Product Description

This is a Modern Life is the first in depth history of the mod revival that was sparked off by the 1979 release of the movie Quadrophenia. It features interviews with many of the key faces in the 80s mod scene, as well as fliers, posters, record sleeves and some absolutely classic photos. As Jim Watson writes in one of the introductions - This is a very tasty collection of good reading matter for you to vide. Featured in this programme are step by step the Mod revival of '79, the dangers associated with the Mod life, the clubs, the pubs where we all have spent our youth, the Bank holiday runs, and their clashes, to the Stylists of the mid-80's and their obsession to detail.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #111729 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Enamel Verguren [a pen name] was born in France in 1968 and came to England in 1994, settled here as a designer and since then has collected information in order to produce a complete saga about The Mods. He is also a highly accomplished musician who has played with a number of bands.

Customer Reviews

Respect from a 80's Northern Mod......
A mate told me about this book recently and so I looked on Amazon to see if it existed, and there it,was I couldn't believe it! I was knocking around on the scene in a big way from 84-90 and I wouldn't have had it any other way. From my perspective the book is accurate in every way. The fanzines and records (Iv'e still got a few knocking about), the politics and infantile bitching that drew many away, the animosity from casuals(the times I to brawl my way out of trouble and leg it!) I was there and saw it all and the faces in the book are all familiar although me and my mates kept ourselves pretty much to our Northwest clique. I'd have bought the book anyway but it swung it when I saw myself on the cover. Just for the record, although the book is about London Mods the four mods on the front are from Stockport! It was a picture from an article in the Stockport Express Advertiser on 25/7/85, it was taken outside Martin 'the mod' Mellors house in Edgeley, Stockport and it later appeared on the cover the in crowd Modzine. If anybody's interested(cos it's not in the book) the lad on the back of Martins scoot is Migg Smith who I think is still living in the Cheadle area and was last seen by me in 1990 when he was heavily into the Madchester phenomenon. Far right is Ian Higgins who is now a diving instructor in Egypt and still gets his Fizzogg in scootering from time to time, Martin Mellors still lives,craps and sleeps mod and has been on the telly several times and gets everywhere! He promotes loads of do's especially in Manchester but ironically is banned from all London mod do's over some row (somethings never change!) Last saw him at the IOW scooter rally this year. And lastly I'm on the far left of the picture. I drifted to the Northern soul scene in the late 80's, better music, friendlier scene, no hang ups, but I'm still riding scooters and embracing mod ideals in a more relaxed way.Buy the book, it's good! Chris Wood.

A Great Book on Mod life in London.
This is a book that you can pick up and not put down. It is a perfect companion to Mods by Richard Barnes and continues the story of Mod life and I am not just saying this because I am in a few of the photos.
It starts with the 79 and early 80s scene from different parts of London including the clubs, music (including the Mod Top 100-actually it is 74-music list ), Carnaby Street, newspaper clips and a photo of a bedroom.
Then it moves to the Mid Eighties and it has pictures of flyers and club members cards, interviews with Mick Ferrante, Rob Messer, Big Bob, Paul Hallam, (and some I did not know) Darren Russell, Paul Lyons, Ray Patriotic and Jim Watson to say a few of them. There are also articles from Eddie Piller,s "Extraordinary Sensations", Scooter runs, fashion, Sneakers and Paul Hallam's article on "A night out in London" with Burton's School of Dancing in Hampstead-it was actually in Hemel Hempstead. It includes Hayling Island do's-which were very important near the end, the Tufnell Park meeting, the Phoenix List, the final demise of Mod (about life and clubs near the end) or drop out of Mod.
The Modzines are a great reminder of the past and finally the Bands and record sleeves.
For anyone who did not know the 80s London scene this book is a great and accurate account of Mod life in London and the things that drove people away. There is not much from the Mod Girl life-which would have been good-and more about the scooters would have been good.
It is a brilliant buy and I would recommend it to anyone-in fact I have.

An insight to a way of life
A wonderful book! Although this book concentrates on the London Mod scene of the 1980's it also chronicles events and people from the home counties and beyond. Lovely to see so many familiar faces (sic)in the photographs and put names to those I used to see around (and those that I'd just forgotten!). If you lived the lifestyle and did the Scene through the 80's (and very early 90's)I thoroughly recommend this book which rekindled a lot of very fond memories for me. It makes me proud to have been a small part of something so big, I just hope they bring out a volume 2!