Origin of the term "mullet."

Factual Questions
1

The hairstyle has been around for awhile, but the term “mullet” is comparatively much more recent than the cut. I only heard it maybe three years ago. I don’t have a cite for this, but I read somewhere, I think in the style section of the Houston Chronicle, that the term can be traced to a Beastie Boys song. I can certainly believe that they were ahead of the curve in hairstyle slang, but I am witholding my belief that this origin is accurate.

I did a SDMB search (titles only) to see if it had been asked before. I read some comments about a movie, “American Mullet,” which may have some clues.

Anyone know the Straight Dope on the term “mullet?”

2

The Mullet

3

I agree that the word “mullet,” or at least the fascination with the term, is relatively new. I would say two or three years ago there was a kind of mullet explosion where the term really found a spot in popular culture and the style was made fun of more than ever. About the same time on an episode of Jackass the guys were describing a hair cut; short on top, long on back, and the barber replied, “You want a standard mullet.”