To know why I love Heads Together you have to understand a bit of my history… Like many black men, I’m a hair trauma survivor. The first incident occurred at age 7 when my dad decided to cut a «part» in my hair. The«part» turned out to be a 2-inch wide swathe of baldness extending from my left temple back to the crown of my head. If my parents had been married at the time, this would certainly have led to divorce. As is often the case, triumph came from tragedy. It was after the«part» incident that I discovered the barber shop. It was always filled with the happy hum of clippers and interesting conversation. The barbers always had encyclopedic knowledge of television, politics, and astrology. I could get my horoscope, a shag, and a critical contrast of the philosophies of Dr. King and Malcolm X all in one sitting. Haircuts became something to look forward to. Then I joined the military. I traveled the world, losing touch with the traditional barber shops of my youth. Later, I moved to Menlo Park. These were bad times. One shop I went to while on the Peninsula had all the trappings of the traditional barber, including the ever present TV tuned to C-SPAN. I went there 3 times. Each time the guy showed me a thick book filled with pictures of different hair cuts. Each time I chose a different hair cut, and each time I received the same bad hair cut. So when we recently moved to the East Bay I shopped around a bit. I spoke to a bunch of different stylists and other hair people. A lucky chain of inquiry led me to Tim at Heads Together on Grand Ave. in Oakland. Tim hooked me up with a nice haircut, and brought me up to speed on Nip/Tuck and a couple of other shows. He asked me what I wanted, I described it, and he did it. Exactly. Straight razor and all, Tim is an excellent barber. The only reason they don’t have 5 stars is because they don’t do walk ins. This is one of the few times in the last 10 years that I’ve had a haircut that I’m happy with. **** Update 1÷15÷06 **** I’m dropping these guys down a star from 4 to 3. I just called to make and appointment and some strange lady answered the phone. She said Tim only works Saturdays now and they couldn’t make an appointment for me, I just have to walk in. The search for a reliable barber goes on …
