World's tallest mohawk

A Tokyo fashion designer did a public appearance in New York's Washington Square Park in order to show off his 3' 8.6" mohawk, which has held the Guinness World Record for world's tallest mohawk since 2011. More from the Houston Chronicle

Forty-year-old Kazuhiro Watanabe (kah-zoo-HEE'-roh wah-tah-NAH'-bee) says he's been growing the hair for 15 years. He says to make it stand upright it takes stylists two hours, one can of gel and three cans of hairspray. He says he wanted to grow the mohawk to rebel against the conformity of Japanese society.

Man shows off Guinness' tallest mohawk in NYC park (via Neatorama)

(Image: downsized, cropped thumbnail from a picture by Guinness World Records)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: fashion • happy mutants • Japan • punk

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http://www.ikaink.net Itsumishi

Because nothing says I hate conformity like a black leather jacket, Doc Martin’s and a mohawk.
- EH
  
  Congratulations, you’re my Dad circa 1985.
  - http://www.ikaink.net Itsumishi
    
    Isn’t that even more telling?
    - EH
      
      That you’re a square? Maybe, but your spelling of the boot company is probably already doing that.
      - http://www.ikaink.net Itsumishi
        
        LOL. I can honestly say that’s the first time I’ve been called a square. Nerd, yes; geek, yes; but never a square. I guess that’s circa 1985 coming at me though.
- neurogami
  
  Mohawks became the new mullet some time ago.
http://www.facebook.com/joelfinkle Joel Finkle

and to rebel against doorway lintels
Shibi_SF

I guess that the Houston Chronicle’s regular readers need phonetic help pronouncing Japanese names.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Aguirre/10601304 John Aguirre
  
  Not to mention that the phonetic help they provided is wrong. BE would be pronounced as “beh”, not “bee”.
  - Antinous / Moderator
    
    Also, accented syllables don’t work like they do in English. The grand example being the difference between English and Japanese pronunciations of Kurosawa. It ain’t pronounced “kerra SOW! uh”.
    - benher
      
      I never did understand it. They only have 5 Vowel sounds People! In English we have a million-brazillion. A is always “ah, O is always “Oh” E is always “ay” U is always “Oo” and I is always “ii”
      
      Koo-row-sah-wahhhhhh!!!! BLOOORUGHHH!!
    - Paul Renault
      
      I my experience, pronounce the roman-/latin-written Japanese as if it was french. Also, like french, you have to attentuate the accenting of the syllables.
      
      So ku-roe-saw-wah would be closer…depending on how you pronounce those words, of course.
      I haven’t been able to think of an english word that’s pronounced like the short u in ‘ku’ – think of Meg Ryan trying to pronounce ‘Lii-uc’ in ‘French Kiss’.
ChicagoD

Watanabe is a Mohawk name? I always thought it was Japane . . . ah, OK, I get it now.
EH

Not a mohawk, sorry. That’s a textbook shampoo-horn.
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  Bueller?
Boundegar

I’m old enough to remember when that hairstyle was unironic. *sigh*
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  I’m old enough that it makes me start singing I’m in the Mood for Love.
Navin_Johnson

Reminds me of seeing The Exploited when I was 15. Their mohawks were impressive at the start of the show but all flaccid and flopped over by the end……
- benher
  
  “impressive at the start of the show but all flaccid and flopped over by the end….”
  
  My life, summarized.
bcsizemo

rebel against the conformity of Japanese society.

Japan, the place that exports school girl tentacle rape illustrated stories…?

I know what he means, but come on, lets narrow it down to a specific area of conformity. Cause frankly Japan has it’s own special brand of weird.
Donald Petersen

Wow. Does it really take two hours to get it up like that? I guess most of that time must involve hanging one’s head out the window while the product dries.
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  If I were making a towering do, I’d use concentrated gelatin. It’s stronger, and it doesn’t have to dry, just cool off.
TwilightNewsSite

Judging by the post-post-punk consternation in the comments here, I’d say, “Mission accomplished.”

And he should ditch the gel; it just weighs it down after a certain point, especially five minutes after you’ve walked away from the mirror. Hairspray only. Maybe a little conditioner to get rid of fly-aways, but that’s it.
BombBlastLightingWaltz

this is reminiscent of Dreyfuss stacking mashed potatoes in Close Encounters.
http://daruiburns.tumblr.com/ Dlo Burns

Reminds me of one of my plants

http://daruiburns.tumblr.com/post/30839124440/presenting-rochefort-the-haworthia-retusa-note