Paul Weller fans are a staunch, stubborn lot. Since his days as leader, singer, songwriter, fashion plate and mastermind of The Jam (one of Great Britain's finest bands ever), the dedication and loyalty Weller has elicited from his audiences throughout his long career is phenomenal. Starting out in the late 1970's fronting the highly political trio, The Jam (amidst the punk rock explosion of the time), the venom Weller spewed through his pointed lyrics and rants gained the admiration of thousands of disaffected teenagers throughout the United Kingdom. More intense than the Sex Pistols and more studious than The Clash, The Jam garnered a fan base that rallied behind them and saw no other reason to waste time supporting any of the other bands who were making headlines at the time.
As Weller lead the band in a more R&B vein with each subsequent album, his devout fanbase never complained. And the minority of the fans who did cry foul when Weller and company released straight up slices of blue-eyed soul like "Town Called Malice" or "Beat Surrender" late in their career missed the point; a key element of the Mod movement in mid-1960's England was an undying love and passion for soul music. The Mods loved and admired James Brown and The Supremes every bit as much as they did their role models Small Faces and The Who. When Weller decided to abruptly pull the plug on The Jam in 1982, just as they were on the brink of a potential commercial breakthrough in America (which had alluded them since their inception), the fans were crushed. Outrage and unhappiness was measured in unprecedented fashion: reports of suicide attempts and protests staged outside John Weller's house (Paul's father and the band's business manager) surfaced. What would steadfast Jam followers do now?
This article appears in Nov 18-24, 2010.