Chromeosexual
Daz Carey's addiction to accessorisation
Darren Carey was originally a 1980s Birmingham Mod and as such was heavily influenced by the scooter fashions of the day, especially the over-the-top accessorised machines we’ve all seen in the famous Mods book – or should that be ‘The Bible’ of Richard Barnes. THE GENESIS OF GLEAM
Love it or loathe it, accessorisation of our classic scooters is as old as the machines themselves; whether just a practical rack for Signora Ferrari to carry her drogheria back from the shops or right up to the over-the-top, very eye-catching Mod-style scooters where you can't actually see much of the original machine beneath it all.
But where did this love affair (well, for some, at least) begin and how did we go from practical to excessive? No one can be sure for certain but after seeking advice from folk in the know, the general consensus is that from the beginnings of production, racks providing the ability to carry various items were added; along with this were a mirror or two for increased visibility and screens for better weather/insect protection. This fashion for adorning your pride and joy created a whole industry with many different companies producing as much ‘stuff' as possible to hook, bolt and screw on to the machines.
This is clearly evident from early photos of the emerging Vespa and Lambretta club scene of the 1950s onwards. Both marques can be seen with luggage carriers front and rear, plus big flyscreens, along with badge bars where you could proudly display your club colours and other such ‘medals' from the many events you had attended.
MANIPULATIVE MEDIA
The now stereotypical over-the-top Mod scooter is credited to a group of London Mods around 1964 and their one-upmanship. Several images of the scooters from the time depict fully dressed-up machines covered in every bit of chrome possible; several of these scooters have been recognised by their registrations from previous club days in a more subtle and practical degree of accessorisation.
It has been well documented that 1964 was the time when the Mods first hit the news with any major impact; and as such, this time became synonymous with the movement, which until that point had been underground. As we know, by the time the press gets hold of something and lies, misinforms and ruins it, it's already past its best anyway, but this still doesn't stop the masses jumping on the bandwagon. So, when images of these over-the-top Mod machines were first seen
depicted in the national press – especially away from London, the spiritual home of the movement – Albert Eckythump and his pals, bless their little pit socks, from such far-flung reaches of the British Empire as Barnsley and Bolton, thought that it looked so cool and wanted a piece of it to escape the grimness of the North, in the process copying what they had seen, believing it to be how the scooters should look.
Apparently while all this was happening back in ‘London Town' this look was already on its way out, as it didn't last that long (only just over a year I've been informed), then things seemed to calm down.
UP T’ NORTH (well, beyond Watford any road)
By the end of the decade, the scooter scene was more popular in the North and once again extreme accessorisation became a thing with Vespa Rally and Lambretta Grand Prix scooters now the choice to be sporting too many mirrors and several sets of Florida bars. As previously seen, along with all the chrome bars that were designed to actually fit scooters, you could also see shiny bits from cars (such as spotlamps and wheel hub covers) attached to the racks and backrests. Car head restraints and huge road sweeper mudflaps that were fashioned from old pit conveyor belting were also a popular addition of that time.
As the 1970s drew to an end, we had the fantastic Mod Revival with all the fun and excitement that that brought with it. There was also ‘that' film and a new interest in this Mod thing created once more by the national media, showing (once again) the images from the seaside battles of 1964, with those fantastic Mod chariots – and away we were off again, this time covering Vespa 50 specials, P range, Spanish and Indian machines with anything that was shiny.
I was swept away with it all and it was one of my pleasures when attending a rally to be able to buy a little something to attach to my scooter, I loved it and still do.
COME & JOIN US
The church of scooter adornment has a very big congregation where all are welcome; from what is considered to be low-budget tat by some, to overpriced original items that are rarer than a politician who could pass a lie detector test; there is something to please everyone.
Daz Carey, now 51 and currently living in Nuneaton, was just one of these young and impressionable new breed of Mods that initially fashioned themselves on the media's version of Mod.
Daz can remember being about 10 years old and seeing a load of Mods on smart dressed-up scooters on the sea front on a family day out to Great Yarmouth. His brother Rod was two years older and began to get into the whole Mod thing, getting all the clothes and records which the young Darren looked up to.
At that time Daz lived with his family in the Small Heath area of Birmingham; that's when he got his first scooter, an old Lambretta LD150 which his brother's mate had given him after the young Daz had lent him his push bike. Daz says he and his mates couldn't get it to run, so just used to push it up a hill on the field and freewheel down again. He eventually sold it for £12.50 as his mum didn't want it in the garden any longer.
His first roadgoing scooter was the fantastic Vespa 50 Special which he got on the road in 1986 after learning to ride, in the snow, on a Vespa 90 in the car park of the Birmingham City Football Club.
Daz dressed his little scooter up, eventually covering it with 36 lights and 24 mirrors. He admits it was not in the slightest bit practical, but he felt ace riding it (slowly), all dressed up; to him at that time, it was all that mattered.
At the age of 17 he upgraded to a red Vespa 150 Super which he bought from a mate of his, Derek Askill now of Disco Dez Scooters. He did have the chance to purchase a Serveta, but the images of his older brother pushing his Lambretta on several occasions made him opt for the Vespa.
The 150 Super was eventually sprayed white by his dad after a small bump encountered hitting a car while filtering. Now it was refreshed in white, he began the process of dressing up this machine as well, riding it to many Mod rallies and events, even winning a trophy for ‘Best Mod' scooter at a Blackpool rally. Daz says these were some of the best days of his life.
By 1990 he was heavily courting and became 'sensible', believing himself too old to call himself a Mod and settling into a serious relationship. Still into the music and a toned-down more casual look, he sold the scooter and purchased a motorcycle to use as his work transport.
DAWNING OF A NEW ERA
Fast forward 20-odd years to 2016; now divorced from his first wife and with a new partner, he decided he once more wanted a Vespa – nothing Moddy, just a practical, reliable workhorse. He visited his local Vespa dealership to get his commuter machine and that's when he saw a dressed-up ex-demo machine. All the sensible thoughts in his head disappeared as he was taken back to the best times of his life – riding a classic scooter covered in all types of what many would regard as nonsense, but which meant the world to those in the know.
That was the one he ended up coming away from the shop with that day. Daz told me that it scared the hell out of him, after riding a motorcycle for so long. To him, everything seemed so alien, so strange and so unsafe. But it didn't take long for him to get back in the swing and used to the traits of riding a Vespa that we all know and just take for granted.
Once in his possession, the addiction to shiny stuff began to re-emerge once more, like an ex-smoker getting a sudden craving years after their last puff on a cigarette. So a couple of changes were made here and there. Bits were changed and added as his magpie-like attention focused on anything with a shine that took his fancy.
JUST A DAY OUT
Now once again back into the Mod thing, he had a day out and visited a local autojumble with his partner Barbara. There was a guy there with about 20 or so old scooters lined up for sale; one in particular took his eye, a reasonably tidy Indian Series 2 Lambretta .
He had a chat with the guy who was selling it and took his number. Now very interested in getting a Series 2, Daz began to search the internet for a suitable machine; that was when Barbara had to come clean and tell him she had made a deal with the guy from the autojumble and had bought the Indian machine as a surprise for him.
That was 2017 and with the help of Dez Askill of Disco Dez Scooters, Danny Turner of Urban Scooters and Andy Connolly of Downtown Scooters, this machine was also transformed into a Mod scooter, fully dressed up with an abundant splattering of chrome.
SUPER-DUPER
As an addict, Daz doesn't know when to stop, and with his 50th birthday approaching in 2019, he began to get an itch that needed to be scratched to get an older Vespa. He wanted a GS160 Mk2 but at the time he was looking there were none to be had for a realistic price that hadn't already been turned into stunning works of perfect automotive art.
What did pop up was a Vespa 150 Super, the same model of machine he had owned back in the day, dressed up and enjoyed all those years previously. A deal was done and the scooter was collected from Swindon. It had originally been supplied by R Agius Ltd in London in about 1974-75, where the new owner had used it for a short while, then parked it up. The second owner was a retired gentleman who wanted something to restore as a project; this he did, but then sadly passed away. The guy Daz bought it from had purchased the scooter, but he was really a Lambretta guy, so sold it on. Daz was over the moon with his new purchase and decided to do it up as a tribute to his original machine, once again relying on the services of Disco Dez, Urban and Downtown Scooters. It wasn't too long before once more Daz had dressed up another classic machine.
GOT THE T-SHIRT TO PROVE IT!
He told me that on one occasion, he and his long-time mate, Lee Ward, had ridden round to his older brother's house as they were all riding to a joint bike and scooter rideout. His brother (the one-time smart Mod known as ‘Rod the Mod' and who'd inspired Daz so much in the early days) is now into HarleyDavidsons and enjoys a bit of friendly banter and leg-pulling of his younger sibling.
As the two mates pulled up on their glittering scooters, Rod commented that he hadn't realised it was a ‘Gay Pride' rideout and called Daz a ‘Chromeosexual'. This made them all chuckle and is a title that Daz says he can't really disagree with. Daz even had a T-shirt made up with his brother's description of how Daz identifies clearly printed on the front, which Daz says he wears with pride.
Thanks to Daz for the stories and to Lee Ward for helping out on the day riding one of Daz's scooters to the shoot. Thanks also to Iain Wilkins for his help with the history of scooter accessorisation.