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Benfleet A1

Hector Of The House
Joined
Jan 19, 2007
Messages
8,970
Location
Slade Prison
I have got Quadrophenia on the box at the moment which never siezes to entertain me but it got me thinking. When it came out the mod revival was in full swing and as an stroppy short haired, button down Ben Sherman, Staypressed strids and Hush Puppies wearing trend setter, 'Quad' was my bible. Complete with parka and pork pie hat I managed to convince the bird at The ABC in Alexandra Street that I was a young looking 18 year old and sat through the film twice before being forcedly removed for taking the **** and looking around for a rocker or two to batter with a deck chair.

That was it for me. Every penny I could lay my hands on went on Fred Perry Tee-Shirts and Levi Jeans. Mother just loved me as I turned the bath blue while moulding said jeans to my already scrawny frame. More meat on a butchers biro back then. I got myself a scooter (3 gear Vespa 90) which spent more time at Kegaer Racing than on the road, went to all the Northern Soul nights at the old Chestnut Community Centre in Pitsea and strutted around like a peacock with attitude. It was great, I loved it and my world was being a mod.

Sadly, the first time I came up against some 'rockers' was very embarrasing as I sought refuge in Chalkwell News after giving it the big bit then touching cloth when a 7ft giant uncurled from a Ford Consel and headed in my direction. Thankfully, he was a decent sort and just patted me on the head which only put me some 2ft into the shop floor. If he had wanted to, he could have dropped me down to China.

Undeterred, I continued to portray Jimmy minus the drugs, decent Lambretta, working in a post room and getting the old man to chase me up the road in his underpants after I banged on the front door late at night. I even had a love interest who looked like Leslie Ash. Alas, she never saw me as nothing other then a friend while I was gagging to drag her up an alleyway in Brighton and have my evil way then getting nicked and ending up in court with Ace Face. It was not to be.

So tell us, is there a film that mapped out your teenage years. By the way, I drew the line at that plumb coloured suit he wore on the 5-15 to Brighton. I was young and stupid, not colour blind.
 
With all respect, you are wasted as a recovery driver - ever thought of writing professionally?
 
'Rita, Sue and Bob too' probably influenced me most as a teenager.
 
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Cool Runnings. Imagine my dismay when I found out that I wasn't Jamaican and England already had a bobsleigh team, including one particular man with perfectly formed hair.
 
[ By the way, I drew the line at that plumb coloured suit he wore on the 5-15 to Brighton. I was young and stupid, not colour blind.[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately I crossed that line and got the plum coloured suit! In my head I looked like one of The Kinks - however ever since its been known as the night I went out on the town as a Thamesway bus driver.
Not the desired effect!
 
I typed a long ferking message in praise of

g829-310star-wars-trilogy-a-new-hope-posters.jpg


but it went, so lets just say it made me the nerd I am today :)

Plus

IndianaJones.jpg


was a huge influence.

This 9 year old desperately wanted to be either Han Solo or Indy!
 
I would have preferred to be Lando.

The cape/Alexander O'Neal short afro/ 'tache combination made him look every inch the player.

With his knee boots,tight trousers and **** haircut Han Solo looked like an extra from CHiPs.
 
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Boogie Nights probably most closely resembles my life.

either that or Superbad
 
I should have a good answer for this, but I honestly can't think of a film from my teenage years that made want to copy or be someone else, I think it was all about music at that point for me, plenty of bands I wanted to be in.
 
Trainspotting
Pulp Fiction
Usual Suspects

The mid-nineties was a good time to be 15-18 years old. Great films like this combined with Oasis/Blur etc at their height, Ben Sherman, Levi, Adidas Samba and a heroic strut.
 
Have to agree with Groutie and pick Quad for the stylings, but I'd go for 'Scum' as the film that shaped our crowd's dialogue for many years, much to our mothers' delight. 'There ain't no dolly mixtures in here poofter.' 'The Warriors' and 'The Wanderers' were also inspirational but became irrelevant when the original 'Firm' came out with Gary Oldman - 'We come in peace, we leave you in pieces.'
 
Fight Club. But believe me, if you think you can play Fight Club with your mates when you're gattered up, and it won't turn nasty, you'd be wrong.
 
I love Quadrophenia and it did have a small effect on my life.
There I was quite happily going to Chords, Secret affair gigs etc fairly content with a level of uniqueness as Mohair suits, hush puppies etc were still pretty unusual on the streets of Billericay and there was a level of flexibility to the style, knowing that any similarly dressed individual I met would immediately get into a conversation about the merits of their particular favourite band and how many thimes they had seen the Jam.
Then came Quad and suddenly every 14 year old was wearing a parka and white socks and the whole thing went a bit Teenybop.
I even had a kid at a gig in 1980 tell me I wasn't a proper mod because i didn't have a Parka...
 
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