Neil Armstrong Threatens Barber, Wants Hair Back

(Lebanon, Ohio) Retired astronaut Neil Armstrong stopped getting his hair cut at Marx's Barber Shop when he learned that his barber, Marx Sizemore, was sweeping up the clippings and selling them to a celebrity hair collector for $3,000.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Sizemore was approached in May 2004 by an agent for John Reznikoff, who has the largest collection of hair from historical figures, according to the Guinness Book of Records. The collection from more than 100 people includes locks from Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein, Napoleon, Elvis Presley and Charles Dickens.

"First I told (the agent) I wasn't interested, but he kept at it," said Sizemore, who said he spent the money long ago on bills. "It's just picking up the trash on my floor after a haircut, anyway."

According to Armstrong's lawyer, there will be legal action unless Sizemore returns the hair or contributes $3,000 to the charity of Armstrong's choice and pays the lawyer's bill. Sizemore says John Reznikoff refuses to return the hair. Also, he's not paying any lawyer he didn't hire and he doesn't have $3,000 to donate.

Personally, I don't understand what the big deal is but, nevertheless, it raises the question of who owns the hair on the barber's floor.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.