Hello everyone and a very happy new year to each of you, let’s hope that 2013 manages to be a year full of good and promising events rather than Coldplay records and nasty buggers hogging the headlines. More than that I hope you have lots of laughs and inspirational people in your daily life, including yourself don’t forget.

I’ve had my new year coffee and am listening to an old album but a highly recommended one by American Analog Set, it is mellow but that is just what I need this morning.

I wanted to start the new year by looking back at the most popular (most read) posts of 2012 on the blog. Just in case you are new to the blog or fancy revisiting some older stories. I also find it interesting and sometimes surprising to see which stories created the most interest. I had two main gaps in blogging in 2012, in January when we were in the middle of a rather hurried move from Phoenix to San Diego (joy!) and in late November and December when I got a touch of writers block mixed with a lot of work (it happens). First and foremost thank you all for the over 200,000 visits to the blog last year. Incidentally the UK produced the most visits for the first time since 2009 knocking the USA down to second. Canada was 3rd, Italy 4th and France came in 5th – if you happen to be interested in where your country ranked just let me know. In all we had visits from 155 nations last year to confirm my thoughts of The Clash being as global as any band in the last 35 years. Readers from Gibraltar spent the longest on the site, I’m guessing because they like rock?

Right then, the most popular posts of January-June with the remainder tomorrow:

January – Mick Jones in a panto. This was the unlikely video of Mick appearing in the local pantomime in Notting Hill dressed as a medieval knight complete with shield and chainmail. It is still one of the more humourous things I’ve seen and repeated again just a few weeks ago although with Jones wearing more normal attire.

February – Rare video of Joe Strummer on the Kings Road in 1979. This was an excellent find and featured a long video of punks on the Kings Road and a brief appearance by none other than Strummer. If you somehow missed one of the most popular posts of the year get back and see it.

March – Joe Strummer Mural in New York damaged by vandal. This annoyed most of you as much as it did me. The mural in Manhattan has taken on status approaching that of a shrine over the years and to see it damaged caused a lot of fury. Happy to report it was repaired fairly soon afterwards.

April – Take photos of whatever you want, that’s punk. This was one of my favourite photos and stories associated with Joe Strummer this year, it concerns a chance meeting on the tube with Joe and you have to read it, or ever read it again. It is a good reminder as we start a new year. In fact I like it so much I’m repeating the image and message on the left.

May – Rise and Fall of The Clash screenings announced. Whatever you thought of The Clash post Topper and Mick the film this year by Danny Garcia caused a lot of interest. I remain exactly where I was about the need for the fim which was on the fence, as for me the band ended in 1983 although I realise many disagree.

June – Special Clash phone box appears alongside the River Thames. This was another story that created a buzz, originally we didn’t know if this was a piece of terrorist art but it turned out to be part of a big project throughout the city to transform the old phone boxes. Either way it looked great.

The second half of the best of 2012 will be in the next post. So actually it was a pretty good first six months of the year, I thought we’d try and see which post was the best of the year so please take a moment to vote for your favourite below from the first six months if you can. Thanks! More soon of course…Tim

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