ABSTRACT
When I was in high school, I had some older friends who introduced me to mod music and fashion. We were all Mexican-Americans living in the San Gabriel Valley, and we’d get dressed up and go out dancing at clubs in Hollywood, where they played The Who, The Jam, 1960s’ soul, and Britpop (think Blur and Pulp). It is still the most fun I have had out dancing, and that music will always be the soundtrack to my earliest clubbing memories. This story is a tribute to mod culture and that special time in my life when there were clubs in Los Angeles that were serious about this music and about creating a space for mods to gather. I also hope the piece speaks toward the larger fascination that Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles have had with British music groups, such as The Smiths and Depeche Mode. The main character interacts with two girls from different subcultures, one an anime-enthusiast and one a classic chola. Both were represented at my Catholic high school. The story is set in 1997, the year I graduated. The title is taken from Pulp’s “Mis-Shapes”, which is practically an anthem. I was not nearly as rebellious as these girls are, but I can imagine.
