Bass Players and Hats - - - 70% of Women Say They Are a Turn Off

[Exemonium]

I have all my hair and on more than a few occasions I've been complimented on my looks in a baseball cap. By some really shallow women too. Maybe is the lesser of two evils haha. Perhaps they prefer a hat vs thick wavy hair, who knows. Then again my hats are usually pretty clean. However, those are definitely interesting results. Maybe some guys really pull them off. I'll admit I look like a dork in any other type of hat, there's no doubt about it.
I'm sure we could do another survey with shoes too. I know some girls who won't even look twice if a guy is wearing athletic shoes. *shrug*

[elbeau]

When we play out of town I wear a Tigers hat and midway thru the set it ends up on my amp. Seeing that old english D on band members show people what they're up for.

[pklima]

Originally Posted by elbeau

Seeing that old english D on band members show people what they're up for.

Playing music that old people from English-speaking countries like to listen to while drinking Olde English malt liquor?

[rtslinger]

Got to tell you I first wore it for a photo shoot and then to a few gigs now I can't not wear it because it has become such a part of our stage show if I walk in the door without my hat no one knows who I am lol! No really I walked into a place and said hello to someone that has been coming to the shows for years. I did not have me hat on and he and his wife look at me like who is that guy? I was like wow that is weird maybe a bad time? I walk out on stage and they were both yelling and waving at me like this was first time they saw me that night. So I took off my hat after the first set and walked up to them and they were freaked out that they did not know me without my hat and shades who am I freaking Clark Kent? Happens with Club owners and bartenders as well they try to charge me if I roll up to the bar without my hat true story.

[9mmMike]

Normally, I do not wear hats when playing. Last summer however, we played an outside show that was insanely hot and we played as the sun was setting in our faces and I wore a pith helmet. Worked great but certainly did not become my "signature look"! Ha!

[remainthesame]

I got two words for you. Les Claypool. That dude wears a lot of bizarre hats, and chicks love him.

[pklima]

Originally Posted by remainthesame

I got two words for you. Les Claypool. That dude wears a lot of bizarre hats, and chicks love him.

OK, let's take a step back and get some perspective here. Chicks love Nicki Minaj, Michel Teló or Justin Bieber. If you started making a list of musicians chicks love, Les Claypool would be maybe 15000th on that list.

[DaveDeVille]

... oh yeah , hats and dark glasses make me look soooo sexy .

[Tecate]

I like hats

[Gopherbassist]

Originally Posted by j.kernodle

also you should not wear a hat indoors as it is bad manners.

Are you 70 years old or older?

[Auguste]

Originally Posted by Gopherbassist

Are you 70 years old or older?

You don't have to be seventy to believe that

[Pilgrim]

I wear a fedora every day - but I only wear good quality hats. Most of them are either Stetsons or Mallory hats 40 or more years old.

Usually when playing, if I wear a hat it's a baseball-style cap, and that's usually if I'm playing an outdoors gig. I don't wear fedoras while practicing because the underside of the brim is a reflective surface which bounces sound to my ears, and even though we practice at moderate volume I don't need the extra volume.

I will offer these keys to wearing a hat and looking good:

1) Wear a hat while you're not on stage so that you're used to it. People can tell when you're wearing any article of clothing that's unfamiliar and feels awkward.

2) Don't wear a stupid-looking hat or a joke hat....unless you want to look stupid or it's a joke.

3) If you play country, don't wear one of those awful battered straw hats with both sides of the brim jammed up against the crown, and the front and rear pulled down into a half-moon...wear a quality felt hat that's well blocked and shaped.

4) Wear a hat that's appropriate to your clothing, the musical theme, the venue and the occasion. Yes, if you play blues it's OK to wear a black fedora with a moderate brim, but don't wear it with shorts and a T-shirt. Wear clothing that goes with a fedora, which is a more business style hat.

5) IMO the only hats that go with jeans and a T-shirt are western hats or ball caps. If It's a western hat, you better be wearing boots.

6) No hat goes with shorts except a ball cap. If you're wearing shorts, you should be playing surf music or at least playing outdoors, preferably both.

7) Ball caps are pretty much standard wear for many guys. The brim should be worn forward, not pointing back. That's why it's built onto the hat. If you want to point the brim back, you obviously don't want or need a hat with a brim, so go get a Fez.

[pklima]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

6) No hat goes with shorts except a ball cap. If you're wearing shorts, you should be playing surf music or at least playing outdoors, preferably both.

Don't pith helmets go with shorts?

[krstko]

Hats are cool only if you wear cowboy hats

[Buslady7803]

Only one bassist can wear a hat, that's Andy Irvine cos he's just one cool dude

[prd004]

In my rock band I sometimes wear a backwards ball cap on stage, not always but often. I never wear one facing forward, ever.

I can pull it off, it looks good on me and the ladies tell me so.

I also play in a funk-soul-jazz band in which the bandleader wants us in sharp dress and a Fedora. I get tons of compliments on this look too!

I think people should wear what they are comfortable wearing as long as it's appropriate for the gig

[IronLung1986]

in my experience a lot of guys wear those little fedoras and think they look cool but they really don't. you know, those trilby-looking ones. it's sort of a peacocking fake gangster thing and to me it just looks silly.

the problem with men's headwear today is authenticity: this stuff has been out of fashion for at least 40 years. so most people who wear non-baseball style hats look like they're trying to be something they're not. like retro or something. so unless you're old enough to legitimately wear a fedora, you'll probably look bad doing it.

[Biggbass]

I tried to go hatless this past Sat night but just couldn't do it. Too much sweat comes off my head into my eyes and my hat soaks it up. Oh well.

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by Auguste

We were at a three band music event (classic rock 60s through the 90s) yesterday and during the intermissions wifey and I asked a total of 30 ladies (aged 25 to older ) what they thought of band members wearing hats.

21 said that hats worn by band members are a turn off - - - reasons - - - really nerdy - - - is their hair that dirty - - - if the hair is dirty then they probably smell - - - looks yukky - - - just not cool

The hats that 'suck' that were most mentioned were fedoras, flat taxi cab style hats and touques (tube hats for you southern boys and girls)

Interesting in that three women said if you have a large bald spot wear a hat

Anyhoo . . . it was a hoot and the answers were surprising . . . nobody told us to get lost when we asked them the questions . . . maybe because the wife and I did it as a couple . . . plus we got to meet a whole lot of people

One of the bass players, a friend, asked us what we doing . . . when we gave him the results he literally ditched his fedora it looked better on his girl friend than it did on him

Mandatory mention that your sample size is too small, and that you likely did not ask the right questions.

[nortonrider]

Originally Posted by IronLung1986

in my experience a lot of guys wear those little fedoras and think they look cool but they really don't. you know, those trilby-looking ones. it's sort of a peacocking fake gangster thing and to me it just looks silly.

the problem with men's headwear today is authenticity: this stuff has been out of fashion for at least 40 years. so most people who wear non-baseball style hats look like they're trying to be something they're not. like retro or something. so unless you're old enough to legitimately wear a fedora, you'll probably look bad doing it.

Yep!