The early to mid Sixties - when youth for the first time in history ran wild. A little known and barely recorded period when - unlike their Teddy-boy predecessors (who had been subject to the rigours of conscription) - those in their teens openly defied the social order of the day.
The Teddyboys of the late fifties were, despite their bizarre imitation of the early American Rock culture, still part of the system, and their brothers-in-arms, the leather-clad bikers, or rockers, were seen by the new breed of youth as a hangover from the war years, a troublesome barbarian who had ruled the roost for too long.
Picture the scene: schoolboys, school-leavers, mere kids, took to wearing brightly-coloured clothes - often handmade in West End tailors, the like of which had never been seen before: red, yellow, blue, and green leather and suede overcoats; two-tone handmade shoes and boots; pastel coloured trousers worn three inches above the ankle and gaudy shirts in a multitude of audacious styles. Imagine the ridicule they received from the older rockers who saw them as a pushover. But imagine also how they felt when they discovered that many girls preferred these little Beau Brummels, and that en-mass they weren't quite the pushover that they'd hoped. In fact, they soon found out the hard way that many of these kids were of tough stock, coming from the backstreets and council estates of London, and were more than a match for anyone who fancied their chances in a fight.
In direct contrast to the White Music loved by Rockers, these "Mods" as they were soon to be labelled by the media listened to little but the music of their black friends - with whom they had a great affinity - in the clubs of Soho and the basement parties of Brixton. Black and white youngsters mixed without stigma, becoming friends in a way perhaps unparalleled in history. Blue Beat and Ska dominated the subculture for years. And apart from one or two risible attempts, the music industry in both the States and GB were unable to get a look in.
This was a period of spontaneous and exuberant rebellion untouched and unadulterated by market forces, which paved the way for a host of less pure but more celebrated cults.
These youngsters were the pioneers of post war youth rebellion.
Another factor unique in history was the widespread use of drugs among this group; uppers and downers, which, combined with alcohol did little to calm the prevailing riotous impetuosity which pervaded each of their lives. Here was a revolution beyond the purely physical: a revolution of mind and spirit which shattered forever the mold of subservience cast by their forefathers, to set the course of man along unknown tracks.
SynopsisAUTHOR'S NOTES:
Everything in the book is based on truth, all names having been changed to protect the guilty.
Life in a London comprehensive school. Gang molestation leading to the rape of a female pupil. Present are schoolfriends Tommy, Mac, a half-caste friend, and Dinger. All is fairly innocent, although unpleasant, until the arrival of Kenser, an older and tougher biker who has returned to the school to use the metalwork shop. Seeing the action going on, he takes advantage of the circumstances to rape the girl. There is a brief confrontation as Tommy objects to this degradation, but being the weaker, he backs down.
Soho, London. Out of their school clothes, Tommy, Mac and Dinger are out clubbing. The music is predominantly R&B and Ska, an ideal accompaniment to the amphetamines which are being swallowed wholesale by all. Between clubs and coffee bars they are predators on the streets of Soho.
Tommy meets Sherri, a West Indian girl in a nightclub and a mutual attraction brings them together. Black and white youth mix without stigma, finding common ground in the music.
Next morning, after washing and brushing up in a public lavatory, Tommy and Dinger pay Vince a visit at his street stall to borrow money before going on to commit a smash and grab raid to further finance their fashion habit. Not content with this, they recruit Sheila, a young Mod girl to act as prey for dirty old men.
Chislehurst caves - the rock and roll biker venue of the south of England, where Kenser gets to lay Tommy's white girlfriend Sandy, and the first battle between the two fashion gangs - Mods and Rockers - occurs. In the melée, Kenser, while grappling with Tommy, is stabbed and wounded by Tommy's friend Frankie.
Back in Soho, Tommy and Dinger continue to rob older men who have been lured into hotels by Sheila, but one evening, after saying goodbye to her, the two boys are stopped by three tough men, slapped about, and warned off. They are on Ray's patch. When they decide to quit, and mention this to Sheila, she goes it alone.
Schooldays over. Brighton. Gangs of youth in confrontation. Tommy meets Sherri who has come down in a coach with family and friends for a 'blues' party. He wanders off from the party asking Sherri to come with him to a beach party, but being a good Jamaican girl, she says she has to go home. Tommy gets blocked and then learns of Sheila's death back in London at the hands of the'Ripper' – a serial killer who preys on street girls. Sherri changes her mind meanwhile, and goes off down to the beach in search of Tommy, but sees him in the arms of another girl who, unbeknown to her, is merely comforting him after the terrible news. She runs off disillusioned.
Later, some time after midnight, Dinger is on the beach with a girlfriend trying to get it on when Kenser and gang arrive on their bikes. Seeing the pair of them alone he pounces, and, thinking Dinger is the one who knifed him in the caves, shoves him into the sea, holding him under until he drowns. His girlfriend is badly beaten and hospitalised in a coma. With Dinger missing, the police assume he is the culprit, but when his body is later found washed up on the beach the attention turns to Tommy who had spent the night alone and stoned, wandering the streets of the seaside town. But he convinces the police of his innocence and heads back to London with Vince who has vowed to find his little brother's killers. He then offers Tommy the job with 'the firm' he had lined-up for Dinger. Tommy, with nothing better to do and a bad home life accepts and takes the job and the flat in Soho that goes with it.
The weeks pass with Tommy in his new job as rent and 'insurance' collector, until one day he is called in by Vince to a 'trial'. There he sees Kenser, captured by Vince for the murder of Dinger. The entire sequence of events is clinically recorded on film as Kenser becomes the victim of a snuff movie. Tommy is sickened, but it is made plain to him that escape from this underworld nightmare after having been witness to murder is impossible. To compound his misery, he again by chance meets up with Sherri. Without giving him a chance to explain, she gives him a verbal slapping down and walks off.
By chance one evening he meets Beryl at a party. Both are bored and she is intrigued by thoughts of having a fling with a 'schoolboy', so they leave and go back to Tommy's dingy flat. There she seduces him and he realises the earlier dream he thought to be beyond his reach. The liaison continues for some time until one day Vince turns up unexpectedly and finds them together in bed. Shocked, Vince walks out, telling Tommy to see him in his office. There he gives him a dressing down, and explains that Ray, Beryl's husband, is his real boss and the main man of a large and nasty criminal organisation, but before Tommy can reveal that he too knows something about Vince – learned from one of their call girls – Ray arrives and tells Tommy to leave the office.
Then… but you can buy the book and find out. All right?
Sawdust Caesar at Amazon
