The Mod Generation

The Society of Cool

The ''Hard Mod'' image Myth Or Truth

This does my nut right in on this subject, I've never seen a ''Hard Mod'' photo or a group of ''Hard Mods'' tooled up and looking for aggro wearing 3 button suits, with trenchcoats or fishtail parkas on either in the 60's, '70's '80's or even today, reason is we're too cool to be seen photographed, maybe it's a Mod on Viagra for the ''real''  ''Hard Mod'' look,lol!!! I am 100% convinced the labels a total myth, and is associated with the late '60's Dick Emery ''Bovver Boy'' stereotype we saw as kids, type in your search engines I guarantee you it will be Suedeheads and Skinhead photos that come up, not a gang of Scootered up Mods brandishing open razors, no we're ''different'' from the rest. Yeah sure we all have had our moments of what we all done then and now, but even then we were Mods,  I knew hundreds and hundreds of Mods then and now, not once did  I know anyone who classed themselves a ''Hard Mod'' The Ace Face label is more associated with us, but not 'Hard Mod'' So lets open a discussion on this this is my own view, what is yours????? Here's some images of the ''Hard Mod'' look as seen by those outside the Mod scene as you can see the Doc Martin and Side Burns or as they are fondly known ''Lamb Chops'' look,lol!!

Tags: FridayStreet, HardMods, Mods, ThatSixtiesSoundS.C, TheModGeneration

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Permalink Reply by Dave Hillyard on June 13, 2011 at 19:28
| have never really seen mods looking for trouble but i have been involved in fights with Hells Angels got the sh*it kicked out of us by a big chapter of them outside a fish and chip shop in Kentish town London. The next week after our wounds had healed up we went and waited for them we had all kinds of weapons chains metal bars anything we could find.They were called the devils henchman. when they turned up it all went of big style and we got a kicking again at least we tried lol.John lee Waters will have heard of them coming from north london .
Permalink Reply by Charles Murphy on June 13, 2011 at 19:35
We all have Dave, but like  I said, we called ourselves Mods, never looked at ourselves as ''Hard Mods'', thats why  I want to put to the sword the myth of this ''Hard Mod'' image, it never existed.
Permalink Reply by Otis on July 9, 2011 at 18:19

could be wrong but isnt the hard mod more of a look rather than wanting trouble? isnt it the transition between mod to skin in the late 60's?

 

Mods that evolved from the peacock look to wearing braces and boots? in the latter part of the 60's. could be wrong.

I wear suedes, desert boots, 3 button suits, brogues, oxfords but also wear braces, dm's. Hair short with side parting, oh and a sheepskin in winter! maybe im a mongrel

Permalink Reply by Dave Postma on July 31, 2011 at 22:31

"Mods that evolved from the peacock look to wearing braces and boots? in the latter part of the 60's. could be wrong."


Nah if you took attention on the styleforum skinhead forum you must've read Paul and the others said that the reasons they wore braces, is that they'll hang your strides just about right, belts couldn't do that without looking a bit bulgy round yer middle. Some going so far to state that belts are for old people, not in fashion anymore (there was a reluctance to wear belts around 68-69 look at the photo's from that time).

 

So to awnser your question in short, it was a fashion and not some working class statement.

Permalink Reply by Dave Postma on August 1, 2011 at 8:08

Interesting! I was only repeating what one of the original kids said (combined it with what some others had to say:

http://www.styleforum.net/forum/thread/89027/traditional-skinheads/...

 

But I won't doubt your word, since you where also there :p

 

BTW the kids from the original era on that forum are writing a book to kinda talk about what happened in that era, dispell myths, share memories, regional differences etc it's going to be called Walk Proud, one of them owns a book publisher these days. Only the original generation, none of those young ones that stormed the scene suddenly in cheap gear when the media brought the scene into light. Some of them are on this site as well, but their not as active as on styleforum (Colin Brown = Browniecj & Paul Thompson = Man-of-Mystery, modgeneration name = styleforum name).

 

But anyway if your interested, here's the announcement on the book publishers website (scroll down a bit).

http://bookseeker.webs.com/

And if your interested in contributing you can either contact Paul Thompson (through his bookpublisher, or on modgeneration pm him) on the subject or you can fiddle in on the forum:

http://www.styleforum.net/forum/thread/89027/traditional-skinheads/...

 

btw I won't have any hand in on that book since i'm not from the original era!

Permalink Reply by Paul Thompson on August 1, 2011 at 8:15

I'm a literary agent rather than a publisher, by the way, Dave. Thanks for the mention.

 

The book is bloody hard work, but we'll see what comes of it.

Permalink Reply by Paul Thompson on August 1, 2011 at 8:17

I can only say why my mates and I wore braces back in the day and it was to make our strides hang well. Appearance mattered.

Permalink Reply by Paul Thompson on August 1, 2011 at 9:26

LOL well you are being argumentative inasmuch as we're disagreeing. However, I can only say what I and my mates did and why we did it. It is perfectly possible to adjust the hang of strides by using braces without having the gusset right up your crotch, it just took the right adjustment to do it. It's a knack - I had it and my mates had it. If a pair of trousers were up your crotch then they didn't fit all that well and you had to think again.

By and large we didn't let the braces hang because that looked a bit too scruffy. Some strides you could get away without braces altogether (mainly the old shrunk-to-fit Levis worn with a Fred Perry or some such) or well-made strides with an adjustable waist.

By 1969 I had been wearing braces for about three years, most of the time not on show. If they weren't on show then they performed a practical function and weren't just an add-on.

PS I'm 61, make that two ambulances.

Permalink Reply by Dave Hillyard on August 1, 2011 at 10:49

The braces we wore were for show Red for the Gunners white for the sh*te blue for Chelsea and so on.... they didn't hold our trousers up and if you adjusted them to tight they would ping on you just when you didn't want them to...as was the Red silk hankie in the crombie pocket 

Permalink Reply by Paul Thompson on August 1, 2011 at 10:52

Ah, that's one thing we didn't do - colour coordinated our gear for football. Nope. That's what scarves were for. :)

Permalink Reply by Dave Hillyard on August 1, 2011 at 13:22

I am not sure we ever wore  them on match days for the reason being either a copper would kick you out of the wrong end of the ground and that you would get a good kicking if you went into the wrong area on your own but locally we used to just as a wind up we were all mates really just liked diffrent teams But Hated spurs as only a true Gooner would LOL

Permalink Reply by Paul Thompson on August 1, 2011 at 14:08

We all seemed to wear claret braces, hankies, socks, and not many of us were Palace supporters!

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