EVEN MODS GO MODERN

[Vespa Club Kempen]

“The Modfather” rocking a Modern Vespa!"

At the ripe age of 64, it’s great to see the “The Modfather” Mr. Pete Townsend (The Who) cruising around on a bright Red Vespa.He is perhaps the best-known figurehead of the Mod movement in the 1960s.

And it is clear that even in his 64th year, Pete Townshend has not lost his rebellious streak.The former Who guitarist, once famed for smashing up guitars on stage and hotel rooms off it, is showing his lawlessness in a less extreme fashion nowadays.

Neighbours at his sprawling £15 million mansion on Richmond Hill in Surrey have been surprised to find the rocker eschewing the trappings of fame and fortune to pootle around the town on that most Mod of accessories - a bright red Vespa motorscooter.

Even more surprising to locals has been Townshend's bizarre habit of riding the 50cc bike not, as might be expected, into his garage, but right over the threshold and into the hallway of his home. The curious spectacle was captured by a Mail photographer this week.

As Townshend pulled up outside his house on the Vespa, he simply leaned across to unlock the door, revved the engine up and steamed right on in over the welcome rug.

Earlier, Townshend, in sunglasses and a bright orange helmet, had left his house on the scooter through the same door before immediately breaking the law and riding 200 meters the wrong way down a one-way street.

What makes the strange parking arrangement even more intriguing is the fact that Townshend keeps a number of exclusive cars - including a blue Ferrari - off-street behind a high wooden gate just a few meters further down the road.

Townshend told the Mail this week that he had so much fun on the 125cc Vespa he uses to get around at his and his girlfriend Rachel Fuller's home in France that he decided to buy one for his English home.

And of course, the Vespa must bring back golden memories of his Mod heyday when such scooters were iconic symbols of the movement, adorned with mirrors and lights and rode wearing fishtail parkas.As the guitarist and songwriter for The Who, he wrote more than 100 songs for the band's eleven studio albums, including the rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia and the singles My Generation and Substitute.

He amassed a £40 million fortune from four decades in the business.However, Townshend's wife of 40 years, Karen Astley, filed for divorce in April, prompting a fight over his million fortune.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1210279/Pete-Townshend-swaps-rock-star-life-moped.html

[campingcosmos]

Ik hoor er al een paar knarsetanden...

[Joene]

had hij die niet gestolen van Merwan Sheriar Irani, beter bekend als Meher Baba ?

[Moon the Loon]

Volgens mij is Pete Townshend nooit echt een mod geweest, wel was het zo dat in de beginperiode van de The Who (The High Numbers), mods hun muziek goed vonden.

De toenmalige managers van de groep(Peter Meaden en later Kit Lambert) hadden dat snel door en lieten de groepsleden in modkledij en bijpassend kapsel optreden om hun graantje mee te pikken van de modhype.

[EriX]

op een 50cc'ke begot...

[Quick]

De enigste Mod in die groep was eigenlijk Kieth Moon.

[frutsab]

@EriX

lijkt verdomd goed op da 50 cc'ke van die superkok wiens naam ik hier ni durf te vernoemen ;-)

grts frutsab

[Moon the Loon]

@QUICK: Keith Moon was gewoon een geniale gek.

[Quick]

@ Moon the loon :Dat is dan zoals Sid Barret van Pink Floyd, die had daar ook wat problemen mee