Hello….yes I know it’s been a while. I started the Clash Cup as a fun and interactive way for the visitors to The Clash Blog to ultimately select the best 32,16,8 and finally the top 4 Clash songs of all time. If you’re a newer visitor to the blog we basically ‘seeded’ a number of songs so that they’d protected until the later rounds. If you check back on the blog you can find that list (I’ll also get a page added for next week). Even though you’ve perhaps missed the earlier 51 match ups don’t worry as the important votes lay ahead.

Right then – to get it back on track – we’ve got a series of results to review – I’ll get back to the head-to-head match ups this weekend and guarantee a new Clash Cup entry every day or two. Round one is nearly complete and by next weekend we’ll be all set for round two. The system is simple – no registration is required and one vote per IP. I track all votes and leave polls open for about 72 hours. Thanks for being so patient with this, I fully realise it’s been on hold about six weeks (best laid plans and all that…).

Here are the results for the pending battles that we left pending!

Match 46 – The Equaliser tops      Ivan Meets G.I. Joe         32-11                                                              Not a big shock there in this ‘All Sandinista! battle’

Match 47 – City of The Dead smacks    Freedom Train            45-1                                                              The most one sided result so far in Round One

Match 48 - 48 Hours defeats         Three Card Trick             36-10                                                          Thank goodness for that (10 votes for Three Card Trick?)

Match 49 – Time is Tight edges         Lose This Skin                27-17                                                          Pretty close end result sees another cover version into round 2

Match 50 -  Groovy Times slips by          The Call Up                 31-28                                                      Bloody close and more than enough votes for The Call Up to get to the next round as high vote runner up

Match 51 – The Guns of Brixton sneaks past     Train in Vain           34-27                                             Another close one and both songs will make it to round 2

Right there you have it, we’ve got 4 pairing left in Round one to sort the last 8. Then by next Saturday we’ll launch into round 2. Sorry it took so long and I look forward to all of your voting in the days ahead.

Hello again, yes yes yes I know I’ve been away. What with work and issues with plumbing and football (playing + following) I’ve been really curtailed as far as free time. It’s not acceptable and I will do better. The Clash Cup returns Friday – guaranteed (and thanks for your patience)

A few quick news bits from around the web and I’ll delve more into events at the weekend. Jambase.com put together a nice Clash tribute and you can tell by the author’s comments he is a dedicated fan.  He’s also added (via lala) thirteen different covers of Clash songs and there are a few gems so go and listen! No downloads are required it’s just click and listen, by the way I’m endorsing Safe European Home and The Call Up as the picks of that bunch – though The Afghan Whigs do a great Lost in The Supermarket. He does touch on something that those not very familiar with The Clash tend to overlook – the pure diversity of styles that The Clash committed to tape. Did anyone else come as close in such a short spell?

The Clash or The Sex Pistols? This was a debate that I participated in throughout my early teen years and I thought it was like comparing a one night stand with a long relationship (that’s my metaphor now – NOT when I was fourteen!!). While the Pistols were certainly at the very forefront of a critical sea change in English music they imploded so rapidly that it’s hard to make any serious comparison. If you mesh the work of P.I.L. with The Sex Pistols and stretch out the time period to include 1976-1983 then you have a worthy debate. I bring this up as ‘Yahoo Answers’ just posted the same question - to which The Clash strolled through!

What other news? I just got back in touch with a dear friend that I didn’t think I’d ever find again. Stuff like that makes it all worthwhile. She’s happy and healthy and now the mother of two! Where did our youth go?

I’ll wrap up this short post with a video clip I’d not seen before (if you have – just enjoy it ) although I’ve read all about it. 30 years ago back in December 1979 The Clash and a host of others performed in The Concert for the People of Kampuchea. It was a 4 night event at The Hammersmith Odeon and I believe you can still find the CD. The clip below is from Dec 27 and shows the late great Ian Dury playing with members of The Clash. Video quality is poor but still a real vintage find. Also, I think the Ian Dury film is still scheduled for a 2010 release so watch out for that.

Cheers for now – Tim

Good Evening, you’ll recall that a week ago Proud Galleries were able to host another rather unique night in London Music history. Writing about events back in London is partially easy (in as much as I know London like the back of my hand) but not being there can be a hindrance. So as you know (or can revisit the story here) Mick Jones, Billy Bragg, Wayne Kramer and a host of others played an exclusive gig in conjunction with the first screening of Alan Miles’ film “Breaking Rocks” which chronicles the Jail Guitar Doors program. The finest thing about doing The Clash Blog has been the brilliant support, contributions and ideas from fellow Clash fans around the world. You are all familiar with the excellent work of our photographer friend Pete Stevens, in turn Pete has hooked me up with Stuart Warwick who was at the event last Thursday.

Stuart is a 41 year old artist, fan and dedicated supporter of the Clash and all things punk (as we gracefully and collectively slide into our middle age). Stuart has an art background as always enjoyed animation/cartoons (you’ll see below and in part two). As a hobby he’s contributed works featuring Steve Jones, other Sex Pistols, Rat Scabies and of course Mick Jones  and Tony James. They’re all keeping me busy enough at the moment. He insists it’s got to be for fun otherwise he won’t touch it. He arranges to have the art given away at gigs and such. He doesn’t earn a penny for any of his work but has been very happy with trying to raise a few pounds for a couple of charitable causes this year. So I’ll hand the story of last Thursday over to Stuart….part one….

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Esty (my wife) and I got down to Camden – me laden with pictures, frames and assorted rubbish for handing out. I’d had a message from Jail Guitar Doors to pop my stuff off sometime after 4pm at the Proud Gallery, Camden. To calm the old jitters we stopped off for a few beers en route after checking into our hotel and go for a wander round Camden Market with a view to sussing out the venue. We have a skulk around, check out Rehearsal Rehearsals and the immediate area, where I spot Pat Gilbert chatting to some blokes

Stuart's special piece for the night

Soon we’re at the back of the Proud and I notice a bar sign. We decide to go in and order a couple of beers and hope to work out how/who/where to drop my pictures off. It’s a smashing warm day, so it’s outside again with our drinks to relax for a bit. Minutes later I can hear music coming from somewhere – and as the gallery seems to be open, and people are wandering in and out, I decide to go and explore. It’s Billy Bragg doing his soundcheck. I quietly observe for a bit – he’s doing ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’ I think. I go to get my wife, who’s still nursing her beer outside, but she won’t come in. She’s a bit shy. Eventually I persuade her to come in, but Billy’s just about done his stuff so we only catch the final two notes !

There are people putting chairs out for the film and roadie types lugging gear around. I ask some bloke if he knows where my Jail Guitar Doors contact is and lo and behold it’s the guy standing directly behind me. I give him my pictures, then make to leave, when I hear ‘Jail Guitar Doors’ being played in the main hall. We pop through and it’s Pat Gilbert with Night of Treason, running through their soundcheck. We watch them and leave via the back

The audience at Proud ready for the film

exit. Esty sees Billy signing my painting – there are kind of stable areas off a corridor where the bands are based – and you can see over the chest height wall that separates them from the long corridor which runs down the centre of the building. Anyway – it’s a case of “Phew, job done” as far as I’m concerned, so off we go for, you’ll never guess, another beer or two….

….Gulp, glug, wash and scrub, we change clothes and exit the hotel at 6-ish to get to the Gallery for 6.30pm prompt, as the film is meant to start 7pm on the dot. Entering the Stables Market on Chalk Farm Road, not far from the legendary Roundhouse and the first person I spot, lounging on a bench is…..

*** Very nice Stuart...and thanks so much…part 2 will follow soon!Tim