Steinberg: The Adventure, an entertaining and informative cross-Canada lecture series. “I always got a kick out of John when he started doing his speaking series at the ABA,” says Salon Magazine publisher and president Laura Dunphy. “He was so surprised and pleased the kids liked his presentation. It was like a bit of a Norma Rae/Sally Field moment for him: ‘They like me. They really like me!’” Even in the last year of his life, when he was
battling cancer, Steinberg was determined to continue to pass on his knowledge and passion to young hairstylists. “I was astonished to see how John rebounded so fully after the cancer diagnosis in June 2010,” says Michael Baker, Steinberg’s close friend, head colourist and business partner in The Rainbow Room and Adventure personal assistant. “So fully that we were able to go back on the road and do two more Adventures together.” John loved people just as much as he loved hairdressing, as PR maven for the beauty and lifestyle industries, Donna-Lee Langton, president of Langton Communications, can attest. Together with Steinberg, who became a dear friend of both Langton and her husband, she co-founded the annual John Steinberg Open, which raised $186,000 for breast-cancer research for Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. “For almost 20 years,” Langton recalls,
“John was my date at a multitude of events. Inevitably, we would walk into parties where I was invited and he would know half the people in the room. If he didn’t, he would know them by the time we left. Time after time, he would start chatting with the most unassuming person and they would turn out to have some great story. He always had an instinct for recognizing aspects of people others missed. I would watch as both men and women would fall under his spell. Didn’t we all? He was absolutely charming without even trying to be.” The current owner of John Steinberg &
Associates, Paul Narciso, who began there as the receptionist 10 years ago, considers that he has “the amazing honour” of keeping John’s legacy alive. “John had such a warm and caring heart. He guided me and taught me so much. John’s inner-child always made me realize that we need to enjoy each moment and not take ourselves too seriously,” Narciso says. “I admired John Steinberg for his amazing talent, but, more importantly, for the man he was.” As Langton says, “For John, the glass wasn’t just half full, it was overflowing.”
Steinberg-isms
Eleven years of “Last Word” has left us with words of wisdom from John
ATTITUDE
“I learned right from the start that manners matter as much in the salon as they do at the dinner table.”
“Punctuality, like politeness, is part of professionalism.”
“I set out with a passion for hairdressing. I wanted to work hard, learn and become a great hairdresser. In my book, hairdressing wasn’t about making money as quickly as possible.”
By Alexandra Innes
“I’m not a guru sitting on a hill, but yoga and meditation have helped me get through those darker moments we’re all familiar with.”
“I love my job—I’m thinking of taking it up as a hobby in the future.” “Assistants work in a salon to become hairstylists, not to provide cheap labour.”
“To any stylists who think they’re top dog and know it all: always remember there’s someone else who is, or will be, better than you.”
CLIENTS “Everyone who sits at your workstation deserves equal time and attention. No judgments allowed. Just great hair.”
“As far as I’m concerned, you’re on stage every time you’re doing a client’s hair in the salon. And whoever is sitting in your chair is your model. Listen to her, give her your undivided attention—and send her out on wings.”
“We create a part of our clients’ personal history. And so I say: ‘Isn’t it great to be a hairdresser.’”
CREATIVITY
“I don’t know about you, but for me, there’s nothing like the feel of a pair of scissors in my hand.”
“I truly believe that in art there is no right or wrong way of expressing yourself. Or of seeing. Just go ahead and do it.”
“If you are new to the business, don’t be frightened to let your voice be heard. I, for one, have always been interested in the creative places to which my assistants’ minds have been known to travel.”
HUMOUR
“The night before Halloween we bleached half my hair blond and the other half red. I showed up the next day as a colour chart.”
“I hope you have a smile on your face and a lot of fun in your work.”
“If you can’t have a good laugh at least once a day, what’s it all about?” S
salon52.ca
november+december 11 < salon 53
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