Mick playing with The Libertines

Hello all – hope you had a chance to look at the video on yesterday’s post – very cool and equally strange to see Paul Simonon and Mick Jones playing and recording together in 2010. I wish I were a fly on the wall when they went for a pint as reported afterward, as it must have been equally strange for them. Mick has (from my vantage point) made a huge transition in the last decade in terms of now working on a variety of projects in different roles. It seemed to stem from his work with The Libertines as a producer at the start of the decade just ended and then evolved onto his work with Tony James / Carbon Silicon. More recently he has partnered up with other for benefit concerts and taken an active role in Strummerville related projects as well. Coupled with that is the music media and the press in general now see members of The Clash as elder statesman with a lot to offer and stories to tell….its all a million miles from where Mick was in the mid-late 90’s after Big Audio Dynamite came to an end. Throw in the Rock and Roll Library and it’s just a thrill that he has been so public and giving in raw terms.

As a fan I’m thrilled that his influence is both more widely recognised but also more widely felt – it’s more than overdue for him along with Topper and Paul. I don’t want this to lead to simple speculation as to why things have ebbed and flowed but I am pleased that the pendulum of higher regard has swung in the right direction for The Clash. Still crossing my fingers that someone with the creative passion and the finances/studio backing tackles the gaping hole where a proper Clash film needs to be made. I genuinely feel that the surviving members would give the right project the support it merits, until such time I’ll just hope it can happen.

Mojo had an interesting piece today about Bernie Rhodes in a list of ‘The Worst Rock n Roll Management Decisions in History”. For his involvement with The Clash Bernard ranks 5th on their list for the issues that tainted the last year or so of the band’s (proper) existence and of course the Clash MK II. From what I know and have researched the complexity of the last months of the band are as tangled as they are multi-layered, apportioning blame to only one individual I think is akin to saying that The Clash made a definitive album. The implosion of the band was just not as simple as that and to this day a proper and frank account has never been put forward by all parties concerned, while in this case of Joe indeed it is already too late. For my money I think Rhodes’ story does need to be told if only to display the critical piece he played in the formation and original path that the band took.

Over the years it has been easy and quick to blame the end of The Clash on Mick and Bernard/Joe and the revamped band seen as a revolting blot on the copybook created by the ego of a manager who wanted to be the band, but is that entirely fair or accurate? I’m not sure to this day and unless more information is provided it has become accepted wisdom – folklore if you will. I’ve offered the ClashBlog as a forum to Bernard Rhodes a few times during 2009 and while we’ve never agreed on a format for the discussion I think it only fair to remark that he has been polite and considerate with his responses to me. In truth I’d most like to discuss the early years of The Clash with him and not those that are trotted out to his detriment concerning the later stages of the band.  Mr. Rhodes has edged towards talking about today and the future which I respect – at some point perhaps he’ll engage with the blog as I think we have a great audience and community that is open to hearing recollections and ideas, thoughts and concerns, even if (especially if) they go against the accepted truth we’ve been fed all these years. Anyway….that rambled on longer than I intended but the offer is still on the table Bernard. Back to Mojo – 1. Credit the blog for the photo of Mr Rhodes please (but thanks for finding us) 2. They think it was as simple as this “Like the USSR, Bernie has been left behind by history” I beg to differ.

That’ll be me done for the day then…cheers