WETHERSFIELD - Lil Wayne’s auto tuned vocals thunder through the speakers over a pulsating beat as the crowded front section waits for the festivities to start.
There’s legendary boxing announcer David Diamante, taking the stage to kick things off-his signature voice ringing the hype to a fever pitch with the introduction of the afternoon’s competitors.
But this isn’t a hip hop concert. It isn’t a sporting event.
This is the Connecticut Barber Expo. Yes, a haircut competition. With his thick mane of braided dreadlocks-hanging way south of his shoulders-perhaps Diamante came to the right place.
â€"This is like the Super Bowl of barber competitions,†says Merhan Cecunjanin, or, â€"MC Barberâ€-as he’s known to a network of hair maestros that have grown to both fear and respect him. â€"People come from all over the U.S. We even had barbers from Alaska.â€
We’re standing over a laptop opened up on one of the countertops in MC’s Wethersfield shop. Here, MC rolls the footage-taken from the event by a group of Yale University students shooting a documentary.
And there he is, a gel-shined haircut over a thick beard-a vest over a white buttoned down and bow tie topping off an Amish look. He’s hard at work, spiffing up a tall â€"model†that could pass for his twin brother.
â€"I wanted to win,†MC says of his attire. â€"If you care, you go all the way.â€
In a barber competition, presentation matters, but it isn’t everything. A franchise-worthy trophy collection provides some insight on what other facets make a champion hairstylist.
MC’s triumphs in the best 15 minute fade, and the fastest Mohawk-among others-sit on display in the front window of the Silas Deane Highway shop. He has won-a lot.
Twenty-five trophies, total. Twelve were for first place finishes. Nine for second.
â€"It’s a great feeling,†MC says. â€"You’re competing among the best barbers in the country. This is where you see the latest techniques. Learn. Compete.â€
His apparent dominance in every category indicates technical prowess, but Team USA Coach Andrea Turisi likes to stress the intangibles.
â€"There was a drive I liked,†Turisi said over the phone. â€"He’s got this hunger for learning more.â€
Nowadays that’s rare, by Turisi’s account. But back in his day-the Turisi-described â€"Golden Age†of barber competitions-hair professionals were voracious students of the game.