Eight Hairy Questions for Chris Rock: The Uncut Version

(Editor: Last month we ran a much shorter version of our chat with the comedian. Here is the longer version.)

Chris Rock is known for making even the most awkward situations funny. He manages to do that and more with his new documentary Good Hair, a two-hour in-depth look into the $1 billion hair-care industry catering to African-Americans. Perms, weaves, and hair-care products are discussed, scrutinized, and investigated with humorous but respectful reporting by Rock himself, who leaves no rock unturned. The comic even traveled to India to watch religious ceremonies in which hair is donated for the purpose of extensions. Last month Rock sat down with Pop Vox at the Beverly Hills Polo Club to discuss jheri curls, hair weaves, and the Jacksons.

NEWSWEEK: You got the idea to do this documentary because of your two daughters, right? They asked you why they didn’t have "good hair."
ROCK: Yeah, that was part of it. But I’d always fascinated by the Bronner Bros.' big hair show down in Atlanta for, like, the last decade. It’s such a major event and in its own league that I thought, I need to do something on this. But for some reason it was easier to get money for Pootie Tang than it was to get money to do a project on black hair [laughs]. Go figure. I had to wait until I had a little more clout in the business before I could get it made.

It was amazing to see popular African-American actresses like Nia Long and Raven-Symoné talk so freely about getting weaves and extensions. Were you surprised at their honesty?
Well, I’m a comic, so I think people already feel more at ease when I ask them questions. I don’t think the intimidation factor was there. But I also think these women just wanted to be a part of something that explained what blacks feel they have to do to feel accepted in society—what they had to do to be considered beautiful by the masses. That’s what was important to me to get out there. The whys of black people’s obsession with hair. It’s a deep-rooted issue that isn’t as simple as wanting to look white or be something you’re not. The women in the film, I think, actually break down the trials of black women in many ways—and let you know it ain’t easy.

Actress Nia Long was hilarious in explaining how she won’t get her hair wet in the pool when she’s wearing a weave but she doesn’t mind when she's in the shower with a boyfriend. Were you surprised by her bluntness?
I’ve told Nia this is her best performance since Boyz n the Hood. She hasn’t had a better role. She stole the movie with her straight-to-the-point attitude. Yeah, there were a few times when I was, like, Wow—did she really say that?! But that’s the beauty of a documentary. You're capturing people at their rawest. [People] kind of let their guards down now and let it flow.

You really go after the hair relaxer/perm business. What disturbed you the most about that part of the industry?
When I realized just how strong those chemicals are in those perms. I used to get perms—I had a jheri curl for years and it used to burn my scalp like crazy and I’d have sores in my head.  But I had to have one because the Jacksons had them. And you know anything the Jacksons did, I did as a kid. If they had perms in their hair, I wanted one, too. Jackie and Jermaine had a curl; I had to have a curl. That went on for a long time. I had a jheri curl in New Jack City. But when I did the research and found out what the perms actually have in them, it was scary. Those chemicals could be used in warfare and we’re putting them on our scalps on a regular basis. Who knows what long-term impact that has on our health? My daughters can do a lot of things, but they ain’t putting chemicals in their hair.

Speaking of perms; you have the Rev. Al Sharpton speaking candidly about his perm and how seriously he takes his hair. Why was Reverend Al important to speak on this?
Come on—you know you have to have to have the good reverend in anything that deals with black hair. He’s so not ashamed of discussing his hair and how he keeps it up with a scarf and whatever it takes. You gotta love him. I don’t worry too much about discussing politics with him, but I do love talking to him about everything else, cause he’s a smart brother who could have his own comedy show. I think he gets a raw deal because of some of things that happened in the past. But his thoughts on black life and what it involves can be priceless.

Ten years ago, people were laughing at weaves and the people who wore them. But not so much today?  Why do you think that is?
I think we all know more about weaves today and why people wear them. I now think about the women I dated, and I can remember the ones I could put my hands in their hair and the ones I couldn’t. And I go, "Oh, wow, that’s what was going on. They had a weave." But I also think we all understand that there is an ideal of beauty out there, and many of us feel compelled to live up to it. In some cases, we have to. What was more interesting to me was how expensive it [is] to do weaves, and how it can really put a strain on a relationship or a household. We didn’t put that in the film because it was a little too depressing.

You’re a comic and the documentary is funny, but you seem to make a point of not judging or making fun of whatever decisions the women or men were making in wearing their hair.
First off, I’m not a black woman, so judging them and what they do would be insulting. I tried to approach like a real journalist. You know, [being] objective and just reporting the facts. I just wanted to relay information on a subject that’s been very interesting to me for years. And I was very careful not to judge or make fun: why make fun of the people who I made the film about, and for? The humor actually comes from the real people talking, not me. And I love that.

Are you surprised at the buzz this film has been getting for the past year?
I tell people this film has gotten more attention than anything else I’ve done and that’s amazing to me. It’s going to be this year’s Sex and the City! But I’m being careful in how I market it. Really thinking hard about if I do the Lettermans and the Conans before or after it comes out, because I want people to get a feel for it. On the surface, you’d think it was funny, and it is in many ways—but not in a disrespectful way. Hair is a delicate and sometimes painful subject in our community, so I have to be careful on where I go with promotion. I don’t want late-night talk shows to misrepresent it. It’s a slice of black life that many in the mainstream have never seen before. But I think people will appreciate it. At least, I hope so.