Friday, 09 October 2009 07:00
When Chris Rock's young daughter asked him one day why she didn't have "good hair," the comedian extraordinaire began thinking about the issues surrounding African-American women and their tresses -- or rather, their painstakingly and expensively straightened or even artificial hair. Directed by Rock's Emmy-winning collaborator Jeff Stilson ("The Chris Rock Show"), the hilarious and occasionally horrifying new doc "Good Hair" investigates beauty salon culture and the lengths black women go to for the sake of self-esteem and societal pressures.
Rock himself acts as our guide, interviewing scientists about the toxicity of sodium hydroxide relaxers, schoolteachers and other working-class people who overspend on weaves (hair that comes from heads in India, another stop on Rock's journey), and celebrities like Ice-T, Maya Angelou and the man who modeled his mane after his buddy James Brown's: Reverend Al Sharpton. Framing the whole investigation is a stop in Atlanta for the Bronner Bros. Hair Show, an annual trade industry event whose headline attraction is a wild, avant-coiffure showdown between the top stylists of black hair. I sat down with Rock and his small entourage (his make-up woman was applying powder that can't be appreciated here!) to talk 'dos, don'ts and the $5 million lawsuit against the movie that was reported mere hours before our chat.
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