Something caused me to look up Mods and Rockers. Seeing Wikipedia's description of British society's response to both youth subcultures as a moral panic fuelled by fears of wild parties, sex, drugs, disrespect for all forms of authority, and the actuality of public brawls at seaside resorts. Each side had their emblematic music, dress, and two-wheeled transportation. Somehow the Mods came off as more sinister in the press. I wonder if A Clockwork Orange came out of that. I wonder if there's good story material here in rival youth cultures, their members bursting with desire for belonging, becoming themselves, and finding freedom. And sex, music, two-wheeled transportation and mind-altering substances; probably not all at once, though perhaps so. You could certainly retell Romeo and Juliet, or maybe something more light-hearted. Perhaps @Beeble42 would have thoughts?
This reminds me of my brief biker days. A bunch of us riding down to the seaside with some girls on the pillion. I thought I looked so tough and cool in my oil encrusted jeans, big boots and leather jacket. I was walking in front of my mates with this girl, toking and feeling really mellow and rounded a corner next to a car park. Three casuals hanging out by a car saw us and one said loudly to his mates. "A fucking greebo, lets get him." I started laughing as they walked towards me. Then my four mates walked around the corner behind me. I never saw three guys get in a car and roar off that quick before or since.
We did 'Brighton Rock' at school and obviously I was not paying too much attention because I thought it was set in the 60s rather than pre-war, but the violence was in similar locations, so I have had a certain distaste for gang violence since then. Mods were more glamorous portraying themselves as having better fashion sense and smarter than the more brutal emotional leather bikers, but the fighting was as it has always been. However I have similar feelings about the mafia and yet they did get a mention in one of my stories. Clockwork Orange comes from a northern author and in my part of the world I think the music culture was far more important than the gang culture. As for R&J, well we have had West Side Story and Baz Luhrmann's brilliant film. The real shame about R&J is that its greatest character, Mercutio, is killed halfway through.
To develop this in the direction of a story, maybe play up the competitive show-off display aspect and the music culture, and young folks trying to decide which side they belong on. @android1966 : Your scene could be the first page of a story right there. @Beeble42 : Mercutio totally gets the best lines.
