This review first appeared in the hard-copy issue of TRUE FAITH – TF139.
I’ve always been a quiet admirer of the whole Mod schtick. The clothes, the scooters, the attitude and where it sits in the coalescence of history, economics, culture, class, taste and fashion. I must confess I picked this book up with the remains of a Christmas book voucher and after only a cursory look at the self-promotion on the back cover ended up with far more than I bargained for. In a very good way.
This is almost 400 pages of academic style treatise which covers the subject of Mod as the most significant post-war cultural phenomena and goes way beyond a common perception as a 60s thing with Vespas, parkas and The Who. I’ll be honest, this isn’t an easy read and I struggled to get through it as I’m always time-poor these days but for anyone who takes this kind of stuff seriously then I’d heartily recommend it.
I do think the book could provide the basis for a significant documentary or film because as detailed and interesting as it is, its prose style is unlikely to draw as big a readership as the subject deserves and within it’s pages it’s easy to forget the colour and energy of this whole scene and the influence which has spread to the houses we live in, the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the holidays we take and the food we eat.
Take a big deep breath, get it bought but expect to have this tome on the go for quite some time before you get it finished.
Back to the football next week, I promise.
MICHAEL MARTIN
Click on the image above to buy the book if you want to.