Hello Hello….hope all is well in your corner of the world, I can’t complain from mine. Austin, Texas sounded a good place to visit until the news today that a looper who (was) angry about taxes and the IRS lit his house on fire, and then flew a small plane into government offices that contained tax employees (apparently). I believe the only person to die was the protester or at least I hope that is the case, newswires have it that  he was quoting Karl Marx in his postings of discontent while simultaneously complaining about taxation?? A tad confused eh? You’re giving Marxism a bad name down in Texas chap, knock it off would you please? Austin remains on the agenda however for the Jail Guitar Doors initiative and the early news is now trickling in from Strummerville.

Latitude 30 will be the temporary home of the ‘British Music Embassy’ on Monday March 15th as the venue is turned over to the JGD project. Confirmed acts appearing on the night include Billy Bragg with special guests The Good The Bad, (does that mean what I think it does) and Beans On Toast. MC for the night is Foo Fighter Chris Shiflett. More news to follow nearer the time, if you are heading to the festival that week please get in touch with me as I’d love to ensure we get photos and on the spot reports for the Strummerville related events that are scheduled. There is of course also the premier of the Don Letts Strummerville documentary to look forward to.

If you are a collector of Clash literature and more specifically rare interviews I highly encourage getting over to the website for ArthurMag.Com. In the Spring of 2002 they published a very special edition of the magazine as a tribute to Joe Strummer. The included interview had been conducted the prior Summer with it being intended as a feature in that edition – the sudden unexpected death of Joe led to that edition becoming an issue that was focused on Joe; including the interview but also a slew of extra featured content revolving around Strummer. Its easier if I just share their blurb:

Arthur holds a wake in print for a man who mattered. In addition to stunning photographs by Ann Summa and excerpts of back-in-the-day Clash coverage from Slash magazine, we present reflections on Joe by Kristine McKenna; a lengthy, poignant interview with Joe from 2001 by McKenna; a consideration by Carter Van Pelt of the Clash’s embrace of reggae, featuring insights from Clash collaborator Mikey Dread; and a brief on Joe’s legacy: a forest in the Isle of Skye.

The interview was conducted by Los Angeles arts chronicler Kristine McKenna which adds even more credit to the cause. The reason I want to share this with you is that Arthur are down to their final 50 copies of this special issue and no reprints are possible. Please visit their site for lots of extra information about what this contains but I guarantee it is something work picking up if you like to have a very complete chronicle of all things Joe. I’m getting mine this evening before you all have had a chance to read this. You can order from this link, and if you need global shipping please contact me and we can work something out offline.

Okay then, please tell me I haven’t mentioned this before (it was on my ever growing pending list with a question mark next to it) but another single benefiting the victims of the Haiti disaster is being released. Apart from the cause being worthy of your support the EP also features a cover version of Coma Girl by Joe and The Mescaleros. The band are Class War Kids (fair enough) and they come from Newfoundland which is a place I rarely pronounce as my diction always results in the word ‘found’ appearing in the middle which is very wrong. Class War Kids myspace site features a number of songs if you want to check them out but not Coma Girl, I’d suggest ‘Break Me’ which has a very likable Stiff Little Fingers guitar sound (and nearly vocally too). Perhaps Newfoundland is full of former Ulstermen? Enlighten me….I thought it was more Scottish than Irish? Full details about the charity EP are here or you can hear Coma Girl here (it is good fun…and priced to sell $3 for the download).

Right, that got my energy levels up. Ever been on Ebay and seen a series of bootleg live Clash CDs for sale and felt cautious about what is worth buying versus skipping? I’ve been stuck there since going to Camden Market in the early 80′s and buying bootleg tapes which were very hit or miss. Fortunately someone has put together some decent summaries of some of the more common bootlegs you might be able to find so that you can purchase with a bit more confidence. Set lists and notes are worth the read even if you’re not shopping, regardless here is the link and thanks to BigOzine for the input!

I’ve been asked why I don’t write about the special edition “Converse/Clash” sneakers/baseball boots/trainers (whatever your poison). The truth is that I think they are a bit crap and you’d be better off purchasing some more Clash albums or at least go and see a new artist or too rather than buy them. I’ll add the links to the images when I get really low on other material…sound good?

Earlier I mentioned Stiff Little Fingers….so continuing that 1979 thing one of the very best (to my mind) US punk acts were Husker Du. You probably need no introduction or if you do you really need to get some of their discs in your collection. Tonight I found a brilliant audio interview with former Husker Du member Grant Hart (Bob Mould tends to get the press)….its really worth listening to and learning about what he’s been up to. Link to NPR is here (bless NPR for their DAILY and needed contribution to culture here in the States) so if you have 30 minutes please give it a listen.

Right…somehow this has turned into a very long post. I really do need to catch up – apologies to any unanswered emails you’ve sent lately as I’m nearly a week behind. Cheers for now.

It might have been a touch of the Rip Van Winkles, or it may have all happened before I launched the blog last summer but every now and then something that was seemingly important just passes me by. I also may well be telling you something you knew about last Spring and if that’s the case sorry – if not then you’ll be glad you dropped by. I think the reality was I read about this briefly, meant to return to it and then got distracted by the need to pay a bill or visit the dentist or something.

I’m coming at this project from the sidelines but if you’ve read the book or been involved with ‘Let Fury Have the Hour’ please feel free to write in and let me know what you thought. I’d seen the book online and added it to my bucket list of Clash tasks which seems to somehow grow as the years roll by. The book had mixed reviews and perhaps the documentary film project is a natural (or better?) outcome for the compendium of research undertaken by author Antoninio D’Ambrosio. The official blurb on the book does little to capture you but the more objective Publisher’s Weekly overview does leave you wanting to read more (the risk being you may have read much of it before).

“Were it not for the Clash, punk would have been just a sneer, a safety pin, and a pair of bondage trousers,” writes Billy Bragg, and documentarian/activist D’Ambrosio proves it with this gathering of skillfully selected articles and essays on Clash front man Joe Strummer (1952–2002), from the likes of Lester Bangs, Chuck D, Greil Marcus and D’Ambrosio himself. Most contributions consider the highly politicized early years of “the only band that mattered,” its commercial U.S. breakthrough in 1983 as well as its imminent demise, and Strummer’s role as lyricist and political agitator. Although a few essays discuss the political ambiguity of some of Strummer’s songs, they mostly praise the outspoken singer/guitarist’s commitment to confronting racism, classism and capitalism at a time when punk bands were apolitical or nihilistic. In a 1979 essay, Lester Bangs credits the Clash with forging “the missing link between black music and white noise.” Other pieces chronicle Strummer’s stints as a film score composer and actor and his ongoing forays into multicultural music. Some essays lean toward a preachy interpretation of Strummer’s humanist philosophy, but the best invoke irresistible excitement as they describe beer-soaked early Clash shows and the message of hope the band gave to kids rebelling against what they saw as the oppressive conservatism and systemic self-loathing of Thatcherite England”

I think the premise for the book was worthy of applause, it takes the vehicle of Joe Strummer and specifically the ‘message’ of The Clash to assess the power of rock music to filter to the great unwashed a message of inclusion, activism and change, but from a platform of democracy. During my reflective moments I know that The Clash altered my stance on so many things – arriving in my life a few years before girls distracted me and at an age where questioning and challenging the status quo was germinating in me waiting to see the light of day. Whether this ability was something that The Clash sat down and planned/plotted (research suggests yes with the active boot up the arse of the band’s management)  wasn’t the point. Music is a results based service and The Clash were broadcasting to legions of bored, agitated and primarily younger men and women who wanted a band that mattered – a band that were worth caring about.

Do you even remember being 14 years old? I do, at that age a year following a band seemed to be a significant commitment of time, a 3 or 4 year relationship signified a band that reflected who you were and what you valued, it seemed they had been there for you forever. For me – I had the Clash as a daily active concern from early ’79 to late ’83 within a year of Mick Jones being kicked out I understood the initial band were finished but my loyalty to the ideas remained. I’d gone from being twelve to leaving home, from having no clue to feeling aware of unions, central america, and the wrongs of the corporations that bashed around the working man. The US was no longer just the home of hamburgers and Disneyland but now had the shadow of Vietnam and the Cold War dragging behind it. My education in addition to school was The Clash, my need to learn more initially came from a band – some would call that naive but I thought it was pivotal.

I’ll do more research on the book and film….so this post was a bit premature eh? One thing I’m finding myself less and less comfortable with however is the separation of The Clash and Strummer – especially as a political artist – I think it is one and the same entity.

Further reading:  Link to the official site is here. An in-depth article about The Clash by D’Ambrosio appears here. LA Weekly blog article is also good.

Good day to you wherever you may be, sorry I didn’t have time to get a post together yesterday as work was rather busy but I did spend some time thinking about the blog if that is any help. Technology being what it is I’m patiently waiting for the Microsoft update where my thoughts just automatically transfer to the blog and you’re all set with a new article to read. Odd are that would be an Apple product though eh so I’m out of luck? I’ve been thinking about new things to try with the blog – regular features and such, plus for budding Clash journalists a structure to get your stories, recollections and opinions posted on the blog also. My thinking is this is a community for fans and the more we share and post the larger that audience then becomes. I’ll find a way to balance output and available time and look for the blog to become more active in the months ahead.

Speaking of active – that’s a very appropriate word for the lovely people over at Strummerville and while (I hope) many of you already receive their newsletter if you don’t there is rather a lot going on which I’ll summarise and link below and you can pay them a visit to learn more. So in to particular order here’s whats new:
The Don Letts movie about Strummerville has been previewed and by all accounts it’s going to be something else. It will be premiered at the SXSW music festival in March. If you can get to Austin Texas then you really should. I’m hoping to go myself but I need to juggle a lot to make that happen (more about that in the next week or so). Also at the Festival there will be the ramping up of the Jail Guitar Doors project North American style, which looks exciting as Billy Bragg is heading the charge. Back in Britain don’t forget the Shatter the Hotel album launch event is this Friday at Inn on the Green. Other news about the Strummer music rehearsal space in Somerset, and lots more. Check out the Strummerville site for additional information on all of these items….oh yes – and do some shopping!

I’ll be back later today if I can. Don’t forget to join our facebook page – it’s an easy way to track me down, make suggestions and chatter with the other people who support the blog – we just reached 200 ‘fans’ today. We’ll form our own republic soon….