Scooter Riding Mod

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    The mods of Quadrophenia show off their wheels.

    "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.

    Examples of Scooter Riding Mod include:

    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

    Western Animation

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