The Online Mod/ern/ist Archive

archive of original modernist recollections and information .
we are glad to hear from anyone with memories of the time, but we do not rewrite history .

2 Sept 2007

MOD memories (source Kristan Deconinck, UK)

There is a lot of myth surrounding the legendary rivalry between mods and rockers - much of perpetuated by the tabloids of the day.

A couple of groups mock-charging along an esplanade, with only the occasional physical injury was, and still is, far less dangerous than any hooliganism you see today.

I recall walking along a riverbank one day and coming across a huge muddy puddle. I couldn't escape because the river was on one side and a high hedge on the other.

Two rockers were on the other side of the puddle and when one of them started wading through the mud towards me, I inevitably throught he was going to beat me up.

Instead, he simply lifted me up and carried me across the mud so I wouldn't get my smart "mod" clothes dirty.

Another myth regards the music. REAL mods weren't into the Who - who looked like mods but played beat music. No, REAL mods were into the original R&B standards which had been copied copiously by all British groups.

A real mod, as opposed to a poseur, would never have been seen carrying an ordinary beat record (although we did allow ourselves to enjoy groups such as the Yardbirds, who had a certain cred-value at the time).

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i can name all the lads on the two photos collectively known as the mini boys. photo on the left,from left to right dave (sammy) salter little ray,pete welik,ray tassie,randy (on scooter),moz,bob clifford,dave small,roger (sailor)adams seated on scooter eddy barry photo on the right from left to right Sam, Dodge,Moz,Bob, Dave small,Tassie,Little Jacko,Sailor sorry cannot remember girls names