BAR: HAMBURGER MARY’S
Hamburger Mary’s Bar & Grill at 700 E. 17th Ave. is Denver’s “open minded” burger joint, says manager Jeffrey Jensen. It’s owned by longtime Denverite Stu Jackson and run by his daughter and her husband, Jeff and Jennifer Kustok. Hamburger Mary’s is not a gay bar as much as it is everybody’s bar. Boasting one of the best patios in town, Hamburger Mary’s is almost as big as the Queen Mary. It can easily handle 200 inside and 200 outside. The building once housed Cliff Young’s — and this is a far cry from that gourmet boîte. Still, people like the simple burger-based menu. Prices are right. Nostalgic posters from Hollywood fill the walls. The many TVs play sports during the days, music videos at night. Annie Lennox was on when I sat down.
GRILLED: MATTHEW MORRIS
Matthew Morris, 39, is Denver’s stylish stylist — recently famous for finishing third in Bravo’s popular reality show “Shear Genius.” He was born in Glenwood Springs, grew up in Boulder. Schooling took him to Fairview High, CU-Boulder and Metro. He was unhappily working at Alfalfa’s in Cherry Creek when a friend asked him to help out in a salon, working the front. Answering phones wasn’t exactly his passion, but he soon moved to makeup, then salon training at Emily Griffith Opportunity School, and now his eponymous salon at 277 Broadway. When he’s not minding that store, he’s working the designer shows in New York and Paris. He orders a Stoli Greyhound — and keeps them coming.
Bill Husted: How was it doing “Shear Genius”?
Morris: They called me to do it, and I said “No. Absolutely no way.” I think the show demeaned our profession. But the casting agent kept calling, and I finally said, “OK.”
BH: Did you all live together during the show?
Morris: You mean you didn’t watch the show?
BH: Well, I saw the last episode.
Morris: Well, touche, Bill. I’ve never read your column.
BH: Did it bother you that you didn’t win?
Morris: Not at all. That would have been so boring. The show was a piece of cake, living with people was easy, being away for six weeks was easy. The hardest part was keeping quiet about it.
BH: How did it work out for you?
Morris: Really, really good. Endorsements, teaching, traveling.
BH: Do you miss Cherry Creek North, where you first worked in a salon?
Morris: Not at all. I was there when the salon scene was in its heyday. Now it’s a ghost town. Don’t you think?
BH: Did your clients follow you to Broadway?
Morris: Absolutely.
BH: What do you charge for a cut?
Morris: Fifty dollars to my old customers, $150 for new ones. It’s a loyalty incentive.
BH: Is the salon scene a very gay scene?
Morris: It would behoove you if you were a gay man to be a stylist. They make the most money. That may be unfortunate, but that’s the way it’s run. Men make the most money in this industry just like they do in the rest of America.
BH: Why is that?
Morris: Women trust gay men more than women.
BH: Why is that?
Morris: They just do.
BH: What’s your philosophy of hair?
Morris: What I like to see is what’s current and tailor it for that person and for her lifestyle and age. If someone comes in and wants a Rihanna haircut but she doesn’t have the time to fix it and she has 12 children, well, we need to figure it out a little bit.
BH: How do you do that?
Morris: I am the king of the consultation. In the first five minutes you have to figure out exactly who this person is. What she’s wearing, what jewelry she has on, the shoes, what her hair looks like and the condition of the hair. What her skin looks like and if she’s wearing any makeup and then you talk to her about her lifestyle. You figure out how much time she has, if she works for a living. A zillion different things go into someone’s hair. And women really appreciate it if you shut up and listen to who they are.
BH: Do you ever turn people away?
Morris: Not yet.
BH: What’s the state of Denver hair?
Morris: It’s super natural, that’s for sure. Women love to look like they don’t get their hair done. It’s a new phenomenon. Ten years ago, it was as giant and blond as you can get without it falling off. Now women want to look like it’s effortless.
BH: Do you cut men’s hair?
Morris: Oh yes. And they are 100 times pickier than women.
BH: What do you think of plastic surgery?
Morris: I’m all for it.
BH: What about Heidi Montag?
Morris: Someone should have sat her down and told her she was already pretty. She got lost in the cracks somewhere. She sat down in the wrong chair.
BH: What’s your personal style?
Morris: I gravitate towards the ’50s cowboy thing. The pompadour.
BH: Where do you shop?
Morris: Thrift stores and out of town. Shopping for men in Denver is (bad). For women, it’s OK.
BH: What trait don’t you like in yourself?
Morris: I trust everyone.
BH: Greatest extravagance?
Morris: I don’t really have one. Vacations maybe.
BH: What’s your current state of mind?
Morris: Propelled.
BH: What’s an overrated virtue?
Morris: Cleanliness.
BH: What would you change about your appearance?
Morris: I’d have Jason Priestley sideburns. But I can’t grow facial hair. I’m American Indian and Irish.
BH: What’s your most treasured possession?
Morris: My youth.
BH: How old are you again?
Morris: 39.
BH: Well, it’s gone, dude.
Morris: How about my youthful look?
BH: What are your marked characteristics?
Morris: I’m a believer. I’m generous, to a fault, sometimes. And I am dependable.
BH: Where do you hang out?
Morris: I’m not the clubbing teenager I used to be. I definitely had my heyday, and those days are over. Denver has become a chef town. I go out and have dinner now and stay there for five hours. I Like Potager, it’s just blocks from where I live, and Sushi Sasa, Root Down, Hamburger Mary’s.
BH: What are you reading?
Morris: “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.”
BH: Music?
Morris: Anything but reggae and hard-core rap. And of course, I like musicals.
BH: What’s your greatest regret?
Morris: I have never had a regret.
BH: Motto?
Morris: Stop trying so hard.
Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Bill Husted: 303-954-1486 or bhusted@denverpost.com.
