Friday, February 1, 9:45 p.m.
In the moments before The Bank opens, I wait in the Cristal Room for my first mohawk to arrive. Meanwhile, a busser silently stocks glasses, polishing away one last fingerprint on the table. A ridge of stiff black hair rises up from the nape of his neck, arcing over his head to meet his forehead, pointy and beak-like. His ’do stands in stark contrast to his preppy uniform, as if to say, “You can dress me like a Ken doll but the hair ... is mine!” But the sides are not shaved, just short; this faux-hawk isn’t quite what I’m looking for tonight.
There was a time when even this young man’s trendy haircut might have raised eyebrows in human resources. (The faux-hawk, as it turns out, is the gateway ’do.) But today, mohawks, those iconic symbol of nonconformity are everywhere along with multiple earrings, facial piercings and implants, tattoos and guy-liner.
A few of the men I will speak to tonight (no female hawks would talk) lament this fact, that the hawk has finally drifted downriver into mainstream society. But times they are a changin’. Casinos entrust nightlife management companies with the task of setting appearance standards, and right now that means the rocker-punk-indie look is in.
Busser Levi Dowling arrives, a tall, slender fellow with an equally thin 2-year-old hawk. Inspired initially by Travis Barker, Dowling says he occasionally gets dirty looks. At my next stop, Tao, I find both promoter/VIP host Jason Land (seven years with-hawk) and DJ Shift (10-plus years). “I just kinda went crazy,” Land says of his intricate design, which includes a shaved-in and dyed black widow spider as well as side spikes that shoot off in all directions. Unsurprisingly, Land says he too has occasionally been the object of discrimination for expressing his individuality this way.
Like most of the guys, DJ Shift cites his independent contractor status as a factor in his ability to both work and sport a hawk. Co-owner of Affluent Development Group and avid scenester Paul Poteat went for his mohawk eight months ago “to be different, because I’m creative.” Poteat finds that while his hawk may indeed be off-putting to some, it’s attractive to the right people and draws those in. “If you’re a creative guy, you’re allowed to express yourself freely,” he figures. “More creativity is being involved in the club scene. [The casual look of a mohawk] feels more friendly.”
On my way to meet DJ Inferno of Seamless Afterhours and Rockhouse, I find rapper Seth “Shifty Shellshock” Binzer of the band Crazy Town hiding out in a corner booth at CatHouse. Not shy (watch Celebrity Rehab?), “I was in rehab and I had nothing better to do,” Shifty says of his umpteenth mohawk, this one a 6-month-old low-hawk. Shift, Inferno and Shifty would all fall under the category of guys who rocked the mohawk even when it wasn’t cool or accepted and also in spite of when it was. “You just keep the mohawk and let the trends change. You gotta stand the test of time,” says Shifty.
As for VIP hosts who sport suits with their hawks, the men are divided. “I would trust them,” says Inferno, a three-year fan-tail hawk. “We’re in the city of entertainment, everybody has to stand out a little bit.” But artist “Mr. Chris,” whom we meet at Beauty Bar, calls that ensemble amateur hour. At Teatro Afterhours, VIP host Sam Adamson is anything but punk in his sharp suit, but his impressive 14-inch “liberty spikes” positively scream independence. “I’ve wanted [a mohawk] since I was bite-size,” he says of his 3-year old spikes. “It’s the longest relationship I’ve had, so I can’t cut it.”
American Indians, gladiators, punk, high-fashion ... DJ Michael Toast honors them all for embracing the mohawk, a 15-year veteran himself and tonight’s senior hawk. In his extensive travels, he’s found Vegas the most mohawk-friendly city. “I think more people are willing to be more expressive with their style here than other cities.” It sounds to me like a constant battle between being different and being accepted. If ever there was a city built on that sort of foundation, this is it. And hair will always grow back.
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Xania Woodman thinks globally and parties locally. And frequently. E-mail her at [email protected] and visit thecircuitlv.com to sign up for Xania’s free weekly newsletter.