The Conk originated in the 1920s and was stylized by entertainer Cab Calloway. The style was an attempt by Black males to straighten their hair to make it look like that of White men. In order to keep the humidity from causing the hair to return to its natural curly state, men would wear fabric on their heads called do-rags. By the mid-1960s, the conk died out, as most entertainers began to move towards a more "natural" look which emphasized pride in Black heritage.

Mr. Watson refers to Byron as ‘Yul Watson’ -- a reference to Yul Brynner, who played the role of the King of Siam in the Broadway play and movie The King and I.