Thursday, 29 August 2013

“Are you a Weekender?” asks The Guardian. David Ling, Mod aged 64, says yes!!! (PHK interjects)

Weekends in the summer you've got all the big scooter meetings. I'll be going up to Great Yarmouth with my mate on the back of his bike. He's got a 300XL (PHK: A what?). It don't half shoot along. He opens up on the motorway and he gets to 80. It goes like a bomb. It feels fantastic on that motorway in the summer with a bit of a breeze.

We wear the mod gear on the bikes. You've got to be one of the faces when you arrive. We'll wear the suit, the trousers, the slip-ons, then straight to the cleaner's, get it all pressed so we're ready for the night.

All the biker boys go to the Ace caff. There's one big caff, but it's split. One side is for chilling out with cups of tea – the scooter boys, the mods, are on that side. The rockers are on the other side. We don't go near the rockers because they all smell, don't they? Not being funny, but if it's a hot day, they come with big boots, big leathers, and they're stinking. They're sweating like an old dog. They are just not one of the faces.

You've got to look the part. I spent £500 on this outfit at the mod shop on Carnaby Street. You never buy anything that's too loud. When you're dressed, you're a face. You're noticed automatically. You don't want to stand out (PHK: Yes you do!). You don't want to be an individual (PHK: Yes you do!). You're all the same, one of the boys, one of the group. Get the video Quadrophenia – it'll tell you everything you need to know about being a mod (PHK: Really - well that explains everything about your views on Mod then).

• Are you a Weekender? (PHK: No - how can you be a weekender? Mod is a way of life!!!). Email a photo and a brief description of how you spend your weekends to weekender@theguardian.com

Interviewer: Becky Barnicoat

Portrait: Emily Stein

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BREAKING NEWS: The Threads will be playing Mods Mayday 2025 at 229 The Venue, London, on 4th May

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