What do you think?
Rate this book
Mod: A Very British Style
Welcome to the world of the sharp-suited ‘faces’. The Italianistas. The scooter-riding, all-night-dancing instigators of what became, from its myriad sources, a very British phenomenon.
Mod began life as the quintessential working-class movement of a newly affluent nation – a uniquely British amalgam of American music and European fashions that mixed modern jazz with modernist design in an attempt to escape the drab conformity, snobbery and prudery of life in 1950s Britain. But what started as a popular cult became a mainstream culture, and a style became a revolution.
In Mod, Richard Weight tells the story of Britain’s biggest and most influential youth cult. He charts the origins of Mod in the Soho jazz scene of the 1950s, set to the cool sounds of Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. He explores Mod’s heyday in Swinging London in the mid-60s – to a new soundtrack courtesy of the Small Faces, the Who and the Kinks. He takes us to the Mod–Rocker riots at Margate and Brighton, and into the world of fashion and design dominated by Twiggy, Mary Quant and Terence Conran.
But Mod did not end in the 1960s. Richard Weight not only brings us up to the cult’s revival in the late 70s – played out against its own soundtrack of Quadrophenia and the Jam – but reveals Mod to be the DNA of British youth culture, leaving its mark on glam and Northern Soul, punk and Two Tone, Britpop and rave.
This is the story of Britain’s biggest and brassiest youth movement – and of its legacy. Music, film, fashion, art, architecture and design – nothing was untouched by the eclectic, frenetic, irresistible energy of Mod.
Mod began life as the quintessential working-class movement of a newly affluent nation – a uniquely British amalgam of American music and European fashions that mixed modern jazz with modernist design in an attempt to escape the drab conformity, snobbery and prudery of life in 1950s Britain. But what started as a popular cult became a mainstream culture, and a style became a revolution.
In Mod, Richard Weight tells the story of Britain’s biggest and most influential youth cult. He charts the origins of Mod in the Soho jazz scene of the 1950s, set to the cool sounds of Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. He explores Mod’s heyday in Swinging London in the mid-60s – to a new soundtrack courtesy of the Small Faces, the Who and the Kinks. He takes us to the Mod–Rocker riots at Margate and Brighton, and into the world of fashion and design dominated by Twiggy, Mary Quant and Terence Conran.
But Mod did not end in the 1960s. Richard Weight not only brings us up to the cult’s revival in the late 70s – played out against its own soundtrack of Quadrophenia and the Jam – but reveals Mod to be the DNA of British youth culture, leaving its mark on glam and Northern Soul, punk and Two Tone, Britpop and rave.
This is the story of Britain’s biggest and brassiest youth movement – and of its legacy. Music, film, fashion, art, architecture and design – nothing was untouched by the eclectic, frenetic, irresistible energy of Mod.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published December 25, 2012
14 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 22, 2018
I saw MOD: A Very British Style by Richard Weight in my local library, started leafing through it, and was soon immersed. It's quite a weighty tome at nigh on 500 pages, however I remained engrossed for much of the book. It's authoritative, comprehensive and fascinating, as much a social history of post-War Britain, as an examination of the Mod subculture.
I'm guessing many Mod purists, and I am not remotely one, might question some of Richard Weight's choices.
The first part of the book details the original development of Mod - how it grew from a couple of hundred jazz and style obsessed Modernists in London - to a mainstream youth movement, and from there to a catch-all phrase denoting pretty much anything new, hip and happening.
Part two details Mod's legacy and its many bastard children. Some are obviously descended from the Mod parent: Northern Soul, Suedeheads, Skinheads, late 70s Mod revivalists, Two Tone, Brit Poppers, and Scooterists. However Richard Weight also makes the case for Glam Rockers, New Romantics, Punks, Casuals, and Ravers, which all feels a bit of a stretch, however it still makes for a compelling, if somewhat unorthodox, read.
If you're in the market for an intelligently written, somewhat academic, social history of Britain, with a focus on youth subcultures, then you should enjoy MOD: A Very British Style. If you're a Mod, or ex-Mod, possibly not.
4/5
MOD: A Very British Style by Richard Weight
I'm guessing many Mod purists, and I am not remotely one, might question some of Richard Weight's choices.
The first part of the book details the original development of Mod - how it grew from a couple of hundred jazz and style obsessed Modernists in London - to a mainstream youth movement, and from there to a catch-all phrase denoting pretty much anything new, hip and happening.
Part two details Mod's legacy and its many bastard children. Some are obviously descended from the Mod parent: Northern Soul, Suedeheads, Skinheads, late 70s Mod revivalists, Two Tone, Brit Poppers, and Scooterists. However Richard Weight also makes the case for Glam Rockers, New Romantics, Punks, Casuals, and Ravers, which all feels a bit of a stretch, however it still makes for a compelling, if somewhat unorthodox, read.
If you're in the market for an intelligently written, somewhat academic, social history of Britain, with a focus on youth subcultures, then you should enjoy MOD: A Very British Style. If you're a Mod, or ex-Mod, possibly not.
4/5
MOD: A Very British Style by Richard Weight
February 19, 2015
The title "Dandy: A Very British Style" would be more accurate.
Like many people who came of age in the 80's I have an unhealthy interest in the 60s and pop culture. However I have never been able to fully support one Youth Movement over another, I love the Beatles AND the Stones; Mods AND Rockers; Coffee AND tea; Marvel AND DC.
Weight's MOD appealed because his Mod is such a broad church, for him the glam scene of the early 70s was Mod cos it was created by (ex)Mods Bolan; Bowie; Ferry and Eno. (I think there has to be distinction between the glam of Roxy and the glam of the Sweet). I could get with the obvious bastard children of Mod, Northern Soul, Skin’Ead, Two Tone and even Casual. But I had to disagree with Punk, Baggy and Rave, surely the (lack of) sartorial elegance for these scenes totally rulers them out. However Weight makes a jolly good argument.
I was sad to see him dispense with Modernists and Jazz by page 60 but was pleased to see Acid Jazz included. There was a little too much Britpop (and Britpop is TOO MUCH !) and nothing at all on the Roni Size double bass end of Drum n Bass and especially the Soundz of the Asian Underground and Cornershop who explicitly referenced Pop and Mod in their symbolism and design.
Weight also answered that perpetual and perplexing question about Mod culture, how can the same crowd that embraces futurism and modernism be into retro and Ocean Colour Scene? Weight dismissed this (the rivalists of the 80s and since) as not true Mod. Mod is classic and looking to future.
His history kind of ran out in 1999 and he missed out Mod comics (surely the most Pop art of all?) “The Originals” Dave Gibbons; Chynna Clugston “Blue Monday”
As someone who never loved Weller (but rates his record collection) or the Who, and finds more Mod in a Tribe Called Quest bassline this was the Mod book for me. If only more Hip Hop headz would wear natty suits instead of sports teeshirts!
For photos and style I still rate “Mod: Clean Living Under Very Difficult Circumstances - A Very British Phenomenon” by Terry Rawlings but for words this IS the book.
How about a scrapbook sized paperback edition chock full of photos?
Like many people who came of age in the 80's I have an unhealthy interest in the 60s and pop culture. However I have never been able to fully support one Youth Movement over another, I love the Beatles AND the Stones; Mods AND Rockers; Coffee AND tea; Marvel AND DC.
Weight's MOD appealed because his Mod is such a broad church, for him the glam scene of the early 70s was Mod cos it was created by (ex)Mods Bolan; Bowie; Ferry and Eno. (I think there has to be distinction between the glam of Roxy and the glam of the Sweet). I could get with the obvious bastard children of Mod, Northern Soul, Skin’Ead, Two Tone and even Casual. But I had to disagree with Punk, Baggy and Rave, surely the (lack of) sartorial elegance for these scenes totally rulers them out. However Weight makes a jolly good argument.
I was sad to see him dispense with Modernists and Jazz by page 60 but was pleased to see Acid Jazz included. There was a little too much Britpop (and Britpop is TOO MUCH !) and nothing at all on the Roni Size double bass end of Drum n Bass and especially the Soundz of the Asian Underground and Cornershop who explicitly referenced Pop and Mod in their symbolism and design.
Weight also answered that perpetual and perplexing question about Mod culture, how can the same crowd that embraces futurism and modernism be into retro and Ocean Colour Scene? Weight dismissed this (the rivalists of the 80s and since) as not true Mod. Mod is classic and looking to future.
His history kind of ran out in 1999 and he missed out Mod comics (surely the most Pop art of all?) “The Originals” Dave Gibbons; Chynna Clugston “Blue Monday”
As someone who never loved Weller (but rates his record collection) or the Who, and finds more Mod in a Tribe Called Quest bassline this was the Mod book for me. If only more Hip Hop headz would wear natty suits instead of sports teeshirts!
For photos and style I still rate “Mod: Clean Living Under Very Difficult Circumstances - A Very British Phenomenon” by Terry Rawlings but for words this IS the book.
How about a scrapbook sized paperback edition chock full of photos?
July 10, 2013
The cover and title is basically a magnet and it pulled me in right away. But as I read it there are two mistakes that really bothered me. One is claiming that Boris Vian was married to Juliette Gréco (he wasn't) and that the Beatles met Elvis at Graceland (they didn't meet there). The author Richard Weight is a historian, so this is a major mistake on his part or his research assistants. So as you can gather, "Mod" is the history of that cult, but it goes beyond Mod to what the author feels is their influence on future cultural movements. I think the book at this point over extends the subject matter or loses the object of desire that is Mod, when focusing on almost every music and youth movement in the U.K. after the golden era of Mod.
When he writes of the original Mod figures of the 60's and before that decade, its very interesting. But he wonders off the beaten path to write about the entire history of British pop culture. Mod to me was a very unique movement at a very specific time. It would have been much more interesting if he just focused on that world and nothing else. Also the author seems distant to his subject matter. I got the feeling that he isn't really into music or culture - more of a historian looking at his subject matter. There are other great books out there on the subject matter of Mod, but this one isn't part of that pack.
It doesn't have the colorful appreciation from someone like Andrew Loog Oldham, or even the wit and charm of Simon Napier-Bell. Mod is a big subject matter, and hopefully there will be more books in the near future. But this is a very dry history on a fascinating world. At its best it can serve as an introduction and hopefully the reader will do their own research to track down authors, personalities, and other book titles. His suggested reading on Mod Culture is good, but not large enough, which is ironic because this book is pretty hefty in the page and text department.
When he writes of the original Mod figures of the 60's and before that decade, its very interesting. But he wonders off the beaten path to write about the entire history of British pop culture. Mod to me was a very unique movement at a very specific time. It would have been much more interesting if he just focused on that world and nothing else. Also the author seems distant to his subject matter. I got the feeling that he isn't really into music or culture - more of a historian looking at his subject matter. There are other great books out there on the subject matter of Mod, but this one isn't part of that pack.
It doesn't have the colorful appreciation from someone like Andrew Loog Oldham, or even the wit and charm of Simon Napier-Bell. Mod is a big subject matter, and hopefully there will be more books in the near future. But this is a very dry history on a fascinating world. At its best it can serve as an introduction and hopefully the reader will do their own research to track down authors, personalities, and other book titles. His suggested reading on Mod Culture is good, but not large enough, which is ironic because this book is pretty hefty in the page and text department.
December 22, 2013
I think this is really a 3.5 star book but I'll err on the side of being more positive because in general, I agree with author Richard Weight's premise that the Mod subculture has served as the template or model for virtually all British youth subcultures that followed from skinhead and Northern soul to glam rock, punk, two tone, new romanticism, rave and Britpop (a view I developed after reading Paolo Hewitt's brilliant and related mod oral history anthology,
The Soul Stylists: Six Decades of Modernism
).
The book leans heavily on an examination of modernism (as in art, design and architecture) versus strictly Mod per se and I think there has to be points off for the scant attention given soul boy culture (the London funk-based, not Northern soul, strain), the true heir to Mod IMHO. Also, I'm sure purists, particularly those who were mods in the revival and post-revival/pre-Britpop eras, will feel some kind of way about the fact that Anthony Meynell, Fay Hallam et al. don't get mentioned at all while DJ Paul Oakenfold somehow is but this is a social history more so than simply just another book about Mod but I'd argue this is still worth the time of anyone interested in this world.
The book leans heavily on an examination of modernism (as in art, design and architecture) versus strictly Mod per se and I think there has to be points off for the scant attention given soul boy culture (the London funk-based, not Northern soul, strain), the true heir to Mod IMHO. Also, I'm sure purists, particularly those who were mods in the revival and post-revival/pre-Britpop eras, will feel some kind of way about the fact that Anthony Meynell, Fay Hallam et al. don't get mentioned at all while DJ Paul Oakenfold somehow is but this is a social history more so than simply just another book about Mod but I'd argue this is still worth the time of anyone interested in this world.
March 26, 2015
An excellent overview of the history of pop culture's most misunderstood movement (more often than not by its own adherents), avoiding and in some cases demolishing the myths to tell the story of modernism from the jazz-loving sharp suit-sporters of the late fifties, through the chronologically divergent paths it has taken to the present, with the final chapter neatly bringing together the unlikely extremes of cutting edge electronica and arch-traditionalist Bradley Wiggins through the auspices of the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony. Along the way there's room for considered discussion not just of the likes of Skinhead, 2-Tone, Northern Soul, Britpop and the Mod Revival, but also such under-acknowledged Mod-influenced movements as Glam, Psychedelia/Freakbeat, Acid House/Acid Jazz and Madchester. Written with wit and first class research, it'll make you want to grab the nearest Percy Wiggins acetate and do an ill-advised backflip.
September 5, 2024
Richard Weight was my British Youth Culture professor when I was studying abroad in London in 2019, and this was essentially our textbook. It was my absolute favorite class I ever took in my 4 years of college and he was one of my favorite instructors. I still recommend this book to my friends even 5 years later!
October 28, 2021
Interesting retelling and evaluation of the Mod movement from its origins in the 1950s/60s to pretty much the present age. In the nature of such social/cultural histories, it doesn't always accord fully with my own recollections or understandings and there are certainly a few factual errors although these do not detract from the overall thrust. The coverage of the later years inevitably becomes more tenuous and the writer's obsession with Paul Weller comes to the fore. However, I found it a very interesting overall analysis that piqued my interest in one or two aspects that I had previously ignored or simply missed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2017
As a Mod from the 80's revival I found the book interesting to see how all the various music/fashion subcultures are linked although I think his assumption that Mod is the underlying basis for all of them stretches the definition a bit. I like the book although I found the second half a bit laboured (probably because my interest was in the 60's and 80's Mod sections more than what came after it) and as a history of music/fashion/business in Britain it is very detailed and interesting.
December 6, 2023
Read for my British Youth Culture class while studying in London for the semester. Very interesting book, repetitive at some points but I absolutely loved the content. Richard is a wonderful professor and an even more wonderful person to have a conversation with. He truly knows his stuff, and his passion for British youth culture is contagious.
Read
June 20, 2024Read for History of British Youth Culture class as a textbook, but I was genuinely so interested in this book I felt I couldn't put it down at times, and made me excited to go to class and discuss. Haven't had that happen in a long time and it was a good feeling.
April 25, 2014
I was really disappointed by this book. The title and artwork suggested that this was about the60’s Mod movement, but that whole period was done-and-dusted before the first half of the book was over.
A few thoughts…
The first half seemed entirely based on the work of Dick Hebdige and Angela McRobbie who were cited countless times.
The influence of Ska was massively overlooked until it got to the late 70’s. (Although a bit later in the 60’s) I don’t think Trojan Records got a single mention in the whole book.
There were a fair few inaccuracies (e.g if you are going to cite McRobbies’ work so often, at least get the name of her institution - Goldsmiths College - right; several different variations of the place name were used. Also on the subject of Goldsmiths, it is stated Damon Albarn studied Art there which is wrong; he only ever did a part-time music course there, it was Coxon who studied Fine Art.
Also I thought Bowie got far too much page space – again. For me Bowie was only the sum of his parts (a failed mod who got successful (and good) when he started ripping off other better artists (Lou, Iggy, Kraftwerk etc)). According to the book, Bowie paved the way for the likes of Freddy Mercury and Elton to come out?? Really?? I though Freddy ‘came out’ on his deathbed (most people in the industry at the time said he never came out at all, but what do I know).What I do know he certainly didn’t come out on a Bowie-inspired wave of sexual-tolerance and liberalism that the book would have you believe. [I might like to add that I do really like much of Bowie’s work – I just think his influence has been gushingly over-stated and re-written in recent years].
And another little gripe, the book lists the two most influential bands that ever came out of Manchester as The Stone Roses and The Smiths – oh come on. New Order / Joy Division have had a far more profound influence on rock / dance music from The Killers to Kylie.
The central argument is that Mod = Modernism and is part of a lineage going back at least to the start of the 20th c. It was an interesting enough argument (and is why I have given it 2* rather than the 1*that I was convinced I would give it by page 100) but personally I didn’t feel convinced by it. This was a book about British youth culture and certainly wasn’t the book I was hoping to read (and which I paid £25 for). I generally like social-history books and perhaps had it been called ‘Mods and Modernism’ or something like that my expectations would have been different and I might have enjoyed it a bit more.
A few thoughts…
The first half seemed entirely based on the work of Dick Hebdige and Angela McRobbie who were cited countless times.
The influence of Ska was massively overlooked until it got to the late 70’s. (Although a bit later in the 60’s) I don’t think Trojan Records got a single mention in the whole book.
There were a fair few inaccuracies (e.g if you are going to cite McRobbies’ work so often, at least get the name of her institution - Goldsmiths College - right; several different variations of the place name were used. Also on the subject of Goldsmiths, it is stated Damon Albarn studied Art there which is wrong; he only ever did a part-time music course there, it was Coxon who studied Fine Art.
Also I thought Bowie got far too much page space – again. For me Bowie was only the sum of his parts (a failed mod who got successful (and good) when he started ripping off other better artists (Lou, Iggy, Kraftwerk etc)). According to the book, Bowie paved the way for the likes of Freddy Mercury and Elton to come out?? Really?? I though Freddy ‘came out’ on his deathbed (most people in the industry at the time said he never came out at all, but what do I know).What I do know he certainly didn’t come out on a Bowie-inspired wave of sexual-tolerance and liberalism that the book would have you believe. [I might like to add that I do really like much of Bowie’s work – I just think his influence has been gushingly over-stated and re-written in recent years].
And another little gripe, the book lists the two most influential bands that ever came out of Manchester as The Stone Roses and The Smiths – oh come on. New Order / Joy Division have had a far more profound influence on rock / dance music from The Killers to Kylie.
The central argument is that Mod = Modernism and is part of a lineage going back at least to the start of the 20th c. It was an interesting enough argument (and is why I have given it 2* rather than the 1*that I was convinced I would give it by page 100) but personally I didn’t feel convinced by it. This was a book about British youth culture and certainly wasn’t the book I was hoping to read (and which I paid £25 for). I generally like social-history books and perhaps had it been called ‘Mods and Modernism’ or something like that my expectations would have been different and I might have enjoyed it a bit more.
April 29, 2013
Fantastic book, I learnt a lot. It covers everything from Mod's beginnings in the 1950s London jazz scene, up to the London riots, the 2012 Olympics, and Bradley Wiggins. It doesn't romanticize Mod culture. What it does do is show the influence it has had on British culture since the 1960s. This includes everything from Punk to Britpop. I only have one gripe, Weight said that Damon Albarn of Blur studied art at Goldsmith's in London when in fact that was Graham Coxon from Blur. Although definitely still worth a read for anyone interested in Mod culture and "Britishness".
August 4, 2016
Really informative and accessible for an American who knew next to nothing about Mod or British youth subcultures going into it. Covers a lot of ground (basically the entire post-war period) so if it seems to give certain areas short treatment, it is the broadness of Weight's argument rather than the limits of his research that is to blame.
September 14, 2016
Cover pulled me in right away. Very authoritative and dense with a lot of information. My main criticism is that all of the fun seems to have been sucked out of the movement. Mod was/is young and vibrant. Swinging and always moving. This book didn't communicate that feeling. It felt almost clinical at times.
September 6, 2013
Weight's thesis is that mod is a strand that runs right through post-war British youth culture(s) in various guises. It's generally convincing, but if it's actually the mod scene proper that interests you, then like me you'll probably devour the first half, then labour a little over the second.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews