Guilty Pleasures

Tell me how you first got involved with the show, "Blow Out". A little L.A. birdie told me that the stylists were selected before Jonathan Antin was ever approached.

I was. I met the producers back in October and I went to Universal and met [co-creator] Ben Silverman and I think when I walked in the office I pretty much had it. I think they knew right off the bat and I told them I had a motorcycle as well to kind of seal the deal. He wanted 'Shampoo.'

Yeah, I've read that elsewhere that movie was the main influence for the show.

Yeah. I mean, I basically said, 'Ben, you want Shampoo, right, and he was like, 'Oh my God, that, that's exactly what I want,' and I'm like, 'Well, I think you scored.'... But originally, it wasn't going to be Jonathan.

Were you approached on this or was a reality show something you kind of looked into?

My hair agent, actually - the girl that was getting me my freelance work at that time - she heard about it ... They wanted me to be the one to open it [my own salon] but I said, well there's no way ... They obviously really wanted to keep me in so they approached a couple of people - big hairdressers ... Two months before production they told me that Jonathan got it.

How well-known was Jonathan before the show?

He's well-known. And then he got it, and he was the one to put all of his money into it and the producers basically said that I come with the show, period.

Do you think there is anything that is not being conveyed?

As far as me, I love the way they portrayed me actually ... Especially how they ended me - it was killer. Everybody else, now that I watch it, the way that they all seem to look, they all had it coming to them.

What is it about your final appearance that makes you so proud exactly?

Well, I loved the fact that they followed me after I got booted and basically gave me an ending like, f- you, I don't need you ... I did hear that he [Jonathan] got upset about that.

With all due respect, you're portrayed as a bit arrogant or a know-it-all. Would you agree?

I don't really think so. You have to remember they're going to take the most heated moments and use them. Obviously, some of that crap does come out of my mouth but at the same time, I mean, I'm a wise-ass, loud hairdresser. What am I supposed to be - some quiet slug? It's television and there has to be a storyline.

Well, I'm happy for you to hear you say that you are pleased with the way you were portrayed.

Yeah, because in the beginning I came off really cocky ... In the end, I sort of changed, where I become, not the hero, but more likable. I didn't change one thing: I was myself the whole time. I kept it real.

How overdramatized do you think the conflicts are?

You know, it's all real. When he took me outside to yell at me that was real. When he called me and left me that message on my phone that was real. I have that message on my phone.

Did you save it?

I did save it, but I let it go. I don't really need the negativity in my energy. But as far as my stuff, it was real.

What kind of feedback have you gotten, good or bad, since the show aired?

It's great when I go out and people recognize me. It's not like I'm getting calls from people saying, 'Oh my God, I saw you on that show, please cut my hair!' ... People come up to me and say, 'Good for you. He's [Jonathan] an assh-.' That's what I hear the most. I've had girls honk at me in the middle of the street and tell me they love me and they hate him. It's hilarious.

Were you surprised that you were let go?

He wasn't supposed to do that I heard. I heard he was supposed to give me a talking to, instead of firing me. I heard he fired me against production and did it on his own.

When would an issue like that have been taken into his own hands? It's surprising to hear that an employer cannot fire someone that they potentially want to, simply because a show is being taped.

It is a television show. They are creating entertainment but it's not fake ... The situations are more or less put there for you, which is true in every TV show ... He was so serious ... We're doing hair, man. We're not doctors. We're not removing livers. We're making girls look beautiful. What has to be so serious about that?

Did you have any intention on staying at the salon? You said you were "hired" to do the show.

I basically took a three-week leave of absence from The Parlour, went to Jonathan's and now I'm back at The Parlour. Jonathan and I were the only ones that were compensated ... We were the meat of the show and without him and I conflicting, what else is there?

On fashionweekdaily.com, a critic described you as "the cocky annoying alpha male who defines L.A. trash."

Who defines L.A. trash? You can't take that stuff seriously. You think I take this show seriously? You think I did "The Swan" show and the cover of "People" because I did ["Blow Out"]? No. I did it because I went in, kicked ass and these people loved their hair. So, for people to say things like that - that's fine ... I mean, I would never take it serious - are you kidding me? I'm like the coolest f-ing guy ever!

Did it take you some time to get to this point, to be able to digest harsh comments like that one?

No, because I know who I am ... You either really love me or you f-ing hate me. I'm very comfortable with who I am.

You have been branded and marketed as this stylist who lives life in the fast lane.

Well, I'm all about my image. That's my life. I'm in the beauty business. Do people want to come see some slug in Reebok shoes or do they want to come see a guy in a great pair of jeans and a great pair of boots? He looks good, he knows, kinda, what he's talking about. That's how I live my life.

How phased were you by the cameras?

Oh, not at all, are you kidding me? I had no discomfort at all. I was like a natural - and that's why it worked for me.

You've had a lot of writers and critics explain you for you. You said it's been accurate, but in your own words, how would you describe yourself?

Uhhh ... I'm very passionate and a very hard worker. I am aggressive and maybe sometimes self-centered, but you know, I'm out here in a big city and there are a lot of hairdressers out here and I have to hustle. You can't worry about everyone liking you and, in hair, you can't make everybody happy.