A Flock Of Seagulls: Better Hair Than Music

When rock critics condescendingly dismiss the '80s as being more about the hair than the music, they're usually exaggerating. Usually.

Mike Score, A Flock Of Seagulls' lead singer, was a hairdresser who formed a band. No, really.

I'd heard the name thrown about here and there, but I always wondered just how ridiculous A Flock of Seagulls could have been. The answer: pretty ridiculous.



Everything I said about Kajagoogoo's "Too Shy" applies here. If you had to explain to a young person of today what the '80s were like, and how a band could just come out of nowhere, have a huge hit, and then sink back into the ether, and they give you a puzzled, confused look in return, just show them this.

Honestly, the camera doesn't swirl enough for my taste. Also, I think the girls simply couldn't afford sunglasses, so they decided to paint giant rectangles around their eyes instead. Also, I know I'm making fun of it, but this song kind of rocks.

In the end, there is the hair. According to Wikipedia, "his 'seagull' or 'wings' hairstyle was created when Score was trying to style his hair like that of David Bowie's character, Ziggy Stardust. AFOS bassist Frank Maudsley was trying to use the mirror at the same time, and placed his hand on Score's head, leaving only the hair on the sides of his head sticking up."

Well that's one explanation. I also heard he was trying to grow an afro, but happened to stand too long in front of a jet engine. Whatever he was trying to do is really beside the point. In fact, I have a theory that he was the inspiration for Edward Scissorhands.