HAIR-raising transformation: Longview man appears on talk show after cutting off 3 1/2 feet of dreads

LONGVIEW — Elderly ladies are no longer clutching their purses and parents aren't pulling their children close to their breast when Kevin Blalock walks by these days.

His appearance is fine-tuned — that of a rock-star sporting a hip new look matched by an air of confidence.

News-Journal photos (enlarge photo) Kevin Blalock before and after his makeover.

Not too long ago, things were much different for the 33-year-old Longview man. With 3 1/2 feet of tangled dreadlocks hanging well below his waistline and a scraggly beard to match, his look drew wide-eyed stares — and from the bravest, timid conversation.

"I looked like a burly mountain man," Blalock said.

The look had taken Blalock 16 years to perfect, but with a baby son on the way, the first-time father thought it was time for a drastic change.

So did the producers of a popular talk show who agreed to fly Blalock to their Los Angeles set to be part of a makeover episode.

Airing at 11 a.m. Wednesday on CW Network's Channel KPXJ, the Greg Behrendt Show chronicles the dramatic transformation.

Blalock decided to cut the dreads to open the door to new job opportunities. Sometimes a tatoo artist, sometimes a construction worker, Blalock was looking for another job — something that would provide a steady paycheck.

It was feast of famine inking tats. One day, Blalock said he'd be eating steaks and the next day, Spam.

"I was looking to find a better, more consistent job. Dreadlocks would not do that for me," he said.

While growing his hair, Blalock said he learned about a lot of 'can'ts'."

"There were so many things I could not try for," he said. "With dreads longer than my arm, who wanted to hire someone like that?"

So he made an appointment to get the long locks shorn.

As his plans began to circulate, friends suggested "with hair like that, you ought to call a talk show."

Convinced it was worth a try, if for no other reason than to be funny, Blalock said he e-mailed one of his favorite shows. Within 24-hour, producers from The Greg Behrendt Show were arranging a flight to the West Coast.

"Within a week I was on a plane flying to L.A.," he said.

As fast as the plans were made, the show's stylists had to revamp when winter storms stranded Blalock at the Dallas airport. While waiting for the weather to clear, the stylists called to request Blalock's sizes so they could shop for him.

Once in L.A., things went into high gear. Blalock arrived at his room at 2:30 a.m. and two hours later a car picked him up to go to the set.

It took all day to film the makeover, starting with a background interview.

After cutting the dreadlocks to within a few inches to his scalp, it took another 2 1/2 hours to comb Blalock's hair out.

"Basically, dreads are huge knots," he said.

Sporting a sleek new "do" and wearing a new pair of contacts to replace his glasses, a stylish corduroys jacket, burgundy dress shirt and black dress jeans, Blalock said he was pleasantly surprised with his appearance — especially when his makeover was unveiled for the audience.

"It was amazing. I had a standing ovation —the only one of the day," he said. "They said it was the best makeover they'd ever done, or had ever seen done."

If the applause wasn't enough to measure the drastic change in appearance, the plane ride home was.

On the way to Los Angeles, Blalock said he was pulled aside in all three airports — Longview, Dallas and Los Angeles — for a pat-down search.

"On the way back, it was 'Hi, have a nice day. Enjoy your ride,'" he said.

Back in Longview, Blalock has been looking for a new job and has several good prospects. He's keeping up the new look, and is glad the show's stylists kept some of his style intact.

"I'm still playing with rock bands, so I needed something a bit edgy. They wanted me to still look rock 'n'roll, but like a hip dad," Blalock said.

He's still amazed at the different way people are treating him, but said he long ago learned to accept a close- mindedness to outward appearances.

"I always told everybody I did not want to cut my dreadlocks until they hit the ground. They were a part of me, an extension on myself, but one that I did not want the baby to have to rub up against," he said.