Eric Boehlert writes about the silliness of most/all political stories about what candidates pay for their haircuts. He's right.
But I have one comment, not about what candidates pay for their coifs but about Brian Williams. As Boehlert notes, the other night Williams was on Mr. Letterman's show and the discussion turned to this issue…
Asked what was the most he'd ever paid for a trim, Williams responded, "probably $12." Really? I have to pay $16, plus tip, for a trim at a little barbershop on Valley Avenue in the New Jersey 'burbs. But Williams, who lives in a restored farmhouse in Connecticut where he parks his 477-horsepower black Porsche GT2 (that is, when he's not decamping on the Upper East Side), gets his haircut for just $12. And remember, that's probably the most he's ever paid.
Williams enjoys a $10 million salary. He's a celebrity journalist and recent Men's Vogue cover boy, who, up until just a few years ago, was probably known as much for his perfectly coiffed locks as he was his reporting skills. Yet, eager to project himself as one of the guys, Williams insists his trims cost chump change.
Boehlert's correct that it's silly to think Williams pays twelve bucks for his haircuts but it's probably not true that the newsman pays more. He probably pays nothing. NBC has a make-up department. They have people on staff who cut and style hair…and probably some very good ones. (If they didn't keep Williams' "do" looking good, they'd be replaced in a second.) These people not only will cut his hair without him paying a cent, they'll give him a trim every time he sits in the make-up chair if he needs it. And he doesn't even have to tip.
Brian Williams has been on television, usually on a daily basis, since around 1985. It could easily have been that long since he had to pay someone to cut his hair.