I was listening to Up In Heaven off of Sandinista! tonight and it really got me thinking about living in Acton at the arse end of the 80′s.  I’ve no idea where you my reader now live or have lived but I wanted to share some of my memories of those tower blocks that without doubt impacted Mick Jones.

Jones lived with his grandmother after his Mum moved to the States and her

Chez Jones

place of residence was the 19th floor of one of the six 21 storey towers on the Warwick and Brindley estate in West London. (pictured to the right) ‘Estate’ sounds so uplifting, but if you’re not from the U.K. I need to explain. Post-war England had a combination of old decaying housing with cramped alleys and lack of greenery coupled with areas where war damage left holes where houses used to be (think Shane MacGowan’s mouth). Add to that redundant industrial estates it natural that change was sought.  In London as elsewhere the urban planners of the 60′s determined that large housing estates with open ‘park’ space in between was the utopia city folk needed.

Typically these estates would consist of a number of 4-6 storey buildings surrounding taller towers. Mick’s perch was just off the Harrow Road, a patch of London surrounded by canals, the Westway and older Georgian homes to the East. It wasn’t glamourous then and it isn’t now. Much of inner London is dotted with these towers that have brought all the crime and filth you might expect with concrete jungle aesthetics and shadow filled alleyways. The wind always seems stronger on those estates and as the litter blows around the only thing covering the ‘parks’ is unattended dog shit and debris.

And whatcha gonna do when the darkness surrounds?
You can piss in the lifts which have broken down
You can watch from the debris the last bedroom light
We’re invisible here just past midnight

The wives hate their husbands and their husbands don’t care
Their children daub slogans to prove they lived there
A giant pipe organ up in the air
You can’t live in a home which should not have been built

Being younger than the band (I was 17 when they split) I moved back to London and consciously followed the trail of the band. (daft in hindsight but what’s done is done). I’ll elaborate more on that later…but by 1989 I was in South Acton near Gunnersbury Park (quite nice) but a few minutes walk from the South Acton Estate. In ’89 Poll Tax was on everyone’s lips and being a bit of an activist and not especially fond of Thatcher I went along to SWP meetings and anti-poll tax meetings. (At Acton Town Hall-another story for you). I was an eager young activist and was given the task of going door to door with literature and answering questions for many of the older residents. This was my first exposure to the world where Mick Jones lived, for me and a mate were assigned the South Acton Estate. It was funny…I could see the towers from my house, I passed them daily on the tube, but until we were given that part of town to canvass I’d never seen what high-rise living W4 style was like….it isn’t good.

Part 2 tomorrow….Tim

Trellick Tower

Glastonbury – I was hoping to have some news back by now but perhaps those who remember this years events are still not quite sober. Of particular interest was the Jail Guitar Doors / Billy Bragg session. In the meantime while I’m waiting for that I found some images of the original ‘delivery’ of the Joe Strummer memorial stone when it was placed back in ’03.  Below is an image that dates back to 2007 with the stone adorned with a Strummerville shirt. My understanding is that it’s not easy to find and along the perimeter. If you’ve been to Glastonbury finding the person you went with is difficult enough.

Joe Strummer stone at Glastonbury

As a bit of a sentimentalist I think Glastonbury is an especially appropriate time/place to remember Joe as the festival is only a short drive from the village of Broomfield in Somerset where Joe passed in 2002.

During the ‘Wilderness Years’ as the term now showing copyright when discussing Joe, it would seem that Glastonbury is where he found himself and helped cement his relationships that kick started the return to writing and performing during his last years. I’ve not been down to the Southwest of England since Joe passed and always loved Somerset and North Devon. The next time I do I’ll have two quiet stops to make in Glastonbury and Broomfield.  If anyone reading the blog has any photos of the stone I’d be glad to add them.

Finally – an interview with Joe back in 1984 which I’ll also get added to the audio Clash page. It’s at the bottom of the Crawdaddy page.

A thought I often have but rarely type ‘Thanks Joe’

Tim

Another day in the desert without rain ho-hum, and I am knackered this morning I must confess. Not a great deal to report back on today so I’ll cut to the quick hits and then plot the course for later. A lot that’s written about The Clash focuses around the split and I find myself guilty of that too, I think it’s borne from wishing they had continued longer. I’m putting together a piece on Bernie Rhodes who is naturally a giant piece in the Clash story.

Back to this morning, I found this well written article by Michael Aushenker about the Combat Rock Sessions and the original Rat Patrol versions of tracks produced by Mick Jones. I’m not sure if Sony/CBS will ever let these versions see the light of day, I’ve heard some but surely not all of the Jones versions and some tracks that were lost in the mix. In these days of reissue repackage repackage (copyright Morrissey) I’d be confident that there would a market for it and the fans would feel satiated, better than another video compilation from a band that wasn’t interested in video.  I especially like Idle in the Kangaroo Court, audio is here.

I’ve always been a fan of Blur and am looking forward to seeing how well the summer shows are received. Damon Albarn of course most recently worked with Paul in The Good, The Bad and The Queen. On the strength of that album (perhaps my favourite over the last few years) I was saddened that the project was shelved after the one album. Lightning in a bottle I guess. Damon remains an interesting chap and I was surprised to see them reunite, I have a feeling one more album and then the old battles will reemerge. Reviews from Glastonbury seem favourable.

Better than Alex James

30 years after supporting The Clash, the Zeros (haven’t heard them in an age!) are playing live again. I scouted down some of an older interview with them and it’s worth sharing this piece.

Someone in the organization knew one of the members of the Clash, but the thought of getting the Clash to assist with a benefit was the furthest thing from anyone’s mind. Hector recalls: “We thought these guys wouldn’t be available to play this gig in a million years, but (Joe) Strummer and (Mick) Jones showed up at the meeting to plan the gig! Basically, they said, ‘We want to play the show, but we can’t use the name because we’re under contract with Bill Graham.’ ” The problem was solved by billing the band as “The Best Band Ever — Direct from England,” and the day after Clash played with Bo Diddley at the Berkeley Community Theater, the Clash played the New Youth Movement Benefit, supported by the Zeros and Negative Trend.

Lastly a really enjoyable interview with Joe Strummer from 1999. I think a giant collection of Strummer interviews compiled as a one (maybe two) volume book would be a wonderful thing. Joe was at full speed in the interview amongst my favourite statements was:

I just liked ‘Hellcat.’ Doesn’t that sound good? Imagine a jacket with ‘Hellcat Recording Artist- piss off’ on the back of it. It’s so great to say that rather than (mumbles) ‘Uh, I’m on Sony.’ It doesn’t compare.

Hope your Tuesday is a stunner, seems the blog is getting some traction and the global nature of the readers is brilliant to see. More later..

Cheers – Tim