Mod Gone Wrong: The Worst of Britpop?

Okay, everyone, let's time-travel back to 1994... a time of Britpop and New Wave of New Wave.

New Wave of New Wave... anyone else old enough to remember that term? Frankly, I thought it was a MUCH better way to describe many of the Britpop bands of the time. I was never a fan of Britpop, to be honest, unlike a lot of other people. To each his own, I guess. Plus, other than shaggy hair and Fred Perrys, I didn't see much of the Mod thing everyone else seemed to see in these bands. As my friend put it, a "watered down version of Mod as filtered through the '70s." And to my ears, the music of many of these bands seemed to be much more influenced by various New Wave and 'alternative' bands than the Small Faces or The Action. Now, let's take a look at one of my 'favorite' bands from this period, Menswear (click to enlarge), in an article from November, 1994:

I remember reading many articles on how these guys were the new direction of "Mod!" (Yes, I know it was a whole media publicity thing, but I was younger then and easily riled up!) A couple of friends and I hated this stuff! While we were out searching the bins for the Zombies, Arthur Alexander, Pebbles and Rubbles comps, and anything Carnaby Street-looking, this band and their ilk were taking the Mod thing down a path of post-punk pop wrapped up in Lonsdale sweatshirts. Argh! (Believe it or not, I've mellowed out over the years on this, but remember... we've traveled back to 1994 so you gotta deal with my '94 rage!)

Now, although Menswear were, from what I can remember, a music industry creation, they were still a face of this new "Mod" movement. So, let's take a closer look at their awesome "Mod" look, shall we?

Click to Menswear-size it.

1. Okay, this guy doesn't look horrible, especially for someone who looks to be 16-years-old. I'll cut him a break, despite the fact that he looks like he's shrinking within the suit. Either that or he's got incredible shoulder strength!
2. The second guy in the line-up just looks uncomfortable in his get-up... almost as if he's waiting for the photographer to finish up before tossing aside these clothes for a t-shirt, baggy pants and Adidas 'trainers'. Overall, he looks okay, but I will point out one of my pet peeves: the bottom button of his jacket is buttoned! I can't criticize him too much though, as I learned that rule myself probably around the time of this photo.
3. Now this guy ain't even really tryin'. By the look of his tired eyes and greasy hair, he must have been up all night schmoozing industry bigwigs at a Blur show and being, as per the article text, a "cheeky f***er." Look at the lapel of his 2-button jacket... I'm guessing he borrowed it from the photographer of the shoot.
4. Rock star sneer before becoming an actual star. 'Nuff said.
5. Y'know, his sneer is really making me hate everything about him, even the suit. It's probably the closest thing to 'Mod' these guys came to, but for my tastes, it's just a bit too 'glittery'. I'm sure I'd have a different opinion of the outfit if I replaced his head with someone a bit more humble and like-able.
6. Geez, they took this photo on Savile Row, home to some of the greatest bespoke tailors EVER! This is like taking a photo of a Happy Meal in front of The Russian Tea Room.
7. Oh boy... did I even have to circle these for you to notice them? The clodhoppers of the first two fellows are bad enough, but even I'd wear them if given the choice of that last guy's CREEPERS. There you go, folks, the 'New Mod of New Mod' as the article states. Creepers. Hey, maybe I was on to something when I wore creepers at ages 13-15 in junior high and high school. But, heck, even my creepers were a cool, pointed, black-and-white pair! Kids made fun of me then, but THIS GUY actually does have on Frankenstein's Monster's shoes!

Yeah, believe it or not, I'm much more mellow than the 20-year-old me was when I first read this article. In my old age, I realize that some people probably did dig their sound and these guys probably did act as most young kids would if given 15 minutes of rock'n'roll fame. But looking at what they had to say back then, years later, there are still a couple of lines that irk me:

"He's an Ace Face. If you push him too hard, he might Blow Up!" and "The true mods now are the ravers, the people who are into jungle and music that sounds futuristic."

God, these guys sucked.
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And by the way, if this post somehow reaches anyone back in time in 1994, here's a message for you: skip these guys and stick with Detour Records!