'Business at the front' and 'party at the back'. New Zealand's best celebrity mullets revealed. Photos / nzonscreen
'Business at the front' and 'party at the back'. New Zealand's best celebrity mullets revealed. Photos / nzonscreen
The new TV2 series Bogans inspires NZ On Screen’s Nicky Harrop to take a look back at some of New Zealand television’s best mullets
The allure of a haircut offering both 'business at the front' and 'party at the back' has long resonated with New Zealanders, and many prime specimens have been captured on screen - in shows about Westies and bogans, but also in assorted 1980s dramas and music videos.
Simon Prast
Legendary TV soap Gloss celebrated 80s glamour with a parade of designer fashions. Yet amongst the finery, a mullet was lurking, albeit with a side of Moet. Actor Simon Prast sported a great example as rich kid Alastair Redfern, his long-at-the-back frosted curls cascading to his well padded shoulders.
The 80s also saw the Kiwi music fraternity keen to embrace the style. Never one to do things by halves, The Dance Exponents' Jordan Luck rocked mullet variations through much of the decade, as seen in several of the band's videos.
There's a particularly fine example in the video for I'll Say Goodbye (Even Though I'm Blue), which you can see here:
Shona Laing
Proving the mullet's popularity extended to both sexes, Shona Laing also adopted the haircut for a time. The (Glad I'm) Not A Kennedy video sees her sporting a style not so likely to be found atop the heads of America's 'Royal Family.'
You can see the (Glad I'm) Not A Kennedy video here:
Shayne Carter
And video evidence suggests the indie scene was not immune to the mullet's charms. The video for Straightjacket Fits' classic She Speeds captures frontman Shayne Carter with a distinctive mullet interpretation - apparently self-styled.
View the video for Straightjacket Fits She Speeds here:
The Hoons
As mullets began to meet the mainstream, stereotypes inevitably arose. Local comedy series Funny Business featured the mullet-heavy Hoons, regularly poking fun at all things bogan.
You can watch The Hoons in Funny Business here:
Antony Starr
The arrival of Outrageous Fortune saw a later surge of on-screen mullets, with character Van West (played by Antony Starr) leading the pack. Leaving his twin brother Jethro to handle the business, Van's mullet appropriately veers more towards 'party at the front and back.' With news of a second series of prequel Westside to be set in the early 80s, viewers may well have a chance to see the West family's mullet history come full circle.
Watch the debut episode of Outrageous Fortune here:
• Bogans screens Thursdays at 9pm on TV2.
You can see a more comprehensive selection of mullets here.
