Analysis Of Skinheads In The Late 1950's
In this essay I will explore the subculture of modernists and their musical, cultural and fashion influences that lead to the development of the movement during the late 1950’s. I will also discuss in depth the impact the media had on ‘mods’ and how this acted as a catalyst for the inevitable divide of the subculture. This will be carried out with reference to the infamous clash of mods and rockers at Brighton on 18th May 1964 with discussion to the way in which newspapers chose to report the event (including an analysis of The Daily Mirror front page following the event). Towards the end of the essay I will focus on the revival of skinheads during the 70’s and how these – in contrast to the first wave of skinheads – were overtly racist.
Modernists
came about during the aftermath of the Second World War, which saw a huge ‘baby boom’ and an increase of children being born during the middle to late 1940’s, therefore flowering as teenagers during the late 1950’s/60’s. Living conditions for the working class post-war were often poverty stricken as people worked long hours for very little. However, as the 50’s unfolded there was an economic growth in Britain which spawned a new consumer-driven society, along with the birth of the term ‘teenager’. The immigration of groups from south Asia and the West Indies into Britain at the time also added to these economic benefits. The post-war baby boomers suddenly had disposable income for the first time and began to assert themselves by playing a more participatory role in consumer culture. The youth were searching for identities that “challenged notions of cultural ‘belonging’ to a particular social class” (Feldman, 2009, p. 72). As opposed to their preceding teen subculture, the Teds (who were known as ‘inward looking’ identities and the ‘mainstream’; developing into heralds of a forward looking decade.
Modernists labelled themselves as so, however it was the media that devised the term ‘mod’ which is defined as “a young person of a subculture characterized by a smart stylish appearance, the riding of motor scooters, and a liking for soul music” (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/mod). In addition, the Who’s manager Peter Meaden memorably stated that mod living is an aphorism for “clean living under difficult circumstances” (Weight, 2013, p. 4). Originally, the individuals named themselves modernists as they listened to modern jazz in rejection to the sappy pop songs that crowded the music charts. In the early 1960’s, the second wave of mods were influenced by the African-Americans who were bringing their rhythm & blues records over to England and selling them to the modernists. Mods identified with the music of black America and the expression of freedom, believing it was free from artifice and reflected the “immediacy of lived experience” (Feldman, 2009, p. 92). R&B, ska and soul music was the definitive soundtrack of the club scene at the time (e.g. Tiles Club in London which was known as the ‘mod club’ (Lowen, L, 2013)). The thriving club culture also brought along with it illegal drugs; amphetamines which mods were associated with by the older generations, thus creating a conspicuous generation gap. Expressing themselves through music, sex and drugs-fuelled club nights, mods in turn “disturbed many older Britons about the movement” (Weight, 2013, p. 4).
Modernists
came about during the aftermath of the Second World War, which saw a huge ‘baby boom’ and an increase of children being born during the middle to late 1940’s, therefore flowering as teenagers during the late 1950’s/60’s. Living conditions for the working class post-war were often poverty stricken as people worked long hours for very little. However, as the 50’s unfolded there was an economic growth in Britain which spawned a new consumer-driven society, along with the birth of the term ‘teenager’. The immigration of groups from south Asia and the West Indies into Britain at the time also added to these economic benefits. The post-war baby boomers suddenly had disposable income for the first time and began to assert themselves by playing a more participatory role in consumer culture. The youth were searching for identities that “challenged notions of cultural ‘belonging’ to a particular social class” (Feldman, 2009, p. 72). As opposed to their preceding teen subculture, the Teds (who were known as ‘inward looking’ identities and the ‘mainstream’; developing into heralds of a forward looking decade.
Modernists labelled themselves as so, however it was the media that devised the term ‘mod’ which is defined as “a young person of a subculture characterized by a smart stylish appearance, the riding of motor scooters, and a liking for soul music” (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/mod). In addition, the Who’s manager Peter Meaden memorably stated that mod living is an aphorism for “clean living under difficult circumstances” (Weight, 2013, p. 4). Originally, the individuals named themselves modernists as they listened to modern jazz in rejection to the sappy pop songs that crowded the music charts. In the early 1960’s, the second wave of mods were influenced by the African-Americans who were bringing their rhythm & blues records over to England and selling them to the modernists. Mods identified with the music of black America and the expression of freedom, believing it was free from artifice and reflected the “immediacy of lived experience” (Feldman, 2009, p. 92). R&B, ska and soul music was the definitive soundtrack of the club scene at the time (e.g. Tiles Club in London which was known as the ‘mod club’ (Lowen, L, 2013)). The thriving club culture also brought along with it illegal drugs; amphetamines which mods were associated with by the older generations, thus creating a conspicuous generation gap. Expressing themselves through music, sex and drugs-fuelled club nights, mods in turn “disturbed many older Britons about the movement” (Weight, 2013, p. 4).