Learn, Monroe County. If you don't learn, then you're gonna die. Welcome back to a new episode of Learn,
Monroe County. I'm Ethan Hamilton with the wonderful Mr. Kempelo. Kemp, say hi to everybody. Hi, everybody.
We're at Boomerang here. Kemp's been cutting my hair for 18 years, and I still know nothing about the
process. So he's gonna give me a little haircut. We're gonna learn a little something here and there.
And by the end of this, maybe you can get your own haircut to yourself. All right, Kemp, I don't know
what I want. I always say that.
Make it shorter. Yeah, I mean if you're comfortable with it being shorter, I would like to see a little
bit of delineation instead of it just being all even. Yes, let's do that. Because I like to give folks
a verticality to them. And for those, I know what it means, but for those out there who don't know what
delineation is, what is that? So it's a change from short to long. Okay, okay. Transition. Is that what
a fade would be? Particularly, yes.
Sometimes you go from skin to a length, that would be a bald fade. Or you can establish some shorter
length but not to the skin to a length and that would just be a fade. You're so full of knowledge. Thanks.
You're welcome. So would you like to begin? Yes, let's do it. Can I just maybe trim the sides for you
and the back and then I'll let you be the guide after.
I love that. Let's trim the sides and back and then I'll be the guy. Now, uh, it's size and like, if
you're going for a haircut, I assume you have a starting point, maybe generally. Yeah. Usually the neckline
and, uh, then that kind of drives up through the side of the neck and over the ears. And once I established
that link, then that'll be my, my shortest link. I always imagine that ears were the enemy.
of a hairdresser. Is that true? Yes it is. I really don't care for them. I would prefer to relocate
them somewhere else. Yeah. Where do you think the best spot for ears would be? Probably on your forehead,
wouldn't you? Yeah. Because then you could see and hear. Directly. Right. Yeah. We'd have to rethink
all the headphone situations, maybe. But that's, you know, we're going to be transforming into a better
person, a better human, type of human.
Some things have to be thrown off to the side, like headphones. Now, I feel like a big part of getting
your hair cut is making small talk. What are your favorite topics to talk about? Oh, usually, I'm kind
of empathetic. I can feel the vibes from the person. Sometimes folks just don't want to talk, and so
I just won't talk.
And then other times there's topics like the fantastic weather we're having right now. And what would
you say about this weather if I was like a 45 year old woman? I would inform her that today is possibly
the best hair day of her life. And that gets me excited, even as a 30 year old man. Dry, hardly any
humidity. You can make your hair do whatever you want.
when there's not a lot of humidity. Sometimes I practice small talk because I'm not good at it. Do you
ever practice small talk in the mirror? No. I don't. I guess I might be just a natural at it. I just
am in tune with the vibes and go with it. Typically, I'll ask if they have children or they're married
and then go from there.
I have a few that I wrote down that I think maybe you can test out in the future. Can I give them to
you? Sure. Or here's just some examples of small talk for those of you who have never had it before.
Weather's a good one. Did you see the game last night? It can be any game. Right. Any game. Here's just
a phrase I thought of. That ain't my son. So that's one you can try. Yep.
Hey, Ford or Chevy, that's another one. Very good. Thank you. Here's a question I've never asked you
in the probably, you've probably been cutting my hair for close to two decades now. Is that accurate?
Yes. Music question, I don't know if I've ever asked you, why boomerangs? Initially, we were gonna call
the salon roots, but if you remember back in the 90s was the first
period of America. Sure. And we didn't think it would translate very well. We met by roots, as in roots
of the hair. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But then people might have misconstrued that into some racial type of
way. Like that TV show. Right. Or the band The Roots from Philadelphia. Right, I didn't even think about
that. There's sell-outs. I've always liked just the appearance of the word.
look at Boomerang. It has good balance. Sure. And then we had a professor type tell us that the adverb
meaning means to bounce back with great force. Okay. And that's, that was what sealed the deal.
Cause in my, in my partner's time, lifespan, we were kind of struggling and we were trying to bounce
back with great force. And so it all came together. I love that.
You have a wonderful shop. What's the address of this shop one more time? It's 220 North Madison Street,
Bloomington, Indiana. You heard that right. Now how often do you dissuade young men from getting mustaches?
I don't dissuade them, especially if they can grow them. But a young man of like 11 or 12 that thinks
he has a mustache? That was me.
I usually just shave it off and act like it's a mistake. Sure. Because it looks like chocolate, milk
chocolate. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A little sip of milk from school. I usually give them my word of advice.
I tell them that I know hair and facial hair. And now I inform them when they're able to grow mustache.
OK. And today's not the day. I had a mustache.
It went out really well. Thank you. You're a grown human being. I am. You can grow a mustache. Yeah,
I can. My mom tells me all the time. There was a point when I couldn't though. Any tips for people who
want to grow mustaches? Try to keep it neat and tidy if you can. Sure. That's the only request I have.
Can I tell you a fun, I just learned maybe a month ago how to more properly grow one. I was always,
I don't know why this never hit me. I just would always shave right after the lip. Right. But the hair,
if the hair keeps going and it's connected, you could just have a longer mustache. I didn't realize
that. Yeah. And there's all the different labels of mustaches. There's candelabra. Absolutely. Yeah.
There's creep mustaches.
Actually, there's the Venn diagram of handlebar and creep moustaches is close to just a circle. Yeah,
it's a newer thing. I've never really championed the moustache on myself. I used to wear a goatee for
years and years. I remember that. But I don't know, I just, moustaches just have never died for me.
I think it was because of Magnum PI. He was big. Tom Sellett did it so well that I knew I could never
do it justice. He ruined it. He ruined a lot of young men's dreams. Yeah. Yeah. It was a perfect mustache.
Is there a type of hair that you prefer to work with? Like, do redheads have easier hair to work with?
Uh, hair's hair. People at home should remember that. Yeah, hair's always hair. It comes in curly, straight,
and in between. And then it comes in coarse to fine. And you're a little bit more on the fine side.
Thank you. So, of course, you would assume that straight, coarse hair would be what I would prefer.
But then you would be wrong. Medium,
of course, curly hair is what I prefer to cut. Okay. Yes. I hope the rest of your year is filled with
that. I have a lot of clients that typically meet that definition. Now, I myself kind of have it, which
you can't tell it's not a hat on. I think it's a great hat. Thanks. I like your outfit a lot. Appreciate
it. I was going to ask you,
I shouldn't have smoked any weed before this, you know. I was gonna ask you, do you know anything about
the history of haircuts? The only thing I know is way, way back, the barber, I think it might have been
in the Greek times or maybe a little after, they also were the doctors. Okay. And so they would cut hair
And then, notoriously, Sunday and Mondays were their travel days. And they would go to your home and,
you know, take your blood. They would throw some leeches on you. Of course. They would, I guess they
were horrible gossips. Really? Some things haven't changed. Even today, the red and white barber pole.
Sure. That's blood and gauze. Oh.
That was what it stemmed from. And of course, now, Sunday and Monday are my taste off. Of course, because
you tradition. You're a traditional man. Yeah. And every sense of the word. How would you like to do
the top now, now that we've established shortly? We've done it already. Time flies when you're talking
with your hairstyles. You know what? I'm thinking that I'm so clued. I like literally, I always come
in here, I'm like, just whatever, because I don't know anything. Right?
What are options with this hair? Do you have hair like me? I would rather not leave it like this because
this is all same or mono. Yeah, sure, sure, sure. So I like to give it a little bit more movement in
light and texture so that it's kind of fun and you can do different things with that. I would love some
movement. Great. I'll use this length, but then I will cut into it
to establish a different kind of feel. OK. Do you ever feel like you're an artist and wear your canvas?
I do. But I think we're back to just being, I think a lot of people are just born into this craft. Sure.
I feel like, I mean, I appreciate the compliment. I mean, a lot of people say I'm an artist.
I don't even know what exactly that means. But yeah, I mean, I'm sculpting a fabric attached to a sphere
that moves in space. I like that answer. And I just love it, and I can feel it, and I know what looks
good and what doesn't look good. That sounds like what an artist would make. And it just feels like
something that I was going to do.
I love that. Passion is important. It's never a struggle. Sure. I'm going to go back a little bit. This
is what I was hoping the history of haircuts would be. I was hoping that there was a guy in the 1800s
named David Haircut. And before that, everyone just had very long hair. And he was like, you know what?
It probably wasn't scissors, but if we take this ass or something else
And we lay their hair down on the surface so we can cut it. And they said, what do we call this? And
we think it would be obvious because you're cutting hair. But because his last name was Haircut, David
Haircut, it got named after him. I was hoping that was the answer. But I like the truth more. And I
also want to go back to what you were saying. You mentioned sometimes it is art. Sometimes you're just
cutting hair. Sometimes you just paint a tree. You know what I mean? Right.
Yeah, my partner that trained me back in the day, he told me that there's haircut and then haircut the
verb. And by that, it's like hair removal. Sure. And so you'll find that in a lot of establishments,
great clips, places like that. You go and get your hair removed, right? And if you expect anything more
than that, that's on you. Yeah, you're in the wrong place. Right? I've been to great clips.
Well, I mean, I have clients that, you know, make me remove their hair. And I fought them for years
and then I realized, what are you doing? That's what they want. Give them what they want. So now I'm
okay with it. And for those of you at home like me who are like, whatever, ambivalence won't get you
far in life. You probably would have just loved taking it back down one length
And you would have been fine with it. I would have. But I find that that's disingenuous. And I want
you to be the best you can possibly be on the world. So why wouldn't I give you something a little better?
Why would you not get your hair cut from this man? Did you just hear what he said? He wants positive
things for me. Yeah. I mean, that's what it's all about. It's about the love. I've been here.
I've been here when there are lots of clients. I've been here when it's just you and some co-workers.
The community here is great. Can I just say that? Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. And it's not just
here. Kemp is good friends. There's the bicycle place still next to you. Yes, bicycle project. Good
friends with the bicycle. Community bicycle project. That one. Yeah. And also hopscotch. He's a neighborhood
man. Fantastic coffee. Fantastic haircuts as well. Thank you. And mediocre bikes. Just kidding. We'll
get you on the show.
They are used. They are used. Better than some bikes. I got my bike stolen once. That's a whole other
story. Yeah, it was not fun. Such a bummer. When I lived in LA, I would leave my car unlocked to see
if anyone would steal anything. Because after a while, no one was. My thought was it's because I had
Indiana license plates, and I figured there was nothing good in there. It's something I did. In Bloomington,
you can get your bike stolen for free.
LA, you can ask for it and they won't do it. So there was never anybody living in your car? No, I didn't
have a wheelchair in it for a very long time. Because I found one on the street. Oh, wow. And I thought
I would use it. And I didn't. What you ended up doing with it? It just was in my car for like four months
and then I threw it out on the street again. At home. I thought, I'm going to do so many sketches with
this and I just did not. Yeah.
I shave my head at home sometimes, but I've never cut my hair. Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it. It's good
to know. If you have a good clipper, you can pull it off usually. But yeah, any time you're cutting
with scissors, you run the risk of cutting a hole, not only in your hair, but you could also cut a hole
in your flesh or your fingers. I do what I can to not have sharp objects in my hand.
where I can't see them. Yeah. Every day I do that. Yeah, you always want to avoid holes in your body.
Yeah, I try to. Or man-made holes. Exactly. You should tend to the ones that you just have. Right. You've
got plenty of holes. You don't need to make these. Take care of your own holes. Yeah, I mean, what are
we talking about here? We've got plenty of holes. We don't need new holes. No. Maybe this will be like the
Don't eat new holes. Don't mess with your holes. The amount that you start with in a day, you should
go to bed and have the same amount. Exactly. And if you have to count them, there's a problem. If you
have to count them, you probably have a big day. Make sure you rest. OK, so now, I would like to ask
you if you would like your mustache trimmed. You know what? While I'm here,
I've never trimmed my mustache. That's a life's a lie. I have trimmed my mustache. For educational purposes,
let's do that. Great. Anyway, when we're done with this, I'll probably have you or I can just do it.
Just get some B-roll of this shop and outside, maybe we can go walk into it. There. So yeah, I like
to keep it off the upper lip. Sure.
Just in case you have that extra sticky biscuits and gravy, because you don't want it to stick in there.
And then of course, if you have close friends, they'll tell you it's there. But then other folks will
just assume that's how you roll. Yeah. That is never cool. It's never. I've never met anyone who purposely
has gravy. No. Who rolls that way? Not me. And so I just tend to turn that off so that you don't
This is smart, too. When I trim mine, I just use scissors at the very end. But this is like you're getting
layers here. Yeah, that's another thing you gotta be careful with. There's so many blood vessels in
the lips and nerve endings. Makes them good for kissing. Right. And if you hit it with a scissor, it
will ruin your week. You will bleed and the pain is like lightning bolts through your body.
Um, that makes sense, because whenever I busted a lip, it bleeds. Yeah. So what was your motivation
to grow a mustache? Uh, I like having facial hair because my dad's side at least, they all have, besides
my dad, they all have a lot of facial hair. Oh, so you grew up seeing adult males wearing facial hair.
Yes, yes. And I was like,
I wanted one so bad. Talked about that chocolate milk thing. I had that in fifth grade when I was 11.
Did I accidentally, on purpose, shave it off for you? If you did, I didn't remember it. Oh, OK, good.
So I didn't traumatize you. No, no, no, no. Yeah. I think I traumatized this one young man less than
a year ago. But he got over it. I feel like that's something where maybe years from now he'll say, you
made the right decision. Right. I hope. Hopefully there was no documentation on it. Yeah. He didn't
get it before and after. No.
We shouldn't be taking pictures of milk chocolate mustaches on 11 year old boys. That is just sick and
wrong. I'd like to have it in balance and a flow to it. How does it feel? I feel hotter than ever. Would
you want to look at it really close up?
Wow. I like that. Isn't that fine? It is. It's short, but like also has some depth to it still. Would
you like a product in your hair or would you like to wear it unnaturally? I like to go natural. I heard
that about you. Yeah. I'm going to put some water in it. That's the most natural. Oh my gosh.
Viewers at home, how hot am I? Right in.
Call our line right here. Now, can you see the delineation? Yeah, because it's... Yeah, it's not all
just a ball, right? It's not. It's beautiful hair that was crafted by a smart gentleman. And it's more
flattering for your face. It is! I'm gonna come to work on Monday and everyone's gonna want to kiss
me. Well, I don't know about that, but that might not be appropriate.
Well, that has been how to give a haircut, everybody. I want to thank Kemp Logan and Boomerang for being
part of the show. Come check him out. Did you hear all the small talk he was making? I had all those
suggestions. He didn't use a single one. He didn't have to use it because he's so just good at it. Come
get your haircut here. Thank you so much for watching. This show could not be done without the library,
so make sure you get your library card.
and get a haircut for the fall. Everyone should do that. Have a good night everyone. Bye. I was really
into Black Flag and Dead Kennedys. I was lucky enough to see them both.