Book contents
- The Beatles in Context
- Composers In Context
- The Beatles in Context
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Chronology
- Part I Beatle People and Beatle Places
- Part II The Beatles in Performance
- Part III The Beatles on TV, Film, and the Internet
- Part IV The Beatles’ Sound
- Part V The Beatles as Sociocultural and Political Touchstones
- Chapter 23 The Beatles, Fashion, and Cultural Iconography
- Chapter 24 The Rise of Celebrity Culture and Fanship with the Beatles in the 1960s
- Chapter 25 “Swinging London,” Psychedelia, and the Summer of Love
- Chapter 26 Leaving the West Behind: The Beatles and India
- Part VI The Beatles’ Critical Reception and Cultural Legacy
- Further Reading
- Index
Chapter 23 - The Beatles, Fashion, and Cultural Iconography
from Part V - The Beatles as Sociocultural and Political Touchstones
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 January 2020
- The Beatles in Context
- Composers In Context
- The Beatles in Context
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Chronology
- Part I Beatle People and Beatle Places
- Part II The Beatles in Performance
- Part III The Beatles on TV, Film, and the Internet
- Part IV The Beatles’ Sound
- Part V The Beatles as Sociocultural and Political Touchstones
- Chapter 23 The Beatles, Fashion, and Cultural Iconography
- Chapter 24 The Rise of Celebrity Culture and Fanship with the Beatles in the 1960s
- Chapter 25 “Swinging London,” Psychedelia, and the Summer of Love
- Chapter 26 Leaving the West Behind: The Beatles and India
- Part VI The Beatles’ Critical Reception and Cultural Legacy
- Further Reading
- Index
Summary
The history of the Beatles’ fashion is summed up in the famous “Mocker” statement that Paul McCartney gave to the press in 1964. This response quickly found its way into the shooting script of A Hard Day’s Night. In the film, when Ringo Starr is asked whether he identifies as a Mod or a Rocker – subcultures whose styles were integral to clashing identities that erupted in bloody conflict in the spring of that year – the drummer answers, “I’m a Mocker.” That dry rejoinder, which sidesteps the politics of pledging allegiance, is the story of the Beatles’ changing fashion. Throughout their tenure as a group, the Beatles try on popular styles. Without seeming to take themselves too seriously, they mix elements that suit their needs, then discard them when they don’t. “It wasn’t like we were following a trend; we were in the trend,” remembers Paul McCartney, recollecting the early days. Just as they did with musical innovation, once the Beatles mastered a fashion, they were on to the next one.
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- The Beatles in Context , pp. 247 - 258Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020