It takes a virtual village to reconstruct an old-school San Diego scooter rally; this cache of photos from Mike McCarthy will require some heavy-duty forensics from the mod veterans among us.
“They look to be done at Mount Soledad, when you could climb up on the steps (can’t now),” writes Tony Suarez. “I have already recognized Cyndie Jaynes, Shawna Davis, James Kessler, Eric deMello, Dan Holsenback, Jay Wiseman, Karen Jagger, Dawn Edmundson, John Ryan and Kevin Ring.”
“I took the pictures,” Mike adds. “I would have been on the rally, but the back wheel fell of my Vespa the day before.
“Luckily, I only hit my head!”
why did san diego mods wear parkas . . . ?
because it’s cold in england !
I’m such a dad … Looking at these pictures, I keep thinking, “Helmet law! Helmet law!” 🙂
Same here Matthew. I didn’t wear a helmet very often back then. Now I wear the gear and gloves. I won’t upgrade the Scooter (it does have new, wider tires and it’s maintained much better than I ever did back then).
The mix in the group is very diverse if you’re going by geography: There are the Chula Vista guys (The Demellos and Matheis), Jay and Dan H from Imperial Beach. I see North County folks and North Park reps James Kessler.
Mike: that parka joke was the running joke back then. I think you only needed to wear one in the months of January and February.
Mt Soledad has change quite significantly. The Cross area has veteran plaques on the wall. I don’t think you can get as close to it and if I remember correctly, the welded bars are blocking more of the cross itself. You certainly aren’t encouraged to hang out on the steps leading to the cross anymore.
What happened to the once treasured past time of city park loitering and just hanging out?
It’s still a great place for a view and to catch a breeze off of La Jolla.
mmm. warm Coors.
The parka keeps your sharkskin suit from getting all messy when you ride to the club. Scooter boys didn’t wear suits, so they didn’t wear parkas. Therein lies the basic difference. It was fashion practicality.
And yeah…try Florida Canyon almost any night without a parka…
Patrick
Mike,
This is a great collection of photos that could only have been taken in Southern Ca in the 1980s. Any idea of the date of this rally? There were quite a few people whose looks changed dramatically over the course of a couple of years. There are a lot of kids here I don’t recognize (my clique drove four-wheeled vehicles) but I think I see Monica Sullivan, Mark Stilinovich and an absolutely adorably blonde Cyndie Jaynes. The pics are a little small for my forty-five year old eyes, but I could almost swear that’s tall red-headed Brian Clark dressed like Sting in Quadrophenia. And do my eyes deceive me or is somebody wearing knickers?
Soledad has changed a lot, except for that damned cross.
Brendan Berg and Patrick Works must have been there, too…The North County Mods (Steve, Dean and Louis-to name a few) were a little older and probably were busy with college or work. The group in this shot looks reallly, really, really young!
Yep Kristi I see Paul in the 2nd row/5pic with blk turtle neck and suit.
I actually see my sister in some of these pictures. Funny I will have to tell her about it. How are you doing Kristi? It has been a looooong time! The last time I saw you is when I hung out at the Madison house with you and Kathy. Actually Kathy moved out and Michelle, Leighton, Keith and Jeff lived there.It is good to see you, you look great!
Kristi, I was not from North County, but you’re right that I was a little older than most of this group. But I remember riding up to Mt. Soledad many times. In fact I think we went up there in the summer of ’81 with the guys in the Untouchables when they came to play my party.
My guess would be that these were taken in the mid 80s when the mod scene grew by leaps and bounds, and when a lot of mods were on the garage tangent (Cavern Club, etc) but I could be wrong.
Thanks Mike for posting these, and Kristi, I would love to see those pictures of yours of our trip to see The Jam!
Pictures of the Jam night, coming right up Dean…I’ll send off the goods to Mathew in the next couple of days. Dean, let’s meet for a Mai Tai at Forbidden Island, or for a beer at Speisekammer sometime soon.
Elena, I’m glad you think I look great, but…I don’t have any current photos on myspace ot the blog. I am recovering from a major illness that hit me hard in 2005, and, well, I am much much curvier now than I was 20 years ago…I am looking forward to playing with Everybody Violet, as well as my new band, which is loosely called Blues Gangsters (featuring myself & David Rink on vocals, David Ellison on guitar, as well as Paul Kaufman and Aaron of Wallflowers fameon the rockin’rhythm section!), at the Che Underground Reunion event that Matthew is working on for next May, 2009. Catch my curvy hips, big voice and big hair there, live and in person-in concierto! Viola!
I hope I can find a purple velvet dress or jacket to groove in, by then!
ok, this one brought me out. ive been a long time lurker and now a first time poster. mike, how the hell are you? i am trying to find photos of our sojourns to tj to find 60’s psyche records circa 1986. i do have some and if i find them i will share. (how fun was tj back THEN! ..) you took me on a couple of scooter rides to soledad and that was so much fun. how is your sister? hi matthew! glad you are doing this site. i love reading everyone’s recollections and ruminations. keep ’em coming. hi ramon!
Hi Kristin!
Good to hear from you. Jump right in on any topic--we’re all friends around here.
yes Kristen…jump right in! The blog will benefit from more girls-I mean Ladies, in the mix!
>>Kristis says:Elena, I’m glad you think I look great, but…I don’t have any current photos on myspace ot the blog.
Hi Kristi sorry to hear about your illness.:( I saw a picture on your myspace and it showed this caption:
with my friends Neil Frazer (L) and Stuart Staples (R) of Tindersticks, circa 2007
I figured that was a recent photo since it says circa 2007. I apologize if that isn’t a recent picture of you.It is a pretty picture you are standing in the middle!
I hope to see you soon!
It sounds like you are doing much better and your busy!:)
>>Cristi says:I am much much curvier now than I was 20 years ago…
I as well have curves that I certainly didn’t have when I was 16 and 98lbs. lol! 🙂 I cant imagine being that skinny. I remember I was actually happy when I dropped below 100lbs. ewe!!!
Not to say that was my normal size it was about 110lbs. My girls are that way now.:)
Hey email me and I can give you Pauls email address or # if you want to chat with him? I am sure he would like to hear from you!
If not I would love to catch up with you! We can exchange #’s.;)
Hope to hear from you soon.
Have you heard from Michelle?
Hey Alena,
I saw that same photo and thought that same thing. None of us look like we did when we were 18, and I for one consider that a good thing!
Is there really reunion buzz for May of 09??? Believe it or not, my May calendar is starting to fill up -- is there any talk of dates?
Cyndie: We’re aiming for the second half of May … Memorial Day weekend is the target, if we can nail down venues. Your reunion elves are trying to square the precise dates double-quick — believe me, I know what kind of pre-planning this sort of travel requires! 🙂
Hey Mike,
I have a few photos from that same day. Email me and I will send them to you. You can add them to this post if you like. Hi, Alena!
Elker, how are you?Do you have facebook or myspace? It would be fun to chat!How is Eric? I would love to see more pics, please post!!!
Ray I am certain you have some classic pics we would all love to check out!!! Can you post some?
Glad to hear there is going to be a reunion, looking forward to it! Can we bring our kids?
Add one more name to the list of people in those photos. That first photo is indeed me . . . with Annie Nagem on the back of my scooter.
I am in the 5th pic from the top. I totally remember the Soledad Days, Kate Sessions Park before and after the Headquarters.
I have a stash of pics from some of the runs…probably a Ken Cinema Quadrophenia run or something. I also think I have some from Huntington beach circa 1983
I will see if I can dig them out and scan them.
Is that me in the white sweater? I think I still have some old pics where can I post them? We should have a reuion, I just turned 40! I always thought I was so much younger but I guess I wasn’t. Anyone heard from Carla?
I’ve seen Carla fairly regularly since early summer. She recognized me at a meeting/planning session for a charity party at the Playboy Mansion. I just saw her a week ago at a fund raiser/toy drive. She’s on Facebook, FWIW.
And yes, we should have a reunion. Oh, wait, it’s already in the works. May 30, 2009 at the Casbah.
Where do I find out about reunion? Can’t remember Carla’s last name??? Can somebody please tell her to find me on facebook?? Ray thanks for the email. Whats everybody doing? I’m still in San Diego, A labor and delivery nurse at Grossmont in La Mesa. Is anybody still in SD?
Hi, Shawna.
Carla was Shultz. Dunno now…
Mara Owens is on FB. Caught up w/ her. Now she’s Ava Owens.
Shawna: We have a whole SONG custom-written for the reunion! Like the man says, May 30 at the Casbah, with some party activities in the days surrounding it. 🙂
Ok I can’t find Carla on facebook, help anyone
Shawna,
I sent a text to Carla and told her to post on this thread. She said she lurks here but hasn’t had a reason to post yet. Well, now she does. Bobo is in touch with her, and has been for a while.
And I’m still in SD, FWIW. Find me on Facebook. Use the name I’m showing (the full thing with the hyphen and all).
Thanks!! Can’t remember who asked about my sister but she lives in NY.She changed her name to Crickett several years ago.
hey! seeing all of you blows my mind. i have been living in oregon for the last 15 years and have a kid named henry who is 10. i mean wow… it’s been nearly 30 years since i met some of you! shawna, hey… i think of you and your sister, often. finding people i haven’t talked to in forever on FB has been nice.
anyone ever hear from kevin lyons? i would love to talk to him again. just to find out how his life has come along.
as for me, i got my masters in psych last june and have been taking work as it comes. this econ is a nightmare, right?
and hear hear about parkas! those things made so much sense. for all the reasons posted here and then some. parkas were like duct tape, a million and one uses.
Mara,
OMG….. Crazy isn’t this? I’m obssessed with this blog! I tired to find you on FB but wasn’t sure it was you. I’ll try again. I’m still in SD. My sister is in NY. I was a psych nurse for like 12 years before I decided I need to do something knew, I do labor and delivery now.
that makes so much sense. you have always been really caring. i like that you are using that trait for your gainful.
look under ava owens on fb. name change…
Mara,
I’m trying to talk my sister into going to the reunion. Have you kept in contact wtih anybody from SCPA?
ok trying to get my myspace right
You can find me on face book as “ShitSandwich”.
i have… when you find me at fb check my friends, you will trip on the names and faces. and if jody comes i will absolutely freak. i miss you both.
Mara,
if you look for me on myspace you can find my sister (Cricket Alexander) am I the only one around here without a name change??
I haven’t changed my name, but I’ve had a hell of a lot of “work.” If my cheekbones were any tighter, you could tune a violin on them.
Me too!!!
thank god for botox!!
HOLY SHIT! I’m in two of those photos! Unreal!
That’s me in the ninth pic from the top, going left to right, in the grey overcoat and black riding gloves, holding a bottle of beer (of course), and in the eleventh pic smoothing out my hair. This must have been ’83 or ’84 the latest.
Obit for Robert Greenwell
The clip on Manual Scan and the MOD invasion at the “talent show” in ’82 is brilliant. I went to to a Grossmont High School dance with the ALLIES playing (parka and suit) and was danced with the “event” social chick to see if I was drunk (please, mods dance when a JAM song is played.) Please note that I was a good boy and did not drink (Gatordade boys right Dennis!). What an absolutely fabulous night I had. AND I did not get beat up because in a former life back then I was a jock--HA! Cheers to Bart and the boys! “Have an away day--a cheap holiday!”