David Bowie, British pop star, was a rebel from his youth

David Bowie November 12, 1964, not yet a pop star, told reporters that cruelty towards hairy men must stop. It was a bold move, but it hinted at the unconventional spirit that Bowie carried into a career filled with fearless change.

David Bowie, who told reporters it was time to stop “kicking” long-haired guys, was just David Jones back then, writes xrust. As the founder of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men, he was there to call for understanding. «I think we're all pretty tolerant, but for the last two years we've been getting comments like, 'Honey!' and 'Can I carry your purse?' and I think that has to stop,» he told reporters.

The Tonight researchers drew attention to an Evening News interview published a week earlier with «David Jones of Plaistow Grove, Bromley», founder and president of the International League for the Conservation of Animal Threads, who «gave up a job in the commercial arts to go into the pop business».

Jones told the newspaper: “Anyone who dares to wear shoulder-length hair is going to go through hell. It's time for us to unite and stand up for our curls.» The mention of «pop business» suggests that this may have been a publicity stunt. After all, four months earlier he had appeared on a BBC music program as the lead singer of Davie Jones and the King Bees.

By the time the news hit television, young Jones and his shaggy friends had come up with a catchy new name for themselves and claimed to have the support of thousands of teenagers across Britain. In fact, his followers were mostly members of his pop group the Manish Boys.

Jones insisted he started growing his hair long before the Rolling Stones showed up with their unkempt locks. “You know, it takes a long time to grow them that long,” he argued. It's funny that by modern standards his hair isn't even that long. Perhaps this is why Jones and his friends did not need to go to the hairdressers to wash their hair.

Xrust David Bowie, the British pop star, was a rebel from his youth