Road trip photo 1, saw too many Joshua Trees. I blame Bono

I don’t think San Diego has much to offer in terms of Clash history though I could be wrong, the only musical things I know about the town is Jim Morrison grew up on Coronado Island although he’s always associated with Los Angeles. Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads also came from the same part of town.  I know the Zeros came from San Diego but I think most of the better known SoCal punk came from Los Angeles/Orange County. All I know is there are four concerts I need to see within six weeks of arrival including The Beat, The Wedding Present and Los Campesinos which works for me, I also need to explore the record shops in town. If any locals have tips please pass them my way. I previously lived in Los Angeles so this will be a similar but new experience for me. Right then, that’s enough of that – just thought I should explain why I vanished over recent days, far too much driving and looking at houses – simple as that. Now its time to pack.

So what have I missed? I’m somewhat counting on you to let me know but I did want to say thanks for emails and ideas over recent weeks. I’ll get to them and replies to you within the next week. Tomorrow I’ll definitely be back as I’ve got some sad news about one of the more inspiring websites in the early days of internet Clash fandom. I’ll explain that one tomorrow. There’s also some Strummerville news, Coachella lineup to discuss and rumours about SXSW that you might be interested in. For now I’m back in the saddle and checking all the stuff I’ve missed over the last ten days or so. Normal service is forthcoming. Cheers – Tim.

Road trip photo 2, successfully traversed this road four times in the last 3 weeks. Coachella is down at the bottom.

Art Expo including London Calling cover shot coming to Allentown: I know we get a great number of readers from eastern Pennsylvania/Philadelphia, so some of you might want to get along to the ‘Who Shot Rock and Roll’ exhibition coming soon to the Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley from Feb. 11 to May 13. The entire exhibit sounds pretty tasty but the original Pennie Smith shots for London Calling will be included. Check the link for more and also the art museum’s site right here.

The 10th Anniversary starts here (on Facebook): Just like it says on the tin – a facebook page looking to honour, celebrate and share in the fact that 2012 marks the 10th year without Joe. The page is off to a nice start and if Facebook is your thing you’ll surely want to take part. I seem some regular faces already. Perhaps the owner of the page can mention this old blog too…

Top 10 films related to Elvis (not Costello) that aren’t Elvis films: From the STL Today website (now we know where to find people in St Louis online) comes a list of the best films related to Elvis Presley. My number one is his number two as Mystery Train which is perhaps Joe Strummer’s best appearance on film finds it’s way to number two on the list and was probably Jim Jarmusch’s finest hour. Its a good list though and I’d recommend all of the top 5 with the exception of Forrest Gump – it’s so long since I saw that and I don’t have great memories of it.

Strummerville Winter sessions down at HQ: I meant to write about this when it was posted last week but…well..it was last week. Here’s the official blurb and the video is beneath that, it is well worth a look & listen.

Here is a short video taken at our Winter Sessions 2011 gig down at our yard. We were thrilled to have Kai Fish (of the Mystery Jets) headlining proceedings alongside some of the fine talent we have supported throughout 2011:

Breadstealers
Gaz Brookfield
Huw Olesker
Hysterical Injury
Leon Fender Walker
She Makes War
The Gun$how
The Promenade

Click here to view the embedded video.

Punk Art expo starts today in Cardiff: A great story from Wales online explains how a then teenage Gerrion Jones traveled around the UK to see as many punk bands as he possibly could from 1976 onwards to escape the prevalent boredom of music at that time. Along the way he’s been carefully collecting and maintaining as much print, press and photographic memorabilia as he can to create what is now quite the archive featuring of course a fair bit of Clash. Happily hes putting it all on exhibit now in Cardiff starting today and running through Feb 2. Details are as follows: Punk Art Forever runs at the Howard Gardens Gallery at the Cardiff School of Art & Design from Thursday, January 12 until Thursday, February 2. The gallery is open Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm. Entrance is free.

Clash letterpress artwork on sale: Sometimes you see a bit of art and think I could do that and you’d probably be half right. Other times you hear music like Coldplay and you think why do they do that and you’d be completely right. As for me I’ve got a minor obsession with looking at creative ways to create art that focuses on The Clash if not the budget to acquire any. Wasted and Wounded have added a series of three punk pieces featuring The Clash, The Ramones and The Sex Pistols now for sale on their site, just click the link at the head of this paragraph.

 Clash and B.A.D. make playlists for Portlandia stars: I’ve never watched Portlandia but heard very good things about the comedy. Hopefully one person reading this can attest to that. I’m more tempted to try and watch it now as a recent piece on Stereogum revealed that the two stars have a musical taste that includes B.A.D and The Clash, even more specifically some knowledge about the bands and songs. In the case of Fred Armisen it was ‘E=MC2′ and for Carrie Brownstein it was ‘Charlie Don’t Surf’ which makes her my new pinup. To be fair she was previously a key member of sometimes good Sleater Kinney and has always been nice enough to look at.

Right then, that should be enough to be going along with. If you happen to visit anything listed above or have other thoughts I’d welcome them. Have a superb later part of the week. Tim

When everyone seems to say the same thing you realise that’s just the way Mick (especially as he’s been most active as far as touring etc) and Paul are. It’s good to read and hear and reaffirms that being ‘fans’ isn’t the one-way street it can often seem, they genuinely appreciate the support and interest as far as I can tell. Right then on to this morning’s post which will be very short as I’ve only got time to share a video which came to my attention via Gil W who not for the first time digs out some great stuff. Outside the UK you might not be familiar with the concept of a pantomime but every Christmas you’ll find them in towns throughout England (do the Welsh and Scottish do this…I’m not even sure) and they’ll be plays heavily reworked for slapstick comedy and strong audience participation. Often featuring celebrities in unlikely roles such as Aladdin or Dick Whittington they are a strange event which remain popular as part of the festive routine. So it was with Mick Jones’ daughter at the Portebello Panto production of Robin Hood this year and a certain someone makes an appearance as King Richard. Press play below for the rest….

The event was for a good cause with funds benefiting the Shepherds Bush Families Project deep in the heart of Clash territory. Mick obviously was having a good laugh with this but not sure it’ll rival the Shea Stadium version at any time.

The cause: Shepherds Bush Families Project works with families in severe housing stress, including those living in B&B hotels, hostels, refuges and living in temporary accommodation which are in unsuitable and affected by overcrowding and disrepair.

Thanks go to Roughler TV who chronicle a lot of cool stuff from Portobello, so check out their YouTube page to learn and see more. I’ll be back with more soon – Tim

2011 was a good year though and we’ve already looked at the most popular posts for the first 9 months so let’s wrap it up by reviewing the most read stories for October through December and then crack on with 2012.

October -

‘Joe Strummer features in giant Shepard Fairey mural’ (October 10th)

In a continued theme on the blog stories about art and tributes are very popular and this one was the most read post in October. Mr. Fairey isn’t to everyone’s taste but you have to tip your cap for his love of The Clash which he’s always keen to incorporate in his work. I think his art is hugely influenced by the great (looking) government propaganda artwork of the early days of the U.S.S.R. but what’s that saying about all art being borrowed? Even The Clash managed more than a bit of that especially the dependence on the chords of The Who on some of the early songs. As for the Fairey mural it was completed on a large wall in New Jersey and included Joe alongside other lesser punk immortals.

November -

Joe Strummer in Manhattan photoset and a Welsh tragedy (November 27th)

Besides listening to The Clash I think most of us agree that they were the coolest looking band ever, fortunately they are literally thousands of photographs that take us back to 1978 or 1981 available online. Sometimes I come across photographs that I don’t think have been seen by everyone so I  share them on the blog. Amongst the very best this year was this series taken of Joe Strummer in New York (I think in 1999? confirmation still sought). Stunning photos that show Joe back on top of his game and well worth another look. The post also reflected on the tragic loss of Gary Speed and whilst this isn’t a football blog it tends to creep into my writing from time to time.

December -

‘Mick Jones and Paul Simonon electrify London on Justice Tonight tour’ (December 8th)

December is usually dominated by our online tribute to the inevitable passing of another Joe Strummer anniversary reflecting on his unexpected death back in 2002. This year of course marks the 10th anniversary and it will be a strange realisation to accept it will have been a decade since that event. Perhaps a very good time to ask ourselves what we do now as a result of Joe’s impact on our lives. In reality that’s the best way to pay tribute to what Joe is and was.

However this December that just passed was marked by something that instantly finds it way into the upper levels of Clash lore as Mick Jones took the hugely successful role as lead chap on the Justice Tonight tour of the UK. A tour that seemed a bit far fetched and would feature a revolving cast of guest stars but buoyed by Jones, Pete Wylie and members of The Farm. The set would climax with a growing list of Clash songs and somehow it all worked and the punters loved it. More significantly it was for a cause that mattered – to try and help correct a long standing wrong in the campaign for Hillsborough justice. Naturally  the London event at The Scala was hugely anticipated and rumours were bouncing around from the moment the tour was announced who might guest in London. As it turned out we saw Paul Simonon join Mick on stage playing Clash songs for the first time in decades, it would have been nearer to perfect if Topper was part of the event. With that said 2012 could see more from the Mick Jones review, I’ve learned the last few years to never say never.

So there we have it – 2011 all wrapped up. There were 236 posts on the blog and there’s your top twelve. It’s also a good time to thank each of you for visiting the blog over 370,000 times last year. Let’s see if we can improve on that in 2012. You can help by sharing the blog with friends via Facebook and Twitter – I appreciate that more than you know – and don’t forget you can always buy me a cup of coffee to keep me motivated to keep on typing. Thanks for reading. Tim

There’s been quite a bit of early season Clash news going on which I need to catch up on so to hasten that day let me continue my review of the most popular posts on the blog last year. So far we’ve covered January through to June so let’s get on with the next three months of the best of 2011.

July 2011 -

‘Covers and Anniversaries’ (July 4th)

For Americans July 4 seems to be a day to celebrate independence (from the UK who were taxing at a far lower rate than today incidentally…) but as you can see from this post last summer there is a more important anniversary to be celebrated than some old war. July 4th also mark the first official live appearance by The Clash which happened to have been 35 years to the day from the post above since that first gig up in Sheffield. A good post overall and worth a read as Billy Bragg defended his roots with The Clash and Joe Strummer whilst Vicky sent in some nice photos of B.A.D. who had just appeared at Glastonbury. Suddenly last summer seems ages ago.

August 2011 -

‘London’s Burning but this doesn’t deserve a Clash soundtrack’ (Aug 8th)

From time to time on the blog I can’t help but write about current events especially if I see it as impacting or somehow related to me or The Clash, either will do for the most part. I know the blog is ‘about the music’ by taking politics out of the equation for The Clash is a bit like playing football without goalkeepers. Naturally not everyone will agree with my politics either which is fine, you can comment and debate to your hearts content but for the most part you can blame The Clash or especially the lyrics of Joe Strummer for much of my interest in the subject in the first place.

Last August was bit different and will long be remembered for the week when the UK lost control as inner London, Manchester and other towns saw a mass outbreak of looting and arson. Rioting was loosely and inaccurately applied to the action in England but it all seemed a bit too opportunistic to me, which isn’t to say the youth should feel bloody helpless at the moment. They are at the bottom of the pile with a huge change taking place in the UK and elsewhere and subsidies that once looked set to last forever are being pulled away in the name of budgets. I expect we’ll see much more of the same this summer to come but my post was about how I didn’t see The Clash as being the most appropriate soundtrack to the events, the most obvious choice of course but typically taken by people who never took the time to study the lyrics of London’s Burning or White Riot. Anyway, I was very happy to see this was one of the most read posts of the summer.

August 2011 -

‘Orlando Bloom seeks to play Joe Strummer, world groans’ (September 7th)

Now there’s a headline worth rioting about. See….the blog isn’t just about politics, sometime we get offended by Hollywood gossip just as quickly and as offensive as this rumour was at least the post contains something enjoyable to read about Joe Strummer’s daughter Jazz. Like it or not 2012 might end up being the year of two Clash films, certainly one and perhaps both might see the cinema later this year and I’ve no doubt that speculation will mount as the projects near completion. I know the films have mixed opinions with many fearing the worst with both the London Calling film and the Joe Strummer biopic. I think the London Calling film has more potential and isn’t as ambitious but for now I’m hoping both films will be decent. Just remember, they aren’t being made for us but for very casual fans instead who won’t complain about Mick’s hair or the way Paul holds the bass in the movie versions.

Right then, I believe that is Friday night taken care of and I have a glass of white wine screaming my name so I better answer. Tim

Also worth noting is that Strummerville are organising a music festival this summer to coincide with Joe’s 60th birthday, more on that later in the week. Needless to say it has the potential to be something very special indeed and might be taking place in Somerset. Right then, back to the 2011 ‘best of’ with April, May & June.

April 2011 -

‘Joe Strummer mural damaged‘ (April 7)

I’ve written a lot on the blog about how I feel that The Clash deserve more official recognition, it might sound trite to some but such recognition creates a symbolic place for fans to gather or simply reflect. In Joe’s case that’s even more specific since his passing but in general I think England really needs to get more done to pay tribute to the band and/or Joe. Glastonbury has the Strummer stone but that’s only key during the festival, you might be aware that Soho Square in London has a bench for the greatly missed (here at CB Towers) Kirsty MacColl. London needs to be doing more. I’ve got some hair brained scheme that we could start a campaign of signatures to present to the Mayor of London to get such a tribute taken care of – perhaps that idea will brew more completely this year. Anyway, back to the post in question – New York’s Joe Strummer mural has become such a gathering point for so many since it was created and when it was vandalised in April it caused a lot of anger. Happily the guilty party was caught which I wrote about later and the mural was repaired although maintenance of the piece of art remains an ongoinf challenge.

May 2011 -

‘Ebay listing for early Clash/Mickey Foote sessions tapes’ (May 8th)

I must confess I’m not sure what the final outcome of this one was. I think the person selling these had no right to do so and common sentiment was that he’d have been better off contacting Mick Jones as such an artifact should really have been in the hands of one of the band. There was some intrigue as to how he acquired these but the exact details now escape me. Nevertheless the photos are rather brilliant. If you remember more than me (not hard to do) please add it to the comments.

June 2011 -

‘Joe Strummer mural vandal caught and served jail time’ (June 4)

Ah, there it is – part 2 of the April story. I told you we care about that mural. It was a strange tale though, so if you missed it please go back and have a look.

Right then, that’s all I’ve time for at the moment but I do find it enjoyable looking back at last year and I hope you feel the same. I’ll have part three very soon and after we wrap up the year normal service will be resumed. Thanks as always for dropping in and don’t forget you can keep up to date by  Facebook, Twitter or get the RSS feed which will see the blog sent to you directly. Keep on kicking – Tim.

Anyway, I hope your New Years Eve was enjoyable and safe and you didn’t get in a fight or dumped by your lover for example. My resolution this year is to listen to more new music, go and spend time at the ocean at least once a week (effective February) and write more. One of those outlets will be this blog of course so expect a bit more frequency and variety but based on this post so far there might be a modicum of impact to quality. I’ll try not to let that happen though – we’ve a big (albeit not as good as we expect) year ahead of us. For today though I thought I’d look back at the most popular stories in terms of total readership with links to the posts from 2011 on the site starting with January through March:

January 2011 -

‘Big Audio Dynamite – Why I’m Excited about this Reunion’ (Jan 23)

As the year kicked off the rumoured tale of a reformation of B.A.D. was confirmed at last. The on again/off again news was almost certainly delayed by Mick’s extended commitment to Gorillaz in 2010 but conversely I suppose you could argue that touring with Gorillaz convinced Mick that pulling the band together wasn’t such a bad idea. It certainly turned out later in the year that Damon Albarn had suggested to Mick that B.A.D. were in many ways the blueprint for Gorillaz which I think does shine through with the very notable exception of the fact that B.A.D. never used guest vocalists. At the time and as you can read on my original post opinions were very sharply divided amongst Clash fans about the reunion with opinion falling into three main camps. 1 – There were those who couldn’t wait mixed with those who had never seen B.A.D. the first time round, the fact that it was the original lineup also cemented interest. 2 – Those who assumed (incorrectly it turned out) that the shows would be a poor nostalgia trip for a band that were no longer vaguely relevant. A common opinion but one that totally disregards what B.A.D. set out to achieve, so much of it was years ahead of the curve. Then there were those who simply pulled Clash comparisons which was about as useful in 2011 as it was in 1985. Thirdly were those that didn’t think much of B.A.D. in the first place and yes, there still are quite a few in that camp. I’m not one of them as you know, I think the first three B.A.D. albums were amongst the best of that era. Anyone my original post looked at a piece in the Guardian that asked if B.A.D were more influential than The Clash, interesting but not something I’d agree with.

February 2011 -

“Big Audio Dynamite ‘First Photos of the Return” (Feb 21)

Almost a full month after the reunion was confirmed the first photographs of a now more senior B.A.D. made this February’s most popular post. It was a bit like seeing a picture of an old school chum who you’d lost contact (pun) with for many years and then suddenly they friend you on Facebook (I keep having that happen). Of course we all knew how Mick and Don Letts were looking circa 2011 and for some of us we’d kept tabs on the members of Dreadzone but seeing the original lineup for the first time was pretty exciting, even if it reaffirmed that we’d all aged twenty years as well. Getting older is such a strange thing, when you look in the mirror or at your loved ones each day you hardly notice the impact of the months and years but suddenly a contrast photograph from 1986 is going to wake us up. I’m happy to still have all my hair I must say although I wish it were still dark and angry instead of a losing battle with the silver. The coolest things about the photos (linked above) were the band were wise enough to choose the same setting as the PR shots for the debut record so many years back. If memory serves tickets also went on sale in February and the buzz was tangible, as was the rumour of North American dates. A rumour that we again were correct about!

March 2011 -

“B.A.D. add concerts in L.A. and New York, venue promptly catches fire” – (Mar 9)

You’re a consistent bunch, I’ll have to hand it to you as again a B.A.D. related story was the most popular post of the month for the third consecutive time. It’s good to go back and recall what a large amount of expectation surrounded these gigs and it turned out some new music to boot. Better still the live performance seemed to get better and better with the passing years seeming helping the technology whilst also beefing up the guitar sound, especially after than band got tightened up (another BAD pun, how does he do it). All that remains is for me to kick myself firmly in the arse for failing to make it to the gigs in Los Angeles. I’m still regretting that on a grand scale.

Image courtesy the AmateurChemist http://www.flickr.com/photos/amateurchemist/

So there we have the first 3 months of last year, the biggest stories dominated by B.A.D. and the return of a band that lived up to and for many people beyond expectations. Whether there is more to come remains to be seen but I think it’s at least quite possible. More soon including part 2 of the 2011 summary. Tim

Joe's New York mural last week

In between the big stories there’s been loads of other events worth covering and our rotating look at Clash news both recent and old and in the New Year I’ll work like mad to continue networking and hopefully keep the blog somewhere worth visiting. Now would be a good time to thank you all for reading, the blog has has almost 400,000 visits this year which is nearly double the total of a year earlier – numbers that I never really expected – but it’d be nice to see us pass the half million mark next year. I couldn’t honestly do it without your help – you know who you are. I’m stuck out in the desert in Arizona and it’s your coverage, guest posts, videos, research and wonderful photos in Europe and all other corners of the world that make the blog as fun as it is. I hope I can count on similar assistance next year. Clash fans are a brilliant bunch, very generous and accommodating not too mention intensely loyal and with strong opinions. I love your comments and debates, opinions and ideas and most of all the shared experience of knowing just what this band still means so many years later. Before writing this blog there were (and remain) a few blogs that I read daily or every other day depending on output and they’ve become as much a part of my daily routine as a cup of coffee and checking my email. I always hoped this blog could become the same and if that’s happened then it’s all been very worthwhile. Thanks for being part of it and I hope you can contribute or join me in the comments or on Facebook & Twitter even more often next year.

Before the year ticks over though I think we should quickly remember that the passing of time also means we head into 2012 without some great people we were very accustomed to having around. These gaps don’t get filled but the spirit and energy of these people can only live on through you keeping them in your hearts and on your lips. To that end a sad goodbye from me to:

Trish Keenan the brilliant singer from Broadcast who died in January from pneumonia at just 42.

We also tragically lost Poly Styrene due to cancer aged only 53. That one hurt.

Amy Winehouse deserved much better than to lose her life aged just 27, a reminder that the media didn’t know what to make of Winehouse except act like voyeurs but she was a young woman with immense talent.

One of the saddest losses was the suicide of Wales football manager Gary Speed who took his own life, if you know someone who struggles with depression never underestimate the difference your friendship and support can make.

Away from music we also lost Christoper Hitchens  – never dull, controversial but a brilliant writer without compare, Socrates (the genius footballer and featured in Clash and B.A.D. songs), Ken Russell who made films that changed the landscape before The Clash were about and we also lost Steve Jobs who ensured people care more about their fucking phones than each other – thanks Steve.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten some important names and there are also the people who were in your everyday lives that some of you have lost – carry them with you. Have a safe and happy New Years Eve wherever you may be spending it and let’s hope that 2012 isn’t the year of the Newt. I’ll be back soon – Tim

Image courtesy 'mudkiss' http://www.flickr.com/photos/vivamel/with/6455103519/

Mick Jones as you know has had a December almost as busy as mine with the warmly received Justice Tonight tour to benefit the Hillsborough Justice Campaign. There’s been more a flicker of rumour that we might see a return to the stage of this Clash-centric billing in 2012 and there’s even been talk that it might be taken over to North America. Not sure if that’s speculation or gossip (is there a difference?) but that would surely be a hot ticket. If we ran a form book for 2012 events and were setting up odds I’d put money on Jones appearing overseas in the new year the question is will it be the continuation of the Justice Tonight concept or something else? There’s a guaranteed audience for a gig that features a core of Clash songs with Mick being the star of the show but the Hillsborough cause won’t really translate overseas although of course it should. Add to that the question of whether Pete Wylie and The Farm would be game/available and it might be a stretch, if it happens I expect it would only be a 5 or 6 cities versus a full tour but it would certainly make for some interesting guest stars. Of course there’s also B.A.D. to consider which left off earlier in the year with promises of more live dates and potentially new recordings neither of which seem far fetched. Finally but just as valid is Carbon Silicon who remain Mick’s most ‘current’ commitment. At this point I think bringing that band on the road earlier in 2012 in the UK and then over to North America might be the most likely scenario. All of this is pure guesswork on my part – I think I need to find a way to talk to Mick! Having said that I bet he’ll change his mind more about 2012 as the mood takes him, which is a great position to be in.

During the tour earlier this month I hoped that a more in-depth interview would take place with Mick and was excited to see that one was conducted by the excellent Sabotage Times. You can read the long chat with Mick via this link and you’ll enjoy the candour that Mick shows as he talks about Joe, the influence of The Clash, the riots this past summer, the Hillsborough tour and many other topics. It won’t come as a shock to you to learn that Mick is very proud and simultaneously humble that he’s been able to do all he has, both recently and in the past. His love for what he does seems to be at the core of it – if Mick Jones wasn’t to be a musician I don’t think Mick ever developed a plan B. I have to respect that. Here’s a quote below and thanks again to Sabotage Times for publishing this one – they are are a great online magazine so please bookmark it. I’ll be back soon – hope your week has zipped by.

“We always got criticism in The Clash but we always thought ‘you should be happy. We’ve gone a long way and it represents what you can do’, you know what I mean? We took it all the way to Broadway and that meant something. When we got the flack we thought we don’t care because we represent something that will go a long way”    Mick Jones

The last time we spoke we were sharing in the respect, sorrow and appreciation of Joe Strummer’s anniversary as the 9th year was upon us. I wanted to spend more time on the blog that day but time conspired against me but I do want to thank those of you who were able to contribute to the piece on the blog. The unique story of The Clash and their influence is always a little different for each of us but the burning commonalities also seem to remain which I find remarkable. Whether it’s Joe or The Clash I see the theme of a band/man that inspired and motivated so many of us. A band that helped us determine who we were and what needed to be done. In some cases Joe provided lasting inspiration over more than three decades but for younger fans he’s been just as critical even though their chance to see him on a stage never quite worked out. What’s apparent above all else was the fact that Joe is still deeply missed and continues to inspire – the music, the lyrics, the attitude but also the man under all of that who sought a better world and decided he had a part to play. He has been a beacon to all of us it seems. Punk rock wasn’t about just your hair or your jacket, it was something far more inclusive than that, it was something that said everyone has a voice and that everyone can do it if they want to. That ‘it’ doesn’t have to be form a band, it can be anything that you put your heart into if it doesn’t look to hurt others, it’s simply that humanity and community that (ironically?) seem to remain two of the most lasting influences of Joe Strummer. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Those days before Christmas were again under the spectacle of not being able to ignore just how much this all hurt back in 2002, in the morning this year I was fine, listening to songs, reading quotes and watching Facebook and Twitter literally fill up with people paying tribute to Joe. I don’t think I’m imagining it when I say the importance seems to grow year by year. It was great seeing people change their profile pictures to Joe and share both the most obvious or rare Clash songs and photos – there were no rules of course – celebrating Joe is right in the first place. Later in the day after it got dark I recall feeling down again – feeling Joe left right at the moment when he was more in tune than he had been in years, in The Mescaleros he’d again found a band who brought out the best in him. He was ready to keep going and seemed like he couldn’t be stopped and was gradually coming to be at ease with his new role as heralded elder statesman of punk. Of course the timing of his loss seemed unfair and harsh, which it was, but I can’t help feeling we were all lucky to see Joe writing and recording on a furious schedule again those last three or four years – and yeah he was obviously loving it too – it was worth much more than just some lining for the bank account. So to lose him remains bittersweet, I don’t think that will ever change.

In the next day or so I’ll link you to some of the best things I read and also share a story about some proper recognition of Joe overseas, needless to say it wasn’t in England again – I’m not sure what London is waiting for. If you want to get your blogger hopped up on caffiene you can always do so via the link on the right, but I do recommend you follow the blog on Facebook or Twitter for the latest. Thanks for making a return visit I’ll be back soon – sorry for the gaps! My goal in 2012 is 365 or more posts on the blog, let’s see how that goes. Tim