Good evening and how goes it? I trust well and thanks once more for dropping in to the blog, I think its finally happened – Summer has ended in the desert. If you live somewhere with a long and bitter winter you know that feeling you have in April when you know the worst you might be left to face are some chilly nights? That’s very similar to the feeling I have tonight, after about 100 days with the air-conditioning running constantly it looks like we can finally open our windows and get some air at least for much of the day. It is a pity I have no musical talent as surely the submarine like conditions of an Arizona summer would be conducive to dedicating a lot of time to writing music. I was trying to weigh up what needs to be covered in the next seven days and unless I do some more frequent Westway Traffic editions you’ll be looking at getting information that is already weeks or even months old. I don’t really have time to post more frequently so Westway Traffic Volume 11,12,13 might represent every 2nd or 3rd post for the coming days. Thats alright? Good…let’s be getting on with edition eleven then – as ever to find out the full story click on the bold paragraph heading if you fancy. Cheers ~

Libertines ‘best festival moment’ of 2010: Just 18 months ago it seemed like the least likely reunion we’d see in the near future such was depth of the divide between Pete and Carl not just from the fallout over The Libertines but fairly constant bad blood in the intervening years. As recently as the Spring the reunion gigs were a ‘maybe’ but when the summer festival season descended upon us there they were ready to go. For my money the two albums that The Libertines did muddle through at the start of the last decade were some of the best releases in the last decade and come as near as any other band to capturing some of the energy of The Clash, I’ve never convinced myself one way or another how much of that may have been due to Mick Jones producing the albums? Either way they worked well together and now the question is were these gigs a chance for fans to say goodbye or the start of a new chapter? It seems a bit unsaid at the moment but should it happens you can’t belt wonder if Jones is anything other than the natural choice to produce once more. This recent interview with Carl Barât does everything but ask the question but keep your ears open for more soon. As for the main story the band won the annual NME award for the long awaited gigs this past summer at  both Reading and Leeds.

Albarn promises Gorillaz to be more ‘real’ and improved on forthcoming tour: A short interview with Damon Albarn is worth a quick read just for some of the details and words chosen when talking about the expansion of the band to include ‘full time members’ including Paul Simonon. He also explains that the various summer appearances by Gorillaz were essentially a public rehearsal and that the band will be tighter and more like a band (for lack of a better phrase) on the forthcoming dates. Considering he’s been working with Paul Simonon on and off now for the better part of six years I’m left wondering if Simonon has quietly become a mainstay of the band? All conjecture is a bit frail however as you can’t really say Gorillaz are a regular concern either with the three incarnations releasing just 3 albums in a decade. On the other hand the sporadic nature of the band might be what keeps Paul involved beyond this tour as he has not indicated that being in a band full time is on his list of priorities. Either way the tour takes on an added layer of interest as it infers the rehearsals have been more intense in the build up. The tour kicks off tomorrow in Montreal and as mentioned previously I’d be happy to post any reviews you have or photos on the blog.

Film Review – ‘Mystery Train’: I do enjoy films but I have found in the last year or so (I’ll blame the blogging) that I don’t really have much time to sit down and watch a DVD with the frequency that I once did. One film I really must revisit was perhaps Joe Strummer’s best performance in Jim Jarmusch’s 1989 classic “Mystery Train”. My attention to detail for films is appalling (I can’t remember the names of actors not regurgitate scenes ad nauseum) so I leave it to those who are better equipped. One such review of that caliber would be linked above as  the ‘Careful Eugene’ have done a bang up job reviewing the film whereas I’d just say ‘see it’…which of course, you should.

The Clash are beneficiaries of ‘The Lennon Pass’ (whatever that means): I had to read this blog entry over at ‘The Rock Town Hall’ (yeah I know, other blog names were available) a few times and I still don’t see where hes coming from nor do I think hes really done his homework in terms of The Clash. Admittedly I make mistakes too on this blog and it does all come down to opinions but the meat of what he wrote over on his post is that The Clash get some extra credit for some really trite reasons. I won’t paraphrase it, here is what he said:

the Lennon Pass describes the point when an artist is granted a critical “lifetime pass” for accumulated subpar works based on the emotional/spiritual/humanitarian connection rock fans have with said artist’s landmark works and cultural influence.

Maybe I’m coming at this from the wrong angle but I feel The Clash have actually struggled to get the recognition they deserved across the board, especially in terms of how much time had to pass before saying they were crucial was an acceptable statement to make. The article is worth a look at as are the comments, but I wondered whether you agreed with the concept?

Clash Albums always opened with great tracks: Yeah, its true isn’t it? This was one of those topics so obvious that I’ve never really delved into it very deeply but the running order for Clash albums was always taken very seriously by Mick and the results were more than brilliant. On each album the first song brings you into a world that grabbed you by the throat and insisted you listen on. Dan Alten at the Indiana Daily Student (?) takes on the task of Clash opening tracks with more diligence than I’m going to string together tonight so go and have a look and then play Safe European Home nice and loudly.

OK good people, we’re over 1,100 words and I’m sure you’ve got tasks waiting for you. I’ve got bed and Arsenal/Chelsea when I wake so with that I’ll wish you a good evening. Tim

Good Sunday evening (I know already eh?) and thanks for dropping in. All is quiet and still too hot here in the desert tonight but that won’t stop me from forwarding a few bits and pieces for your Monday morning accompaniment to a nice cup of tea or coffee. I finally picked up a copy of Uncut magazine this weekend and reviewed The Clash ‘Sandinista!’ anniversary feature. I will be back this week for a review of that before you spend your money (although many of you probably already have seeing as I had to wait three weeks for a copy to come over on a steamship and pony express it would seem). Initial thoughts; the article was a bit more ‘Ivan Meets GI Joe‘ than ‘Magnificent 7‘ but perhaps I’m a harsh critic, at least the content was essentially all new. We’ll run a magazine theme then this week with Part 3 of the NME in 2010 feature and the Uncut article to follow.

fresh lick of paint for Joe (image courtesy John Penley click image for more)

Whether it was the location and the amazing pedestrian traffic or being heavily featured in the posthumous Joe Strummer video for Redemption Song or a combination of both, the Joe Strummer mural in New York has become a staple of Clash lore. Sadly its also been at the expense of some other Clash graffiti that previously adorned Manhattan as I’ve written about in the past. We’ve previously compared the original mural with the new one which added the New York skyline and the consensus was for the original version. Such a bunch of traditionalists you lot (though I do agree). One concern was whether the mural would be maintained well because as you might expect the combination of other taggers and weather/wear lead to the wall sometimes looking a bit worse for wear. I can report from an uploaded photo taken this weekend that the mural has very recently had another repaint and touch up and the keen eyed amongst you will see more orange added to the lettering. Glad to see it is being looked after in the dirty city.

Terry Chimes pops up in the press again over the last few days on a list of most unlikely occupations for former musicians. In essence any occupation for someone who was previously in a well known band is a bit unlikely though isn’t it? Chimes to his immense credit not only became fully qualified as a chiropodist but has grown his successful practice consistently over the years and become a recognised authority on the subject. I encourage you to jump over to the full article in the Guardian as the entire list makes for interesting reading. It also includes one of my favourite ever Joe Strummer recollections (‘Its the singer’). I’m still astounded by the path taken by the drummer of Blur Dave Rowntree.

“I’d always known I wanted to heal people, so I enrolled on a chiropractic course in Bournemouth and didn’t tell anyone who I was. But shortly afterwards they rereleased Should I Stay Or Should I Go. It was No 1 for three weeks, and of course, I’m in the video, so the secret was out”          Terry Chimes (as referenced in yesterday’s post!)

Go left young man....Ed Miliband assumes huge task

Speaking of politics I’m glad to see Ed Miliband selected as the new leader of the Labour Party in the UK. He has an uphill task ahead of him repairing the relationship with the electorate that the party has frittered away in the last 15 years. I don’t think irony is the right word for the party essentially destroying the trust of its support on the strength of being in power for so long. Some analysts are saying it is a step backwards for Labour as the reliance for his support will be on Trade Unions….yes…the same Trade Unions that founded the party in the first place, so what on earth is wrong with that? At least its left of centre which is a good place to start. So we need Ed Miliband / Clash references to build upon, as currently the chief muppet Cameron claims The Jam and The Smiths to be his favourite bands….surely he hasn’t listened to the lyrics of either band. It seems arse about face to me, both bands would lend themselves more to Labour no? Are we going to find out Miliband has a collection of Level 42 albums and identifies with Gary Numan? I wish him luck and almost spat out my coffee when I learned he was 2 years my junior….what’s that all about? All I’ve got so far is he appeared on stage at the Isle of Wight festival to introduce The Pixies in 2009 and began life the same year as the 50p piece and Monty Python debuted on Television. He’s North London too so that’s a good thing…come on Ed !!

Right I need some food and to get some work done…have a good one.

It’s Tuesday, or Chewsday as I’m told I tend to pronounce it to which I reply yes and the language we’re speaking is known as English. See how grumpy I am when my coffee intake is upside down as it has been this week? I should be right as rain by Thursday at this rate. Thanks for dropping in to the blog once more and I do have a bit of an open topic for this evening. This was spurred by two things; both that Jon Savage book that I’ve been reading the last couple of weeks (and it’s frankly quite brilliant) and also a review that I read today of a book called ‘A cultural dictionary of punk: 1974-1982′ by Nicholas Rombes that has just been released. (link to the review is here)

Like the Savage book the Rombes effort looks to clarify a number of questions that were posed by punk, whether that be in New York, London or anywhere it spread on the map which such rapidness in the mid-1970s. The beauty of the Jon Savage book is that extensive interviews were conducted with so many of the most important individuals involved in the scene, from the musicians to management, journalists and scenesters. I will write more about the book when I finish it but perhaps the most enjoyable aspect is that Savage is just there to ask questions, not to guide the interviewee in providing answers nor gauge the relevancy or accuracy of the memories. The book allows you to make up your own mind as to how London borrowed from New York, or did not do so, it provides you firsthand accounts from most notably The Sex Pistols but also The Clash and many others – some 50 plus interviews in all. The author doesn’t seek to interpret effect or impact, nor blame and transition. Most of all if you weren’t there (myself included as I was too young for it) it spells out just how rapid the ascent and subsequent implosion of the entire scene was. In just 18 months something new emerged, was discovered and followed and then caught the imagination of the national media for all the wrong reasons and none of the right ones. Concerts that were attended by 20 or 30 people in the summer of 76 were filling large halls and attracting an entirely different element just 12 months later.

The Nicholas Rombes book seems to set out its stall asking many of the same questions and the review of the book makes it sound like something definitely worth a look. The main difference being while the author still sources the information from exact quotes he then looks to interpret those to answer some of the bigger questions that the scene left behind. To paraphrase the review those key questions include just why did the whole punk scene imploded upon itself so very quickly? Where did these bands suddenly appear from and just as rapidly vanish? Why did punk fail to fully reinvent the grand notions from the previous hippie generation? (Their words not mine).

The Clash hectored with slogans, but “politics always suggests ‘right ideas,’ doesn’t it? And punk, at its dirty heart, was always about escaping the tyranny of authority, the tyranny of right ideas, the tyranny of those who would say, Here is how you are supposed to think.” Rombes on The Clash

I’ll look to get a copy of the book rather than just defer to the review which is indeed very well written and if the interpretation is correct some of these big questions may have been answered with dangerous oversimplifications of the events themselves. We can isolate so many individual incidents that occurred in 1976, each and every one could have drastically altered the landscape then and what was to follow in 1977. There are so many huge ‘what ifs’ to ponder that arriving at simplified solutions seems a very ambitious goal for a book of its type. For example the friendship turned rivalry between Bernie Rhodes and Malcolm McLaren, the nucleus of the scene was such a small community that band members landing slightly differently and being in a new band entirely was not only possible but was happening. You need look no further than to review the list of names who were involved with those bands that never really were such as London SS or the Flowers of Romance, or even who was in the audiences at those sparsely attended concerts. The role of initially the music press and then the national media and television suddenly forced punk onto a national stage far sooner than it was ready to be there. Crucially when awareness of punk (chiefly the Sex Pistols) did hit the national consciousness in the UK it was primarily in the negative capacity which amounted to little more than fear and hatred. A scene that was originally reported to be exciting and revolutionary was suddenly dangerous and disgusting, all bands were splattered with the same brush while simultaneously the record companies were falling over themselves to sign anybody with the right haircut and some shouted lyrics. Before it was too late.

As with many things hindsight allows you to come off looking as if you know exactly why something didn’t work and justify that the end result was just how it was meant to be. I think books that try to establish that are guilty of boiling things down to a simpler and more palatable solution whereas I think the actuality was far more complex. Punk in its 1976 1977 form (earliest recordings and concerts by The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned, Buzzcocks et al) never really had time to mature into something bigger or more cohesive, within a year any band that was new was given a punk label (such as The Police or The Jam) even though the roots and ideals had nothing in common. When The Pistols basically became public enemy number one in 1977 the scene or the movement really had nowhere to go except in a different direction. A scene that was very creative, artistic, collaborative, incestuous and fluid suddenly became extremely violent, lacking in humour and more negative. Punk as a scene grew up far too quickly and never had time to mature into something that would’ve been just as interesting and creative as the original months were. Many subsequent scenes elsewhere were labeled punk which I am more than comfortable with, even though the only common denominator was often that less professional and privileged musicians were getting on stage and into studios to play rock music in a harder, faster or rougher way. I think on a regional basis no local punk scene has lasted nor could last more than about 18 months by which time the original purveyors are already expected to be moving on to something different by definition. Originality is and was the premise of punk in my opinion and as such it can’t really be repeated.

Perhaps that’s why I think The Clash above all others still stand out from that era, the debut album could only have been recorded at the beginning of 1977 and whatever came next had to ask new questions of the band and of course the listeners than the first time round the houses. The Clash knew that and yet were branded as disloyal to punk by the time 1978 rolled around and the music changed along with the date on the calendar. Some authors who seek a definition seem to feel that punk failed, but for me it was always just a starting point not a conclusion. It influenced how you felt, what you thought and your sense of just what authority meant. So much associated with the general recounting of the era focuses upon anger and boredom, disillusionment and negativity but I think the best examples of the music combated that with inclusiveness and possibilities, artistic flair and fashion,  questions and observations and maybe most importantly a need – the burning need – to get off your arse and to get involved with something with anything but not let apathy win out.

No idea if I’m any nearer the answers than I was before or if you agree but it’s a topic that won’t go away. You can order the book ‘The Cultural Definition of Punk’ via this link, I’m going to so perhaps you might too.