Quadrophenia: Fashion,
Music, Scooters, and Amphetamines
“I
don’t wanna be the same as everybody else. That’s why I’m a Mod, see? I mean,
you gotta be somebody, ain’t ya, or you might as well jump in the sea and
drown” – Jimmy, Quadrophenia
Mods?
What’re Mods?
Simply put, Mods
were a youth movement. Mods were the result of a booming economy, the
availability of jobs, extra cash, and out right boredom.
With the Second
World War ending over a decade ago, the British economy was exceeding pre-war
levels. J. This meant that young, working class, cash-rich Britons became more
frequent due to the availability of jobs. With all this extra cash what is a
young person to spend it on?
Fashion,
music, scooters and amphetamines.
The fashion of
mods was exclusively boutique clothing, it was all smooth and sophisticated.
Tailor made suits, turtlenecks, Chelsea boots, and, the staple of mod style,
the parka jacket. They would adopt existing styles and symbols, such as the RAF
roundel and the Union flag, and customise their jackets and scooters with them.
The fashion itself was narcissistic and fastidious, that’s why it caught on so
quickly. It gained the attention of superstars, such as The Who and Small
Faces, as well as groups who would come decades later, such as Oasis and The
Verve.
The musical
taste of mods started with modern jazz and American R&B. Artists such as
Miles David were the choice for early mods. This all would eventually
transition to British Rock bands. When thinking of mod culture there is
specific names that come to mind straight away, the Mick Jagger led ‘The
Rolling Stones’ and the Kinks, as well as The Who and Small Faces. The Who
would be incredibly important in the immortalisation of mod culture, I’ll
explain why later on in the blog.
Scooters were
the choice of transport for mods. These were typically Italian designed scooters,
such as Vespas or Lambrettas. They were cheap and could be brought with payment
plans. They were as necessary for mods as a green parka jacket. You couldn’t be
a serious mod without one. For a culture that based itself on continental
style, scooters were the ‘embodiment of continental style and a way to escape
the working-class’[i].
These would be highly customised with all types of mirrors and paints.
Finally
amphetamines. How else would mods go to clubs till 5 a.m. and stay awake? How
else would that put forward the smart, alert, and cool image that they wanted
to give off? Alcohol makes people rowdy and stupid, amphetamines put you
on-the-ball. The ability to party for longer hours just extends the time before
they have to go back to the dull working-class lifestyle that they live
everyday of the working week.
Immortalisation of Mod Culture
This is were the
point I made about The Who begins to make sense. The Who defined what a Mod
was. Their music brought the Mod sound to nearly every radio in Britain. An
album, rock opera and film, Quadrophenia, would lead to the immortalisation of
Mod culture in British history (apart from all the violence against the
Rockers).
Quadrophenia,
specifically as a film, explored the aspects of the Mod lifestyle. It showed
how youth wished to escape the boring nine to five work life in which they
lived.
It follows the
life of Jimmy Cooper and his Mod lifestyle. It highlights the specific fashion
of the Mods as well as the clear taking of amphetamines as a means of extending
the escape from his own teenage angst. It shows the clear violence between two
separate cultures, the Mods and the Rockers.
More
specifically, it shows the need to be seen as a ‘someone’ within society.
Quadrophenia shows a vulnerable and impressionable side to teenage life. It
conveys a sense of alienation that many teenagers suffer and the sense of being
lost while coming of age. It shows the need for guidance and a role model for
the youth.
If you aren’t a
somebody, you’re a nobody. No one wants to be a nobody.
- Connor Smith
[i] Sarti, Doug, Vespa Scoots Sexily Back to Vancouver, http://www.straight.com/article/vespa-scoots-sexily-back-to-vancouver, (3rd June, 2004)
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