Syd Curry is an amazingly talented hair stylist. Syd's career in the beauty industry has spanned 3 decades working on celebrities such as Debbie Harry, Ashley Judd, Madonna, Charlize Theron, Mariah Carey and Cindy Crawford. His trademark hair styles have graced celebrities at iconic events like The Academy Awards, The Emmy’s and The Grammy’s while his work has been published in every major magazine domestically and abroad. He was the creative behind the "black bob" wig for the model featured in George Michael’s video “Father Figure” and at present you can see his craftsmanship on Nicolette Sheridan as she graces the cover of Prestige Magazine. Syd Curry is talented, creative, innovative, but most of all...inspiring.
Speaking publicly for the first time, Syd Curry granted me access into his rise to the top, hitting rock bottom and how determination can never keep a good man down.
Shannon: When did you first realize that you had a talent for styling hair?
Syd Curry: At a very young age, it was just something I could always do. I started beauty school at 16 in Simi Valley, California. I was the only boy in school at the time and I took a lot of flack for it, but I was a good stylist and the boys who gave me the hardest time stopped when their mothers and sisters started coming to me.
Shannon: Did you ever think that it would take you all over the world?
Syd: No never. Who thinks that someday you’ll be going all over the world because you have a talent for doing hair? I had traveled all over the United States but when I worked for Mariah Carey I was lucky enough to travel all over Europe and to Japan. Billy B who was her make up artist at the time introduced us so it was amazing getting to see the world with my best friend. Ask him about the earthquake in Japan someday!
Shannon: How were you discovered?
Syd: My friend Ricky Castro needed hair done for a story in LA Weekly—we were shooting in a graveyard and old theater and his agent came by and asked me to call her. My first print work was with Matthew Rolston and one of my first videos was for Buster Pointdexter in Las Vegas—this is where I met Billy B.
Shannon: What do you feel are the two most important products when styling hair?
Syd: Of course products are always important, a good hairspray and something to “set” the hair, but for me having the right tools are key. Irons, hot rollers good brushes and a tail comb. I’m old school and almost every thing I do comes out of the “sets” I learned in Beauty School, even if its beach hair I start out pin curling the hair. Of course I can do a straight, flat look, but what fun is that? But getting back to your question, if it works for me I use it. I don’t care if it cost fifty cents or fifty dollars.
Shannon: Who was the very first celebrity that you styled hair for and what was running through your mind while you were doing it?
Syd: Well for me it was the models I worked when I was first getting started. I was really lucky to have worked with women like Jerry Hall, Janice Dickenson, Gia and Beverly Johnson in the first few years of my career then later I started to work with actors and singers. I was blown away, scared and excited all at once. I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the most beautiful amazing women in the world, Madonna, Faye Dunaway, Catherine Zeta Jones, Charlize Theron, but it was working with Cindy Crawford that had the biggest impact on my career. I started working with Cindy when she was hosting MTV’s House of Style and there was no bigger model in the world at the time. Just being associated with her took my career to another level, but more than that I really love Cindy, she was very good to me and I will always consider her a friend. And then there’s President Bill Clinton.
Shannon: Oh? How did you come in contact with Bill Clinton and what was it like to do hair for the leader of the free world?
Syd: At the time when I was doing Cindy Crawford’s hair MTV was also doing Choose or Lose and Bill Clinton was going to be on it. I was working at Nordstrom’s at the time and I’ll never forget being called to the phone and told it was the FBI. It was a little nerve wracking, but they were just doing a security clearance. Bill Clinton is an amazing, charismatic person. Although we were in a room with a million people telling him everything he needed to remember for the show, he kept his focus on you, making you feel the center of attention.
Shannon: Let’s talk a little about your battle with addiction, when did it all begin?
Syd: I started taking heroin when I was 23. I started taking pills when I was 14 and things just progressed from there to Methadone. My biggest problem was that drugs never scared me so when I had my first chance to do heroin, I didn’t give it a second thought. The sad thing is I had no idea how that first time would change my life over the next thirty years.
Shannon: How were you able to “hold it together” amassing celebrity clientele while being an addict?
Syd: For most of my career, I didn’t use at work. I would be lying if I said I never got high on or before a job, but the reason I could function so well is because I was on Methadone as well as heroin. Methadone is used to block opiate withdrawal so it allowed me to work and not have to worry about being sick. Methadone is just as addictive as heroin and it’s much much harder to kick. I had been going to a clinic at the time where they give you Methadone for kicking your heroin habit, but I abused it. I was late a lot coming to work because sometimes a shoot would start before the clinic opened and I absolutely had to go to the clinic. No one noticed for years. Things didn’t really start to fall apart until 1998. I was nodding off at work, repeatedly showing up late and that’s the year I got arrested for possession of heroin. After that, everything went downhill and things got out of control pretty fast.
Shannon: When did you realize that you needed help?
Syd: I was doing a shoot for Nordstrom that I thought was a 5 day job that ended up being 6. I had only packed enough methadone for 5 days, so on day 6 I ran out and never showed up to the shoot. I always knew I needed help it just took me a very long time to want help.
Shannon: Once becoming clean, did you find it easy or difficult to transition back into hair styling?
Syd: First just let me say that starting a freelance career again was something I never let myself think about. I walked away from everything in 2000 and I spent the past few years in a very dark place. When I finally went into treatment I had my mom contact Billy B., who about a year earlier, had paid an online company to find me. The last time we had seen each other was in 2000 sitting in his driveway crying about how out of control my life had become. I left him that day promising to call the next day and he never heard from me again, six years later he found my mom’s number and called her so he could find out if I was dead or alive. He was the first person I had come visit me in detox and we stayed in touch throughout the whole six months. When I got home he always let me know that if I was ever ready to start back to work to let him know. After being home for about 3 months he got me on a job for MAC doing a master class. I probably slept only an hour the night before and got there about an hour before him because I was so nervous. I was shy at first, but then as soon as I started to work, I was fine. It took a little while during the class to find my comfort zone and realize that I still had talent and that this was something I was good at and loved. Then, after MAC, Billy introduced me to Patricia Field who we did for the Academy Awards. Billy and I have been friends and worked together for over twenty years and I really do have to credit him with helping me to realize I could do this again. Besides all that, he is my best friend and I don’t know what I’d do without him.
Shannon: Were you welcomed back by the beauty and fashion industry with open arms?
Syd: It has been pretty amazing everyone has been completely supportive. The best thing that has happened for me on a personal level is that the person who represented me for a long time has started to rep me again. Patti Kassover was my agent for a long time before and during the bad times. One of the best things she ever did for me as an agent and a friend was to stop sending me out on jobs before I completely destroyed my career. Patti and everyone at Solo Artists have been great and the best part is they know the whole story and they realize that its going to take me a minute to get back into the swing of things. As far as clients go, I can honestly say that I’ve had nothing but great feedback. People are usually kind of blown away by the amount of time I used and that I’m still alive and healthy and its good for me to hear their reactions because it only helps make me realize how huge this all is. At first I was hesitant to talk about my addiction, but everyone’s reaction has been overwhelming and talking about it has helped in my recovery.
Shannon: Describe Syd Curry the Hair Stylist now and Syd Curry the Hair Stylist 10 years ago.
Syd: That’s easy, 10 years ago I took everything I had for granted and lost it all. I hope I will never make that mistake again. Like I said before just the fact of having this chance to start over again is beyond amazing to me.
You can learn more about Syd Curry by visiting him online via his MySpace profile or see a sampling of his portfolio at Solo Artists. Has Syd inspired you? Be sure to let him know by posting a comment.
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