Today is part two of my chat with Randal Doane the author ‘Stealing All Transmissions-A Secret History of The Clash’. If you somehow missed part one it’s linked here and you can purchase the book if you haven’t already from Amazon in the US or WH Smith in the UK. Unfortunately you’ll have to do some research for other markets but starting with the monster named after the big river in South America is probably a good bet. Make sure you check out the insightful comments on the last post from The Baker too. So I’ll hand it back to  myself and Randal below and cover my throat in medicine, until next time good people and please join me in thanking Randal for taking the time.

The relationship between New York and The Clash is considered (after London) the most important one the band built, at times perhaps more so. What do you put that down to?

RD: New York’s the US’s most international city, and its bars close at 4am. It also has a rich rock’n'roll history, and of course the growing popularity of rap and hip-hop culture circa 1980 held quite the allure for The Clash, too. New York, then and now, teems with possibility for long-time residents and interlopers alike, and The Clash made the most of the vintage clothing shops, the recording studios, Studio 54, bars in midtown, the Village, and in Soho, and then there was Bob Gruen, who ensured that they could tool around in 1954 Buick as if they were stars in a noir thriller.

Are you still listening to much new music, what do you enjoy most that is recent?

RD: Each February, I assemble a Village Voice Pazz & Jop-inspired mix disc, so that I have a sense of what “the kids” are tuning into. I dig Carbon/Silicon, of course, and I can be caught dancing in the kitchen with my daughter to Teddybears or Tune-Yards a couple nights a week. I think the Kopecky Family Band achieved a measure of pop-confection perfection with “Heartbeat,” and that Air Traffic Controller comes close with “You Know Me.”

My favorite contemporary performer for the past few years, though, is Hamell on Trial. Imagine The Clash meets George Carlin on acoustic guitar. He’s got it all.

Do you think that The Clash would have achieved more than for example U2 on the global market if the band had managed to regroup and stay together/overcome Topper’s issues and the conflicts with Mick?

RD: In terms of quality, or quantity? I think Joe had difficulty with the “Rock the Casbah”-level of fame, let alone Superbowl-halftime-show level of fame. It seems as if the last time Joe and Paul had fun together as The Clash was that busking tour when they lived hand-and-guitar-to-mouth. Could they have had fun as the size of U2? Hmm …

I’d like to side with Don Letts on this question. Seven years is a long time for any band, and The Clash amassed a host of great, great songs in those seven years (76-83, of course), and blew away a lot of people who saw them live. Plus, I don’t know that I would trade Big Audio Dynamite’s debut for the album that might have succeeded *Combat Rock.* I just love the humor, the sound, and the joy and–perhaps most surprising of all–the lack of bitterness of that album.

 What’s the main reason a seasoned Clash fan might want to read the book?

RD:  The main reason? Hmm … I wrote the book for folks like your readers so that they might wax rhapsodically with greater accuracy about the righteousness of our youth and our music, and to tell the stories of select deejays and rock journalists who really mattered. I also hope my reflections on music, technology, and fandom resonate with readers in the US and UK who grew up listening to vinyl, cassettes, then CDs. Likewise, I think folks should know the modest number of degrees of separation between Hilary Rodham Clinton and The Clash.

I want to own up to this now, too, so there are no illusions: I understand that I erred when I identified Joe’s last gig as Acton, rather than Liverpool. I’m delighted to set the record straight in a subsequent printing of the book, and look for your guidance in terms of the number of hail-marys I need to say before I might be forgiven by The Clash faithful.

Favourite Clash album and song – and why?

RD: I’m still making sense of Sandinista! (which is amazing), but I’ve got to give the nod to *London Calling.*  It fit perfectly on a 90-minute XLII tape with the 5-song EP by Echo and the Bunnymen that came out in ’84, and I wore that tape out. *London Calling* was an audacious move, but it’s effectively a 3-sided, filler-free LP at 66 minutes (rather than 2 hours+), and every song sings with the band’s determination, their sense of humor, and the brilliant mixing work of Mick and Bill Price.

Song-wise: “Charlie Don’t Surf” gets the nod today over “White Man in Hamersmith Palais,” but try me again next week. The lyrics of “Charlie” are awe-inspiring in their poignancy and simplicity, and the hook and the spacious dub mix just draws me in.

What three people living or dead would you most like to have a few beers with?

Karl Marx– I’d like to talk to him about parenting.

Joe Strummer –There’d be so many topics of interest, but I’d ask him first about compassion and laughter.

Ralph Ellison–He was such a sharp dresser, so I know I’d have to starch up my finest shirt and press my favorite tie before settling down for a conversation about jazz, prose, and freedom.

You’ve got one sentence to tell a 15 year old kid today why they need to invest time in The Clash. What would you tell them?

RD: ”This is the stuff of Robert Johnson at the crossroads, kid, but The Clash isn’t asking for your soul, just your ears, and your mind.”

Thanks for the time/space on theclashblog, Tim, and keep up the good work

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Today I’ve got some great news for those of you who enjoy a good read / collect books about The Clash. You’ll perhaps remember that back in February I wrote my review of ‘Stealing All Transmissions-A Secret History of The Clash’ by Randal Doane. It’s a terrific read that explores the exact environment that helped lead to The Clash breaking through in North America which consequently coincided (in my humble opinion) with the band being at the very height of their creative powers. A fascinating look back at a time now eroded, the author studies the importance of the support the band received from FM DJs and those who helped govern the buzz back in 1978/9.

I’m pleased to say that the book has now been published for the UK market and is now available at WH Smith or via their website if you simply follow this link at a special price of just £6.86 which is a bargain you should take advantage of. Randal has also been writing his own blog stealingalltransmissions.wordpress.com that you should visit, as he takes a regular look back at punk/post-punk music on both sides of the Atlantic. You can also follow him on Twitter @stealingclash, as you can see the man is wired.

Randal was also kind enough to humour me by answering a number of questions about himself, The Clash and of course the book which I’ve reproduced below. It hopefully tells you a great deal more about the book itself too. You know me by now, I tend to go on so it’s a bit lengthy but to be fair so does he therefore I’ve split it into two parts. My thanks to Randal for taking the time for the interview, part two to follow soon.

You’re a little younger than me, tell me more about how The Clash influenced your early days of not just listening to music but considering the potential of it?

RD: I got turned onto The Clash when I was 13, during the summer before I started high school. As I note in the book, football players, cheerleaders, and the Friday-night home games dominated the school’s culture, and the place abounded with the triangles of homosocial male bonding of muscle cars, after-market stereos, and Van Halen. So The Clash–and a host of other bands from the UK–kept me mindful that the future was unwritten, and that things could be otherwise. (Kudos to JulienTemple for picking such a great title for his Strummer biopic.) In other words, The Clash saved my soul.

How vital do you think the support of deejays and journalists was in the success of The Clash in North America?

RD: Absolutely vital! The rock scribes and the deejays shared with The Clash the conviction that music and culture mattered, that culture was political, and that the stakes were high. When more people listen to The Clash rather than, say, Poison, the world is a better place. The folks at Epic served as good allies, too, and did some great things to help promote London Calling and the LPs that followed.

As an American, why do you think The Clash made the crossover to the American market where acts like The Damned and The Jam never had the same impact despite huge success in the UK?

RD: Good question. I’m not sure I know the history of The Damned or The Jam well enough to venture an accurate guess, but I’m still happy to offer one. Now I dug *Machine Gun Etiquette* and the upbeat tunes on *Phantasmagoria*–very groovy stuff. But The Damned especially, and The Jam, too (if less so), sound inextricably English in a way that The Clash did on a handful of tracks on *The Clash,* and then they didn’t. *Rope*’s difficult to pin down in this regard: it’s English and American rock, and the production is more Phil Spector than Bill Price. It’s certainly more clear cut with the next two: *London Calling* teems with a variety of great sounds from England, the Caribbean, and urban America, as does *Sandinista!* Let’s also consider the possibility that The Clash simply made more interesting music.

Can you think of other bands from the UK who might have been able to step in the space that The Clash opened up in the North American market if The Clash never existed?

RD: The Police, maybe. They made their debut appearance in the states–and New York–about the same time as The Clash. They were on A&M, so they had major-label support, and they also had an awesome drummer and an amazing lead guitarist, if a comparatively less-suave bass player. Sorry Gordon! The Police, though, due in part to their prog-rock roots, didn’t inspire kids to start bands the way The Clash did, so the DIY-post-punk scene in the US especially would have consequently been, well … I shudder to think.

Do you think new technology and easier access to music could see something that was ‘against the grain’ the way punk was take hold to such an extent again? 

RD: Back then, I could identify the grain–or, say, the dominant center of western popular music. I don’t know if there is a center today, and it’s one of the key points you can glean from The Replacements’ documentary *Color Me Obsessed,* when sales figures from Replacements’ albums are compared to LPs by Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and a couple others. *Slippery When Wet* has sold over 12 million copies in the US alone! I don’t see anything quite like that happening again. Is that a good thing? Possibly. Anything is possible.

Care to say a bit more about that?

RD: More bands are out there, making fantastic music, but with Pandora, Spotify, and the rest, it appears to be a race to the bottom in terms of royalties for the musicians. I don’t want my favorite bands to “keep it real” by having day jobs. I want them to have the money that allows them to have the freedom to make great songs over the long-haul–or at least for a few years.

The relationship between New York and The Clash is considered (after London) the most important one the band built, at times perhaps more so. What do you put that down to?

New York’s the US’s most international city, and its bars close at 4am. It also has a rich rock’n'roll history, and of course the growing popularity of rap and hip-hop culture circa 1980 held quite the allure for The Clash, too. New York, then and now, teems with possibility for long-time residents and interlopers alike, and The Clash made the most of the vintage clothing shops, the recording studios, Studio 54, bars in midtown, the Village, and in Soho, and then there was Bob Gruen, who ensured that they could tool around in 1954 Buick as if they were stars in a noir thriller.

Clashblogger again now and we’ll end part one right there with the remainder coming up soon. If you happen to be in Cleveland or NE Ohio Randal is giving a reading of the book and it also be on sale this Saturday evening May 18. Full details below:

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A rather stupid post tonight or a bit fun if you like. When I look at the visits to the site I can get data that showed the words typed into the search engine that brought you here. As you’d imagine the vast majority are as you’d expect; The Clash, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, London Calling etc. but I also can see the phrases used. I notice a lot of questions are asked and Google or Bing then brings the visitor to the blog. I’m not complaining as I’m glad people find the site and in many cases get their questions answered too. The number one question is the location of the (New York) Joe Strummer Mural – the specific details of which I addressed on this early post back in July 2009.

I thought/hoped you might have a laugh at some of the more obscure questions I’ve seen that people asked and then found the site as a result. There are so many that I’ll need to break them down into a few categories, so look for part two in the near future. Here’s my favourites and thus the top ten ‘Why’ questions, a few of which I still wonder and a few which will hopefully make you smile, none of these are made up. The best answer to any of these (add to comments) I’ll send a prize too incidentally. These first batch then are in no particular order – The Top 10 Why Questions:

1. Why did Mick Jones leave The Clash?
2. Why are the British blamed for everything?
3. Why is Cut The Crap a great album?
4. Why do Gorillaz waste the talent of Paul Simonon?
5. Why does Joe Strummer think smoking is good?
6. Why is being a bus driver or ambulance man so bad?
7. Why should I live in Norwich?
8. Why wasn’t Cut The Crap mentioned on Westway to The World?
9. Why were The Clash so important?
10. Why is Nick Nolte fat?

As I mentioned I’m not even sure how some of these led to people finding the site but I’m sure collectively we can answer all ten effectively. Part two will be the ‘How’ questions. Your comments to any are hugely appreciated.

Thanks for dropping in.

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I’ve been sitting on the fence when it comes to this rather large and extremely well marketed (and thus talked about) exhibition just kicking off at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art - ‘PUNK: Chaos to Couture’. It wasn’t until I completed far more reading that I realised how large an exhibition this is and while on the surface it all sounds vulgar there is surely going to be something for everyone, in theory anyway. The vulgar can be found in the quotes from the ‘celebrities’ who attended the opening party, each in turn reducing punk to some trivial branding or label that mixed fun and cool in some sort of fashion(able) blend.  Punk was never so vulgar as to sell safety pins adorned with pearls and t-shirts that cost the equivalent of a week’s groceries. I thought the scene which I was to arrive  late to due to my year of birth was about anything but a predetermined look or style and certainly not means tested, no rules was half of the attraction for me and others I knew so it is very strange to see it reimagined as something very different.

How do I caption this?

Anyway, from the other side of the country and with no intention of attending the exhibition which runs from now until August 14, I am best left waiting to hear what some of you much nearer to New York think of it should you happen to attend. I’m sure we’ll all benefit from a viewpoint that doesn’t sound like a press release. For now though I thought I’d focus on the facts and by all means have a look at Google News and just type in ‘New York Punk Exhibition’ as there are dozens of previews from all sources. Instead let’s go on to the facts.

The exhibit apparently looks to trace the path of punk from a local nucleus of rebellion and boredom by kids in New York and London to a global and very high line of alternative fashion thirty odd years later. More than 100 designs are featured going back to McLaren and Vivienne Westwood creations all the way to the present day.

Seven individual galleries cover the history of punk’s impact with two dedicated to the New York and London of the 70′s respectively with the emphasis on CBGB’s along with the Kings Road own Seditionaries, if only from a historic perspective I’d like to see those galleries. The remainder is where things get more broad as the interpretation of the early days of punk is shown with features on the 80′s, 90′s and up to now. I’ve no idea how much or little will appeal to a fan of The Clash but hopefully the aspect of the music is well interfaced with the fashion elements, I can only hope so.  Trying to be objective about the regurgitation/hijacking (?) of such ideas becomes increasingly difficult while at the same time I do believe the influence lingers on in many forms, most notably away from the arena of the music industry ironically. Is punk an inspiration in the modern world of fashion/style or a sign that new ideas are simply quite thin on the ground?

Some suggested reading below, but what I hope most is to hear from anyone who goes along to the exhibition itself.  Please convince me it’s not destined to be the most contrived punk-related exhibit ever, I mean Anne Hathaway and Beyonce at the opening gala, $100 ‘Climate Revolution’ t-shirts? Surely some mistake. Is this just a money spinner for the fashion industry or a genuine homage? Essentially I’m finding it all pretty repulsive and cash-laden but don’t want to ignore that it is taking place and will be notable for some good reasons too I hope. Read more below to get a proper flavour, but highly recommended is this piece in The Daily Beast.

New York Metropilation Music of Art 

Reviews and Previews:

Reuters | Pentagram.com | New York Times | BBC News (video) | Washington Post | The New Age 

Interviews:

Vivienne Westwood

This sums it all up, ‘So antiseptic that it doesn’t have anything to do with…the late 70′s’

Gil uncovered another piece of footage I’d never seen before that was just uploaded and by my logic it ought to be new to you too. If you were a kid in the mid-late 70′s and your Dad (or Uncle) was as annoying as mine you probably were caught repeatedly on Ciné film/Super 8 home recordings dependent on what you called it at your house. While in those days the 8mm film for the home user didn’t capture sound it did record good quality footage of whatever your family was doing., anyway that’s enough rambling from me.

So below we have a 2.5 minute clip of The Clash performing live plus audience at the Ruisrock Festival in Turku, Finland on August 4th, 1979. As I mentioned no audio but they’ve added White Riot to the clip, I’d recommend watching it with no sound as it’s essentially a distraction. It’s amateur film but still good for it featuring lots of audience shots of flicked hair Scandinavians, both the curious and local punks it would seem. The weather looked delightful for Finland and The Clash are going at it with great gusto on stage. Some good closeups of Joe plus Mick and Paul throwing some great shapes on stage, for a festival there seems to be a lot of room down the front which might be due to the significant distance between  audience and stage. It also might be the earliest footage of The Clash playing outdoors in summer sunshine!

You’ll probably try and figure out which song(s) the band were playing but it might prove difficult as the film jumps back and forth to the audience so frequently. I also enjoyed the unhappy looking security men and policeman (perhaps) who have that expression of pure discomfort for the new wave of music being blasted out on stage. Thanks again to Gil and for more details on the gig there is no finer place than the Black Market Clash website. Thanks also to Timo Lähteenmäki for the upload.

From a historic perspective this was The Clash arguably at the very height of their ascent, the gig was a run for cash but this was the summer of 1979 the same summer that saw the creation of London Calling. Hope you enjoy and please share with abandon and if you want to fill my coffee/bandwidth (see right margin) that’d be very appreciated.

The Clash at Ruisrock Festival, Finland – 1979

Today I wanted to share some very inspiring news from the halls (offices?) of our friends over at Strummerville. Oftentimes we’ll support a nonprofit (Strummerville being one of course) and wonder specifically what our contributions are aiding, this new venture by Strummerville is quite simply one of the most exciting yet.

They’ve formed a partnership with Tech Music School London (TMS) which sees TMS offer aspiring musicians the chance to pursue their musical ambitions as the college, part of the award winning BIMM Group, partnered with Strummerville to offer a fully funded place on its BA (Hons) Creative Musicianship course. Such scholarships don’t come cheap - each being worth £17,250, for the full three years of tuition fees. The great news is that one Strummerville Scholarship will be offered to one student, each academic year, for the next 6 years. A quick quote below and here’s a link to the full story over at Strummerville. In total TMS are offering £103,000 worth of education in partnership with Strummerville!

”We are delighted about our partnership with Tech Music School London and thank them for giving this wonderful opportunity. We can’t wait to see the first talented young person on The Strummerville Scholarship.”

Lucinda Garland Trustee of Strummerville

It’s a inspiring decision that will make a huge difference to those who receive the scholarships. TMS are just about to move into a new location too, one that will feature a Strummerville performance room. To learn more about Tech Music School London please visit their website.

You can help Strummerville by visiting their website, purchasing any of their merchandise, attending upcoming events or by making a donation at any time. Let’s help them make 2013 a brilliant year for others.

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While music from 1982-84 offered much brilliant stuff (despite that spell leading to the collapse of The Clash) there wasn’t much about television comedy that sticks in the mind for those less adventurous broadcasting times. Whilst music was reinventing itself and challenging,  television was generally a decade behind in terms of going through anything resembling a punk phase. One notable exception was BBC’s The Young Ones which ran from November of 1982 to June of 1984, I thought my memory was playing tricks on me but only twelve episodes of the comedy were ever made. At the time it was probably the most anarchic thing that the BBC had ever ran in the 80′s and upon research I found out that the only reason it ever got commissioned was the advent of the new television channel (Channel 4) in the UK and the BBC fearing that any ‘alternative’ audiece would migrate to the new station en masse.

Background information complete and fast forward 30 years, Ade Edmonson who starred as Vyvyan Basterd no longer has orange spiked hair, in fact he has no hair at all. However in a throwback to the days before The Young Ones he now tours as the head of a band he began in 2008 called The Bad Shepherds that are deeply influenced by punk music. The three piece act features Ade on  on vocals, mandolin and mandola; Troy Donockley on uilleann pipes, cittern and whistles and Andy Dinan on fiddle and their repertoire includes a wide range of  punk and new wave covers with a folk sheen. Now 56, Ade grew up right when punk came to the forefront:

“I was 19 when punk arrived, so it’s always been a part of me. But even before that I remember when we got (folk electronic band) Fairport Convention. That felt kind of revolutionary”

He plays because he enjoys it and the band just began a 5 date tour of Australia but the music doesn’t aim for any comedic edge, simply a folk instrument based interpretation and loyal observance of the original songs. For Ade it’s become a career love after his comedy phase ended and takes the music seriously as evidenced by the dexterity of the musicians. Worth a look if you have the chance, you can find out more via their official site or Facebook page. Dates coming up include Sydney, Brisbane and Perth over the first 8 days of May.

Source article for quote – TheAustralian.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Bad Shepherds – London Calling

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So what’s on tap today? I have photos, lots of great photos and a sign that you really need to read the blog often to make it along to the events that matter most. It also helps if you’re in London.

Last night you may recall that I wrote about the launch of the new Sheila Rock book ‘Punk+’ at Browns in central London. The book looks amazing and as you might expect there was a healthy turnout for the opening event. Friend of the blog (and yet another West Ham United supporter) Nick made it along and has graciously allowed me to share his photos below. He’s the handsome chap with Mick.

Mick? Yes, that one was there along with Sheila Rock naturally, Don Letts, Tony James, Paul Simonon, Chrissie Hynde and others. A splendid time was had by all whilst you and I were working yesterday. All winter long we’re wondering where our Clash crew are and as soon as the snow melts and the sun reveals itself they’re out and about. It might be a very active summer I hope.

Please join me in thanking Nick for the photos and being on the spot. As ever click on any image to enlarge and open gallery.

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I know you think that New York is best known for the Yankees, the Statue of Liberty, the bagel or perhaps The Ramones but those in the know understand that all of these rank beneath being home to the Joe Strummer mural on the lower east side. A gathering place for Clash fans since it was created and even had a full makeover, it has survived snow, baking heat, flooding and even some grafitti attacks but currently is at even greater risk.

Thanks (deep thanks) to the always brilliant EV Grieve blog (a blog dedicated to the East Village) for the photos below. As you can see the entire building that is home to the mural is getting facade repairs. Workers don’t need to tell them that they better not drop a brick or spill any paint on our mural. I’d suggest keeping an eye on EV Grieve for updates as they are on the scene, the rest of us can simply wait and hope for the best. Is it me or does the first photo remind you a little of late stage sets used by The Clash? Symbolic perhaps!

Click either to enlarge and view the gallery.

images the exclusive copyright of EVGrieve.com

You’ll surely remember that one of the biggest stories from the early weeks of this year was the news that a square in Granada, Spain was to be renamed in tribute to Joe Strummer. I also learned that the campaign to convince the city council of the change took just over 3,000 signatures via a Facebook campaign. If only we could make such inroads as easily in London where I’m still scurrying about to see how we launch a petition which a London borough. More on that soon I hope.

I’m pleased to share the following series of photos from a good friend to the blog named Karl who made sure Granada was on the itinerary for his spring trip to Spain this year. We’re left to assume that the hand-written street (plaza) title written on stone is just a temporary measure with something hopefully far more official to follow, surely right? Perhaps someone local can clarify what the longer term plans for the square might be?

Renaming a square in Joe’s honour is a great gesture but I wouldn’t have recommended making such a production of the story back in January when three months later a proper sign hasn’t yet been added to the location. The city announced that the process for ‘honor and distinction’ was underway at the time, but for the moment it’s safe to say beyond the mural nothing has been done. I’m not trying to be negative but it would be nice to see the project further along.

Nevertheless, it is nice to see the first photos and I hope there will be more fanfare later in the summer. Please join me in thanking Karl for the snaps, please click on any image to enlarge and open gallery.

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