Cut My Hair

by Jamie S. Rich, Andi Watson, Scott Morse

Mason is young, and he hangs out with kids that are into bad music and bad haircuts. He lives in sunny California, where he spends his nights acting stupid in punk rock clubs and his days aimlessly reading comics and listening to tunes. The two most important things in his life are the girl who makes his heart beat at erratic speeds and the band with the strange boy he knows from high school—both of whom lead lives far more interesting than the one he leads himself. Unfortunately, his life is about to come crashing down on him in a barrage of angry fists and stomping feet. Everything is going to change. The debut novel by Oni editor in chief Jamie S. Rich is finally back in print. Featuring illustrations by Scott Morse, Andi Watson, Judd Winick, Renee French, and Chynna Clugston-Major. Cover by Mike Allred (X-STATIX). Co-published by Crazyfish/MJ-12. 

Genres: Fiction, Graphic Novels, Music, Punk, Comics, Young Adult

248 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2000

About the author

Rich is an author of both prose (Cut My Hair, I Was Someone Dead, and The Everlasting) and comics (the two-volume series Love the Way You Love; the Spell Checkers series). His third full-length novel, Have You Seen the Horizon Lately?, was released by Oni Press in the summer of 2007. He regularly collaborates with artist Joelle Jones, including the Oni graphic novels 12 Reasons Why I Love Her and You Have Killed Me. Rich most recently wrote It Girl & the Atomics for Image Comics and A Boy and a Girl with artist Natalie Nourigat. He also serialized his fourth novel, Bobby Pins and Mary Janes , online.

Reviews

[Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very touching and heartfelt tale of the highs and lows of adolescence in the southern California punk scene circa 1990. It has some funny moments, but much like life at that age there's a lot more drama and heartbreak. I literally couldn't put this book down until I finished it, and the story goes on just long enough until it ends perfectly (with a little tip of the hat to Quadrophenia of course).

[Akiva ꙮ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. But then, it wasn't written for me. I spent a lot of time being annoyed by Mason's unexamined straight-boy hangups. Because man, there's nothing that makes me sympathize with a character like cave-man jealousy over a girl who "belongs" to him. Or threatening his mother with disturbingly sexual violence. You know. The closest Mason ever came to forging his own version of masculinity was when he refrained from beating up a skater with an actual, literal baseball bat. Props? I guess?

Although this was on the graphic novel shelf of my library (??), it's not really a graphic novel---it's a book written by a comic artist with illustrations by two different people (?!?). One of the artists was pretty good, but the one who is heavily influenced by manga... the results are really unfortunate. Even more unfortunately, the manga-artist illustrates the majority of the book.

It mostly gets two stars because I liked some bits, including the last few pages and the last illustration, which reminded me strongly of King Cat Comics zine. And I enjoy the thought of Mason growing up to be someone a lot like the guy who writes King Cat.

[Hilary "Fox" · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book began a bit slow, but when it picked up it picked up fast. "Cut My Hair" caught my attention in an old comic shop in NYC back in '07. I bought it on sight - the Who reference spoke to me - then tried to read it once.. twice. I think I realised at the time it was what I needed. I wish I had finished it then.

There's something to be said about a book that can cut straight through to the soul of what punk is. The discussion with Lenny 3/4ths of the way through does it exceptionally well. Punk is Artaudian, it's the heart and soul of that disruptive movement. Rock isn't dead, rap isn't the new messiah, what's done is done and we'll find what we look for if only we all search hard enough.

The ending is a nice call-back to Quadrophenia. The book isn't easy, the book isn't 'fun,' but the book is right and it knows where to end. It hits on what matters, and it hits hard.

Now, excuse my while I put on my Who vinyl.

[Devowasright · Rating 5 out of 5]

coming of age in the mid/late 80s music scene. keli thought this could be my biography...

[Lani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up at the Bethesda Small Press Expo, and really enjoyed it. Nothing spectacular, but a unique style with references to music and culture that I could appreciate and relate to.

Many of these were characters I am surrounded by and it was fun to see them in print. Watching the main character grow up and into himself was heartening, if painful. The ending was wretchedly cheesy though, I'd almost suggest not bothering with the last chapter, but I suspect most people will want the resolution.

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I missed the mod era. I missed the punk era. I missed any really notable era in music culture. This book filled the gaps- a punk coming-of-age fable indebted heavily to "Quadrophenia" and "The Catcher in the Rye" while being a response as much as a tribute to either of them. Jamie Rich's writing has that Alison Bechdelian quality of being not quite fiction and not quite nonfiction- it's a semiautobiographical novel, but you never get the sense that it's entirely novel or entirely not. Much like punk, it exists somewhere in the margins.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It tried way too hard to be edgy and ended up being mostly unpleasant. There were a few decent sections, but they were few and far between. The most intriguing relationship, the one between Mason and Tristan, really wasn't explored beyond a surface level. The format, with cartoonists from Oni Press illustrating the story, was interesting and what was what drew me in in the first place.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Rich's writing style, some cool literary passages, especially the last line. Unpredictable coming of age story played against a changing music scene. Enjoyable, check it out for something different.

[Axel Barceló · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took my a while to get hooked on it, but it was well worth it! A romantic coming of age story set amongst violence and marginalisation. So, yeah, it was a little too violent for me at times. The ending is very ambiguous and open ended, so maybe I will have to read it again.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a huge re-reader, but this is my thrid time through this book. I guess I'm a sucker for teenage angst, underground punk, and a whole lotta the Smiths.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was nothing wrong with it, I just didn't like the story much. The writing was good, it just wasn't my thing I guess. I don't think I'm really the target audience though.

[Zanne]

15.95