Paul Weller Still 'Mod' Despite Hating Technology

On the title track of his 10th solo album, 'Wake Up the Nation,' due out June 1, Paul Weller implores listeners to "Get your face off the Facebook and turn off your phone." While this anti-technology sentiment may sound strange coming from the man who once fronted the Jam, a punk trio credited with reviving the British mod -- aka modernist -- subculture, Weller sees no contradiction.

"One of the great things about mod is it's a way of taking whatever is good around you from the past and present and adapting it, making it yours and discarding the rest," Weller tells Spinner.

As Weller sees it, that ethos is especially applicable when it comes to technology.

"It's like anything else, really: There's good bits and lousy bits to it," he says. "At the end, you have to take the good bits and use them to your benefit. I can see some of it has its benefits, but I think it's got an awful lot of shortcomings, as well. There's a certain amount of human contact and human touch that goes missing, whether it's people emailing or texting and not having a physical conversation."

Weller's slightly retro mindset extends to his look. His haircut and clothing reflect an unwavering affinity for the early 1960s, when Britain's first-generation mods dressed in slim-fit suits and Fred Perry polo shirts and sped around England on Vespa motor scooters.

"It's an English phenomenon, really," Weller says. "It's really hard to explain. It goes beyond Fred Perrys and stuff, way beyond that. It's a way of looking at the world. You're in this society, but you have your own thing going on. For me, it's just the whole mindset, a culture and mindset. I don't mind being associated with it or not -- it doesn't matter to me. I feel I'm a mod. I can live with it or without it. It's revolving and adaptable."

"It's a tough thing to talk about," he adds. "It's like any religion, really."