Quadrophenia - The greatest teen movie of them all

THERE has always been a justifiable case that rock operas should be treated with a fair amount of suspicion. As prog rock went into overdrive in the mid 1970s, self indulgence on a physical and musical level threatened to squeeze the life out of genuine rock music as the concept album became the norm.

Thank god then, for The Who. Their 1973 double disc Quadrophenia told the story of a teenage Mod called Jimmy, a seething livewire full of frustration who wants nothing more than to be free from the shackles of every day tedium.
You see, Jimmy doesn't want to be like everyone else. He doesn't want to spend the rest of his life stuck in a mind numbing 9 to 5 job, he doesn't want to conform to what his parents expect of him, he doesn't have time for stiffs in suits telling him what to do and when to do it.
As Jimmy himself defiantly explained: "I don't wanna be like everyone else. That's why I'm a Mod, see?"
Six years on and The Who's homage to the Mod movement made it to the big screen. Although the entire production was almost called off following the death of Who drummer Keith Moon in September 1978, producers Roy Baird and Bill Curbishley held things together to ensure the film was seen through to the end.
Starring Phil Daniels as Jimmy (who later admitted to having no affinity to the Mod movement or indeed The Who), the film is set during the May Bank Holiday weekend of 1964 as the Mods and their bitter enemies, the Rockers, prepare to do battle on Brighton beach for 'the second coming of the Battle of Hastings.'
Image was everything back then. The tailor-made sharp suits with side vents had to be immaculate, the scooter had to be spotless to enhance pulling prowess, and a parka jacket with pockets deep enough for stashing 'weekend treats.'
Their hated opponents, the Rockers, were seen as a gang of outdated, greased up smellies with their big dirty motorbikes and leather jackets while the Rockers themselves sneered at the Mods for being weedy, effeminate snobs with aspirations above their stations.

There was also a strong difference of opinion in musical tastes, perfectly demonstrated in the film when Jimmy bumps into old classmate Kev (Ray Winstone). Rockers always favoured the more macho sound of, not surprisingly, rock and roll while the Mods preferred latter day R&B and the sounds being made by up-and-coming beat groups such as The Who, The Kinks and The Yardbirds.
The film proved to be a launch pad for many a career. Toyah Wilcox starred as party girl Monkey, Leslie Ash as Jimmy's love interest Steph, the Bill's Mark Wingett starred as Dave, John Altman, who later went on to play Eastenders bad boy Nick Cotton, appeared simply as John, while Sting appeared as the ultra-cool and ultra-violent Ace Face.
There were many memorable scenes in the film - a favourite among fans being when Jimmy and friends decide to liven up a moribund house party by playing My Generation at full volume whilst forming a mosh pit in the living room, much to the dismay of the other guests.
Curiously, My Generation didn't hit the shops until the tail end of 1965, almost 18 months after the film is set.
Probably best remembered for the climatic beach battle scenes, the film was heavily panned upon it's release for its large amount of sex, violence and drug use.
There was also plenty of criticism for the closing scenes of Jimmy, apparently about to steer his scooter over the edge at Beachy Head as the place itself had become synonymous with suicide.
But nearly 30 years on and Quadrophenia is rightly lauded as one of the finest films ever to come out of Britain.
Maybe because it's a film about Mods. It's just about being a bit different, see?

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