Best Barber In The World, Est. 1946

best barber in the world Originally uploaded by bgilmor.

Today was the first time I've ever gotten a haircut while being out of St. Louis. No prolonged deliberation over this baby; I had some time between classes this afternoon and decided it was just time. Didn't hurt that I was going to Pat Stapleton, the best barber in the world. No, really, that's what the sign on the door said. A picture of him cutting the hair of former taoiseach (Irish prime minister) John Bruton didn't hurt his cause either. I walked up three flights of stairs, peeked in a room that looked like a converted bedroom, and was immediately ushered into the barber chair by Pat's wife. Pat himself was the next to enter. He was an old man, and had trouble speaking, but he got out "how much off?". Within 60 seconds of walking into the room my hair started falling to the ground. The cut lasted about 15 minutes and I'll be damned if a word was said the whole time. I'm telling you, this guy was a cagey pro. He had the room decorated with all sorts of pictures of him and his family, along with ribbons from agricultural fairs and other fun pieces of flair. On the mirror was a simple sticker that said, "Quiet. Genius at work." Plus, he had a microwave in front of the chair I was in; not sure why that adds to his prestige, but it just does. At the end of the cut, again without a word, he held a mirror up so I could see the back of my head, like a proud artist displaying his masterpiece. Check. Then he hands me a towel and brush to clean up with. Again, only a few words uttered. After the whole experience, and especially after only being charged 10 Euro for the cut, I get the sense that I'll be blown away if I ask him the next question, so I go ahead and do it. "How long have you been doing this?" "Since 1946." For those of you scoring at home, that's three years older than the Republic of Ireland itself. Yeah, I guess after 59 years of doing something, you really start to get the hang of it. Talk about some serious dedication. Needless to say, I like the cut, but even if I didn't, I wouldn't have the heart to complain. So, if anyone's looking for a barber, come to me. I know the best barber in the world.