COMMENT OF THE WEEK ETC.

The debate rages on. How much is too much for new sunglasses? Is there something seriously wrong with someone buying new shades on the wettest day of the year? Can designer goggles withstand the pressures of a disco/festival environment? 

Price preferences ranged from £1 - £200. I'd like to see the £1 glasses. Wonder if they're made of cardboard or something. Ecospecs. Everyone should be doing their bit, after all... Mind you, if we manage to avert Global warming, then it's very likely Scotland will have no sunshine whatsoever. Bye bye Aviators..

Anyway, Katie and Natalie ignored their detractors and went straight down Specsavers and took advantage of the 50% reductions on Designer glasses.

Comment of the week took on the theme of food, following last week's staffroom chat about cakes, crisps, chocs and calum's culinary skills. 

When I was picking up the posters from the printers, the guy in the print shop was quite interested in the menu I had made. He asked me where this new Nine Trades Restaurant was and when it was opening...

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

Another busy day in Nori Salon. I placed a new comment of the week  piece out on the shop floor. Larger scale and in colour, it looked effective beside the shampoo areas, with many clients mentioning it and having a read. The piece was called 'The Boaby Stamper' which was the original name for a tattoo in Dundee. Calum had mentioned this in one of our conversations the previous week. Another thing we discussed was the idea of making t-shirts relating to the comment of the week. I showed Calum a couple of doodles and we agreed to go ahead with one based on his music hero, Django Reinhardt.

                                                    

                                                    'Django Reinhardt: Flammable Jazz'.

Norrie spoke a bit about extending some of the visual ideas across the salon, showing me two or three new areas where we could potentially place work. There is a great wall space by the reception that could be utilised.  Norrie is fully engaged with the project, seeing its potential to create a buzz amongst the staff. He suggested that once we had a bit more work together, we could use the salon one evening to have some sort of opening.

I also met with a client in the salon called Hazel whose hair I had cut many years ago in a salon in Dunfermline. Small world, eh? She is now up in Dundee studying textiles at Duncan of Jordanstone. She was extremely taken by the ideas behind the Nine Trades Project and we discussed ways in which she may be able to get involved.

                                             Hazel, happy, with hair all done and dusted.

JACQUES MESRINE-WHAT A BELTER!

Monsieur Mesrine; Ruthless French gangster, man of many identities, looks like he has paid a visit to Professor Auguste Balls. The esteemed academic ( When duty calls, you've got Balls!), was Inspector Clouseau's chosen disguise expert.

This photo appears at topfoto.co.uk

FACE OFF!

A client of mine, Eileen, produced these two works of art from a chaotic, bulging handbag. Looking for a new style, but fearing the words, 'listen, I can change the hair, darling, but there's nowt I can do with the face.', she decided she wanted to avoid the strain of  horrible comparisons with nubile supermodels. Out came the bic (pen not razor) and bingo, face gone!  

DJANGOLOGY!

Another day in Nori Salon, an opportunity to get some feedback about 'comment of the week'. The images and text inspired plenty of lively banter and generated a few ideas for the future.

Firstly, Jenni suggested that the Disco Injuries poster could be adjusted to include the hours between 3 and 7am! (this was followed by her revealing a nasty case of dancefloor elbow.)  

Calum mentioned that the comment of the week images might translate well into a series of t-shirts. He then went on to talk about his interests. He was in a band for a while. The Heralds. They've got a few tunes on myspace: www.myspace.com/theheraldsmusic

Also, he said his dad was a professional musician, inspired by Gypsy Jazz and the sound of Django Reinhardt. He spoke about visiting obscure music festivals on the continent, watching his dad jamming with famous musicians. I asked if that music you hear on the holiday programme and Ibiza chillout compilations, you know, the guitar sounds of The Gypsy Kings, was anything to do with Gypsy Jazz. (well, they've got the word Gypsy in their name!) Calum was very patient with me, saying that it probably had it's roots in the Genre, but it wasn't strictly the sound developed by the disfigured Frenchman ( Django was badly burnt when his caravan caught fire. They reckon it was his wife's synthetic flowers that kindled the blaze.) Calum is a totally natural storyteller, going on to tell me about the many other creative people that populate his life.  Graphic designers, painters, musicians, to name a few, and many still based in Dundee. He spoke of his friendship with the artist Graeme Roger and the many projects he'd seen Graeme involved in. Graeme recently moved up to Elgin, so he said he hadn't spoken to him in a while.

Graeme Roger pictured here whilst living in his hut as a hermit for the 2003 'Roadshow' Project. 

Next up, I was involved in discussion with Liam regarding the ' Celebrity Smile', and just what it takes to maintain the old pearly whites. The perfect smile, short of extensive dental intervention, requires regular bleaching, I was informed. I expressed my reservations at slapping peroxide around my gums, but Liam said he had no sensitivity. A Lottery win, he said, would see him on the first plane out of here, straight to a Californian dentist for some top of the range caps. Jenni reckoned he had the early stages of body dysmorphia. I kept my yellowing, coffee stained gnashers hidden as I laughed.

 

STYLEBOOKS

This image is from the sponsors of World Book Day, www.nationalbooktokens.co.uk

SKETCHBOOKS

A client told me that, during World War Two, spies were regularly dispatched to hair salons around the UK to help Britain's war effort. Ever been guilty of earwigging a conversation next to you in the hairdressers?

JACQUES MESRINE- FAVOURITE MOVIE HAIRCUTS

Vincent Cassel looks straight out of the Beastie Boys 'Sabotage' video, playing notorious French gangster, Jacques Mesrine. " It's pronounced MAY-reen not MESS-reen " says the arrogant robber in Jean-Francois Richet's acclaimed movie.

KINKY AFRO - RUBBISH HEADLINE

COMMENT OF THE WEEK

PICTURE OF HAIRCUT wee bit shorter layers?

A client passed me this drawing she had made on an old envelope. This was to help me create a new look for her boyfriend. Looks like a drawing that the great outsider artist/singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston(www.hihowareyou.com) would be proud of.