Friday, April 30, 2010

mods and rockers

all of history shows division. day has night, dark and light. there's good and bad, us and them. yesterday and tomorrow, but we live in today. old and young and the list goes on. we seem to need an opposition to define ourselves as people too. i suppose you cannot be a glorious victor without a worthy combatant. after all, the hebrews had the philistines, the capulets the montagues and the americans had the russians during the cold war.
and in that fighting tradition of cold war there is perhaps no greater division than the mods and rockers of 60's england. although the legacy of these two groups lives on, the real time of their original existence was relatively short evolving from the lifestyles and needs of two distinct classes of youth. most basic among the needs of any group are transport and style. the rockers choosing the stripped down gritty world of pure speed aboard their triumphs and bsa's while the mods opted to display their tastes for fashion and style outfitting vespas and lambrettas with wild ornament and their swank dress. their ultimate clash at brighton exploded the imaginings of future hopefuls on both sides.
and as a reminder of the continuing struggle i keep these little diecasts displayed, although i choose not to take sides. for i would prefer to answer as ringo starr did in "a hard days night" when pressed on the question "are you mod or rocker" to which he replied "neither, i'm a mocker"

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