Thats where my anti Mod thing started was back in '79 (the Punk backlash), cuz although I was a Skin in 77-78 I went back to my 76 roots of being a Punk in 79, although again by the end of 1980 we Punks that had a Skinhead past, became what was known as Skunks, Skin/Punk Crossovers eventually to become full blown Skins again by the summer of 81. The music was such that there were so many bands that appealed to the various youth cultures, The Jam started as a Punk band and eventually ended up as ‘the’ Mod band, and yet they always miantained a mixed following, I still have all my early Jam Records.
When I lived in Clapham as a Punk back in 79, I remember seeing Paul Young he mainly played on a Friday night in our ‘local’ called the ‘Two Brewers’ and of course the Two-tone bands appealed to both Skins and Mods, yet I can remember as a Punk seeing the Specials supporting the Clash. It was’nt until the Scooter Skins started appearing that the anti-Mod thing died away, but by then we were all Skins wether we rode Scooters or not, like I said before I did’nt own a Scooter but was still into the scene, do you remeber the magazine called ‘Scootering’ (I think that was what it was called) I’ll have to hunt for the few copies I still have to check if I have the name right.
I think the main reason we fought the Ely Mods. was’nt because they were Mods, it was just because they were Ely Mods, it would’nt have mattered if they had been Skins…we still would have fought them!
You’re right on about those Mod Girls with their Mini skirts, I went out with a couple of Mod Girls ( ■■■■ knows no boundries 
), but many of the Skin Girls wore similar clothes too, ah yeah…mini skirts and stockings!..Mmmmm!
It’s good to remember the old days like this, maybe some others are out there, they could put their two bobs worth in!
Well,thats it for tonight gotta head out and run down the highway again.
We sat on both sides of the fence and had chopped scooters with no bodywork at all, motorbike footpegs and a little tank bolted to the down tube. They were the noisiest machines about cos we would put 30mm carbs, K&N filters and Ancilotti exhausts on them, then drill holes in them.
I had a very old TV 175 and was clocked at 84mph.
25 miles on one of them flat out meant a rebuild though, but you would carry a spare piston in your pocket
We never had the problem with mods, rockers or skins. it was 2 wheels good, 4 wheels bad
A few years back I use to do race marshalling & someone was asking if anyone was interested in helping out at SCOOTER racing, what a revalation, they do 100mph +, any messing about & it was an instant black flag, it was great.
I still prefer riding real bikes, but that day convinced me.
i used to have a gp125 and a gt 200 or 250 in the early 70’s
Cliff. You still got all those old Ska & 2Tone tunes?
Coz, if you need copies… let’s know!
Those Modettes you were knocking off would have been the Monsters that were too YUK & BOKE to associate with us. In fact, as I recall we regularly sent the Mingers along for the Boneheads to play with! 
(why is there not a smiley for vomiting?)
HEY! That was good of us! 
TP 
The shiny chrome and mirrors were aimed directly at the clouts of passengers.
I remember an ugly scooter with a 250twin a Maicoletta I think.
I think the nicest scooter was still a SX 200, Didnt like the look of a GP as much. and Vespa were just ugly with them pregnant panels.
Brings back some memories though and some good music
Did someone mention ‘79’ ?
Good I had been a skinhead, a smoothy and reverted back to a normal human by 76, maried by 80, … MOD’S were a 60’s thing
Wheelnut. Check this out…I think it’s pretty cool, I like all the old classics.
vespa-oldtimers.nl/maicolett … a_1957.htm
Pat. Mod revival started in 79 and there is still a large rally season today!
What the ■■■■ was a smoothie?? Sounds pretty perverted!
Boots. Cheers! Just what I was thinking about. 
Cliff. I believe you about the uglys… goes with the territory.
As I said…suedehead, turn ups, Fred Perry, Doc Martens…on a girl! YUK! 
TP
Thats where you’re wrong Tom. alot of Skinhead girls wore mini skirts and stockings too, and not all had the ‘butch’ hairstyles either, many sported feather cuts. there was also alot of crossover in the styles of clothing the Skingirls and Modettes wore don’t you remember the girls wearing the old ‘dogtooth’ skirts with black stockings etc?
But yes you’re right some Skingirls used to wear the ‘gear’ too, it does’nt really matter what a girl wears if she’s cute, she’s cute!, anyway the reason the girls would wear their boots etc was so they could go Mod Bashing!
who’d want to wear docs for fighting anyway, you could inflict more damage with a pair of brogues
Tom Paris:
I’d still like to know what a smoothie was too 
TP
Smoothies, or Smoovies as they were known were the link between Suedeheads and Boot Boys, they were suedeheads with the hair grown longer, were well groomed and wore quite smart clothing, but I guess the old ‘Bovver’ Instinct was too strong to keep down, so along came ‘Boot Boys’… Brutus Baggie Jeans, sweaters, Shirts and 8 hole ‘Docs’, thats what we all wore back in '73-75
steelies may have been ok cliff, but you’d never have got into a football ground with them on.
this thread is taking me back though, brogues, barathea jackets, crombie coats, etc, etc
Yes you’re right after a while they did’nt let you into a Football ground with them on and for that matter even when wearing regular ‘Docs’ they made you take your laces out.
And to be honest I did’nt feel ‘comfortable’ about kicking someones head in when wearing steelies anyway, I mean a fights a fight and all that, But I did’nt want to kill someone!, so I prefferred to wear regular Doc’s although I did stubb my toes on the side of a Grebo’s head in Southend once
I hear you on this thread taking you back down memory lane, thats what I like about it too, although when I look back I can’t believe some of the stuff I did… stuff I got away with and stuff I did’nt get away with 
I remember getting my first Crombie, I really thought I was the Dogs Wotsits striding down the street, Crombie, Sta-prest, plain white Ben Sherman, and a tasty pair of loafers. I also remember getting a Prince of Wales check harrington, I loved wearing that too, I only ever saw one other Skin with one of them, come to think of it, I had a Two-Tone Harrington as well (■■■■ now things are coming back to me as I’m writing this!) oh well, it’s a good excuse to dig some topical music out, I think I’ll download some into my 'puter, so next time I jump on this here I can play the music as a soundtrack to this thread
you give me an idea there cliff, sat here now listening to denise la salle & little jimmy scott, but i suppose thats more northern soul i’ll have to get the ska out
