Good Sunday morning to you from a drizzly Clash Blog Towers. What is going on at your end then? A good day yesterday capped with some Clash related activity late in the day but more on that later in the week. I also heard from a friend in London who walked out of Loftus Road after watching QPR in the FA Cup and found himself alongside none other than Mick Jones., not the former Leeds player. Pleasantries and handshakes were exchanged and Mick was probably pleased to see them now unbeaten in two matches. I’m torn, I want them to go down because of Redknapp and stay up because of the supporters.

I’ve got a small mixed bag of things today due to emails and such so rather than open up any sort of long diatribe I’ll get through a few of those. So much was written online during Joe’s 10th anniversary that I never managed to share everything but one of the wordier and more thoughful pieces was written on Clash Music (it’s not a Clash site..nor an incredibly clever title for a music site). A good article though which like many of us tends to speculate as to what Joe would have to say about the current state of affairs. I often wonder the same thing. Well worth a look if you have time and a small excerpt is below.

Despite the enduring nature of his legacy, for many of us who followed The Clash and admired their charismatic frontman, there remains a hole where Joe Strummer should have been. Many of the social and political issues that he tackled in his lyrics are as relevant today as they were during The Clash’s heyday. If he was still with us, it is likely that he’d have involved himself in campaigns such as Occupy and opposed governmental oppression and economic exploitation across the globe. (Clash Music article on Joe)

We also have been getting some more videos from various Joe Strummer tribute events last month, thank you, so I’ll endeavour to put together a part two of those later in the week. If you have anything you want to send in please send me a link and I’d be happy to share.

Normally I’d hesitate in sending anyone for any reason to the New York Post website (think The Sun, but for Gotham) but this piece about the esteemed John Holmstrom lists his 8 locations that make for a punk rock guide to New York City. At least half of which hold some significance to The Clash of course, see if you can work out which ones. Holmstrom of course was the founder of Punk Magazine, later wrote for the Village Voice and created the album art that you may well own over on the left.

A number of people have been asking about the forthcoming Clash box set but the information thus far is still mostly vague albeit mixed with good news. By some accounts it will be the official document of everything the band ever recorded with Mick Jones apparently curating the entire effort, based simply on the fact that no release dates have even been rumoured yet I don’t think we’ll see anything earlier than the start of the summer. Interest will certainly be peaked based on the inclusion of unreleased material/live tracks which I hope even the suits at Sony probably understand. Did I actually just say that?

Right then, let me know what I’ve missed – I must get on with Sunday stuff around here. Thanks for dropping in.

The future is unwritten, so share it

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