Synopsis

Pavement wait their turn in a shabby barber shop, each band member eventually taking a seat in the chair for an increasingly bizarre transformation. The barber's routine veers from ordinary grooming into surreal props, unexpected makeovers, and deadpan visual gags. Stephen Malkmus receives the most elaborate treatment, ending up styled like rock royalty. The low-key setting and deliberately awkward performances match the song's sarcastic attack on image, fashion, and the music industry's demand for a marketable look.

Factoids & Trivia

• Released in 1994, this was Pavement's first proper music video. The band and Matador Records kept the production inexpensive, a decision that became typical of the group's videos.

• The video's barber-shop premise turns the song's criticism of image into a literal joke. Hair, styling, and visual presentation become absurd markers of status and commercial appeal.

• The clip did receive MTV exposure, but Matador co-founder Gerard Cosloy later recalled that it did not achieve the level of rotation the label had hoped for.

• A version included with the 2002 DVD retrospective *Slow Century* features commentary from the band and filmmakers. The DVD also preserves an alternate edit in which a black-and-white loop of the band fooling around appears on the shop's television.

• "Cut Your Hair" became Pavement's only US single to make a significant mainstream chart impact, reaching No. 10 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.