I don't think it's a shock to any of you when I say that I like to talk about hair. I rarely fail to mention the hair of the artist I am talking about, or the hairstyles I saw at the concert I attended, or what have you. I'm guessing you are not surprised by the fact that I get all happy when I see a Journey video from Neal Schon's natural phase, when he grew his hair out and had a perfect round bubble sitting on top of his head.
I am also very interested in bad highlights (*cough* Bruce Dickinson, Aces High video *cough*) or suspected hot oil treatments (*cough* Bruce Dickinson, final concert with Iron Maiden in 1993 *cough*). But there is one hair subject I avoid at all costs, and that subject is mullets. I don't think mullet jokes are funny. At all. As far as I am concerned, the only thing more unfortunate than the hairstyle itself are the tired jokes it spawns.
I have never uttered the word mullet on the site, except that time CEB's quote contained the phrase chock full of mullety goodness. I liked his phrasing, so it stayed. Other than that, mullets are not funny, and have not been funny since the style was known as hockey hair. This could be a regional term, I don't know. All I know is that when I was a kid, hair that was short on top and long in the back was called hockey hair, because many hockey players sported the look. I assume it is a helmet convenience issue, I would have to ask a hockey player to be sure, and I don't care that much.
In fact, I had never even heard the term mullet until I started working with Goatee in 2000. He made some mention of a web site that showed concert crowds photographed from behind and critiqued the mullets.
Me: "What's a mullet?"
Goatee: "You know, like Billy Ray Cyrus hair."
Me: "Ohhhh, you mean hockey hair."
Goatee: "That's called a mullet."
Me: "Whatever."
I cared very little about this change in phrasing, but since I became aware of the term, I have watched its popularity snowball. I have seen posters that are identification charts for mullets. Just yesterday I saw action figures that sport mullets. And when I was recently trying to enjoy VH1's I Love The 80s Strikes Back, my enjoyment was temporarily dulled by Juliette Lewis' use of the word mullet. Yes, Richard Marx had some bad hair, but other commentators were able to be funny without resorting to the use of the M word.
I am hoping that this mullet joke trend has already peaked and will soon subside. I can't remember the last time I was waiting for something this popular to go away. Every day I hope that the mullet wave is over, and every day some new permutation of the joke appears. But I know that in the long run, it's just a fad, and fads eventually die out. I for one cannot wait for that to happen, because mullet jokes just aren't funny.