Q: Re: the characters on THE MOD SQUAD, were they “Mods” in the scooter-riding, amphetamine-scarfing, madly-dancing, hopeless fashion victim, Pete Townshend-ian sense of the word?
A: Well, virtually no one in The States knew a thing about British Mod until after The Who released QUADROPHENIA (in 1973, coincidentally the same year THE MOD SQUAD went off the air). Or perhaps even until The Jam’s SOUND AFFECTS began the wind down of their Brit-centric career, whilst barely denting the U.S. charts, circa 1980-81! LOL
Had the rather good filmed version of QUADROPHENIA succeeded at the box office, or at least in turning Sting into a movie star, in 1979, we’d doubtless have a better frame of reference across the culture for understanding that sense of the word.
Here in the good ol’ US of A, the term "mod" had been reserved for things like fringey suede jackets, ridiculously wide leather belts, mock turtleneck sweaters in earth tones, and those Dingo brand boots that O.J. Simpson pimped for with the zippers up the sides! As a signifier of Seventies Fashion, in other words.
During the actual U.S. Sixties, I’m guessing it referred to the Pop Art-influenced Psychedelic look of The Sunset Strip, and to all those mad studio sets and furiously frugging dancers on HULLABALOO, and later ROWAN & MARTIN’S LAUGH-IN!
Re: THE MOD SQUAD itself, I watched the show quite avidly at the time, but haven’t seen it in 40 years, so have nothing much to add. I mean, I was between 5 and 10 years old while it aired, after all!
I subsequently enjoyed Clarence Williams III in both PURPLE RAIN (as Prince’s father!) and in the highly entertaining cable series MYSTERY WOMAN, in which he played "Philby", Kellie Martin’s ex-CIA sleuthing helpmate and fellow mystery bookstore proprietor!
And of course I loved Peggy Lipton as "Norma", the enigmatically lovely coffee shop owner/“damn fine pie” slinger on TWIN PEAKS. I even own her 1968 LP! Still know very little about her long-ago marriage to Quincy Jones, though perhaps there’s an intriguing story marooned therein.
But their co-star Michael Cole has eluded me across the decades, as has the actor who played their "boss" on the show, Tige Andrews, who resembles the Ed Asner of MARY TYLER MOORE, at least in my mind’s eye!
More than anything, I’m simply amazed that I can summon up their names so readily at this late date!
– Tom Kipp
http://youtu.be/Ug1AS3yyWtw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Ckd4Gm4oI
