The Staying Power of Style and Etiquette: The Islington Twins were Mods but were never Rude Boys (part two)

THE TW↑NS: Env↑ronMENTAL Training™
A Training, Motivating, Consulting Service
“Those who know me can talk to me and about me; those who know of me
can only talk about me.” ITWOMLG
© C. Okonkwo & D. Okonkwo 2

A Ten Year Anniversary Special
The Staying Power of Style And Etiquette
The Islington Twins were Mods but were never Rude Boys
Compiled & Edited by Chuka Okonkwo & Dubem Okonkwo

Part Two
‘In Their Own Words’

Picture 1

“We never start, we never run, but we always finish.” Motto of The North
London Shades
The Islington Tw↑ns Chuka Okonkwo & Dubem Okonkwo (aka Chet and
Joe) as photographed in Brick Lane by Robin Emilien in 1980
What was supposed to be a few lines explaining how the photograph
came to be taken has transformed into a recollection of an earlier event
that led to being attired as we appeared that day. So we thought it was
better to give you an overview of our lives during our late teens.
The picture
This picture was taken on a Sunday (Chet thinks) near Brick Lane, a
notorious area in the late 70s and early 80s for anyone with brown skin or
those who chose to dress as Mods instead of Skinheads. You risked being
attacked and beaten up unless you were able to defend yourself. That
said, it was a time when parts of London tingled with the sound of Two
Tone, Ska, and 60s music. For us it was a very exciting time. We were
unperturbed by the thought of being attacked - which happened on many
occasions- but we were more than skilled enough to handle ourselves.
Since we didn’t accept the concept of fear, there was nothing to worry
about. That was our view.

Tw↑n Mod 1 and Tw↑n Mod 2
We started a Mod club called The North London Shades. Two guesses
why? This is where the arrow that is often seen with our names first
started to be used. Chet was Tw↑n Mod 1 and Joe was Tw↑n Mod 2. We
were all on foot because either members were too young to hold a driving
licence or not rich enough to afford a Lambretta or Vespa scooter.
Swings and roundabouts
A scooter was the dream of many Mods at the time, even if it meant
buying one on hire purchase. The hire purchase scheme allowed you to
pay for goods in installments. This method of payment suited those on low
incomes. One drawback with hire purchase was that failure to keep up
with payments would result in goods being confiscated and loss of your
deposit. An item was officially never yours until you had paid the full
amount. But the full amount often exceeded the actual price by 20%, if not
more, due to the interest added. The mortgage problems that many of
today’s property owners find themselves in are due to this system of
taking years to pay for something you think you own. That is, till you
default on your payments and wake up to the reality that you have lost
years of your investment, and that you owned not a single brick of the
property you believed was yours. Alas, mortgage companies won’t return
your payments if ‘your property’ is repossessed. The English have an
expression, 'What you gain on the swings, you lose on the roundabouts.’

Fashion, music, dancing
We loved the fashion, the music, the dancing and the opportunity to meet
like-minded teenagers. Mods! by Richard Barnes was our Bible. Anyone
who really wants to understand us, and what drove our passion to dress
smartly, should get a copy of the book and study it. We read it every week,
searching for tips to bring into our lives, and didn’t care to wear what other
Mods saw as staple Mod attire. Yes, we wore a parka, sta-press trousers,
pork pie hat (hence people mistaking us for Rudeboys), Frank Wright
loafers (a handsome pair of loafers in our opinion), but for us being a Mod
was more than just the clothes. It was the way you conducted yourself and
behaved towards others, irrespective of what 'tribe’ they belonged to.
Schooldays
Before we became Mods we were keen on Rock 'n’ Roll. At school we
were loved Rockabilly music, and did our best - very poorly- to dress like
rockabillies. We listened to Elvis Presley and a string of talented singers
from the 50s, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochrane, Gene Vincent and many
others - we’ve never stopped adoring that genre of music - having grown
up with eclectic taste. So our record collection back then brimmed with
classical music (thanks to our mother’s cultured influence), musicals,
traditional jazz, film and TV theme tunes. We did not allow the fact that we
became Mods to limit our musical taste.

April 1980
We first saw Mods on the streets of London in the autumn of 1979 and
craved to dress like them. We had no money so had to pretend to
ourselves that we were dressed smartly and that everyone was
photographing us. This wasn’t true. Until we became Mods, the fact that
we were a pair of identical twins was of no interest to members of the
public. We have always worn the same clothes and been seen together,
but we don’t recall anyone asking to take our picture prior to that period.
That all changed around late April 1979 after we used our grant money
(college funds meant to assist students with books and materials for their
course) to purchase an army parka, pork pie hat, narrow knitted tie,
wraparound shades, Frank Wright loafers and other accessories captured
in Janette Beckman’s photograph of us. We had spent about three to four
months, dreaming and imagining ourselves as Mods, visualising our
picture being taken by the public. This wasn’t done from an ego point of
view, but to try to convince ourselves that we really were Mods. Innocent
youth fumbling blindly with the Law of Attraction some might say. Well, it
worked and from the moment we stepped out of our front door attired as
Mods the cameras started clicking. Every teenager - at least the ones into
clothes - loves being photographed. It’s part of establishing your identity
on the world around you. It’s a way of saying that you are independent
and your own man or woman. It isn’t an ego thing. Ego has nothing to do
with it. You wear the clothes you’ve chosen to wear, whether you’re a
Skinhead, Teddy boy or Emo with pride, not to be photographed.
However, having your picture taken is a pleasure, and seeing yourself in a

fashion magazine is a bonus that you proudly share with your peers.
Richard Barnes - MODS!
What the Mod Revival did for us was to allow us to express our interest in
wearing stylish clothes. As a revival it was a poor imitation of the original
60s Mods. There is no way - and we were conscious of this at the time
having studied the book, Mods! by Richard Barnes - that we could claim
to be as stylish as the original 60s Mods with their bespoke tailored suits.
Anyone late 70s/early 80s making such a claim is deluding themselves.
Teenagers at the time copied whatever their favourite bands were wearing.
They were your role models. The book Mods! gave anyone who could be
bothered to study it great insights. We learnt to dance by imitating Johnny
Moke; he is featured in the book performing dances like the Dog, The
Hitchhike, The Shake and others. Music-wise, bands like The Specials and
Madness didn’t just copy or imitate, they created something new. The
same can be said of UB40. Listen to their first album, 'Signing Off’, and
the second, 'Present Arms’, and you’ll hear timeless tunes and lyrics that
are as poignant today as they were then. To our knowledge UB40 weren’t
a Mod band, and neither were The Specials or Madness, but they wrote
music - great music- that echoed the feelings of the time. All youth
movements are best served when musicians who can pen songs that
allow you to dance, or simply tap your foot or just nod your head in delight
are in large supply. Short lived as the period was we were well and truly
blessed to have grown up back then. We shan’t dwell on the 'hardships’ of
the time, we’ll leave that to sociologists. We’re only into positive

reminiscing, and this is our way of celebrating what was a very happy
period in our lives.
Richard Barnes - Mods!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mods-Richard-Barnes/dp/0859651738
The North London Shades
We disliked the fighting that took place between Rockers and Mods, or
their main predators, Skinheads; who saw Mods as easy prey, which in
many cases they were. But not all Mods were pushovers, we met some
tough Mods like the members of The Viceroys when we travelled round
London to venues like The Hercules Tavern in Lambeth, though we had to
return in time for our mother’s 9 p.m. curfew. There were Mods who
practised martial arts and feared none. They never went looking for
trouble. Why would they, after spending so much money on suits and
scooters, waste precious time when there were better things to do like
dressing, posing and dancing? We never owned a suit - that’s just another
myth that has done the rounds. “These myths about us, we’ll become
legends in our own lifetime.” When we set up The North London Shades
we encouraged every member to take up a martial art. Self defence was
important if you were going to be able to walk around fearlessly. It wasn’t
so that you could gang up on a solitary Rocker or Skinhead and beat the
living daylights out of him - another English expression.

Quitting the Mod scene
As more and more Mods started looking for trouble (sadly this included
members of The North London Shades), we could sense the energy of the
movement was changing. We were well aware that some of our generation
were trying to copy the seaside fights at Brighton and Clacton-on-Sea that
had taken place in the mid 60s. but that was not what we were interested
in or even cared about. Since it had nothing whatsoever to do with
dressing and dancing. So we closed the club and quit the Mod scene.
Flashing fists and street brawls was not the reason why we became Mods
in the first place. Happily to say, after departing from the Mod scene, we
started The Bar in September 1981.
Paul 'Smiler’ Anderson - Mods The New Religion
For anyone interested in learning more about the original Mod movement,
we recommend Mods: The New Religion by Paul Anderson. The book was
published this year (April 2014), and if you love books, as we do, we
encourage you to get a copy. The book is written from the heart, but with
the head in complete harmony with the emotions they evoke through
words and images. Not since Richard Barnes’ Mods have we seen a book
that explores the best youth movement to emerge from this island. Paul
Anderson’s Mod: The New Religion would definitely have been our Bible
had it been published in 1979.
Mods: The New Religion
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1780385498/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss
_1?pf_rd_p=479289247&pf_rd_s=lpo-top
stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0224073915&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&p
f_rd_r=0SKR1MG7W16A8K4F9R74

Mods: The New Religion - Fred Perry Blog
http://www.fredperry.com/blog/post/2014/04/24/mods-the-new-religion-
by-paul-smiler-anderson
The Bar
Returning briefly to the subject of The Bar, the club we started started with
Francis, our amazing and dynamic older brother. (Older by 11 months,16
days!).The Bar was also a street club. It wasn’t a replacement for The
North London Shades, neither did it aim to copy all of the principles of our
Mod club. The only thing we kept was the rule that members didn’t fight
amongst themselves or cause any trouble to the public. As long as these
rules were kept members were free to gossip amongst themselves, to
have fun and to enjoy themselves Joe wanted to shut it down after the end
of the first year but was vetoed by the other founding members, Chet and
Francis. The Bar lasted ten years longer than expected. But what an
amazing it was: no arguments, no fights, no alcohol; just teenagers
gathered on a corner, come rain or shine, to do what teenagers did best -
and still do, though the format has changed, i.e. Facebook, Skype, Twitter,
Viber or Blackberry Messenger (BBM) - which was to talk and talk and talk
and talk about nothing, anything and everything.
It’s the first time we’ve put down our thoughts and recollections of what
can only be described as a period that saw a transformation to our lives.
We can only look back on that short-lived period and smile that we had
the wisdom to enjoy ourselves to the full. When we were visualising
ourselves dressed as Mods there was nothing esoteric about this. We just
did it out of a strong desire, a yearning, to see ourselves wearing the
clothes and style of Mods.
Though nostalgia may often put a rosy tint on reminiscences, we can
honestly say that we really did enjoy our time as Tw↑n Mod 1 and Tw↑n

Mod 2 of The North London Shades, but we were never ever rude boys.

Picture 2
Further reading and viewing:
A Mod in 1979 - In His Own Words
http://www.marchofthemods.com/index.php/paul-smiler-anderson-mods-the-new-
religion/
Mods and Rockers is an excellent documentary and for lovers of Mod culture
from the early 1964.
Were they Mods or Rude boys?
In Hastings in 1964, 15 years before Chet and Joe appeared on London’s
street as Tw↑n Mod 1 Tw↑n Mod 2, pair of pork pie wearing black youths can
be seen strolling amongst the bank holiday crowd. (See 45m 5s)
Are those Dunn & Co. bowler hats?
A cocky 19-year-old Alan Duncan clad in a bowler hat (with another Mod) talks to
a journalist. Did these Mods obtain theirs from Dunn & Co. like the Islington
Twins? (See 40m 10s).
Mods and Rockers of the 1960's
http://youtu.be/miiopvQDP3M

In Part Three clients and readers will get the opportunity to develop their
powers of observation, visualisation and recollection. Come on now, no
moaning or grumbling about having to do more of our monotonous mental
drills. You know you’re addicted to them really.
So why not go for a stroll and stretch your legs. When you return, have a
glass or two of Armand de Brignac, then settle down at your Clive
Christian writing desk and tackle Part Three.
End of Part Two

Pictures in ‘In Their Own Words’
p.5
The Islington Tw↑ns in Dunn & Co. bowler hat, trench coat, sta press trousers and
brogues. Picture by Robin Emilien - 1980
p.14
The Islington Twins aka Chet and Joe with Francis, their older brother, posing in
Maida Vale en route to Henley Royal Regatta circa 1984

The Staying Power of Style and Etiquette: The Islington Twins were Mods but were never Rude Boys (part two)

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