Monday Monday…off we go then. I’ll have The Clash Cup information compiled today and an updated post later on, if that makes no sense just read here for further information. To coincide with the football season we’re hosting a knock out tournament to determine the best Clash songs of all time. To that end I’m working with a poll – so if you look to the right and scroll down let me know if you see the poll and take part. I’ll use polling to vote for songs in the early rounds. Should be a laugh, might be chaos but will be interesting.

Fender Guitars aren’t the only reason we talk about The Clash, or music in general for that matter but they certainly helped. The very name Telecaster goes hand in hand with Joe Strummer like  Fox News and bollocks. I write as today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mr Leo Fender the founder, creator, inventor of Fender Guitars. There’s an interesting story about Fender on wired today to mark the anniversary, I find it remarkable that the basic design on the Telecaster is now 58 years old.  I’m not a guitar expert by any means only managing to (just) learn how to play in the last 7 years but I appreciate the sound the different guitars make. I own a Stratocaster and feel I need to be a bit better to purchase a Tele, time will tell.

Fark used to be fun, in some senses it still is. In truth it’s never really changed, perhaps too much gets posted on there that isn’t especially funny/odd/novel as was the original intent. I think now the ‘farker’ who uploads the story is a much a part of Fark as the story the link out to. If you haven’t visited Fark please do so – it’s a good time waster taking a spin on the news. I guess expecting more from Fark I get annoyed when someone uses it to dress down The Clash, or in this case Mick Jones.  The linked story about the Rock+Roll Public Library is here which is almost equally banal. The Clash made some mistakes without doubt, (Cut The Crap, management?, triple albums, Sandy Pearlman) but neither Mick’s musical ideas nor the current exhibition of his memorabilia are one of them.

don't wanna go back there again

Lastly Rock’s Backpages offer a list of the 30 best vacation (holiday) songs and to my surprise The Clash appear at 13 with Safe European Home. A good call and still one of my favourite stories behind a Clash track as Mick and Joe recount their thrills in Jamaica (leaving behind a very pissed off Paul Simonon).

More soon, get ready to vote and don’t forget to submit questions for the forthcoming Ray Gange Interview!

Tim