First off, thanks to all of you who shared your awesome stories about getting into the Mod thing or whatever it was you are obsessed with. I love reading those stories, especially when they vary so much in how we reached those discoveries.
Well, yesterday, right before Mods were brought to the attention of world-wide mainstream audiences thanks to their Olympic debut, I put all the names of the contest contestants into a bowl and had my friend Sarah B. blindly reach into the bowl and pick a winner. This was witnessed by me, my wife, and our friend Andy P. to make sure no shenanigans were involved.
AND THE WINNER IS:
ALLEN BELL!!
Allen, you win a copy of Robert O'Byrne's 'The Perfectly Dressed Gentleman,' illustrated by Lord Dunsby. I will reach out to you later today to get your mailing address. Use this book wisely and take in some great tips!
For the rest of you, I have runner-up prizes of fantastic blog posts to read! YAY! Enjoy your winnings!
Well, whaddya know? Seems today is the ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the MOD MALE blog! Holy-moly! A year ago today, I decided to start flappin' my own gums about what I thought was so great (and not-so-great) about Mod stuff, starting with this post.
In honor of the 1-year anniversary, I'm having a little giveaway contest! If you want to skip this next boring story, just head straight to the bottom of this post. If you want to stay and read on, I decided to talk about what first got me into this whole Mod thing and why it's still such a big part of my life. To today I present to you... MY SECRET ORIGIN!
Let's get into the ol' time machine and head back to 1987... a horrible year in pop music, TV idols, and fashions. It was also my first year of junior high school and I was getting my first taste of acne. I hated 1987.
By the end of the 7th grade, I decided I just didn't share any of the same interests as my peers (see 1987 links above). My friend, Robert A., had already turned me on to The Smiths, the radness of Pretty in Pink's Ducky, and the coolness of pointed creepers. At this stage in my life, I wanted to be 'unique'. That's an important thing for a new teenager, wanting your own identity. And back then, liking a band like the Smiths really set you apart from the norm. So, I got full on into them and other assorted new wave acts. By the time I was in the 8th grade, I was walking around in black & white creepers and hair spiked up on one side. But even before then, on the last day of 7th grade, I read something that would end up seriously changing my life.
In our yearbook, if you had the money, you could buy a 'graffiti' square on a page and write whatever you wanted to write. Most people wrote messages to their best-frenz-forever or messages to their boyfriends/girlfriends about how they would be together 4-EVER. Well, these two 8th grade girls, who I remember walking around in black hair and 'new wave' stylings, bought a couple of squares and went in a different direction. Here is what they wrote:
'Mod'? I don't know what it meant, but it sounded cool and must have had something to do with all those bands I liked (with the exception of The Scorpions). The name floated around in my head, sounding mysteriously simple. Mod...
Later that summer, I was hanging out with a couple of cousins and they noticed my Smiths records in my room. One of them said, matter-of-factly, "We have a friend who likes The Smiths. Yeah, she's mod too." There was that word again. "Mod?" I asked. "Yeah, she's into all that weird music you like."
I remember looking through an issue of one of those Columbia Music House catalogs (remember, 12 records for the price of 1?) and in there was a section on all the new wave stuff I liked. You know what that section was called? 'Modern Rock.' Ah-hah! I figured it all out. 'Mod' was short for 'modern rock!' It totally made sense.
I couldn't wait for the 8th grade to start so I could share this info with my friends. They had to know that we weren't new wavers because new wave music was already old by 1987. No, now that music was called modern rock and we were mod because we liked it.
Further proof hit me at the beginning of the 8th grade when I was looking through my School is Hell book and noticed a comic dealing with the 81 Types of High School Students.
One of the 81 types of students was... The Mod. And he looked exactly like what I would expect one to look like (minus the duck-bill).
This discovery was extremely important to me. Not only did I have an identity separate from my peers (who were still listening to Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam), but, more importantly, I was into something that my dad and his generation were not a part of. See, when he wasn't talking about how great The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and 'TheSixties' were, he was always trying to school me on my own music: punk and new wave.
My dad was living in the Bay Area around this time and kept up with cool music. He had albums by the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and Elvis Costello. He was aware of bands like the Meat Puppets, The Smiths, and Flock of Seagulls. And he used to rub it in my face that he knew my music more than I did! In the 7th grade, when I told him I liked Echo & The Bunnymen because of their song 'People Are Strange' off the Lost Boys soundtrack, you know what he did? He made me a cassette tape of the Lips Like Sugar album and included the original Doors' version of 'People Are Strange'. Not only did he know my music more... he knew the original stuff being copied! And this drove me crazy. He was always one up on me.
But now... I was one up on him. I was mod. And this was such a new thing, there was no way he'd be in the know about it. Finally, I had my own thing. Well, one day while visiting him in Berkeley, he and I were walking back from a day on Telegraph Avenue. I had a little skip in my step as I listened to him go on about Bob Dylan and the Beatles before trying to talk to me about my own music. I lured him into trying to act cool with me so that I could get him with a gotcha question. And then I went for it.
"Oh yeah? You think you're so cool, Papa? Man... I bet you don't even know what a mod is."
He looked down at me in surprise and paused.
"Oh yeah, kid... okay, tell me. What's a mod?" I had him!
I told him all about how new wave just wasn't new anymore and how it was now called 'modern rock' and how kids that were into that music were called 'mod' because it was short for 'modern rock'. I smiled knowing I had just widened that generation gap.
Then he responded, "Really, kid? That's what you think a mod is? Interesting..."
I looked up at him, "What do you mean? That's totally what a mod is!"
He sighed... "Kid, let me tell you what a mod really is." This conversation wasn't going like I planned. But then he gave an explanation that still resonates with me to this day.
"Kid, mods were around in the sixties. They were young guys, teenagers, who rebelled against the society they were living in through the types of suits they wore. You know how punks dressed shabby in torn-up clothing? Well, mods wore really nice suits with thin lapels and skinny ties. They wore army jackets called parkas to protect their clothes and rode around on Vespas, italian scooters. And they used to get into fights with Rockers."
His statement about rebelling against society by wearing nice suits hit my 13-year-old mind hard. I was used to seeing people dress outlandish in order to be somewhat 'unique.' But my dad just turned me on to a wild idea of dressing nice as an act of rebellion. I pictured myself in a suit with 'thin lapels' and a 'skinny tie' and walking through a crowd of kids in bad mullets, baggy pants, and Reebok hi-tops. I was utterly fascinated...
...until he said, "The Who were a mod band." It was like a record needle scratching across my mind. The Who? The band I read about in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the loudest ROCK band in the world? The band that looked like this?
At that, he turned me off. No way were those guys 'mod'. When we got back to his place, he started pulling records out. He wanted to show me a photo of them as mods. The photo he showed me did NOT win me over.
All I saw was a geeky guy with a big nose in too-crazy-and-colorful-for-my-thirteen-year-old-mind clothes. I didn't buy these guys as anything having to do with what I thought mod was, but I was still interested in the concept of this subculture of kids walking around in suits as a way of snubbing the society around them.
The 8th grade went on for me and I delved further into all the music KROQ was playing at the time. And despite my dad thinking The Who were a mod band, I still asked him about what sixties mods were like. He would talk to me about Dick Hebdige's Subculture book and would go on and on about how mods were 'working-class' kids. I loved hearing about them. And even though mods only existed in the 1960s, I still pictured them being into stuff like Echo & The Bunnymen.
One day, I was hanging out with one of my uncles. I sat on his bed relaxing while he was playing me various songs from the sixties, something he used to love doing. I endured it, even though I didn't really care for The Byrds, The Beach Boys, or any of the other bands he made me sit through. Then he told me, "Okay, I'm going to play you a song but I don't want to tell you who it is. Just listen and let me know what you think." "Oh geez," I thought. "Here we go with more..."
The song he played me was unlike anything he ever played me before. It was loud, manic, and totally punk rock! I looked at him in surprise. "You like this kind of music?" I asked. He just smiled. Yeah, you know what song he played me, don't you?
When it was done, I asked him who it was. "That's The Who?!" was my response when he told me. And that's the song that completely sold me. From that point forward, I wanted more than anything to be a mod. I wanted to be the only mod at my school, maybe even the world.
Later that year, I learned about the Jam from another student who claimed his brother used to be a mod. The Jam led me to the Mod revival, which jived more with the music I was into at the time. Plus, it made me realize that there were mods after the 1960s. By the beginning of high school, I was getting into ska music, which would sidetrack me for a bit. Eventually, though, I'd finally get my first suit and, in time, my first parka. Sure, over time, I'd make several mistakes while slowly morphing from new wave kid to mod kid, but I learned from them and hopefully improved as I got older (open to debate).
Soon, I discovered that there were Mod scenes happening all around, from Berkeley to Los Angeles to other parts of the world! Looking back, it's funny to me that on that walk with my dad in 1987, when he first told me what a mod actually was, there was a whole rocking Berkeley Mod scene going on around me. And as I sat in my bedroom in La Puente, CA, thinking about being the only mod around, my future wife was blocks away already part of a Mod scene.
This whole Mod thing has been a huge guiding force in my life. It's turned me on to great music, great clothes that I still obsess over, and even great design. I've met amazing people through it who have become life-long friends and have helped me become a better person over time (open to debate). Through the Mod thing, I've met the most amazing woman who continues to tolerate my behavior, even though we still fight over closet space. And each day, I still find something about this subculture to get excited over.
Thank you all for sticking with this blog over this past year and I hope it hasn't bored you yet.
********************************************************************
Okay, in honor of the 1st year of the MOD MALE blog, I'm having a little give-away thing. What can you win?
The 2011 book, The Perfectly Dressed Gentlemen by Robert O'Byrne!
A great little guide on how to be an even more dapper Mod (or gentleman, in general), with illustrations by the talented Lord Dunsby. You can read more about it on the Retro To Go blog. Please keep in mind that this contest is not affiliated with any of these people. I just happen to have an extra copy and would like to give it to a Mod Male blog reader.
Here's all you have to do:
Become a follower of this blog, if you're not already, and leave a comment on the blog telling me how you got into the Mod thing OR how you got into whatever it is you're obsessed with (i.e., goth music, a baseball team, your favorite author). Doesn't have to be Mod-related.
Or,
'Like' the MOD MALE Facebook page and leave a comment on the page, telling me how you got into the Mod thing OR how you got into whatever it is you're obsessed with (i.e., goth music, a baseball team, your favorite author). Doesn't have to be Mod-related.
Contest will end next two weeks from today, on August 9 at 6:00pm PST. That evening, I'll put all the names in a bowl and pick a name at random. (And if you 'share' the Mod Male status update for this post on Facebook or share it on Twitter (@modmale), I'll add your name TWICE to the bowl!
On Friday, August 10th, I'll announce the winner on this very blog! That's right, this contest will last two weeks only! GOOD LUCK!!
Well, well well... BIG THANKS to everyone who took part in the drawing for this little gift set:
And an overall HUGE thanks to all of you who have been reading the blog over the last few months! It's been fun writing about one of my most favorite subjects ever. Okay, who am I kidding? This is my most favorite subject ever! Now, you probably think that makes me pretty shallow and all, but, well... duh.
So, last night, I took the names of everyone who (1) became a follower and left a comment on the original blog post and (2) 'liked' the Mod Male facebook page and left a comment there regarding their favorite accessories.
Then, I put those names on little slips of equally-sized paper, folded them over, and taped them shut. I threw all the slips into a Tupperware bowl, shook it, shaked it, moved it all around, and then had my wife pull a slip of paper from the bowl.
And the winner is...
Wait. Before we get to the winner of the drawing, let's make this post slightly more interesting for those who didn't win or enter. How about some cool images of 1960s Mod female looks found around the interblogs? Yeah? Well let's go!
Nice 1966 Vogue spread. And for more '60s-'70s Vogue spreads, visit the Youthquaker blog.
Gals rockin' the all-white look from the Sweet Jane blog.
Okay, whew! Now, the winner of 1st MOD MALE giveaway:
MONIKA CANCILLA!!
Monika, you've just won 2 vintage Ernst ties (one with a slight snag, sorry!), a new pocket square, and a brand-new one-size-fits-all Bugatchi Uomo socks! I will be contacting you shortly to get your mailing address and these should be in the mail this week.
Thank you, once again, to everyone who has been supporting this blog and HAPPY HOLIDAYS! (Apologies to Gretchen Carlson and Fox News.)
First off, if you haven't yet, don't forget to enter the Mod Male drawing I posted about a couple of days ago for a chance to win a small set of men's accessories: 2 vintage Ernst ties, a brand-new pocket square, and a brand-new pair of Bugatchi Uomo socks! For full details (and photos of items), visit the last Mod Male blog post, Gifts for the Mod Male in YOUR Life. But for the short version, all you have to do is one of two things:
Become a follower of this blog, if you're not already, and leave a comment on the blog telling me what your favorite clothing accessory (male or female) is. Or,
'Like' the MOD MALE Facebook page and leave a comment on the page, telling me what your favorite clothing accessory (male or female) is.
Contest ends Tuesday, December 21st, at 6:00pm PST! Good luck!
Now, let's move on with this week's post...
************************************ We can learn so much from yesterday’s fashion icons. And living in a post-Mad Men world means we can even enjoy aspects of current male fashions! Every Friday, I’d like to start your weekend off right with a little style inspiration from either then or now. Hopefully, my fellow Mod enthusiasts will find the whole or some detail of the whole to appreciate and maybe even adopt.
I try not to spend too much time dealing in casual clothes on this blog, because really, it's too easy to fall into a casual way of dressing, leaving behind the suit and ties. And me, I love suits and ties!
That said, I have been dressing more casually lately and that could very well be due to all the Thanksgiving weight I've picked up in preparation for the Christmas weight coming up. Sometimes, those suit jackets don't feel so comfortable at this time of year.
I'm sure most Mod types are satisfied with a more 'sporty' casual look: sneakers (generally Adidas), Fred Perry polo shirt, and jeans. Personally, I think Mods should raise the bar on casual though. Let's take a look at a 1967 shot of Paul McCartney:
Click this pic to enlarge!
Now, I know some of you want to stop me right here and calmly tell me, "BUT THE BEATLES WEREN'T MODS!" I know that. I don't think the Beatles ever claimed to be Mods. And yes, I know 'Mods were not Beatles fans.' Anyone who's taken Mod 101 (i.e., page 13 of the Mods book) knows that.
But really, who cares? In fact, if you listen to actual original Mods (not just Richard Barnes) you'd find that many of them DID like the Beatles, along with other 'pop' music of the day. Heck, the Beatles deserve all the accolades they get! I still LOVE them!
But, I digress... what were were talking about... oh yes! Casual wear! Up above, Paul McCartney is straight rockin' a great casual outfit. I wish I had this in color, but check it out: cotton, paisley shirt with button-down collar (unbuttoned, in this case... tsk, tsk, Paul), suede jacket with what also looks like a button-down collar (interesting...), slim-fitting slacks with an ever-so-slight flare, and a pair of nice, narrow, slip-on shoes.
This, my friends, is how you pull off casual. Sure, Paul McCartney was never a Mod*, but that doesn't mean he wasn't influenced in some way by their style. And now it comes full circle as I find some influence in what he's wearing right here.
So, my advice? Raise your casual look up a notch if you haven't already!
The holidays are upon us and I'm sure some of you are stressing out on just what to get that special Mod (or other sartorially-minded) guy in your life. And if you're reading this blog, I'm just going to assume that guy isn't the type who's satisfied with a DVD of the NFL's greatest touchdowns, a tribal tattoo around his bicep, or anything Ed Hardy.
Well, I'm skipping Mod Gone Wrong this week to offer up some clothing accessory suggestions for you. Heck, I know if my wife were reading this blog (ahem), she wouldn't be stressing so much.
First off, what every style-conscious fella needs: a new pocket square! Might I suggest a visit to the Kent Wang site for a range of beautiful, colorful pocket squares itching to jump into a man's breast pocket:
A couple of fancy Kent Wang pocket squares.
Don't forget to check out their selections of ties, cufflinks, socks and more, too!
Speaking of socks (oh boy, here he goes again), don't believe the old myth that men get bored with the gift of socks. I mean, how can any clothes-minded guy not get excited with the types of socks I've spoken about before, in addition to the types offered by Bugatchi Uomo:
Seriously... with socks like these, who needs shoes?
Y'know what else is always a great gift idea for the dapper gentleman? Ties! And right now, Munsingwear (Penguin) has been putting out some nice, simple, thin ties that have been catchin' my eye:
Do I wish they had paisley-patterned ties? Of course, but ties like these would work well on an everyday work-attire basis.
Men's jewelry, including cufflinks and tie bars, is also a great way to go, but I tend to steer away from contemporary brands and stick with the ol' vintage variety, because they just don't make 'em like they used to. And your best bet for great vintage pieces? Ebay, of course!
Unfortunately, I shouldn't be sharing these because I WANT THEM!
Maybe your favorite Mod male has enough clothes and accessories already and you're tired of losing closet space to him. In that case, why not look into getting him a nice male fashion book? Here are some new ones out that would look great on the coffee table:
Well, I'm all suggested out. Hopefully, some of these ideas will steer you in the right direction to getting that man in your life a bit more spiffy for the holidays.
BUT WAIT!
It's Christmas and I'm in a gift-givin' mood! A while ago, Karen Finlay of the 97 Things To Do Before I Turn 97 blog tossed me the idea of having a giveaway and now I'm using it.
Over this past weekend, we were all at a local music shop/art gallery, VAMP (which I'd highly recommend for GREAT jazz/soul/and more records, and located at 547 Athol Avenue, Oakland, CA), and I found a couple of vintage Ernst ties* I thought would be nice to give to a lucky MOD MALE reader!
2 vintage Ernst ties, one in a tiki-esque pattern and the other in red/brown stripes.
But on top of that, I'm throwing in a pocket square to match along with a pair of brand-new, that's right, BRAND-NEW, Bugatchi Uomo socks!
Black pocket square with red/brown patterns.
Black Bugatchi socks (one-size-fits-all) with half a chocolate argyle pattern.
All you have to do is one of two things:
Become a follower of this blog, if you're not already, and leave a comment on the blog telling me what your favorite clothing accessory (male or female) is. Or,
'Like' the MOD MALE Facebook page and leave a comment on the page, telling me what your favorite clothing accessory (male or female) is.
Contest will end next Tuesday, December 21st, at 6:00pm PST. That evening, I'll put all the names in a bowl and pick a name at random. (And If you 'share' the Mod Male status update for this post on Facebook and suggest your friends like the page or become a blog follower, I'll add your name TWICE to the bowl!
On Wednesday, December 22nd, I'll announce the winner on this very blog! That's right, this contest will last one week only!
Ladies, I know you don't have much use for any of these giveaways, but they'd make great belated Christmas gifts for either your boyfriend, your husband, your good friend, your brother, your uncle, or your dad, even!
Mod Male gift giveaway!
*FULL DISCLOSURE: the striped tie does have a slight snag, but if you keep your suit jacket buttoned up all night long, no one will be able to tell!
