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Published: August 9th 2006
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Although he was a dominating force on the ice during the early to mid-nineties, Jaromir Jagr's mullet put him squarely at the lower echelons of respectability of North American society. I mean, you're a guy making millions of dollars, you can hire the best fashion consultants around. Hell, you don't even need to hire a fashion consultant. Pick anyone off the street could tell you for free that the mullet went out with leggings over leotards, the band Dokken, and parachute pants. Yet there Jaromir was, night after night, flying down the ice with a huge tail of hair flowing after him like he was some sort of furry comet. And oh how we North American sports fans chided him for it.
However, since arriving in Jaromir's native Czech Republic, I've come to realize that we North Americans were wrong to mock Jaromir's mullet. It was very insensitive of us. For as I've discovered, just as cheesy 80's ballads are still very in vogue here in continental Europe, so too is the infamous mullet, aka Tennessee top-hat, aka neck-blanket. Most especially, I've noticed, in the Czech Republic.
You see, one night a group of travellers which included myself decided
to seek out some cheap and tasty Czech beer. This is not a difficult task of course, as cheap and tasty Czech beer is everywhere. However, one of our party learnt from an expat living in Prague that there is an excellent place to drink while taking in a grand view of the city. We found this rumoured place--a beer garden--on a map, but finding it in actuality proved much more difficult. Needless to say, we got a little lost. The evening was wearing on, and thus far we had neither beer, nor a garden, nor a combination of the two. At this point we were far removed from where the tourists typically hang out and drink, but were too thirsty to head back to the Old Town Square which was on the other side of the river and a long walk back.
As I said, cheap and tasty Czech beer is everywhere, so fed up of looking for the beer garden of lore, we headed into a nearby pub. As we entered it was one of those western movie moments wherein everyone stops what they're doing to stare at the new strangers from out of town. But a
The Roster Crows At Dawn
No it doesn't. It's only made of metal. But you can imagine it crowing out to greet the morning sun from its pearch a top the bell tower. few smiles and nods to assure the locals we came in peace and meant them no harm and they were content to resume their animated conversations. We ordered some beers (half a litre for a dollar, can you believe it?) and settled down by one of the tables near the corner. Looking around, I was struck by the fact that nearly every one present was male, and nearly half of those males present sported mullets of various lengths. It was amazing. I had never seen so many mullets since the I happened to be passing by Red's when Def Lepard were playing. Over our cheap beers, we got to talking about the mullet and eventually led us to discussing the Czech Republic's favourite hockey son. It became clear to us during those moments of slight inebriation that the reason Jaromir kept his glorious trail of curly locks was because even though a mullet might be the epitome of poor style in North America, in the Czech Republic is was the rage. Why, judging by the studs gathered in the pub, we figured they must clean up in the babe department, and Jaromir, when he came back during the summer break,
had the women swooning in the streets whenever he passed by, his lengthy rock-star hair trailing behind him. Heck, if I had that kind of power, I'd never cut my mullet off either, no matter how much those arrogant North American sportscasters make fun of me.
Jaromir hasn't sported his once-notorious coif for several seasons now, and the only conclusion I can come up with as an explanation is that he no longer summers in the Czech Republic. Which is a shame, because from what I've seen of it, it's a beautiful country. And the beer among the best in the world as well as being super-dee-duper cheap. Then again, maybe he just got sick of the tourists that flock here every year. That, or the attention he got from his mullet. Attention, I dare say, that now goes to some of those studs we encountered in the pub. Go get 'em guys. And don't you let anyone from anywhere tell you that your mullet is wrong.
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Jennifer Sargent
non-member comment
Wow
Great pictures Ken! It makes me wish I was out travelling right now a well. Only a few more weeks left for you then it's back to E-town. Will you be getting a mullet on return to Canada?!!