Top of page

Audio Recording "Sometimes even the barber has been a place where men could come and pour out their troubles to."

"Sometimes even the barber has been a place where men could come and pour out their troubles to."

About this Item

Title

  • "Sometimes even the barber has been a place where men could come and pour out their troubles to."

Names

  • McDowell, Rev. Louis (Narrator)
  • Levitas, Susan, 1961- (Interviewer)

Created / Published

  • 1994-08-30

Headings

  • -  African Americans
  • -  Oral history
  • -  Interviews
  • -  Sound recordings
  • -  Family-run businesses
  • -  Barbershops
  • -  McDowell's Barber Shop (Paterson, N.J.)
  • -  Ethnography
  • -  United States -- New Jersey -- Paterson

Genre

  • Ethnography
  • Interviews

Notes

  • -  Interview with Reverend Louis McDowell, owner, McDowell's Barber Shop.
  • -  Summary of audio segment: (Role of barber in a neighborhood or community?) it's been a business throughout the ages; everybody likes to get dressed up and to get dressed up without a haircut is not completely dressed up. "The barber's duty, his line in the life of a neighborhood, is to keep people groomed, keep people looking well, keep people -- sometimes even the barber has been a place where men could come and pour out their troubles to. Sometimes they have gotten, had, an argument or disagreement with their wives, and an experienced barber could say, 'Oh no, it shouldn't be like that.'" "While you're working on a person's face, his body, you can get a little closer to him. In other words, you're right by his ear anyway and he's got to hear you anyway. So, this way, you're a little closer to him and you have an advantage to talk to him. Some barbers have been in a neighborhood for years. I cut your grandfather's hair. I cut your father's hair. Now, I'm cutting your hair and then I'll be cutting your kids' hair. This has happened to me." When I first opened up here, the kids that were ten years old are forty years old now. "It's a very important place in a neighborhood. Like years ago: first the home, the church and the school. Then when it comes down to in the neighborhood: the grocery store, the barber and all like that, the butcher. They all fall in line making up the community." It's a good fellowship down through the ages.

Medium

  • Digital Audio Tape

Call Number/Physical Location

  • AFC 1995/028: WIP-SL-A022

Source Collection

  • Working in Paterson Project Collection (AFC 1995/028)

Repository

  • American Folklife Center

Digital Id

Online Format

  • audio

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is not aware of any U.S. copyright protection (see Title 17, U.S.C.) or any other restrictions in the material in this collection, except as noted below. Users should keep in mind that the Library of Congress is providing access to these materials strictly for educational and research purposes. The written permission of the copyright owners and/or other holders of rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. See our Legal Notices and Privacy and Publicity Rights for additional information and restrictions.

The American Folklife Center and the professional fieldworkers who carry out these projects feel a strong ethical responsibility to the people they have visited and who have consented to have their lives documented for the historical record. The Center asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here. Researchers are also reminded that privacy and publicity rights may pertain to certain uses of this material.

Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these collection materials should contact the Folklife Reading Room for assistance.

Credit line

Working in Paterson Project collection, 1993-2002 (AFC 1995/028), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Mcdowell, Rev. Louis, and Susan Levitas. "Sometimes even the barber has been a place where men could come and pour out their troubles to.". -08-30, 1994. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/afcwip002842/.

APA citation style:

McDowell, R. L. & Levitas, S. (1994) "Sometimes even the barber has been a place where men could come and pour out their troubles to.". -08-30. [Audio] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afcwip002842/.

MLA citation style:

Mcdowell, Rev. Louis, and Susan Levitas. "Sometimes even the barber has been a place where men could come and pour out their troubles to.". -08-30, 1994. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afcwip002842/>.