http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Mods_photo.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Triton_Peter_Ritzen.jpg

What are the defining characteristics of mods? What attitude did they

have towards authority figures? (Police, upper class snobs,

bosses etc. )

The „Mods‟ subculture originated in London, England, in the late 1950s and peaked

in the early-to-mid 1960s.

Significant elements of the mod subculture include fashion, such as tailor made

suits, music, including African American soul, Jamaican Ska, British beat music,

R&B and motor scooters. The original mod scene was also associated with

amphetamine-fuelled all-night dancing at clubs. From the mid-to-late 1960s and

onwards, the mass media often used the term ‘Mod’ in a wider sense to describe

anything that was believed to be popular, fashionable, or modern. They used to

work to earn money to customise their scooters and to buy suits, cigarettes and

often drugs and go to raves. They also disrupted their society and became violent

and uncontrollable.

The Mods had a negative and disrespectful attitude towards the police, upper class

snobs and their bosses. They used to float the rules of their jobs by turning up late

or calling in sick due to their heavy, party filled social lives. This was due to the fact

that they didn't like being told what to do. Their lives were all about earning money

to go out with friends and have fun at parties with girls.

How is this attitude shown in the film? Find examples of -Mods attitudes to older generation -Older Generation attitudes towards mods

These careless attitudes are shown in Quadrophenia through their bad

attitudes and lack of respect towards their bosses. When Jimmy tells his

boss he can “shove his job up his arse”. As Jimmy is the main character, we

see a lot of his home life as well as his friends. He speaks to his parents in

an abrupt manner and uses taboo language at them. He disobeys their rules

by coming home late and hides drugs in his room along with getting into

riots and trouble. This causes his parents to kick him out as that is not the

way they brought him up. The Mods in the film cause trouble and start fights

in cafes and break shops windows in huge crowds and fight back to police

men. Jimmy also has newspaper cut outs on his wall of riots and disruption

that the mods have caused. This connotes that they like the media attention

and are proud of the trouble they cause.

The older generation didn't like the mods. They thought they were „unruly‟

and referred to them as „hooligans‟. They hated their bad behaviour and the

disruptions they caused for what they thought as for no reason. They

thought they were all the same and wondered why they rebelled.

Quadrophenia deals with collective identity and personal identity. How does the film illustrate the collective nature of mod culture? Can you think of specific examples?

Jimmy changes a significant amount during the film. He starts as a popular, happy and active character who gets the girl he fancies, has the money for a scooter and tailor made clothing. He lives the high life of parties, drinking, smoking and drugs. This changes towards the end of the film as he gets into trouble and goes to court, causing him to loose the girl he liked along with his friends. His scooter ends up getting broken, he quits his job and gets kicked out of his home. Everything he had, he looses and becomes very angry, aggressive and depressed. He has nothing left and attempts suicide. I think this symbolises that getting into trouble and making careless decisions doesn't get you anywhere in life. His friends weren't loyal, they only follow the crowd and whoever's popular at the time.

How does Jimmy change during the film? What do you think this change symbolises?

Quadrophenia connotes collective identity through the riots the Mods cause in the streets. They come in big crowds making it difficult for the police to keep them all under control and arrest them. This makes it easy for most of them to get away as there are too many to catch. There is also elements of deviance amplification in the film as the media would report the riots and portray them in a negative way, classing all youngsters in the same ‘unruly’ category. This causes public to dislike them. Youngsters like Jimmy see that this behaviour attracts media attention and uses it to get attention for himself.

Could you make a modern-day version of Quadrophenia? Is there a definable youth culture as mods today?

Yes, I think that it would be possible to create a modern day version of Quadrophenia, such as ‘Chavs’ and ‘Emo’s’. Although there are not many riots between these two subcultures. They are still completely opposite. They have opposite music tastes, fashion styles, attitudes and values etc.