Hello you lot and a warm welcome back to the blog for the very first post of 2012. I prefer odd-numbered years so my expectations are lowered somewhat but if you look at some of the greatest things to happen in the last 30 years they happened in odd numbered years, try it out yourself – pick your 3 favourite moments from that last 20 years and you’ll see that his formula works . I’m not consigning 2012 to the pile of shit years just yet though and seeing as it’s only one full day in that would be a bit unfair but you’ve been warned, drop your expectations a bit. So the new year has arrived and I’d love to say that I didn’t get to writing a new post until January 2nd because New Years Eve was such a heavy evening with endless entertainment, libations and brilliant camaraderie. However I live on Phoenix so you’re expecting too much, the truth is with our move to San Diego to take place later this month the first two days of the new year have been consumed with sorting out just what we keep when we move versus sell or donate. Endless work and tiring as well and after a few days away from work, working tomorrow looks increasingly inviting.

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

Good evening once again and thanks for dropping in to the blog. Depending on how the next 24 hours go this may very well be my final post of 2011 in which case it’s probably not a bad idea to acknowledge the passing of another year into the mists of time. I don’t know about you but I think 2011 has just flown by, it’s been a busy year personally, professionally and here on the blog because of all the activities relating to The Clash which isn’t bad going for a band that wrapped up proceedings such a long time ago. Oddly there’s been more to write about this year than at any time since the band were active with the return of Big Audio Dynamite, another great year for Strummerville and of course the events just this month on the Justice Tonight tour which saw Mick and Paul playing Clash songs together on stage for the first time since WarGames was pulling people (idiots?) into the local cinema. Yes, it really was that long ago.

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

Good evening Clash Blog people….what is your official title anyway? Blog readers? Friends? Yes, friends works for me as I’m glad that you take the time to visit and catch up with the latest and seeing as I’ve not had much time to blog over the last week we definitely have a lot of catching up to do so I’ll try and filter through most of that over the next few days. If you’ve already ready some of the information I’ve been compiling please accept my apologies – I’ll be back on top of my game in a few more days. Here at Clash Blog towers operation ‘find a new place to live near the sea’ continues but nothing quite sorted out yet. I expect we’ll have to go back to San Diego in a few weeks so if any readers want to meet for a beer just let me know, I’d murder a good pint at this stage.

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