John Gall: When the mod thing went mainstream, you know with the whole scooter thing and the 3-button suit and soul music, were you conscious that there was a lineage, some continuation from the stuff that you?d been into in the 50s or did you view it as a completely separate thing?John Simons: Well the first scooter things I was aware of would have been in ?54 or ?55 outside The Lyceum and there were guys on scooters then with 3-button jackets on. ?Roman Holiday? was having its influence even then. People saw Gregory Peck running around on a scooter and also wanted to run around on a scooter. There were lots of films then weren?t there with scenes with scooters? Who?s that brilliant Italian actor, you know the really good-looking one?JG: Marcello Mastroianni?JS: Yes, well he was seen on scooters with lovely 3 button jackets on. There were heavy influences coming from Europe so there were Anglo-American and Anglo-European and Euro-American looks all being thrown into the pot. JG: But how did people find that because the mainstream was still pretty dumb wasn?t it? There was still terrible pop music coming out in the 50s and most people were still pretty shoddily dressed.JS: There were only a few people around who were sharp dressers. Like if you went to The Lyceum there was only one little section where all the well-dressed people, the modernists, would be. Guys from East London and South London, a lot were working class guys. The places where they really mixed together were places like Cy Lauries where you?d get the royalty and the ruffian mixed in together. But then they?d be bohemians you know?sweaters?but quite interesting people. Like I knew guys who?d be down there in Ivy League jackets. There was a jazz trumpet player called Chris Bateson and he used to keep loads of coins in the pockets of his Ivy League jackets so they?d sort of pull outwards like a distracted boffin, you know? So then you?d walk through Soho and you?d come up to my friend Harvey Roberts and he was very tall and hunched and very hip and he?d look down at you and he?d say ?Look sharp, be sharp, feel sharp ? file your head to a point!? And that was our kind of hip humour you know? JG: America represented something special then didn?t it?JS: Well it was like a dream you know? You?d grown up with all the movies and all the music coming out of there and you?d never been there, you didn?t know anyone who?d ever been there. (digressing slightly here?) The first Ivy League jacket I ever got was a Stanley Blacker. Now Stanley Blacker I would say was the first American designer, the first guy to do stuff with Ivy League. Cecil Gee imported it into England. I remember it was exactly the time that Cliff Richard brought out the record ?Living Doll?. It was on the shop?s record player when we were unpacking them. And I?ll always remember that (sings) ?Got myself a walking, talking, sleeping, walking living doll?. 1960 I think it was (actually July 1959). But before that Austins was selling Ivy League stuff from ?54, ?55, even ?53. JG: So Austins were getting proper Ivy League were they, importing it from the States?JS: Oh yeh. Don Richards from the States and his own make from Leeds. 24 guineas for his own make, 35 guineas for Don Richards. JG: Musicians would shop there wouldn?t they?JS : Yeh. Glyn. Whatsisname?s baritone player, he burned to death in bed actually (could be Glenn Hughes?). Who?s the guy who?s still singing, he?s great. Erm, Georgie Fame. Well, Georgie Fame?s baritone player, they all shopped there. I think Georgie Fame shopped there. Cecil Gee was right next door to Austins, a big store with a birdcage in the window. I was Cecil Gee?s window dresser and I used to do Austins window in the evening. I got to know him and I used to do it freelance in the evening. Then I used to get the bus outside back to Hackney!
Conversations with John Simons Volume 2
J.Simons, 2 Russell Street, Covent Garden, London WC2B 5TD tel 0207 379 7353 fax 0207 240 4788
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