In 1964, Bowie — still going by his birth name, “Davy Jones” — was one of a group of men interviewed by the BBC’s “Tonight Show” for a special segment featuring “the burgeoning social phenomenon of men growing out their lengths,” per Vogue. When asked about what presenter Cliff Michelmore called “the rebellion of the long-hairs,” 17-year-old Bowie said, “I think we all like long hair, and we don’t see why other people should persecute us because of this.”
Apparently, Bowie’s manager at the time had helped to establish the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men after one of Bowie’s producers had insisted he cut his long locks before performing on the show with his then-band, “The Manish Boys” (via Mashable). For the last few years, Bowie said on the segment, he and his long-haired companions had others call them “Darling” and ask if they could “carry their handbags” (via YouTube).
With detectable levels of sarcasm in his voice, Bowie clarified that the society was founded for the “protection of pop musicians and those who wear their hair long,” in a follow-up interview with the London Evening News. “Anyone who has the courage to wear their hair down to his shoulders has to go through hell,” he said. “It’s time we were united and stood up for our curls” (via Vogue).
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