The Flock of Seagulls Haircut
Looking back at the 80s, there are some things that just make you wonder… even if they seemed almost normal for the times.
We don’t recall, necessarily, looking at Mike Score as he belted out “Space Age Love Song” and thinking, “My, what an odd way to style your hair.” But today? Whew… that is one out-there haircut.
In 1979, Score gave up his day job (as, yes, a hairdresser) to form A Flock of Seagulls with his brother. Before a show one night, as the story goes, Score was in front of the mirror, trying to emulate David Bowie’s poof-mullet ‘do from the Ziggy Stardust days. Alas, bassist Frank Maudsley was also trying to get some mirror time, and, in the scuffle, put his hand on Score’s head, smushing the singer’s poof down in the middle.
We believe, at that point, Score looked at himself in the mirror and thought one of two things: (a) “I’ve always liked Captain America’s hood, but just the wings… not the actual hood.” or (b) “I’ve always thought hood ornaments were underrated as a hairstyle inspiration. But no longer! Hood ornaments everywhere, today is your day!”
Either way, the Flock of Seagulls haircut was born.
No, time has not been a friend to this iconic haircut. In recent years, it’s become quite the punchline… a symbol of everything awesomely bad about the decade. If you need to poke fun of the 80s, just give a character a pair of cowlicks shaped like dog ears (we never really saw them as wings), and then add some swoopy bangs. *Poof!* Instant 80s joke.
Go ahead… make fun if you want, but this crazy coiffure is so awesomely 80s that we’ll sing its praises all day long. After all… without it, those Friends flashback episodes wouldn’t have been nearly as funny. (Skip to :51 of this clip.)
We ♥ the Flock of Seagulls haircut.
Best of the 80s 
[…] Needed to look cool in the 80s? Well, you could pop your collar (we love it!), peg your jeans (yep, we love that, too!), and treat yourself a bodacious Flock of Seagulls haircut (how could we not love it?)… […]
Ray-Ban Wayfarers « Best of the 80s said this on May 31, 2010 at 12:44 pm |
[…] Flock of Seagull haircuts – For a band that almost was a one hit wonder band sure did send a craze amongst some individuals […]
80s Fads: The Good, the Bad and Those That Should Have Not Existed | Alternative '80s Music said this on March 25, 2013 at 12:49 am |
Steve’s hair has another rival along with Yugi Moto, the iconic 1980s bird look of Mike Score from Flock of Seagulls. It’s now officially a three way Mexican stand off. o_0
What was good about the 80s : Girls with curvy thighs wearing leg warmers.
What was bad about the 80s : Pretty much everything else.
I remember some dude came into the bar that I loafed in after work, (a dimly lit dive full of ordinary American working folk, where a bottle of beer was still .90 cents, and most of us drank shots with our beers,) and and his hair was black on one side and blonde on the other, the black side swooped down the right side of his face, and the blonde side swooped back on the left. Someone made the remark that he looked like A Flock Of Seagulls, and maybe he’d better go to the Brass Rail with all the other yuppies. He had the balls to stay, though. He didn’t get his ass kicked, and actually ended up becoming a regular fixture. We took bets on what weird thing he would do with his hair next.
[…] Needed to look cool in the 80s? Well, you could pop your collar (we love it!), peg your jeans (yep, we love that, too!), and treat yourself a bodacious Flock of Seagulls haircut (how could we not love it?)… […]
Ray-Ban Wayfarers | Best of the 80s said this on March 21, 2017 at 11:00 pm |
[…] quintessentially 80s as the Flock of Seagulls haircut and Howard the Duck, Members Only jackets were all the rage, from school dances to the food court […]
Members Only Jackets | Best of the 80s said this on March 22, 2017 at 11:12 am |