The Geography of Mod Culture

[Adam Blake]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading that again, Hugh, and I laughed out loud again at the line about the most threatening thing a Mod might do is force you to listen to Otis Redding.

Penman has become such an absorbing writer that he can get away with a very dubious generalisation. He posits that the trad fans were essentially comfortable with their middle-class lives whereas the more edgy original Mods were not. He then, quite rightly, observes that the traddies philosophical pin up was Bertrand Russell whereas the Mods were more interested in existentialism. Hmmm... He guilefully fails to make the connection between the traddies and the Beats who, whilst being guilty of idolising a gang of misogynists, were most definitely not comfortable with the status quo. The idea that an upper-middle class person could go to public school, Oxbridge, and then go on to violently reject the role they had been allocated as rulers was quite unprecedented and Penman should give credit where it's due to the genuine social subversiveness that this represented. Ah, but that would upset the stall he sets out with such loquaciousness.

Never mind. It's a very entertaining and thought provoking piece. Written with real feeling. As someone who remembers when he could barely write a coherent sentence I must say I'm impressed.

[Adam Blake]

Andy - your mate Pam's book is coming out soon, isn't it? Do you want to give it a plug here?

[AndyM]

Not really, I had to take my chapter out of it!

[Adam Blake]

Oh dear! She might have just lost a sale.