À La Mod

Quick: “Pretty Flamingo.” Manfred Mann. “Over, Under, Sideways, Down?” Yardbirds, dude. “Cucumber Castle.” The Bee Gees, before they were, you know, the Bee Gees. “As Tears Go By.” Marianne Faithfull, before she became strung out and bitter. And, yes, the Stones, who wrote it, did it, too. Which one did you like better? Who was "The Face of ’66?" The belle of Carnaby Street, Lesley Hornby, aka Twiggy, the huge-eyed waif that every teen girl wanted to emulate that year, with her mile-long lashes and pixie cut. In the early to mid-’60s, British pop culture, music and style, complete with its skintight striped flares, Edwardian jackets, pointy Beatle boots, micro-minis and patterned tights, lured many a young American back into the motherland’s fold, at least figuratively, with the seductive charm of its shaggy-haired boy combos and beehived blond divas. Anyone who ever went to sleep with a transistor radio under the pillow, listening to Petula Clark and the Kinks late at night with the window open, will find something evocative at today’s British Invasion Singalong, today from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Mercury Cafe, 2199 California Street. But, really, so will anyone with a sense of history, young or old. Host Jim Bernath will, as always, provide lyric sheets and guidance during this new addition to the ongoing participatory series, but the event also comes with an additional layer of fun, including a costume contest and trivia quiz with prizes.

Put on your go-go boots and go-go! Admission is free and the afternoon is easy; for information, e-mail jimi99@msn.com or call the Mercury at 303-294-9281.
Sun., April 12, 2-5 p.m., 2009