. a haircut’s a haircut. It’s basic really. Just slight alterations. Some one comes in and asks me for a cut I’ve never done before, just ask em to explain it and I can do it.
BD. When you started did you used to give people shaves?
When I trained I did but I’ve never done it for money. I’ve found that washing hair, shaving, things like that that take time, means that people are gonna wait longer for a haircut. And I feel that I’d sooner get people in and out ‘cause these days you haven’t got time to waste hanging about in a barbers shop waiting to get their hair cut. So I just concentrate on dry cuts now, which is better for me and much better for the customer I think.