Is Paul Weller Britpop?
Short Answer
No. But without him, Britpop would’ve been all haircuts and no heritage.
Long Answer
Paul Weller was never of Britpop, but he was definitely in its bloodstream. The bloke was already a veteran by the time the movement kicked off. The Jam had packed it in before most Britpop frontmen had learned their first barre chord. But when the '90s rolled around and suddenly it was fashionable again to sing in your own accent and wear a proper jacket, Weller was right there. A Modfather to a generation that had traded flannel for Fred Perry.
You won’t find him on the classic Britpop compilations, sandwiched between Echobelly and Sleeper. But he was the patron saint of the scene. A living link back to when British pop had teeth, stance and something to say. His solo work in the early '90s didn’t just inspire the movement. It legitimised it. He proved that being British didn’t have to mean being retro or parochial. You could nod to the past without being stuck in it.
Oasis called him a god. Blur nicked bits of his look. Noel even played on one of his records. Weller never needed the scene. The scene needed him. He was the grown-up in the room. Though he’d probably rather be at the bar. Britpop might have been a youth movement on the surface. But its soul wore desert boots and had a copy of All Mod Cons tucked under one arm.
So no, he wasn’t Britpop. He was the Modfather.
