Scooter Riding Mod



""Zoot suit, white jacket with side vents five inches long. I'm out on the street again And I'm leaping along. I'm dressed right for a beach fight, But I just can't explain Why that uncertain feeling is still here in my brain""

- The Who, "Cut My Hair"

A sort of precursor to the modern Hipster, only with far more amphetamines and street fights, the Mod subculture emerged in England in the early 1960s. Characteristics included wearing tailor-made suits and army jackets, listening to soul, ska, and R&B as well as bands such as The Who, The Kinks and The Small Faces, riding Italian scooters, and fighting with The Rival Rocker subculture, who preferred the leather-jacketed "Greaser" look and American rock and roll music like Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. This rivalry came to a head at the Brighton Beach Riots of 1964, as shown in the film Quadrophenia. The subculture experienced a revival in the late 1970s and early 1990s, and subsequently influenced the Britpop explosion in the 1990s.

Comic Books

 * Long Hot Summer, by Eric Stephenson and artist Jamie McKelvie, follows a young mod in Southern California during the revival of the 1980s.
 * Although she's technically the godess of Britpop, the Goddess Britannia in Phonogram sports a mod look.
 * 2003 Oni Press miniseries Scooter Girl.
 * Blue Monday, by the same writer as Scooter Girl.
 * DC Comics 1960s teen humour title Swing With Scooter centred around a scooter riding Mod.

Film

 * Most of the cast of Quadrophenia. The film, based on the album by The Who, follows Jimmy, a young mod, as he pops pills, rides his scooter, and stares aimlessly out at the ocean trying to find himself.
 * There is a gang of Mods in SLC Punk!. They are portrayed as the punks' rivals, excepting one who moves freely between social groups.
 * Austin Powers
 * Several characters in the 2010 film of Brighton Rock, which is set in 1964 and uses the Brighton Beach Riots as a backdrop.

Recorded Comedy

 * Briefly discussed in "Rock'n'roll Doctor" by Travesty, Ltd. when one caller mentions the mods of Quadrophenia and tries to find out just what drugs they were using.

Television

 * The rivalry between Mods and Rockers featured prominently in one episode of Inspector George Gently.
 * In an episode of The Mighty Boosh, Vince goes for the Mod look.

Western Animation

 * Teen Titans villain Mad Mod, voiced by Malcolm McDowell.