London Calling to Mayor Boris? Elle of a bad idea
London is drowning and I.….help sell magazines?
This isn’t about Boris Johnson, perhaps it is mostly about Elle Magazine. I’m sure the sloppy Mayor of London didn’t conceive of the idea to have one the most famous lyrics by The Clash halo his cover appearance on Elle Magazine (a special edition which celebrates the 25th Anniversary of London Fashion Week). Seeing as Johnson isn’t skilled enough to get London on track, nor deflect the foulest of voters in his support (The BNP) it would be apparent it was the marketing department at Elle that determined London Calling would provide a good backdrop to the chubby conservative. I really wonder who does quality control for The Clash and/or is this beyond the jurisdiction of the band? Is a published magazine as free to ‘borrow’ a Clash lyric for it’s cover photo as I am to use one on a blog post? The difference is I write about The Clash, I look to promote The Clash and increase their popularity.
Elle of a mess
It’s the legality piece where I paint myself into a dead end of uncertainty. Do you know the reality – I don’t? If it’s something that Jones and the Estate of Strummer cannot control then it’s mostly about me (and perhaps you as a fellow Clash fan) getting bent out of shape. The Clash aren’t an advertising jingle, their lyrics shouldn’t be used by fashion magazines nor London Mayors to improve circulation/public profile. I realise my knee jerk reaction is driven by my lack of fondness for Johnson but I hope that perhaps Elle will devote a sum from this months sales to Strummerville if they have not already done so. I’ll write and try and find out….I’ve done so…see below.
Tim
Dear Elle Magazine,
I noticed London Mayor Boris Johnson appears on your cover to celebrate London Fashion Week. Which is great and I hope it improves circulation. I also noticed that lyrics by The Clash / London Calling are (tastefully) used to ring Mr. Johnson’s image.
I’d be curious to how you feel the work of Joe Strummer / Mick Jones relates to either London Fashion week or the Mayor? I feel it’s very detached from all that The Clash stood for and hoped the estate of Joe Strummer was contacted before publication?
At the very least perhaps a donation of any amount in the name of Elle Magazine and/or Boris Johnson can be made to Strummerville / The Joe Strummer Foundation for new music. I look forward to your reply – and will be happy to share it and add to my current article about this matter.
Tim
The Clash Bloghttp://www.elleuk.com/news/Fashion-News/london-mayor-boris-johnson-on-the-cover-of-elle
Nicely done, Tim!
well put.
Be interested to know if Elle replied to you?? Never thought on first glance that this cover would cause such controversy and reactions but its good to get a different perspective. I admire your strong will, opinions and loyalty as a fan.
funny you ask…yes…I’m just writing about that today
[...] Calling to halo BJ’s image on the cover of Elle’s special London Fashion Week edition. I wrote about it at some length here, and decided that although I found it to be a kick in the face to Joe Strummer who neither stood [...]