Remember When: David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

Before David Bowie was David Bowie, he was simply David Jones, and in 1964 he gave a rare interview with one of his first bands, the Manish Boys. Together, they formed the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men, a cheeky publicity stunt in response to the band being asked to cut their hair before a TV performance on the British music program Gadzooks! It’s All Happening. Bowie’s response? “I wouldn’t have my hair cut for the prime minister, let alone the BBC!”

In 1964, Cliff Michelmore of BBC Tonight hosted a segment focused on the social trend of teenage boys and young men growing out their hair. “The rebellion of the longhairs is getting underway,” he said, then introduced the Society, with 17-year-old David Bowie speaking on their behalf.

“I think we’re all fairly tolerant,” said Bowie, “But for the last two years, we’ve had comments like, ‘Darling!’ and ‘Can I carry your handbag?’ thrown at us, and I think it just has to stop now.”

Michelmore was tough on the boys, insinuating that they were asking for it by growing out their hair in the first place. However, Bowie could dish it as well as he could take it, and responded, “I think we all like long hair, and we don’t see why other people should persecute us because of this.”

[RELATED: New David Bowie Photo Book, ‘Peculiar to Mr. Bowie,’ Captures Rock Legend During His First Visit to the U.S.]

David Bowie and His Society Brought Attention to Long-Haired Teenagers of the 1960s

The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men was a bit of a goofy stunt, but David Bowie followed up the BBC interview with further publicity. He spoke with the London Evening News on the Society’s behalf as well, per a report from Vogue.

“It’s really for the protection of pop musicians and those who wear their hair long,” he said at the time. “Anyone who has the courage to wear their hair down to his shoulders has to go through hell. It’s time we were united and stood up for our curls.”

While he was just starting out in the 1960s with The Manish Boys, David Bowie and his long-haired society seemingly foreshadowed his transcendence of image and gender through the years. Bowie would go on to play with his identity on album after album, reinventing himself from a passionate, if cheeky, long-haired teenager to the flame-haired Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, and beyond.

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