Hello again everyone and thanks for spending a moment on the blog. I hope that everyone who wanted to nab a ticket for the Mick Jones Review (not really, see yesterday’s post) was successful in their quest, London is already sold out. They ought to add another night(s). I hope I’ll be able to cajole a few of you into compiling some notes about the tour, sending in set lists, photos or moments of madness. Perhaps we’ll start a sweepstakes for the Clash songs that he’ll add to the mix for the 6 night tour. It would be really special if he chooses a dozen or more to rotate and give hundreds of people a chance to hear different Clash songs performed ‘live’ by a member of the band for the first time ever in some people’s cases. I think it is class/common sense that if the song featured Joe on lead vocals he hands the vocal duties over to someone else. It would be extremely odd to hear Jonesy sing a Joe part. Has it ever happened before trivia lovers? Let me know.

In the fog of war this week I almost forgot that in London this Thursday night The Good, The Bad and The Queen played that special Greenpeace anniversary show. Paul Simonon of course reprised his place in the band along with Damon Albarn for what could be but hopefully isn’t a short lived return for the band. Did some of you make it along? Initial thoughts? Get in touch via the usual channels and I’ll dig out some reviews if I can find some.

Paul on Thursday Nov 10, Image courtesy Greenpeace UK

I’d give my eye teeth to see that band live, in such high regard do I hold the solitary album that they recorded. For the time being (I’ve got more stuff later don’t worry) I’ll have to share the video below that features the band performing this week a cover version of sorts as they borrow a song from Gorillaz – Melancholy Hill. What is interesting is that the seeds of that song were written during the making of TGTBaTQ album in the first place according to Damon’s introduction. Make sure you watch the entire video as a special guest appearance is made halfway through and results in a brilliant performance with Paul in particular pulling out some great shapes with the bass. Thanks to videohound Gil W for alerting me to the video earlier today *(yesterday by the time you read this). Alright then, that’s all I’ve time for at the moment with more to follow. Have a splendid weekend and do something worthwhile. Tim

‘Melancholy Hill’ – The Good, The Bad and The Queen (plus special guest – watch the entire video!)

Good Friday morning to you then. I slept like a homeless cat last night for some reason, literally waking up every few hours to (not literally) walk along the tops of walls and yowl at the moonlight. I don’t know how they manage it night after night, I’m exhausted this morning and in dire need of some coffee which is….just…..about….to….finish….brewing. Ah yes, that’s much better. So where were we? Did anyone see Rick Perry the other night with his inability to recall the third department of US government he is promising to shut down? It was like watching an unprepared student be called upon by a patient teacher and then exposed to his not having a bloody clue. It was a priceless moment if you want to see it but better still should mean that this charlatan of the worst order is now out of the running for the most unpleasant job on earth.

Not for the first time I chose a poor date to not getting around to blogging as some major and unexpected Clash news broke out of London. You’ll surely recall the recent appearance by Mick Jones as a guest of Pete Wylie in Liverpool for a night to support the Hillsborough Justice for the 96 campaign and a well-founded endorsement of boycotting The Sun newspaper. You can read more about the whys and wherefores on that post if you like. Based on everything I read, the videos I saw and those I spoke to that was an amazing evening. Not only did it capture the passion of Clash gigs as it was about accomplishing something (and a very hot topic in Liverpool to say the least) but it also saw Mick give a number of Clash songs a workout performing half a dozen songs some of which he hasn’t played live in decades. Lots of excellent footage is on YouTube if you search for Mick Jones and Liverpool. Well obviously Mick’s long standing friendship with Pete Wylie and the success of the Liverpool gig has borne fruit as a national tour has now been announced with Mick, Pete, The Farm and special guest next month with tickets going on sale today I believe (November 11).

You can read more about it in the NME but I’m sure tickets will sell out quickly. As I’ve alluded to more than once on the blog it seems Mick Jones just can’t get enough of playing live at the moment. If he was someone more attuned to having a publicist the media would be fawning over his activity in recent years as he has lent himself to numerous projects along with his own band Carbon Silicon, the reformed Big Audio Dynamite and a world tour with Gorillaz. Add to that the two incarnation of the Rock and Roll public library and we’re seeing Mick most certainly going through a renaissance and loving every minute of it. I’m sure many who will attend the December tour will be those who saw the other bands I’ve mentioned but I hope some of you who skipped it will be able to make one of these dates. A lot is being made of the fact that this is ‘the first time Mick has played Clash songs since ’82′ which not only is patently wrong but also demonstrates how much of the mainstream press and music press just haven’t been paying attention. I do think Mick is very sensitive about the Clash catalogue and doesn’t use it as something to dine out on – he has too much respect for those he works with and too much pride in his post Clash work. Thus it would seem that the cause of these gigs is probably the most important aspect to Mick, as a football supporter, as an old punk and as a good concerned person. Challenging a newspaper with a tatty reputation and the government inquiry that failed to properly answer the root cause of the Hillsborough disaster. In short a cause that needs to be supported.

I hope many of you will be able to get along to one of the concerts and the next three weeks should see Mick working with Pete to get some more Clash songs stage ready. While the tour it just six dates it does take in Cardiff and Glasgow along with London, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield. Not too handy if you’re in the midlands unfortunately, tickets are available via this link – if you are going please send in reviews, photos or video – more on that in the weeks ahead.

Finally, thanks as ever for visiting the blog. If you’ve have trouble with the site lately I apologise, we are going to change hosting and increase bandwidth to ideally eliminate those isues. However this means added costs for the blog that I’ve always done without advertising. Therefore if you want to help offset some of the costs of the blog in some way there are some banners over on the right that link to Amazon. If you already shop on Amazon anyway for music, films or books please access their site via the blog. They send me a few pennies for every purchase you make if you ‘found’ them via the blog. No pressure but if you can that would be brilliant. Cheers. More later after I get back in that garage, the odds on a move to California are hopefully rising so I need to clean out my stuff amassed over the years.

Tuesday afternoon – welcome back. I need a break from looking at numbers so I thought instead I’d write some words and see what came out, ideally a good ratio of them will be related to The Clash so you’ll want to read the whole thing. Apart from the heat it is a beautiful day here and one that makes me wish I owned an old TR4 and take a spin on west London’s most exciting road. Now I hope that you’ll know what a TR4 is and failing that realise which road I’m referring too. It is such a sunny day that I think we should take a run with the traffic on the Westway – our quick stop review of assorted good, bad and oddities in the world of all things Clash. So if we’ve got enough cash for petrol we’ll ease on and see what lays ahead.

 Do you miss your Big Audio Dynamite vinyl? You can follow that link to get a full mp3 download of The Globe 12″ from almost 20 years ago. I wish that wasn’t true but it is (early 1992) saw the arrival of this often overlooked single plus more remixes (4) than you can shake a stick at. The new version of B.A.D. were very different from Mick’s first line up and this track remains one of the very best in my humble opinion. For added MP3 goodness there is also the 8 minute mix of Rush. Thanks to the site Fun With Vinyl – always a great site and something I’d love to do if I had some spare time.

Some Joe Strummer art. Yes it’s pictured to the left but please visit the website of Amy Hood instead for three reasons. 1/ It’s a bigger image and therefore better quality 2/ You can learn about Amy and see more of her work 3/ It’s Joe Strummer. You don’t need more reasons, she’s also looking for feedback on her work. I can’t create art so I bow to everyone who can, especially when they realise a Clash member makes a good subject. Yes, Joe does have a hawk perched on his shoulder and Amy explains why on the site.

Bob Gruen interview and exhibition: Regular readers will know that I’m a huge fan of great Clash photography and Bob Gruen sits right up there with Penny Smith when it comes to The Clash. They should do a speaking tour together, can you imagine both of them discussing so many of the greatest photos ever taken of a band? Gruen’s track record is long and remarkable and his work alongside his deep friendship with Joe Strummer and the rest of the band can’t be undersold. This interview with Gruen in The National Post is short and sweet but it’s in conjunction with his ongoing exhibition at the Liss Gallery in Toronto which runs until Nov 3. Hope some of you can get along to that!

Shepard Fairey and Joe Strummer: The Vinyl District is an exceptionally enjoyable site and they’ve come up with a great piece about Fairey and Strummer in relation to the recent mural that I covered last week recently completed in Asbury, New Jersey. Angie compiled this article and it’s well worth a read as it reviews Fairey’s work on the mural along with earlier work, his influences and her opinion of the significance of his art. I can’t help but feel he might be the ideal candidate to create something ‘official’ (not that I like that word too much) in London to recognise Strummer. Anyway, please read the piece and leave a comment if you can.

Frank Turner interview explains the Strummerville connection: Remarkably this came from our local listings/music rag Phoenix New Times. I highly recommend Frank Turner’s new disc by the way and read the link to find out about how he became involved with Strummerville. He’s a rare breed indeed, an English solo artist who is achieving a little bit of a following on this side of the pond with music that actually has something to say.

Just like that we’ve buzzed through five new pieces, I’ve got another large pile of tales and links waiting so I’ll be sure to bring you some more Westway traffic in the next few days. If you see, read or hear of something that you think might be of interest to the blog please get in touch. I’ve also revised the recommended signage to sit above the A40 (The Westway) as you head into London below, what do you think? I’m off then – but remember you can keep current via Facebook, Twitter get the RSS feed for the blog or email me and as ever thanks for sharing the blog wherever and whenever you see fit. Tim