It's a way of life
Greetings and welcome to my page devoted to an album and movie that changed my understanding of where I want to go and what I want to do in this life.
Quadrophenia started out as a 1973 Who album and it eventually became a 1979 movie. The movie was such a success that it fueled a mod revival in England about the time my favorite band, The Specials were taking off. The impact this album and film had on me is really important, and I am not quite sure how to express that in plain words. Just trust me on this one.
I created this page back in 1998 one day when I was reflecting back on thoughts about this album and the ideas associated with it. Since then a few things have changed, but the ideas still remain the same. Enjoy!
I am going to write my little novel explaining the importance of this album and film to me in little bits. If you are looking for pictures and linx and stuff like that, you will find them between paragraphs of my thoughts. Thanx for looking at the page devoted to something that changed my view of things on this planet. When you see bumper stickers or t-shirts that say "Quadrophenia- It's a way of life", that's true. My view of life is based on the Quadrophenia and 2-Tone "It's a way of life" theories. If you wanna know what this means, read on!!!!
Before I get in to this, I am writing this assuming you have either heard the album or seen the movie or both. If you haven't experienced Qaudrophenia please do so so you will understand what I'm writing about...
Can you see the real me?
At least to me, Quadrophenia is about finding yourself and asking yourself "Is this it?". I'm sure there are many people out there that would disagree with me, but this page is how I feel about Quadrophenia. At the time I really got into this album, I was trying to figure out what there was and what I should do. I had been, and still am to this day, living the 2-Tone way of life; which is the importance and inspiration you get from being part of a movement, of belonging to something special (a way of life that never really goes away). From the 2-Tone way of life I have learned how great it is to be part of the music I love called ska, but Quadrophenia helped me answer "What do I do after this? Where do I go when I have finished living the 2-Tone way of life?"
You realize that all along something in us going wrong...
Quadrophenia is the story of Jimmy, and his search for himself (among his four personalities). During the album and the film you watch Jimmy examine his life from just being another mod among a whole crew of them, to the pinnacle of coolness as a mod; only to watch it all fall apart. Sometimes I wonder if my life as a ska person would follow a similar path. When Jimmy's life as a mod falls apart (because of drugs), he has to contemplate if he wants to be a mod anymore; or has he had enough?
When I was part of the "ska scene" I wondered if I would ever have enough of the ska life. I've realized that the answer is yes. Although I am not as active a ska fan as I have been in the past, ska music will never leave me. It's just the "ska scene" I was a part of is the past now. The old ska bands have broken up and the crowd is all new younger fans, not all my old friends anymore. When I was really into going to ska shows I would always see a few older people at the show and wonder why they were there. Now I'm one of the older guys and I know why...because I love the music. It's not the "scene" I care about anymore, it's the music. I still feel the 2-tone way of life and it's values, but it's not the same as it was before. It's a fond memory now. It's not the present. I look at Toots Hibbert or The Skatalites, and that makes me wanna keep ska close to me forever. I hope from this comparison to my life that perhaps you might start looking at your life through a Quadrophenia viewpoint. You might find something important that you wish you knew before.
The beach is a place where a man can feel he's the only soul in the world that's real...
Sometimes you have to seperate yourself from your life and really think about your situation. Are you really happy in the situation you're in? Jimmy goes to a familiar place, Brighton beach to really think. There are no other mods to distract him there. "Nothing is planned by the sea and the sand". Everything in life is open. Don't get trapped in a situation you don't want to be a part of. That's one of the main points of the album. "Here by the sea and sand, nothing ever goes as planned".
Part of the whole Quadrophenia idea is feeling "complete". Jimmy wants to find what he's looking for to feel complete and happy in his life. He wants to get the girl of his dreams. Personally, I can't understand why Jimmy would ever choose Steph over Monkey, the really cute, super-cool girl who would do anything for him, but that's just me. What do you need to feel complete and satisfied from your life? What do I need? I'm not saying Quadrophenia can answer these questions. I am saying that I love Quadrophenia because it got me to think of these questions. It helped me look at my life as a whole, and not for any particular moment in time.
Is it me, for a moment...
If you ask yourself that from time to time, you might be scared with what you find out. What makes you think who you are is who you will always be? Do you think you are going to be doing the same thing you are doing now the rest of your life? Jimmy questions his identity as a mod throughout the whole album and film. The last 20 minutes of the album and film Jimmy looks at himself and wonders why he is a mod. Why not a rocker? Why not someone else? He attempts to figure out how much longer he wants to be a mod. How much longer do I wanna be a ska person? How much longer do you want to be who you currently are? Is it me, for a moment?
This is probobly one of the more important sections of my Quadrophenia ideas only because watching this film or listening to this album make you think about these things. Who are you really and are you happy being who you are? I don't know. I'm very happy that I was part of the United States ska movement from 1989 to 2000 (I've been a fan of ska music since 1983, but didn't start going to the shows till 89). Being part of a movement is really fun. It's an experience that can not be described in just words; you need to go to the clubs, see the shows, know the people, and most importantly, love the music. That is the common bond between you and everyone else there. Music. What is the common link between you and the people associated with you?
Love reign over me...
Are you happy being who you are? If not, what do you wanna do? All Jimmy wants during the Quadrophenia experience is to figure this out for himself so he can be happy. Quadrophenia can be applied to anyone's life if they need to think about these ideas. I have demonstrated throughout my paragraphs how I have applied the ideas behind Quadrophenia to my own life; now I challenge anyone who reads this to do the same.
Linx to Quadrophenia
There are only a few links here because most of the Quadrophenia pages I found are reviews of the 1996 reunion performances (I went to the one at MSG on 7/18/96!). These linx are to Quadropheia pages like mine; cool people trying to express the importance of this album and film to there lives. So check these linx out and ask yourself is it me, for a moment...
This is the best Quadrophenia page I have found. Check it out!
Everything you wanna know about the movie. (My favorite movie!)
Another person explaining how cool this album is...
Send me some mail and make me a happy fellow