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Happy Record Store Day! The Hair Soundtrack


When I was 10, my parents brought home the album. The only song I knew was the 5th Dimension cover of "Age of Aquarius". I was indifferent as I felt this was more or less "parents music". Plus, I didn't think I was supposed to be into musicals. But then, I heard, through some grapevine, that this was not just any musical - it was rather controversial, not only for it's LSD and anti-war references, but for...a nude scene. I just had to give this album a closer listen.

One day, I was in my bedroom singing loudly and proudly along to the 3rd track while my mom was in the living room playing Mahjong with her friends:

Sodomy

Fellatio

Cunnilingus

Pederasty

Father, why do these words sound so nasty?

Masturbation

Can be fun

Join the holy orgy

Kama Sutra

Everyone!

My mother rushed into the room and pleaded with me to put on that nice Beatles record.

It was weird. I didn't know at all what the words meant, but they upset my mom and that was good enough for me. I did look up the lyrics soon after in the dictionary, and was still quite befuddled.

Side note: one of my best friends and writing partner, Robin Eaton, was in the original cast of Hair at the Public Theater before it went to Broadway. He told me that they would give you an additional $12 dollars a week if you would take off your clothes for the brief nude scene. $12 was nothing to sneeze at for young actors in 1968.


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