WHY DID YOU COME TO THE STATES?
Thirty years ago, there wasn't much work in Sicily. I moved here to make a living.
HOW DID YOU LEARN TO CUT HAIR?
My uncle was a barber, my brother was a barber—all my family members were barbers. I've cut hair since I was in Italy.
SO YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A BARBER?
No! I wanted to play professional soccer but I had no choice. When I was growing up, if your relatives were mechanics, you were a mechanic. Mine were barbers, so I'm a barber.
WHAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT CUTTING HAIR?
It's exciting to meet different people every day.
WHAT'S THE WORST THING?
When people don't know how they want their hair. They say, "Do something different," so I do and sometimes they don't like it.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN AMERICAN HAIRCUT AND AN ITALIAN HAIRCUT?
Not much difference. In the sixties, there was longer hair in Italy. But here too, I guess!
WHO TAKES BETTER CARE OF THEIR HAIR?
Clothing, Italians. But hair, Americans.
WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT ITALY?
Sciacca, my town. Beautiful weather year round, beautiful beaches. The fish we have, the food. It's the best place. You can't compete with that climate.
DO YOU EVER WANT TO MOVE BACK FOR GOOD?
I think about it every day.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU GO BACK? Every two to three years. I still have family in Sciacca. But they're dying on me; that's the way life is.
WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU'VE LEARNED FROM LIVING HERE?
English!
DO YOU CONTINUE ANY ITALIAN TRADITIONS?
All the time. Food, language, sports. Soccer--I follow the team. And just the way I eat and talk [gesticulates], I continue traditions.
YOUR WIFE IS ALSO FROM ITALY. DID YOU EXPECT TO MARRY AN ITALIAN WOMAN?
No. I guess I was looking for an Italian mentality, but it didn't happen on purpose. It was a little Italian neighborhood in New York; you hang out in the pizzeria, you find an Italian woman and that's the way it is. Then you're married to an Italian woman.
DO YOU DRESS LIKE AN ITALIAN?
No, I can't afford it! It's the best you can get. On special occasions, I do, like a wedding; I'll put on a suit.
