Good evening and once again thanks are in order taking the time to visit the Clash Blog. A fairly normal Monday here except the fact that I managed to impale myself on the garden gate earlier (really it’s not as sexy as it sounds) but my scrape to my midsection did draw blood (heroic blogger) but not to the extent where I felt I would need an updated tetanus jab (cowardly blogger). It did hurt though and I am going to blame the clashblog dog as it was her I was trying to block from making a daring escape from the back garden. Tonight I had hoped to get ‘ official’ approval on using the text associated with a new gallery exhibition of Clash photographs – I didn’t receive it in time for tonight’s blog post but I don’t think it will present an issue.

You may be familiar with the name of “Proud Gallery” which is situated in Camden Town just on the northern fringe of central London. I always associate Camden with the first stage of long ago late night walks home after missing the last tube – typically after seeing a band or practicing in the ritual of trying to chat up a girl at the Camden Palace despite the fact you could not hear a word she said all night and vice-versa. When you screamed out ” I’ll meet you outside in a bit” you could just as well have been shouting ” I’ll beat you down side you shit” – which will may or may not have resulted in a bad first impression. Always hated nightclubs for the simple reason that it was impossible to start conversation with anyone – good bad or indifferent. I understand you supposed to go and dance, but if he can’t dance what’s left to do? Anyway Proud is not only on our radar as it previously hosted a Jail Guitar Doors event last year (or was that earlier this year?) but the gallery also sits upon fairly hallowed ground for Clash fans – in the same block of buildings that included rehearsal rehearsals where The Clash originally practised, wrote and in some cases slept during the very early days. The space was dug out by Bernie Rhodes and backs onto the railway tracks heading to the North.

The gallery will be hosting a special collection of photography featuring the work of Adrian Boot. From December 8th 2010 Proud Camden will present London Calling: The Clash by Adrian Boot. This exhibition is a photographic portrait of the band and will include a number of never before seen images. Photographs include them rehearsing rehearsing in the Gin House at the Stables Market in Camden which was also the site of the original Proud Galleries in Camden, so the exhibition represents a homecoming in the truest sense of the word as only the calendar has changed but the location has not. Here is the official blurb underneath you can find the address and contact details:

Proud Camden presents London Calling: The Clash by Adrian Boot. This unique exhibition is a photographic portrait of the most influential punk rock band, credited with pioneering the advocacy of radical politics in rock, and includes never before seen images. Referred to as ‘The Only Band that Matters’, The Clash was a band like no other. Pioneers of British punk-rock; their incendiary gigs, definitive style, intelligent lyrics and passionate idealism captured the spirit of the time and their album ‘London Calling’ was labelled one of the best albums of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. Adrian Boot’s photographic portrait of The Clash reveals a softer side of the punk rockers as they relax and rehearse together as well as shots of them during their legendary performances. Photographed rehearsing at their studio in the Gin House at the Stables Market in Camden which was also the site of the original Proud Galleries in Camden, this exhibition marks a true homecoming for Boot’s extraordinary images of this cult band. Admission is free.

The exhibition runs right through until the later part January so that many of you will have a chance to drop in and have a look – by all means please let us know on the blog what you thought. Sounds like an ideal chance to do a bit of West End Christmas shopping, or crawl round Camden Market or maybe even up to see the Arsenal – topped off with a trip to the gallery. If you have any other questions about the exhibition please get in touch and I’ll try and find out extra details. Not sure about The Clash being a ‘cult band’ they really need to contact me to write their press releases. Talk to you soon -

Here’s a link to Proud for further information. (My thanks to Sophie @ the Gallery)

Good evening and welcome back to the Clash Blog on this frosty Tuesday. I had to make hot chocolate for the goldfish this morning it really was that nippy. I also failed to see a single kick of the Arsenal match today and they won 2-0… perhaps they don’t need me after all! One quick request and a thank you before beginning tonight’s post. We’re just three weeks away from what remarkably will be the eighth anniversary of the loss of Joe Strummer in 2002 which feels almost unfathomable to me. In advance of that if you’re aware of any Joe Strummer events taking place wherever you may be in December please contact me via the usual channels in case I missed it so I can add to the events calendar – anywhere in the world is eligible of course except Alaska (joking). I also want to post my thanks for your continued visits and support of the site in November, for the sixth consecutive month we averaged more visits per day than the previous month and again set a new record – so please keep letting others know about the site as the community grows. Hopefully I’ll be able to feature a guest post once a week in the new year to save my typing fingers a bit of effort. Tonight you get to do all the clicking as Video Clash makes its return after a two-week absence. If you have already seen some of the clips I’m sorry but I doubt you’ve seen them all.

Train in Vain…derailed – Before you watch this one ask yourself whether you could play guitar or sing at his age, if you can’t answer yes to both then be sympathetic because he gave it a good go. I actually think he sings it quite well (ignore the lyrical errors) and he also plays it with barre chords which is significantly harder than regular cords at the top of the neck. Overall a nice effort although I think he might’ve been better served ending the video about 10 seconds earlier before that little solo run crashed into the bushes. I think his name is Anthony (the series is called Anthony unplugged) and he’s in the states….. give him credit he also plays drums and writes music too.

Clash City Rockers live - There have been a whole series of these uploaded this week and I know somebody out there will tell me yes they’re available on such and such a bootleg DVD which is great and I welcome the information but I hadn’t seen this clip prior to this week. Both the sound and the video are adequate at best but I do like the black-and-white footage a lot regardless. I don’t know where they came up with the dates for the video which show as March or August 1980 depending on which side of the Atlantic you herald from – whereas the series of concerts at Bonds didn’t take place until the following summer. In fact I’m don’t even think this looks like Bonds and then checking the other songs uploaded (go to YouTube with the original video and you can see all of his uploads) and the appearance of Mikey Dread on Bankrobber makes me think this was one of the US states in March of 1980. I don’t think it’s New York Palladium as the shirts being worn down match the photograph from that concert. So get to it Clash detectives.

Buzzcocks Harmony in My Head Sao Paulo Nov 25th 2010 – Not a Clash clip of course but a band of essentially comtemporaries playing this week in Brazil. I think if there is one band still playing live that can still capture what was happening in 76,77,78 it would be Buzzcocks. If you get the chance to see them live while they are still doing so. I most recently saw them in 2005 I think and it was simply superb.

I’m So Bored with the USA 2010 images – Normally when you see somebody make their own video to existing song it lands somewhere between shit and Phil Collins (very thin strip of space I know) but this example actually works for the most part. The clip is a blend of The Clash (mostly) playing at what looks like the US Festival in 1983 interspersed with modern-day clips of 2010 America including the monster that television has become and those who pass for politicians, throw in some good old fashioned police violence and clips of Joe and it shows how the song leaps across the years.

What’s My Name (and when was this clip) – This is such a short clip I’m a bit lost for additional information but surely its the offspring of a longer live clip. Based on the clothes and Joe it looks like the second half of 1977 but I will lean on the eagle eyed amongst you to tell me where the full clip might reside. Even if I can’t find the remainder I’m quite happy seeing Strummer bash his microphone into the stage in dying moments.

OK then that’s me done for now – look forward to your comments and hopefully additional information. We’ll speak soon I hope – Tim

Good morning to you…I’m in an awful mood..woke up at 520am to watch Arsenal somehow contrive to toss away a 2-0 lead at home to……s***s! I’ve simply got to get that thought out of my mind so thought I’d write about something that makes me happier. I’m this close (fingers very close together) to giving up on football for the season and focus on music and 18th century Russian literature so you may see a change of tone to the blog in coming weeks. So a bit of Clash related news instead this morning.

If you are in the UK or indeed get your music streams online you are probably fully aware of Xfm (music that rocks – so they say). As you know I’m always up for a list and the station are going to be playing their ‘top 1,000 songs of all time’ between now and the end of the year. Unlike most of these lists they’ve actually revealed which songs are in the mix before kicking off so naturally enough I had to see what songs by The Clash were in contention, having anticipated a more diverse list I thought there would be 4 or 5 songs on the list and yet remarkably there were 12!! On the one hand I thought that was a brilliant total out of 1,000 until I saw some of the less adventurous selections/bias toward newer bands (Arctic Monkeys I mean you). Overall though The Clash were better represented than all of their peers, some of the more interesting totals follow: Arctic Monkeys – 13, Beatles – 14, Big Audio Dynamite – 1, Blur – 19, Buzzcocks – 2, Doves – 7, Echo & Bunnymen – 4, The Jam – 9, James – 5, Joy Division – 4, Libertines – 7, Manic Street Preachers – 12, New Order – 9, Sex Pistols – 3, The Smiths – 12, The Specials – 2, The Stone Roses – 14, The Stranglers – 5 (hah!), Suede – 6. So, nothing in there by Wire or XTC while shite such as The Zutons have two songs. As with all such lists you’ll obviously find holes and they don’t really mean all that much but I do think the representation by The Clash is healthy especially when you look at their contemporaries and number of included songs. As for the twelve Clash songs on the lists there are a good number of obvious selections and a few that I wouldn’t have included – but each to their own I guess. Here’s the dozen:

The Clash London Calling
The Clash Rock The Casbah
The Clash I Fought The Law
The Clash Should I Stay Or Should I Go
The Clash Train In Vain
The Clash Bankrobber
The Clash Complete Control
The Clash Guns Of Brixton
The Clash Tommy Gun
The Clash White Riot
The Clash  Janie Jones
The Clash White Man In Hammersmith Palais

Apparently there’s a book out with all of the 1,000 songs explored which you can purchase here, or attempt to win here by selecting your top 3 songs of all time. It gets me to wondering whether your favourite 20 songs of all time would include a lot of Clash songs or a handful. Maybe something we can try and tackle in 2011 after we eventually finish The Clash Cup (which we will, with the next edition this weekend I hope). Anyway, a moderate thumbs up to Xfm for including what is a healthy representation for our boys! Here’s the link to the list in full of all 1,000 songs.

Also, tonight, very short notice if you happen to be anywhere near Bologna in Italy there’s a Clash night at 9:00pm for just 10 Euros admission. I realise that maybe one person reading that might be able to make it along, but we get lots of visits from Italy so I wanted to share it. Here’s a link to the event…..Teatro Comunale di Dozza (BO)Via XX Settembre, 51 ,Dozza, Italy.

Right, off to go and smack a Spurzzz fan. – Tim  — Comments on the above post are welcomed – I’m getting an echo in here lately!! Also if you want more bits and pieces please check out my other blog…Thanks~