Sawdust Caesar - Howard Baker

The early to mid Sixties - when youth for the first time in history ran wild. A little known and barely recorded period when - unlike their 'Teddy Boy' predecessors (who had been subject to the rigors of conscription) - those in their teens openly defied the social requirements of the day. The Teddy Boys of the late fifties were, despite their bizarre imitation of the early American Rock culture, still part of the system, and their brothers-in-arms, the leather-clad bikers, or Rockers, were seen by the new breed of youth as a hangover from the war years, a troublesome barbarian who had ruled the roost for too long. Picture the scene: schoolboys, school-leavers, mere kids, took to wearing brightly-colored clothes - often handmade in West End tailors, the like of which had never been seen before: red, yellow, blue, and green leather and suede overcoats; two-tone handmade shoes and boots; pastel colored trousers worn three inches above the ankle and gaudy shirts in a multitude of audacious styles. Imagine the ridicule they received from the older Rockers who saw them as a pushover. But imagine also how they felt when they discovered that the opposite sex preferred these little Beau Brummels, and that en-mass they weren't quite the pushover that they'd imagined. In fact, they soon found out the hard way that many of these kids were of tough stock, coming from the backstreets and sink estates of London, and were more than a match for anyone who fancied their chances in a fight. In direct contrast to the White Music loved by Rockers, these 'Mods' as they were soon to be labelled by the media listened to little but the music of their black friends - with whom they had a great affinity - in the clubs of Soho and the basement parties of Brixton. Black and white youngsters mixed without stigma, becoming friends in a way perhaps unparalleled in history. Blue Beat and Ska dominated the subculture for years. And apart from one or two derisory attempts, the music industry in both the States and GB were unable to get a look in. Sawdust Caesar Omnibus Edition is two books in one: Sawdust Caesar, and its sequel, Enlightenment and the Death of Michael Mouse. Based on fact, this combined version vividly relates the saga of one such young man, his experiences as a Mod and the journey which led him away from the streets of London, across Europe and Asia, and his eventual change in character as he searches for the real meaning of life.