Hello once more and thanks for stopping in at The Clash Blog. We’re now entering our 27th month of Clash service and coming up rapidly on 800 posts. I’ve been checking my blog ‘to do’ list this evening and realised there’s some stuff I really need to take care of. I will be adding a forum soon so that you can discuss all things Clash when I’m not here, so to speak. It could also be a good place to share audio files or perhaps try to buy or sell rare Clash memorabilia. We may set up a Clash shop on the site ahead as I’ve got a few retailers who’d like to sell via the site, I just want to find a way so that you can sell your own art, collectibles, vinyl or whatever. Stay tuned – just as soon as I get some down time.

This week has gone by far too quickly, which I wouldn’t complain about if I was ahead with my work but that’s not the case. Therefore I better not ramble on too long this evening although I do have a something I wanted to share if you’ve got time?

Not sure if you ever saw ‘Sid & Nancy’ (of course you did), but I must confess that it must be 15 or 20 years since I saw it most recently on VHS no doubt. Can you believe that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the films release in 1986? I couldn’t either. I’d like to see it again as in real terms (mostly from reading far more books coupled with the internet) I know far more about the main pieces of the story now than I did back then, perhaps that would lower my opinion of the film to see it again? No….I should see it again anyway. Either way it does feature one of my favourite Joe Strummer tracks of all – Love Kills. Regardless, I do bring this up for a reason as the decidedly brilliant Gary Oldman is on BBC Radio 5 tomorrow (Fri Sep 16) from 2-4pm. Mark Kermode hosts it and as you can see from his latest blog post (and the video also embedded beneath) he is seemingly a bit of an Oldman nut so I expect rather strongly that the conversation will turn to Sid & Nancy at some point. It will be live tomorrow from 2pm GMT / 9am EST and if you follow this link and click ‘listen live’ you should be able to hear it. I imagine it will also be archived for a week via the same page if you search under ‘programmes’.

There was a time in the 80′s/90′s where I think Gary Oldman should have been employed to play essentially any male character that required substance, therefore it’s a shame that he’s now too old to play Joe Strummer (yes, I realise he played Sid Vicious) in either of the forthcoming Clash based films. His new film (Tinker, Tailor, Solder, Spy) is getting exceptional reviews.

I’ll be back tomorrow as there is some good/new B.A.D. stuff floating around that needs to be spotlighted. Have a splendid Friday – Tim

Joe Strummer – ‘Love Kills’

Good bloody evening to Clash people around the world. I don’t mean to moan but I’m extremely sick of the hot weather here…I realise we don’t get earthquakes, hurricanes, blizzards, deep freezes, volcanoes, tornadoes, floods or other unpleasant weather here but today marks the eighth straight day of daytime highs that have reached 113f or higher. The back garden officially reached 121f in the sun the other day. By dawn it’s still around 92f so I’m sick of being warm and essentially warm. I haven’t played football or cycled for about two weeks either so I feel like a dried out piece of something very dried out…. Complaints over, that isn’t why you visited the site. Oh…also….the Clash Blog dog managed to snap her claw into two pieces on her front leg running around the back garden on Saturday night which resulted in a (warm) trip to the emergency vet which not only kept us out until 2am but cost $400. I can think of better things to do on a Saturday night….happily the dog is doing very well and has an enviable supply of drugs to keep her grinning.

Big Audio Dynamite plus audience in Minneapolis

Right, back to things which make me smile. This update is long overdue but I managed to fall behind with the ongoing B.A.D. tour, Joe Strummer birthday and a general pile of work of my own (yes there’s work to do even at Clash Blog Towers) so this sat on my ‘in pile’ for far too long. When Big Audio Dynamite played at First Avenue in Minneapolis on August 7th I was fortunate enough to have two of my most intrepid friends attending the show so they were given the task of tracking down Mick Jones and asking him a handful of questions on behalf of The Clash Blog. If you knew these two – Scott and Jessica – you’d know I couldn’t have tasked such a project to two more suitable people. S & J until recently lived here in Phoenix and we attended stacks of concerts together. Scott never tires of concerts and we’ve seen some incredibly good (Arcade Fire in front of less than 200 people in a venue smaller than my house) and memorably poor (The Fall, with Mark E Smith getting in a fight with the support act and leaving the stage after just two songs, never to return – wanker) concerts together.  They’ve bumped into Mick a fair few times before – seeing Carbon Silicon in Los Angeles and at the Carbon Casino in London and Scott also saw B.A.D. back in the long ago 1980′s. (Jessica was still in grade school at that time – hah!)

Anyway, we spoke the afternoon of the concert and I asked Scott if he could possibly try and get me a signed setlist by Mick and also try and ask Mick a few questions on my behalf. Scott loves such a challenge and I assumed he’d manage to get a result, which indeed he did. After the gig, which they both said was excellent with the exception being that S&J felt the bass completely dwarfed the guitar in the mix, they began their mission.

It was easier than normal with Mick making a prolonged appearance at the merchandise stall along with his Mum (!!) who regular Clash followers will know has lived in the states since Mick was a young boy – to the best of my knowledge she lives east of Duluth in upstate Michigan which (in American terms) made Minneapolis a relatively near concert to see her little boy Mick coming through town with B.A.D. Scott told me that Mick was extremely patient with the fans, fulfilling requests for autographs and photos to all those who asked. After waiting patiently for some time Scott put on his junior reporter hat and introduced himself to Mick and said he had some questions from The Clash Blog!

Those questions plus Mick’s answers in the next post……

Hello once again and welcome to the weekend edition of the Clash Blog. Hope all of those along the east coast of US are staying out of harms way with the arrival of the hurricane, what I would give for a few hours of rain although you can keep the 100 mph winds thanks very much. A few updates this morning and I think a much needed return of The Clash Cup tomorrow if all goes well.

Image courtesy fishbones photography http://www.flickriver.com/photos/fishbonesphotography

You’ll recall on the last post the interview with Mick Jones in the LA Times, I’ve found another which while not as informative is still worth a few minutes of your time. The interview is linked here and was published on The Morton Report 48 hours ago. One recurring theme that I see here and have heard elsewhere is Mick’s genuine attention to (commitment to?) being nice, it sounds a very simple concept but without exception every person I hear from who meets Mick remarks on his affable nature. So I think it’s noteworthy that Mick makes that a conscious decision each day, I’m guessing it’s his way of acknowledging what was perceived as a problem in the past – being inconsiderate and famously always late. The interview even talks about his lack of punctuality in addition to the demise of The Clash, his love of TV, what helps him create music and more. Make sure you read the interview which I think (but haven’t been able to confirm) took place in San Francisco last weekend.

“I think we inspired so many people. Maybe there was something in the music, in the songs that was an honesty that people recognized, and that could again relate to, and it has some resonance even now.”    – Mick Jones

Speaking of San Francisco and the B.A.D. stop in the bay area I’ve got some great photos / videos courtesy of Gil from both the Outside Lands festival and the Joe Strummer tribute event the following evening which Mick Jones attended! I’ll get those together for you this weekend too assuming nothing unexpected happens. Here’s a preview beneath, thanks Gil! Cheers – Tim

BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE – “Everybody Needs A Holiday” @ Club Nokia, LA, Aug 10 2011