Vidal Sassoon - Just Another Crimper

Aptly titled, "Vidal Sassoon: The Movie" (Phase 4) is a cinematic celebration of the legendary 83-year-old self-described "crimper" who forever changed the world of hair with his architecturally-inspired cuts. Directed by Craig Teper, "Vidal Sassoon: The Movie" tells the hair maven's captivating life story, from his roots in Britain to his ascendancy as the undisputed international king of hairstyling and hair care. I spoke with Sassoon, still sharp as a pair of shears and a snappy dresser to boot, shortly before the opening of the film.

GREGG SHAPIRO: How did you respond when you were initially approached about being the subject of a documentary feature? Did you need to have your arm twisted?

VIDAL SASSOON: It was the reverse. No, no. My friend Michael Gordon, who made the movie, I've known him for 15 years or so. He built Bumble and Bumble, which is a great product, and then sold the whole thing to Estee Lauder. He wanted something to do, I guess [laughs]. He said, "I would like to give you an 80th birthday party." This was four years ago. I said, "I don't need anything." He said, "We'll make a movie." I said, "Do you realize how much that will cost?" He said, "I want to do it, I really want to do it." So four years ago, we started and now we have a movie directed by Craig Teper. He did a superb job. You can't talk about yourself and your part in it, but all over, he did a marvelous job of editing.

GREGG SHAPIRO: I'm glad that you mentioned talking about yourself, because there are a lot of people interviewed in the movie, from former business associates to Mary Quant and Grace Coddington to your ex-wife Beverly and your current wife Ronnie. What was it like to know that these people would be talking about you?

VS: I've been doing Mary Quant's hair since 1957. First time I cut her hair, I cut her ear. Never done that before. There was blood all over the place. And her husband was with her, and he said, "I say, do you charge extra for that?" On occasion they bring up the fact that I've been married four times [laughs]. (Shrugs) I just do that (shrugs again).

GREGG SHAPIRO: So it didn't bother you that people were going to be talking about you.

VS: They had a reason to talk. I neglected marriages because hair was my focus. (We did) shows all over the world - in Japan, Seoul, Korea, in Shanghai, Beijing and all over Eastern Europe, Warsaw, Berlin. Taking an international show team around the world. That's exactly what my life was.

GREGG SHAPIRO: Were you happy when you saw the final product on film and heard what people had to say about you?

VS: I love it! I loved the guy who said, "I couldn't work with him, he's crazy!" [Laughs] I loved that, because to have sycophants around is no good. People who tell the truth is kind of nice.

GREGG SHAPIRO: In addition to transforming the art of hair styling, you also had a revolutionary effect on the physical appearance of salons. Would you say that is a direct reflection of your interest in architecture?

VS: Very, very much. I studied Bauhaus. Funny enough, on our 50th anniversary, the Walter Gropius in Dessau was given to us for the day. It was a marvelous day. It was like saying to us, "Hey, you're part of Bauhaus."

GREGG SHAPIRO: What an honor. There's a great scene in the movie where they talk about how most of the male hairdressers during the 1960s were straight and a problem arose because they were having affairs with the female clients. As someone in the business, were you aware of the presence of gay men in the industry or were they off to the side?

VS: No, not to the side. Gay people, if they were excellent, they got the positions. For instance, apart from myself, we had four international artistic directors that go around the world to make sure that the standards are kept up, which is so important. Tim, who was fabulous, was the artistic director for 15 years. He was gay. It didn't matter. They were chosen for their talent. What their private lives were had nothing to do with me, only their talent. That gave me my sense of responsibility, who we should promote.

GREGG SHAPIRO: Over the years, you've cut your share of celebrities' hair over the years, is there one celebrity whose hair you never got to cut that you wished you had?

VS: Yeah, The Donald (Trump) [laughs].

GREGG SHAPIRO: What would you do with The Donald?

VS: I'd get rid of his Ann Sheridan coif [laughs]. I met him in the `60s. He's a character. A great, great character.

GREGG SHAPIRO: What do you think about the hair-themed reality shows, such as "Shear Genius" and "Tabitha's Salon Takeover"?

VS: Well, if they do some good, in the sense of standards, then they make sense. But if it's just pure nonsense, they don't make sense. I did their last show (as guest judge) and had to choose the winner from the students, with other people, of course. It was hysterical. One girl was shaking, literally shaking.

GREGG SHAPIRO: Because you were there or because she was nervous in general?

VS: No, because she wanted to hold my hand [laughs].

GREGG SHAPIRO: Did she get to do that?

VS: Of course! Then I went over and gave her a cuddle and said, (whispers) "I'm just another crimper.

- - -

Vidal Sassoon: The Movie has opened in limited release. To see where it is playing in your city, visit

http://www.vidalsassoonthemovie.com/