When I was nineteen I lived in Puerto Rico as a missionary I think it must have been either November or December of 1992. We had super strict rules as to how we dressed, what we could do and not do and what our hair should look like. One rule no shaved heads, but sometimes shit happens. Kelly Youngman’s hair was long and needed to be cut. I told him that I had a hair cutting kit and that I’d been cutting mine and my brother’s hair since we were fifteen.

“Cool.” He said. We looked through the various clipper attachments and picked the three. It looked long but I knew better. I flicked the clippers on and it buzzed away. I held Kelly’s shoulder and ran it right down the middle of his head laughing. His face went white as he pulled away from me and looked into the mirror. “Oh No!” I laughed so hard. Kelly bit down hard face red and yanked the clippers away from me, before I could react I had a shaved spot on the top of my head just like his.

Kelly mailed this cartoon of us months later. He told me that he used a nickel to draw the heads. Knicklehead was born that day both knuckleheads. In spanish it’s cabeza hueca. I used to say zoquete which isn’t the exact translation it means blockhead. Good times Kelly.