John Peel and his favourite record

Hello again, it’s lunchtime on the last day of the decade and I wasn’t sure what to write about today. This being a slow time of year for news so perhaps I should reflect a bit. I passed a mirror today and thought I’m looking old and then got nervy about ten years from now its hardly going to get better is it?

Not intentionally ending the decade on a sour note I thought it was a suitable time to reflect on some of the artists that we’ve lost this decade. I’m 42 now and most of the punk/post punk musicians I grew up listening to are somewhere in the 47-59 age group and based on that we shouldn’t have lost so many of these musicians so soon. Naturally this strikes a chord especially with fans of the Clash with Joe Strummer passing away at just 50 years of age but there are so many others. With that said – a chance to look backwards at those that influenced my youth. Obviously this list is by no means comprehensive….but was my list of influences. I’m sure I’ll add to this when I go through my record collection!

Hoping you have a safe and excellent New Years eve and a positive year in 2010.

2000

Kirsty MacColl – Still miss her voice

Ian Dury – …genius

2001

Joey Ramone – Aged just 49

Stuart Adamson – The Skids, Big Country

Bryan Gregory – The Cramps

David Rocastle – Not a musician but his passing at age 34 impacted me greatly, born 90 days before me.

2002

Joe Strummer – Strummerville keeps the man with us

Dee Dee Ramone – Overdosed in Los Angeles at 51

Mary Hansen – Stereolab, tragic accident riding her bike in London

2003

Elliott Smith – If you don’t own his records…you should

2004

John Peel – So influential and what a lovely bloke

Robert  Quine – Richard Hell and Voidods

Johnny Ramone – Couldn’t believe this one….sadly cancer

2005

Derrick Plourde – Drummer with Lagwagon and many other bands

Stevo – The Vandals

Paul Hester  -Split Enz and Crowded House

2006

Nikki Sudden – Swell Maps plus the Jacobites. A fascinating bloke

Arthur Lee – If you don’t like Love (60′s band) you don’t like music….

Desmond Dekker – No Desmond, No Ska?

G W McLennan – Devastating, I think the Go Betweens are one of the greatest bands ever

2007

Brent Lyles – Social Distortion and Agent Orange

Paul Fox – The Ruts

2008

Levi Stubbs – Four Tops (personal favourite)

Bo Diddley – In the beginning there was Bo

2009

Lux Interior – The Cramps

Les Paul – No explanation needed

Margaret Thatcher – wishful thinking…there’s still time….

Good Evening Clash people, can you believe you’ll be heading into a new decade in just a short while? Bloody madness if you ask me, I spoke to a friend about that yesterday and I said “Only a few more decades to go then” to which he replied “Hopefully” – optimism…what optimism? I was reflecting about where we were at 10 years ago and in many terms it seems it may have been better or perhaps that’s just a sign of me aging. So at the risk of sounding like a grumpy old sod I thought I’d pen my top ten list of why 1999 was better than 2009 according to this Clash fan. In order then:

TOP TEN REASONS NEW YEARS EVE WAS BETTER IN 1999 THAN 2009

10. Getting on a commercial airliner was easier and preferable to visiting the dentist

9. Reality TV was understood to be too shit to ever get any attention

8.  Subversive paranoia about other cultures, nations, religions and races was considered to be paranoia – not a mainstream view

7. Our biggest concern was what were our computers going to do at midnight, as opposed to a global recession and ongoing wars

6. Lower Manhattan still looked the way it always did

5. People actually went to record shops and purchased music

4. Pop Star / X Factor / American Idol and Simon Cowell were not phrases people discussed (nor on TV)

3. John Peel was still alive and bringing us brilliant new music on a regular basis

2. Mobile/Cell Phones were used to make and receive calls….exclusively……

1. Joe Strummer was alive and well, touring and recording

More news tomorrow….

Newspapers and Records...very 1900's

Good morning, continuing the buzz of activity around Carbon Silicon Mick Jones and Tony James have given an interview with Clashmusic. I’m really excited about the new album (on their website or myspace entirely free) and it seems that the shackles of management being cast off have left the band feeling more optimistic and independent. That said we’ll see and hope that this continues into the New Year. Live dates are inferred and the band deserve all the support you can muster.

I never knew they met at the Fulham Greyhound – what a place that was in the day I think it’s not (sin of all sins) a theme pub. Even Sigue Sigue Sputnik get talked about….I’ve a story there to share…remind me!!

As for the interview take a read it’s good stuff as they explain more about the band and especially meeting up for the first time and recent events in 2009. In particular I found this quote from Mick interesting:

And I’m better at everything now, writing songs, playing the guitar. I always felt I was too young for things; I always wanted to be older.          – Mick Jones

Unrelated, if my neighbour’s orange tree goes over my wall can I take the oranges from the branches in our back garden? They look ripe and ready but I might wait for sunset!