No, there is nothing wrong with the title ... older Singaporeans would remember that this statement belongs to a national campaign launched in the island state during the early seventies! Before I go into details regarding this event let me provide some background information ...Oh, by the way if you were wondering why am I blogging about this instead of the trip to Hokkaido, which I have just returned from, let me explain. I actually started drafting this post before I left. I was listing some points for my profile then and memories of my teen years came streaming back from the past. I started to reminisce (definitely a sign of old age) and I was practically transported back to the sixties, mind-wise, that is. So I told myself that I should record down what I can remember before more of these precious memories disappear.
Well for my fellow citizens, if you are a baby boomer like me I hope that when you read these postings you would go on a nostalgic trip of your own - may it bring back lots and lots of pleasant and amusing memories? And if you find that some of what I recall is incorrect (due mainly to memory lapses - the brain is not working like what it was 40 years ago) please do point them out. Please feel free to comment and contribute as you could have a much clearer picture of things. For the younger readers I hope that what I present would give you a glimpse into what life was like then for your parents and grandparents during their younger days. Ok let's get back to the topic ...
The Sixties was a turbulent, yet exciting, time of radical changes especially for countries in the west. It was a period of social, political and technological upheaval. The young began to rebel against the conservative norms that were faithfully adhered to by their parents and forefathers. It saw the rise of various movements - for sexual freedom, for gay's and women's liberation, for peace etc. This period also gave birth to the hippie subculture within which communities were created with members embracing sexual freedom and experimenting in the use of drugs such as marijuana and LSD. The hippie fashions and values soon exerted a major effect on various aspect of mainstream society, influencing popular music, television, film, literature, and the arts. Male pop and rock stars began to spot long hair, often with lengths that cascaded below their shoulders, and many of them began to experiment in drugs.
During the sixties and seventies J-pop or K-pop did not exist. At that time western pop culture, television and films influenced the young in the more cosmopolitan cities of Asia, including Singapore. And in no time some young males in Singapore began to grow their hair long, emulating their favourite idols from the west. The government was worried then that the youth of Singapore would succumb to this decadent subculture. It began to equate long hair with hippies, which in turn is taken to mean drug addiction. That's when the campaign against men with long hair was launched in 1970. Posters were put up in post offices and government offices to warn that males with long hair will be attended to last. They carried with them sketches of four views of a man with descriptions classifying what is considered to be "long hair". (You can have a peek at this poster here)
Needless to say if you're a student back then you will most likely be sent marching off to the barber the moment your hair touches your eyebrows, crosses your collar or starts to cover your ears. I still can picture Mr. "Terror" Cheong weaving in and out of our ranks as we stood to attention for morning assembly at NJC. As a government employee you would be warned if you are a male sporting long hair and if necessary disciplinary actions could be taken against those who refuse to trim their top.
My brother was a Malaysian then and I remembered him turning up one day with his hair (rather badly) cut. He told us that he was refused entry at the railway checkpoint until he agreed to have his precious hair trimmed by an old Indian barber stationed strategically nearby. He then had the initials "LH" written near the "entry chop" in his passport. I consoled him by telling him not to feel bad because even celebrities, mainly pop stars, have to comply with this requirement if they wanted to enter Singapore. In 1972 Cliff Richard was supposed to make an appearance in the island but did not do so because he was not willing to have his hair trimmed. In that same year Led Zeppelin also had to cancel a concert because the officials wouldn't let them off the plane at Changi Airport.
I recall in one conversation a group of us was having with our principal concerning this issue of anti-long hair, a student amongst us (if I remember correctly, he is the one who is now the CEO of a large local corporation) made a statement to the effect that he was certain if Einstein were to visit Singapore he would not be asked to trim his hair.
Anyway my brother did get to keep his hair long as he subsequently left to further his studies in the UK. I was just talking to a colleague about this issue when he told me he too did not have any problem as he also studied overseas and kept long hair then. I was a bit envious so I told him that those who had this opportunity are now suffering as he is now almost bald and the centre of my brother's crop is also starting to thin out ... having said that I made a quick check of my head (after all it is supposed to be hereditary), so far so good, am keeping my fingers crossed though.
I could not keep long hair while I was a student and neither could I do so while still working. Looks like the only opportunity left for me to indulge in this "missed" opportunity at vanity is when I retire - provided there is still enough hair left. I told my wife that when I'm retired I will let my hair grow long and tie it up into a little pony tail. She suggested that I do not walk near her if that's the way I'm going look like after 62.
At that time male artists with long hair were also not allowed to appear on television. Hence I did not get to watch any of my pop idols (the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Hollies, etc.) on TV then. Teenagers of today of course could watch all their favourite artists perform not only on television but also on the internet - how privileged!
Songs that were allegedly referring to the use of drugs were also not allowed to be aired on TV or radio. Some were actually replaced on albums that were sold in Singapore. At that time I wanted to purchase what is arguably the most influential album in the history of popular music - the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" but decided not to because a few tracks including "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "With A Little Help from My Friend" and "A Day in the Life" (if I remembered correctly) were substituted with songs from other Beatles albums. Finally I asked a college friend of mine from Batu Pahat, CS Kuo (he is now a doctor residing in Sydney), to get a copy of the ‘unadulterated’ album when he goes back to his hometown for the holidays. I agreed to still pay him in the event that the album was confiscated at the causeway checkpoint. Of course the latter did not happen and I still have the album today. The ban was eventually lifted - not sure when though. By the way the BBC also banned a couple of the songs from this album from airplay. The Beatles White Album also has at least one song - "Happiness is a Warm Gun" - substituted in the Singapore version but I bought it much later when the ban was lifted. This song was also banned by the BBC in UK.Many of us were not happy that as teenage boys we were not allowed to keep our hair long. We would also have loved to be able to watch our favourite artists appear on TV. However being a parent now I do understand the paternalistic concerns one has (especially being Asians) to the dangers that the young might be exposed to. And if we were to look at the drug addiction problems some nearby countries have with their youth we can now say that our government may have done the right thing at that given period in time although some might argue that we were over cautious at times - but then it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Wow, there is still so much to talk about regarding life as a teenager in early Singapore but will have to leave them for subsequent postings.
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