h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The problem with dressing the way you wanted on 10/- a week pocket money was soon overcome by selling a large and hard collected selection of military hardware.Levis and polo shirt with Hush Puppies and away you go,the fact that you only had one pair of the jeans and three of the shirts didn`t matter,damp levis smelling of the wash will always remind me of friday nights,watch Ready Steady Go and then out to catch the tube somewhere,home by 11 took the edge off it a little as older friends went to the Flamingo or perhaps the Discotheque but it didn`t matter that much as I couldn`t imagine being up West at night anyway ,it was all a little too alien,Woodford Green amd South Woodford seemed safer and anyway it was home.
I think we were smarter and as gradually you built up a good wardrobe,we stayed that way.Apart from needing a considerably large size ,the way I dress now is little different from the way I dressed in 1967,by then I was living in Liverpool and sailing to America but that is another story.

HI, I'm a writer and might be doing a small pice for the radio with some mods as characters. If it came off, I wanted to get a sprinkling of genuine mod language - rather than nicking words from Quadrophenia and so on. As a mod in 1964, in London, did you really use the words "Faces", "tickets" "numbers" "dig".
or is that all nonsense? And what would you say if you rated something? And what swear words were most commonly used. Anything broadcastable?
I'd be so grateful for any tips - I hate it when people use phoney language.

Hi - sorry I took so long to respond.

'Faces' was certainly in use, although 'Tickets' was often interchangeable with 'Numbers'. Hence the Who originally calling themselves the High Numbers.

Dig was also in common use, from the interviews with mods I've read. Swearing generally was less common than today.

If you need any further help, please let me know.

Hi there
Lucylo

Not sure if it's too late, also nor ot sure if you'll remember me? Mickey Modern? If not, no probs. I was a mod in the 1960's and can remember most of the antics, dress codes, 'faces' and 'tickets', which were genuinely words used. Jeff Dexter, Marc Feld were part of the small Elephant and Castle/East End scene.

If you are still writing about mods, please let me know if I can help.

Mickmod

Hello, I'm new and this is my first post.

My dad was a London mod and he wants to find some of his old mod friends. He has brought me up on his fantastic and exciting stories of his youth subcultureas well as the fantastic ground-breaking music of the era. I am passionate about the mod scene and its music.

I am 26 and looking to write a short film about 60s mods, with interviews with them as they are today. I am looking at it as more as an historical documentation of life in the 60s. Of course, Quadrophenia was a fantastic film and I have been told that it stayed true to the way it portrayed these youth subcultures. I would like to get in touch with people who were mods back in the early 60s, but I am not sure really where to start. I have a few ideas for a great soundtrack but that's about it.

If anyone can help, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.

dear lucylo.....I was a scooter mod in the 1960's - was at Margate in '64 and Yarmouth '65. The term 'ace' or 'ace face' was in use but do not recall the other expressions. Aces were what we called 'heavy mods' as their clothes were pucker - hand stitched shoes and candy striped jackets. The aces never rode scooters but rode pillion to get around and of course would never wear a parka as we did. Even so we were all mods and mixed in. The film Quadrophenia was rubbish in terms of expressions and the clothes were all wrong for that time. Sting would never have been an ace (too big and ungainly) and no mod would refer to their 'opponents' as rockers - they were always greasers or greaseballs. The 'Who' were never a mod band (too establishment). The blues were big then with Buddy Guy - Muddy Walters - John Mayall and the yardbirds. Girl mods followed the small faces at some of the east end dive clubs. swear words were pretty much the same but no drinking culture. The word 'gear' as in 'it's the gear' was used to rate something or 'rich gear' if extra special. There's stacks more I could fill you in on if you need any more infor...regards battlinglynwoods

to riot-grrr..posted some stuff today....if anything you want to know specifally about the scene then maybe I can help...providing the old grey matter is still in some sort of order!

I'm not just replying to mick mod, anyone that is willing to help really! I have to write an essay about the media representations of mods, rockers and general post war youth culture and wonder if anybody could help me with information, maybe even some kind of online interview or something?! I need to use some primary sources and you can't get much more primary a source than a real life mod or rocker! If anyone can help me out at all that would be much appreciated! Thanks (I live in hope!)

media representation...vastly different from the reality...at Margate the press people were asking for bits of fake aggro if they missed the real stuff first time round! The media made much more of the mods and rockers thing than it was. The reality was that some times groups of mods would fight each other. At a bowling alley one night the Streatham and Tooting mods got at each other while there was a big ruck between the mods from Romford and Dagenham as well. Theres stacks of stuff that came back to me when I saw other mods on this site and in particular the word 'state' which is not used now. If you want to post any questions will do my best to answer

Hi,
There has been a great deal said about the mod scene in London.
There were distinct differences from the true early mods 1960/61,
the first of the mainstrean 62, the mainstream 1963/64, and then 3 years of little mods with Parkers etc etc.

Fashion changes took place in the late 50's.
Many 'Teds began to wear the short jackets & tight trousers of Italian suits with winklepickers ( as sort of smart rocker).
See the early Liverpool groups. Many even still used a bit of Brylcreem in the late 50's and very early 60's. Some of these changed over to mods, but many drifted slowly into a sort of fashion,
but were never classed as mods, they just wore slightly better clothes - many from northern or provential towns."The Likely Lads".
The bikers always wore leather, and were Rockers-later Greasers.

The younger kids that watched this change in fashion from Teds then the Italian look, then on to a "modernist fashion" were the first true mods ( born 1943/1946).I remember people looking strangely at our hand made/ home made clothes. We knew a fashion designer in south London that made shirts for us in 1961, that had a totaaly different look & for those who had a few bob or could get a scooter on HP credit.Basic scooter,
The early couple of shops in Canarby Street made a few shirts, when they sold them, they would make a few more. The expensive classics were full length suedes in marroon or navy blue.
We saw mods as a working class London thing.
South London & East London led the way, but rarely mixed mid week because of the territory thing of those days..
The Italian & American fashions of the late 50's had a big influence. Shirts with tab collars or button down (Arrow) collars.
Shops in New York sold Ivy League clothes in the late 50's.

Scooters were always plain in 1960/61,chrome&copper bubbles came in 62/63.No added lights etc until the little mods arrived in 64/66.

We travelled by car to the coast by 63/64.Scooters now for the kids.
Those without cars, 6 fellers would buy a wreck on Friday for w/end and dump Sunday night.Perhaps in Margate, and jump the train home.

The nearest to a 63 mod on screen is Sting,with a Tonik or mohair suit and a simple chrome bubble GS.and attitude !

By 1963, our group ( 50 chaps from south east London )travlled 7 nights a week to dance halls or clubs.I knew perhaps 250 chaps around the scene of clubs etc- it made life safe.
Furthest south Starlight Rooms Brighton-
Furthest east Scala Dartford - we recked that place.
North never because of crap clubs until late 60's of course.
West end -my first music venue was Roaring 20's in Canarby st,
After that all the usual places.
On the way home, always we all stopped at Micks Fleet Street, as the the best nearest all night cafe.
The weekend began late Friday night from New Cross tube, and we never came home till after the Lycium Sunday night.
Clothes were changed as we went from one mates house to the next,
1 or 2 hours break on out again.
Music - R&B , Blues , Bluebeat , live Geogie Fame, Chris Farlowe ,
The Stones were a local band , and I remember seeing them at 2 clubs in 3 days, and we walked out of the seond club because we saw them a few days before.
Clothes, many hand made in 60/61,then good clothes cost fortunes.
Soon we were able to find ways to be beat the system.
We found out that the chaps in Cecil Gee sold off cheap the gear in the window, so we got them to dress the windows in our sizes when possible.Often they would dress the window in 15 shirt collar,
so a week later fantastic shirts, were sold off half price or less.

We also had a mate who got nicked Tonik suit lengths for cheap money,
so we had strides and suites made up for low cost.
The best mohair colour was midnight blue or blue/black with a real
sheen to it.We all wore Bally shoes if we could. Either Chelsea boot in winter,or the thatched light weight shoe.
Little mods were wearing green Hush Puppies & packamacs & Parkers.
The biker boys always wore jeans & leather- the Rockers.

A lot of people took pills to stay awake all night- in bulk 1p to 3p each- they soon became a habit for many guys - 10 at a time. !!

Of course 45 years later, my memory is not so good, but I hope these few recollections may be of interest and help.
Great times !

hi conducting research for my a level exams on mods and rockers. looking for people from the era to ask some questions. If you would be willing to help let me know. cheers, rob

hi conducting some research on mods and rockers for a levels exams.If you are willing to answer some qusetions that would be great. [email protected]

cheers.

do you still dress as a mod ,or got the original scooter

I'm really glad to have found real living mods from the 60's. I'm Brazilian and I'm part of the mod scene here. It would be great if I could get your e-mails so that we could maybe chat a bit. I'd love to hear some stories and to know how things actually were back in the 60's.

Cheers

hi Battlyngwoods,
I am writing a book about sixties mods and your comments were just what i was looking for; can you let me have your e mail address so that we can communicate further?

kind regards
Richard

hir richard..sorry not been on site for a while..you can email on
[email protected] ......battling lynwoods

This is my first post here.Came across site by accident.
Have been whisked back to what was a fantatic era !

I was a North London mod.Our primary base was a coffee bar called Rendezvous in Parkway,Camden Town.Fantastic bacon sarnies and a large mug of coffee that lasted for hours as we "hung out" and played the jukebox.
The blokes would park up their gleaming Lambretta's and Vespa's outside and we'd go out and admire their latest "accessory" eg new mirrors etc.
We would go "up West" most Friday nights and would not often get home till Sunday ! Anyone remember Lyons cafe near Trafalgar Square where we would go for coffee when clubs chucked us out at 5-6am.
sed to dance the night away at le Discotheque,Marquee,Flamingo and a real underground "dive"called the Alphabet nr Trafalgar Square. And YES,I did the "jumping in the fountains New Years Eve - having first removed my treasured 3/4 length leather coat first.!

Does anyone remember the Macabre coffee bar in Wardour Street? ? ?

And those Bank Holiday rides to the coast ? That was something else!
No safety helmets then - just the wind whistling thru your hair.


y boyfriend at that time was a Peter Case- and he was considered the "top Mod" then. His scooter was festooned with gleaming lamps. He wore the parka suitably decorated with badges and patches. He had sreaming pennants and a prized fox's tail attached behind the pillion! Wonder what he is doing now ?

Happy days. Yes,there was "speed"(or blues) but,only rarely did alcohol feature on the scene.

Must go -but,will return to read more memories.
Its been great travelling back in time.
Have a great weekend
Mairaid

And does anyone remember Lawrence Corner in Tottenham Court Road that used to sell Army surplus gear ?

And a PS re North London Mods !
Does anyone remember a local group called "The Action" ?
The lead singer was Reggie King.
They never made it big time -but,at some stage they were managed by George Martin. They were OK to watch and it was great feeling that you knew a group who might be VERY FAMOUS one day.

I was friends with Reggies sister, circa 64/65 and they lived near Queens Crescent London NW5.

I'm on a real memory roll now - - but must go shopping.
Back soon