Damned Skinheads!!

[KiltShot]

Just think of yourself as an F-117!

[BoldHighlander]

I seem to recall that Nighthawk was a call sign used in the BBC series 'Allo 'Allo.

So laugh with zee "resistonce" and Renée Artois! and keep your nick with honour

Ah Trefor, I loved that show!

[artificer]

BTW: skinhead /= KKK. The original Skinheads were not racist, they were both black and white, and tied together by music and socio-economic situation (ie working class brits who loved northern soul and Jamaican ska).

It was the later National Front and the American kkk which gives skinheads their bad name... well, that and the ****-bashing.

[The Guy in the Kilt at UC]

Just think of yourself as an F-117!

EXACTLY!!!

[Lachlan09]

BTW: skinhead /= KKK. The original Skinheads were not racist, they were both black and white, and tied together by music and socio-economic situation (ie working class brits who loved northern soul and Jamaican ska).

It was the later National Front and the American kkk which gives skinheads their bad name... well, that and the ****-bashing.

What you say is totally true and the way the whole thing was appropriated by those extremist no-hopers of the last 30 years or so has been a disgrace. The original skinheads in the UK in the 1960’s didn’t look like today’s image of skinheads. I don’t know if you know British youth culture, but Skinheads grew out of the Mods. Mods (short for Modernists) started out as little groups of teenage individuals of like interests in the late 1950’s onward. They were usually Jewish boys, sons of East End London tailors, with some money to burn and bored with rock n’ roll, trad jazz and teddy boys. Two main interests were clothes and music. They often designed their own suits, which they got hand-tailored. Even shirts were hand-tailored, because they abhorred the limited stuffy styles available to guys of their age. They cut the traces with music, choosing cleaner and more “unreachable” sounds – particularly modern jazz, likes of John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk and Dave Brubeck. They took to watching French art-films and even adopting casual French clothing, like small French berets (later a Mod favourite), hooped Breton shirts etc and sometimes buying and carrying a French baguette in the street to look more sophisticated. Every detail of dress was compared with their peers, to ensure each Modernist was not out of touch. They hung around coffee-bars and modern-jazz haunts, where uppers (amphetimines) were easily available to fuel their adopted narcissist, nocturnal lifestyle. Their style and life was elitist, mysterious and exclusive – and virtually unknown. From these beginnings in London, more like-minded teenagers began to rub shoulders with them and they brought their own ideas to the party. Still a small lifestyle, these young guys brought Italian clothes styling and also American influences. Some of these Mods, like precocious 14 year-old Marc Feld in 1962 (he later changed his name to Marc Bolan – of T-Rex), used to buy Arrow shirts and then tailor them to slim-fit, a passable alternative to tailor-made. As lighter weight-material became available around 1963/4, English heavier cloths were supplanted. Meanwhile, in the search for obscure music which no-one outside could listen to, those proto-mods turned to black American music. Motown wasn’t known in the UK yet and was also still rather ethnic in the US. Black US servicemen based in the UK were able to get rare music for these eager London guys and they met up in specialized London clubs which played this music. They bought records from the US servicemen and black music became the sound of Mods, whether the emerging Motown, Stax, Volt etc. During this time, suburban London Mods were joining the scene, bringing with them their handy mode of transport – the Italian scooter. Various models of Lambretta and Vespa were their preference, usually customized to individual taste. They also brought less formal clothing, such as Fred Perry polo-shirts, hooped cycling shirts, the newly-available shrink-to-fit Levis, Clarks suede desert boots and Lonsdale boxing boots – plus the iconic American fishtail parka ! Meanwhile, they aspired to own suits, like the urban Mods. The outcome of this was the iconic 3 button suit, popular by 1964. Made of lightweight material such as Dormeuil’s Tonik cloth, or better still – mohair mix, each detail on the suit was very important to a Mod’s credibility. Mods tried to maintain their very best visual image, spending all their weekly wages on clothes, records, their scooter (if they had one) and of course, drynamil or dexys to give them that energy for weekend all-nighters. These “energy-giving” drugs had a big come-down of course and could even encourage paranoia (see Quadrophenia for example), but they gave an excess of energy for all-night dancing, so that chewing-gum became popular to stop them fidgeting and becoming too hyper. Mods sometimes called their blocked (uppers-filled) all-nighters “Chewing Gum Weekends”.

Another branch of the growing Mod movement had been developing and started mixing with the Mods. These guys were more working-class and typically lived in the docklands of East London. They became influenced by records coming in with merchant seaman from ships arrived from the West Indies. Their music-style was Jamaican Ska music, slow and steady music with emphasis on the offbeat. Obscure sounds ! Mods took the music on board as these East End lads adopted the Mod lifestyle. They also mixed with West Indian immigrants in Ska clubs, even adopting the popular Jamaican pork-pie hat. Through the Ska clubs and Ska-Mods, ska and that hat also became popular generally with Mods.

The scene was still largely London, though it had spread to other large cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Liverpool too, though in 1963, they had their own heroes – an up-and coming group called The Beatles (who were certainly not Mods, though some Beatles styles permeated through to Mods, like Chelsea Boots).

1963 was the year Mods became known to a wider audience. That was the year Ready Steady Go! started on Rediffusion TV. Initially London and home counties, the programme was eventually syndicated throughout the UK. Unlike previous youth programmes, RSG showcased artists, well known and unknown. The Beatles featured a lot in those early days and though not popular with Mods per se, they did make the programme available to all. Another favourite was The Rolling Stones, who were more popular with Mods, though again not Mods. Funny enough a group which the Mods adopted and who were accepted as looking like Mods was Booker T and the MG’s, though they weren’t. RSG showed off fashions, dances and what was cool. Slowly, the word spread around young people across Britain.

Meanwhile, from zero beginnings, John Stephen, a Glasgow rag-trade entrepreneur, opened up the first of his London readymade clothing shops, Lord John, catering for Mods. He set up shop in a cheap, run-down Soho back-street called Carnaby Street. As well as new Mod favourites such as 3-buttons suits, tab-collar shirts, button-downs, Sta-prest slacks etc, he introduced new fashions to the Mods, such as Houndstooth and Prince Of Wales check, hipster trousers (an idea he borrowed from London’s “underground” gay scene) and wider range of colours, including shirts in brighter colours, polka-dots, paisley etc. Mods adopted their own phrases mainly of American origin, sometimes of black or bebop origin, sometimes Beatnik. (EG A leading Mod was a Face, a typical Mod was a Number, a no-hoper was a State or a Third-Class Ticket, outsiders were Squares, an out-of –touch Mod was a Fool, Mods were Hip – and Cool, Mods high on amphetamines were Blocked etc etc). Mod Face Peter Meaden described the Mod lifestyle as “Clean living under difficult circumstances”. Pete Townshend was amazed to find on The Who’s first visit to the US that his Mod clothing looked uncannily like the American “Preppie” style.

But what made Mods known nationwide was 1964. Spring Bank Holiday saw groups of Mods descending on seaside towns like Brighton, Hastings, Southend and many more. Their opposites, motor-bike riding Rockers, also wanted to ride their BSA’s and Triumphs to the seaside. The whole Mod and Rocker thing has been grossly exaggerated. At that time, before 1964, they weren’t bitter enemies. Many stories exist of rockers going to dance halls popular with Mods and dancing along too. While uneasy at each others’ presence at times, it wasn’t the war portrayed in the media. In fact, Mods were more likely to fight other Mods, as they grew in numbers and took a local-gang mentality with them. Mods found in another Mods area were often attacked. But in 1964, Mods and Rockers finally collided and the irresponsible British newspapers stirred things to a frenzy, sometimes egging young Mods to taunt Rockers or the police, or else to run as a mob through the streets, to get good newspaper stories. The result was violence and overnight, Mods were vilified, becoming branded as “sawdust Caesars” and the sight of young guys in parkas on scooters caused over-reaction and fear among parts of the population.
The 1964 riots was the watershed. Some older and more peaceable Mods distanced themselves from the hooligan element, themselves “Stylists” rather than Modernists or Mods and becoming even more elite. Meanwhile, many teenagers across the realm wanted to become Mods !

But from then on, the Modernist movement began to fragment little by little, especially in London , the centre of Mod-cool. By 1965, things were changing. John Stephen had opened more shops for Mods in and around Carnaby Street, Mary Quant was on the scene, pirate radio was playing new music for teenagers, TV held more interest for teenagers and Mods had their “own” group, The Who (aka The High Numbers). By 1966, the Mod movement was beginning to recede. It was a scene for the day, disposable, not intended to last forever. Youth-orientated music and fashion were fully available, but unintentionally the Mods had caused a great awakening in Britain and things had now caught up. Late on the scene were another Mod group, The Small Faces, arguably more genuine Mod than The Who. By late 1966, with so many choices for young people and music becoming less danceable and more esoteric, the Mod movement started to go underground again. “Swinging London” had arrived and Carnaby Street was its heart. The era of Austin Powers was on the horizon. Mods fragmented into two main groups, Peacock Mods and Hard Mods. Mods, meanwhile, thrived in other parts of the UK at least until 1968 (In 1968, I was a 15 year-old Mod! My brother was a 19 year-old Mod with a Lambretta Li Series 3 !)

Peacock Mods were typified by The Small Faces of late 1965/early1966. Carefully sculpted hair, vibrant clothing and latest flamboyant styles (often too loud) and into the latest recreational drugs. The scene would eventually grow out into experimentation and psychedelia of late 1966/1967.

Meanwhile, many less-affluent working-class Mods stayed with more traditional Mod-style, 3 button-suits, casual clothes, parkas, Motown/Stax and rare label soul music, Jamaican ska music and scooters (if not inner-city London). Some got their hair cut shorter rather than growing and sculpting. Many of these lads were in local groups of Mods. They were all round the country, where Modernism hung on much longer than in London. By 1967, these Mods began to distance themselves greatly from the hippy love and peace scene growing up around them. They wanted to continue with their music and dress. These Hard Mods, who wore classic Mod styles plus their own extras, typically wore the iconic Mod 3-button suit or tweedy sports jacket and Stay-prest slacks, Ben Sherman button-down shirts, narrow ties, penny-loafers or brogues, desert boots, Fred Perry shirts, narrow-leg Levis with one inch turn-ups. Some wore parkas if they had scooters. Hair was short and razor-cut. Some had crew-cuts (like me).
Some of these hard Mods developed further, specializing in ska music. They also adopted dark-blue Crombie coats (with the red pocket lining turned out), wore clip-on braces/suspenders and because of potential trouble with groups of Hells Angels, started to wear work-boots of various types, but the iconic Dr Martens boots became the “bovver boots” of choice. They wore suits and slip-ons for dancing but Levis and Doc Martens for trouble and hanging around.

The Skinheads had arrived. They were not racist. They were not extreme nationalists either – in fact no thoughts of politics. They loved ska and West Indians were very welcome. In fact, a good number of these Skinheads were Jamaican and other West Indians, just as many had been Mods before. Contrary to popular belief, Skinheads did not shave their heads in the 1960’s, they wore hair you wouldn’t even think of as Skinhead. A number 3 was as short as hair got for most of them. Some had number 4 and even hair long enough to part with a comb. But compared to most of British youth, this short hair made them Skinheads.

As the 1960’s drifted into the 1970’s, Skinheads became split. Some began to wear hair really short (number 1 or 2) and were known as Skinheads, some had hair a little longer (No 3 or 4) and were called Suedeheads, while others who had longish hair just became known as Bootboys. By the mid 1970’s, unemployment, political dissatisfaction, short-weeks and fuel shortages etc collided with a mass of immigration from India, Pakistan and Uganda (expelled Ugandan Asians). Working-class youth, in competition for scarce jobs, saw these incomers as the enemy and were encouraged by right-wing nationalist parties. Soon, Skinheads started attacking Asian incomers, fuelled by fear of them. It was very ugly. As the unhappy 70’s progressed and the Punk music scene arrived, even these extremes became more extreme and the most violent and hateful of the latest generation of Skinheads were guided toward fascist views. The rest is horrible history.

Today, there are various types of identifiable Skinhead groups. They range from Trojans - Skinheads who follow 1960’s ideals where it was all about ska, style and integration with West Indian Skinheads , though various types to those sad supremacist bigots on the ultra-right who are a symbol of hatred in the Western World. The film “American History X” laid bare the pathetic truth of their empty, grotesque existence.

Examples of Mods in music were:- Marc Feld (later Marc Bolan of T-Rex), Davey Jones (later David Bowie), Rod Stewart (Rod The Mod), The Who (Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle aka Allison, Keith Moon), The Small Faces (Steve Marriot, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLaglan, Kenny Jones – also Jimmy Winston).

Examples of Skinheads in music were:- Slade (Ambrose Slade – turned into Skins the same way The Who were turned into Mods and sang a boot-stomping song “Get Down and Get With It”), Symarip (a West Indian 60’s band who sang hits like “Skinhead Girl", "Skinhead Jamboree" and most famously "Skinhead Moonstomp" a slow rock-steady ska song whose chorus went “Nananana -- Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah !”)

[Jerry]

Also, not all of we who shave our heads are members of extremest groups. In my case, I lost most of the hair on my body during chemo. After the treatments were done and the hair started growing back, I just started shaving my head. My hair was so thin that it was a waste of money to pay some guy $15 or more to cut what little I had left up there. I know quite a few guys who shave their heads for various other reasons, and none of them are extremests either.

[Lachlan09]

A lot of middle-aged guys shave their hair pretty close because of male pattern baldness etc and it looks better than a ring of hair and a few Bobby Charlton strands over the top.

I have all my hair, but have had a constant number 2 cut since about 2000, because it's cool in hot weather and hides my brush of silvery strands !!

[English Bloke]

I used to have hair down to my **** up to my 20's but cut it all off before joining the Army. I keep my hair short now because it's more practical to manage it that way. I've never been mistaken for an extremist ever and would give short shrift to anyone stupid enough to make that connection. Oh, and does anyone else see the irony of white supremasists using Cherokee names 'cause they sound cool. See? that's what you're dealing with here. I wouldn't bend for them Nighthawk. It's your nick.

By the way... Great post Lachlan09. I'm a bit later than you and spent my developing teens in the 70's. I wore my hair long then as it was the absolute antithesis of everything that skins had become and I regarded (and still regard) their racist bigotry with complete contempt. Slade were not skins when I was listening to them but it's facinating to hear where they came from... that was a really informative read. Cheers.

[artificer]

Lachlan09:
I'm a huge ska, rocksteady, and reggae fan. Although I was originally a 2nd wave fan (grew up in the 80's) my tastes 'drifted' backward. Back in the day I had my docs (which I still wear)/skinny braces/etc. My hair was always more Suede than Skin, but I still hate when people lump something cool in with @ss-heads like the kkk and n.f.

[Lyle1]

Symbolism only works when the intended connection is made. I think it would take more than your name to make readers of this forum think of white supremacists.