Joe Strummer with a Pogue

Friday and such…well done and welcome back. Before we get started I wanted to set you with a challenge. Go to the Quietus website – they’ve created a ‘album cover quiz’ but not in your normal style. You get 30 second video clips to watch one bloke try and mime the famed album cover. It was a lot harder than it sounded – I managed to get twelve correct, but it really is a teaser. Wasn’t I just writing about Mick Jones being very keen to lend his time for a good cause…..well he’s at it again.

Seems that Shane MacGowan has enlisted the help of a few mates to record a single to benefit those impacted by the recent earthquake in Haiti. According to this article in the Belfast Telegraph Shane has recruited Glen Matlock, Chrissie Hynde, Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie and Mick Jones. There’s even a rumour that Johnny Depp played some guitar on the recording but I imagine they didn’t plug him in. MacGowan flew to London to record his version ‘I Put A Spell On You’ which along with two other songs will form a charity EP for the Irish organisation Concern Worldwide. Nice one! *** This just in….I have video evidence of the gathering ***

You might like this interview with another friend of Mick Jones – the French Algerian musician Rachid Taha who talks about his latest record as well as The Clash and music in general. One of those chaps who breaks down the walls of nationalism he’s always got an interesting point of view. Below you’ll find the video of him performing with Mick Jones in 2006 – a stellar version of Rock El Casbah (How much would Joe like this one!)

Taha has been around as an artist for over 25 years now and I guess when I was a lad he would be categorised under world music, whereas he is just brilliant at blending sounds from all different cultures. Worth investigating if you don’t know him, start here with his myspace page.

“I did ‘Rock el Casbah’ because I like The Clash, and it was my tribute to Joe Strummer,” “It’s extremely pleasant to play with Mick Jones, because he was one of my childhood idols. It’s a dream come true!”

Hope some of you made it to the Shatter the Hotel launch event tonight. Let me know if you did!

Back with more during the weekend….Tim

(John Terry…..ha ha ha ha ha couldn’t happen to a bigger ****)