When my uncle Anthony was a teenager he was a mod and part of a local scooter club. His gang was asked to travel down Brighton way to be extras in Franc Roddam's Quadrophenia. His father, my grandfather, pretty much said "Sure, but..."--there's always a but--"... don't expect to finish school then." The filming was the exact same day as Anthony's final school exams.

Needless to say Anthony never made the cut, but his friends did, and the lad in the film with the Union Jack sewn to the back of his parka is still his friend today. I thought about this when exiting the subway this morning as I spotted this Fashion Week footsoldier above. Even though Anthony didn't make the film, he brought me Northern Soul, rides on vintage Lambrettas, and the realization that watching Quadrophenia with the sound off is actually--somehow--even better.

We're sorry to see you go.