Hello again, I’m back again and so I hope, are you. It was a perfect day today, the sort where you feel like leaning against a tree with a good book and just letting the sun warm you and the wind create the only external sounds. Alas I had to work. Then again I’m glad to have work so one can’t complain.

I hate it when I’m unintentionally late with event news on The Clash Blog but I regret it’s happened. I recall asking months ago for a secretary to help keep the blog current, where is that mystery girl (or boy if need be)? This post won’t be very lengthy as I want to be sure that those readers in and around London are aware of a rather special night tonight (Thursday December 1st) that’s about to take place. It happily coincides with the first night of the Mick Jones review and I’ll have more on that later I’m sure, but for those in the capital that need a Clash fix before the Justice Tonight tour hits town you can get your dose a week early.

Here’s the short version – an action packed Clash themed evening down at the Earl of Chatham in Woolwich SE18. The night is designed to ‘remember Joe Strummer and celebrate The Clash’ and will be headlined by punk tribute band 48 Thrills with a raft of special guests. Here’s the official blurb:

Arms Aloft in Acton Town are pleased to support a Jail Guitar Doors benefit taking place on Thursday 1st December 2011 at The Earl of Chatham, close to Woolwich Arsenal station. Quality punk tribute band, 48 Thrills will play a Clash-heavy set to mark the 35th anniversary of the start of the Anarchy Tour (the first important Clash tour); to remember Joe Strummer (close to the 9th anniversary of his passing) and celebrate the 50th birthdy of 48 Thrills frontman, Joe Williams. ‘Rude Boy’, Ray Gange will play a DJ set and former Clash road manager, Johnny Green will sign books.

Tickets are £10 from which proceeds will go to Jail Guitar Doors and can be purchased via Pay Pal by clicking the button below. In the spirit of back-to-basics punk rock you have to buy each ticket individually – apologies for the inconvenience! Please bring your e-mail confirmation to the venue where it will be swapped for a souvenir ticket.

Tickets are available online via this link but are also available on the door. More excellent news is that proceeds will be going directly to helping the Jail Guitar Doors cause. There is also a facebook event page with more information and the site from 48 Thrills as linked above.  I so wish I could go…for the music, for Ray Gange and his DJ stint and in addition to Johnny Green author Pat Gilbert will be there. It should be a blinder of an evening. If you happen to be going please share with us how it goes. Please do all you can to share this event on Facebook and via Twitter even though it’s at very short notice hopefully more will make it down. Sorry about that (my tardiness) but please tell Ray, Johnny and Ray that the Clash Blog says hello! Here’s a timetable of events for the evening:

REMEMBERING JOE STRUMMER – CELEBRATING THE CLASH

Earl of Chatham, 15 Thomas Street, London SE18 6HU

7.30pm Doors open  
7.40pm Rube Boy screening
8.45pm Book signing
9.00pm 30 minute DJ set
9.30pm 48 Thrills live
10.15pm Clash Poster Auction
10.30pm Pat Gilbert Interviews ‘Live On Stage’
10.45pm 30 minute DJ set
11.15pm 48 Thrills live
11.45pm 60 minute DJ set
12.30am Last Orders
1.00am Finish

The Earl of Chatham is at 15 Thomas Street in Woolwich SE18, nearest rail station is Woolwich Arsenal. More details on the map above. Hope some of you can get along to this one. Cheers – Tim

Hello again and thanks once more for stopping in at The Clash Blog. Tuesday night here as I begin this one but I’m not certain I’ll finish it tonight as it’s already rather late, I could put some coffee on but that might result in me staying up until the stupid hours so I’m not completely sure what’s best to do. I’ve also made a fatal blogging mistake by starting this post without being entirely sure about what I plan to cover which may deter you from lurching on with me to the next paragraph but go on, if you take the chance I’ll keep writing.

Some semblance of focus might be best so that I don’t ramble on endlessly, so that will be my approach. I do have a quick question aimed at those who collect a lot of Clash books and there are more now than you can probably justify so I’m getting a little more picky about what I need to add to my collection. In late 2009 a book titled ‘The Clash : Essential Interviews’ was released I believe in paperback only. I sat on the fence at the time about grabbing a copy and now it seems it has gone out of print and with that reached insane prices. My understanding was that it compiles many of the major interviews that the band gave the major music press; NME, Melody Maker, Sounds, Rolling Stone etc. and reproduced those exchanges in full. While that’s not a bad overall concept for a book many of those interviews have seemingly already been reproduced online or in magazine specials (much like the new Uncut one that just came out). If you happened to purchase the book let me know what you thought and whether it was worth the cost/time and such, incidentally here’s the link so we’re on the same page. It does run to over 300 pages so there’s some depth in there regardless.

Speaking of books, in 2012 I am going to add a section of permanent pages to the blog that review DVDs and books that are fully or partly devoted to The Clash/Clash members. If you might be interested in helping out with that please let me know as the help would be greatly appreciated. Ideally I’d like to add a three hundred word synopsis and review of each book and DVD that might be of interest to your average Clash fan. Ideally we’ll also be adding interviews with some of the authors of the better stuff, which is also on the cards for coming months should all go to plan.

At this point you’d wonder if more could be written about The Clash but the excellent work of authors such as Chris Salewicz, Kris Needs and Marcus Gray show that there’s layers to the story that merit more understanding and analysis. The very existence of The Clash was really quite brief but that doesn’t limit the interest shown in that era which says so much about the evolution of the band and it’s components that I’d place it in on level pegging with that famous four from Liverpool in terms of where the story takes you in such a short time. Perhaps the complexity of The Clash was the only thing that clarivaled their brilliance. Summer of 1976 to Summer of 1983 is all you really have to work with and yet I feel there’s still much more to understand even though I feel like an anorak just typing those words. The good news, we still haven’t seen a book with Mick’s, Paul’s, Topper’s or even Terry’s version of events which would certainly add even more colour. I’m sure we’ll see at least three and perhaps all four of those take shape in the near future with two already on the cards (more on that soon). As for Joe’s story of course we can’t get closer than we already have with the excellent “Redemption Song, The Ballad of Joe Strummer” by Chris Salewicz. In my opinion that is the definitive story of Joe Strummer and if for some reason you haven’t already read it then I suggest you address that immediately.

Right then, from a starting point of asking about a book I’ve prattled on for a while about ‘Clash books’ but please take the time to build that library if you haven’t. There’s a lot to be said and written about a band that were so busy making music that they were never properly chronicled when it was all taking place. The other funny impact of history is that Joe was barely given the time of day and The Clash were seen by so many critics as a sell out from 1983 through to the early-mid 90′s that the very thought of reviewing just what the band meant was considered fairly inane and with a limited audience. The reverence that is so often attached to the band today wasn’t the norm after they broke up. We knew best yes, but then again we were fans of the band at the time – not critics or assessors. On the positive side of that we’ve had that much longer to enjoy the band than the press who now venerate them. Odd that isn’t it? Goodnight for now. Tim

Hello again, I’m just about to have a bit of lunch so I thought I’d get a short update together while I’m at it. Hope the weekend went well and you’re fighting the good fight at work or school. After yesterday I didn’t fancy the loss of another icon but indeed I hear that Ken Russell has died at age 84 today – if you ever wanted to know what a punk rock filmmaker in the 60′s & 70′s looks like you’d do well to check out his career. I’d sum him up in one word – brash – in an industry that is so often dull and predictable which makes it more of a shame that he spent the last 20 years on the sidelines from notable success. Right then, some Clash related things to rifle through.

I’ll argue at length that alongside The Clash one of the most important British punk bands were Buzzcocks and even if others may have developed a bigger following I think they have inspired loads of great bands since in addition to their own brilliance. What was very unique about them was that a key member left right as the band were getting started. Howard Devoto was an integral part of their formation but departed after they only played live eleven times but not before they had completed the brilliant spiral scratch EP. Devoto didn’t vanish though as he immediately formed the very different but exceptionally good Magazine who soldiered on until 1981. Therefore if you’re one of the few who saw the original lineup of Buzzcocks you’d be one of a very rare breed of probably less than 3,000 people. Does that apply to any of you? (we may need proof). However I just read via Louder Than War that the original members are going to play two very special shows together for the first time since ’77 next year. The concerts take place May 25/26 in Manchester and London and I know that’s a long way off but if you’re interested I’d nab a ticket immediately if I were you. I should get over eh? Ticket details are via the linked page above.

Clash collections might be getting a little larger in the printed variety this week with Uncut Magazine released a 148 page special edition devoted to nothing but The Clash. I don’t have a copy yet but it will feature reprints of old interviews, some summaries, dozens of photos and a specially written introduction by Mick Jones. I’ve picked up a few of Uncut’s previous specials and they are good if you’re a collector so look out for one. If you’re in the UK they are at newsagents for £5.95 if you’re elsewhere good stores that offer import magazines should have it within a week or so. Failing that you can order a digital version online here and also be environmentally friendly or ask someone on the blog or facebook page to send you one for Christmas. You can help me get one or grab me a coffee over on the right too….

I need to get back to work, but you can keep in touch via Facebook, Twitter or get the RSS feed  thanks for reading. Tim.