Win I'm The One by Horst A. Friedrichs

We've featured the book in the past and now we have five copies of I'm The One (21st Century Mods) by Horst A. Friedrichs to give away.

The book is published on 31st August 2009, the work of award-winning photographer Horst A. Friedrichs, wh has spent more than a decade recording the modern-day British mod community, travelling all over the UK, attending allnighters, weekenders and scooter cruises to take his snaps, of which 70 colour and 70 black and white feature, complete with 'real-life descriptions' of what contemporary modernism means to each of the people captured.

Want to win a copy? Follow the link below to the competition page to get yourself in the draw.

Enter the I'm The One book competition

History of the UK Jazz Dance Scene

It's been 10 years in the making, which just might give you an idea of the depth of From Jazz Funk & Fusion to Acid Jazz - The History of the UK Jazz Dance Scene.

The work of Mark 'Snowboy' Cotgrove and designed by one of our favourite artist/designers Swifty, this 290-page book looks at the evolution of black music and clubbing in the UK from the early 70s to the mid-90s, taking in the all-dayers, weekenders and clubs, including The Goldmine, Chaplins, Lacy Lady, Berlin, The Central, Chaplins, Crackers, Electric Ballroom and The Wag.

I'm One by Horst A. Friedrichs

We usually get advanced warning of the various mod-related books that come out, but the first we've heard of I'm One (Trust In Mod) by Horst A. Friedrichs is via a pre-release piece from Amazon.

To be honest, the piece makes the book sound pretty awful, but read between the lines and it sounds much better. Skip most of the text and get to: 'Whether shot in Margate, Scarborough, Brighton, or London, Friedrich's photographs could be right out of 1966 in the way they capture the essence of Mod. This rare collection of stunning images provides a sensitive portrayal of Britain's Mod community from the past decade and a unique insight into the diversity of the contemporary Mod scene.'

So essentially a photobook of the modern-day mod scene. Which sounds just fine by us. We'll try and get a copy for review, but in the meantime, you can pre-order for £16.99 for an August delivery.

Find out more at the Amazon website

Vespa: An Illustrated History

The original version came out back in 1993, now an updated second edition of Vespa: An Illustrated History is available via Haynes.

The original was by longstanding Vespa importer Eric Brockway, who has now sadly died. The updated version adds content from journalist Peter Henshaw, both men taking the Vespa journey (in the UK) from 1949, but now taking in the modern-day models alongside the classics through original advertisements, publicity shots, factory pictures, celebrity snaps and of course, your average man or woman in the street.

Available now, it retails for just over £9.

Find out more at the Amazon website

Double Breasted 1st anniversary issue

The Double Breasted mod fanzine is one year old and to celebrate, there's a couple of competitions and a giveaway of a free CD.

The first anniversary issue of Double Breasted will be on sale at The Glasgow Mod Weekender (from 25th June) and comes with two competitions, including one to win tickets to see Booker T in Perth in July, along with a free CD of 60s-inspired Scottish bands.

Of course, there's also the magazine too, which offers up club news, weekender, gig and record reviews, style and design icons, a sneak preview of Enamel Vergurin's new book, events diary and a whole lot more. You can still get issue 3 but issues 1 and 2 are almost gone, if you want the complete set, get in touch via the link below.

Double Breasted at MySpace
 

Len Deighton's Action Cook Book

Originally released back in the 1960s, the classic Action Cook Book by Len Deighton is back to give you and your kitchen some Harry Palmer style.

Len Deighton wasn't just a lover of words, he was also a lover of food - he trained as a chef and was also a food writer in the Observer before making his name penning tales of secret agents. Indeed, the Action Cook Book mixes both worlds, offering up a guide to sophisticated cooking for the sophisticated man about town in the 1960s.

These days it's retro appeal is likely to pull in the punters as much as its use as a serious cookbook, but don't write that side off completely. If you need to dice an onion, saute some mushrooms, create the perfect romantic meal, pull off a dinner party or build up your very own wine cellar, Len is with you all the way. And all for just £6.49.

Find out more at the Amazon website

Via Retro To Go

Garageland by Nicolas Ungemuth

If you have a fluency in French and a passion for all things garage, then Garageland by Nicolas Ungemuth looks to be the perfect purchase.

As far as we know, it's only been printed in French (although the Colette product page says it's in English - even though the cover is in French), so unless you're the kind of person who just likes looking at pictures (and we suspect there are a good few images and cover scans amongst the 176 pages), you might have to take a chance.

But if you do and it is in your own language, you'll get an overview of the genre from 1962 to 1968, taking in everything from the obvious to the obscure, with special emphasis on the US and the UK. The French Amazon site claims it is launched tomorrow, while Colette is already taking orders. The Amazon page is slightly cheaper - 21.75 Euros.

Find out more at the Amazon website

Via Electric Roulette

Quadrophenia stage show tours UK

If you fancy getting up-close and personal with Pete Townshend's 1973 rock opera, you might want to check out the stage version of Quadrophenia, which tours the UK in the coming weeks and months.

We've not seen it, so can't say how it works in practice, but strangely, four actors share the role of Jimmy (playing the romantic, lunatic, tough guy and hypocrite apparently), although the plot and cast for the show seems pretty much in tandem with the movie. However. we suspect stage and movie will be very different beasts.

Townshend likes it though: 'I am excited about this new production. Its genesis in workshop in Cardiff was wonderful, and what is happening now with the Theatre Royal  Plymouth feels right-sized on the one hand, but also insanely ambitious for such a tricky piece.  It's taken a long time, and a lot of wrangling to accept that Quadrophenia is probably never going to work as conventional music theatre. So I hope for a grand and chaotic explosion of music and chorus that revives the memories of being young in the '60s, but also brings those memories to life in the 21st century.'

Want to see it? Read over the page for full tour dates, which kick off in Plymouth on 9th May 2009.

Photos of Dublin mods wanted

A new Dublin photo book on youth culture is on the way and is looking for photographic contributions from yourselves.

The working title for the book is Where Were You, and it is set to document four decades of Dublin street style and youth culture from the late 1950s to the end of the century. Pictures of mods, skinheads and rudeboys are all desired, from all periods.

The project has been undertaken by local man Garry O'Neill, and it is nearing its completion, but there is still time to submit photos if you can. Photos can be scanned and sent directly to cru71@hotmail.com, or you can phone Gary to arrange something else on 0879380261.

You can view more on the Where Were You project at Garry's Myspace page here.

 

Awaydays the movie

Not particularly 'mod' (although there were some '79-era mods in the book), Kevin Sampson's superb late-70s set novel, Awaydays has become a movie, hitting cinemas on 22nd May. And we have the trailer and some images right here.

Set during the dawn of the 'football casual' era, Awaydays is in one way a tale of Tranmere Rovers' hooligan following and its meetings with other firms in the third division. But just as much (if not more), it's also a tale of the era - unemployment, drugs, fashion, clubs and the music scene of the day. If it's done well, it should be a gem.

See over the page for a couple of large stills from the movie, as well as the official trailer for it.

Awaydays official movie website