I've done freelance work for some big ad agencies, and I found that if I showed up in a suit and tie, it was hard for the creatives to accept me as one of them. Their uniform was more AC/DC tee, sweatpants, and flip-flops, and I wouldn't have been surprised to meet an art director with a Mohawk. So if you're a suit wearer, you're probably an account guy. In a way, the Mohawk is a form of advertising. It sends a message that you are a wild thing. That's why paratroopers of the 101st Airborne wore it on D-day. That's why Redskins running back John Riggins, who scored 104 NFL touchdowns, wore it in the '70s. That's why Wendy O. Williams wore it when attacking a guitar with a chain saw. That's why Travis Bickle wore it in Taxi Driver. That is, presumably, why the Mohawks wore it in the first place. They only wore it for war. An account guy in a Mohawk? As Mr. T said, "I pity the fool!"

Related Stories for GQGlenn O'BrienStyle GuyThe OfficeHairGrooming