Nice poster on ebay until tomorrow (May 3)

Hello again, it’s late, after 10pm and I’ve yet to research or compile thoughts for tonight’s post. That kind of day I think, some distractions and a simultaneous intense need to ignore the media today and just focus on website design and statistics….you might have had a similar day? When I start a post like this it sometimes rolls into something useful and other times not so much, I can’t promise which but let’s see where we go. I’m a bit buried, I thought the blog would have provided a very tasty assistant to help me by now but most days its just me with the cat and dog looking at me all day as I blog away both here and elsewhere. Maybe I ought to monetize this a bit by selling ClashBlog mugs and fridge magnets, to pay the salary of my imaginary personal assistant, hosting costs and a ticket to Lollapalooza….then again not the last bit.

There are many loose threads of news that you may have caught elsewhere in recent days and weeks but with the B.A.D. tour I put it all on the ‘to do’ pile. There are a number of interviews with Mick Jones that we need to get to, a number of other concerts that we’ve yet to preview for the aforementioned band, some official news on the next B.A.D. reissue of No. 10 Upping Street which I’ll talk up at length. If there is one era of the story of Mick and Joe that definitely has a little left to be explored it was that spell where Joe worked on the second album by the band. They struck up something approaching the best chemistry they’d experienced since the earliest writing sessions for Sandinista! and not everything made it onto the record that was released. Short of a better live testament of The Clash on stage and the oft-rumoured extras that exist from Joe’s time with the Mescaleros (not sure how credible that story is) no other previously unreleased work would interest me more. I don’t know if there are much more than demo versions of what was worked on during that time but even at that stage of completeness it will be fascinating to see just what is included in the forthcoming legacy edition. I’ve no official word on the timing yet and the sudden activity of Mick and Don Letts this year will surely have some bearing on the release date but it is something worth looking out for.

We’ve also got Strummercamp 2011 coming up at the end of the month, a chance to look back at some Clash relevant gigs over the last week and I’ve not had half a chance to work on the usual features such as The Clash Cup, Video Clash, Lost in The Supermarket or Clash Landmarks. As ever if you fancy knocking out a guest post let me know as that will help the blog to keep ticking along while I get my other ducks in a row. I’m also hoping to relaunch and maintain the podcast in the weeks ahead…the end of the football season will carve out more time for that to be honest as the weekends suddenly get notably less interesting around here as the the temperature soars above 100F over the next four weeks. Some other late news, if you’re trying to decide where to see B.A.D. over the summer, the V Festival Aug 20/21 is now sold out. That poster up on the left is on ebay right now, auction closes tomorrow. Yes please! They’ll have it again, don’t panic.

As always thanks for supporting the blog, sharing ideas and posts and making sure the community stays active and grows. Last month was the busiest for total visits in the last three and I really do appreciate it. I’m going to cut it short for today and then bash through all of the other topics above as soon as I can. In the meantime some short but really enjoyable footage of Mick Jones with some fans outside the recent Los Angeles concert at the The Roxy. One last question, did anyone make it down to The Big Busk with Billy Bragg in London the other day? I must make it over for that soon, you bring your acoustic along and Bragg leads the assembled guitar slingers with the aid of signs with the correct chords on them so you can all busk along. It’s even more daft that it sounds…..have a look. Cheers, see you in the comments and let me know if I’ve missed other stories lately – Tim

Mick Jones meeting the people in Los Angeles April 14. 2011

Hello again, its suddenly the end of the week and while that on the surface that is a really good thing I feel like I’ve got too much to do this weekend to be celebrating the concept. That includes getting current on the blog so I’ll either try and cover a lot of ground with some multiple story links like tonight or write more frequently…or both. For now though the best bet is for to pay how much per litre ? (don’t make me sick I’ve been watching the UK news) and fill up my Ford Capri for a zoom along the Westway. If you’re new to the blog these are a series of shorter tales still worth a look but not a full post – just click on the headline in red. Buckled up? Let’s go then. Incidentally I’m hoping to get to the podcast over the weekend if time allows….can’t promise.

Durham Punk Festival – As soon as March rolls around all attention starts to turn to the summer festivals, I remember when it was easy and you only really had to keep your eyes open for a Glastonbury and Reading lineup. Now it seems that there must be at least a dozen (probably more) in the UK alone and then of course there are more than as many again in Europe and the US. I’d be lying if I said it was my favourite way to see an artist as I’m one for a sweaty club or at least something with a roof and indoor plumbing but obviously festivals are more popular now than ever before. As usual I’m off topic – I wanted you to check out the lineup for the Durham Punk Festival scheduled for Sat Sep 10th at Dunelm House. Confirmed at this stage are The Rezillos, Angelic Upstarts, Subhumans, Anti-Nowhere League and Goldblade and perhaps more to follow? I’ve also been away from the UK to have perhaps lost touch with ticket prices in terms of being good value but £25 for this seems decent to me. More information via the link.

Punk in France – A really well composed and interesting read from the BBC about  France and punk rock. It looks at the influence on the fashion, the french punk bands, the politics and the culture of punk. While many in England like to think the origins were decidedly London based you can’t ignore the influence of France on Malcolm Mclaren nor the fact that the very first punk festival (see above) didn’t happen in Camden or Croydon but down in the south of France in Mont-de-Marsan in 1976.  Highly recommended article.

Billy Bragg Tour – Regulars to the blog will know I’m a huge advocate of BB – partly from his politics, his great records and his lasting reputation as a ‘one-man Clash’. Bragg still is at the heart of pop and politics and never fails to show his debt to The Clash. He’s back on tour starting with the Hope Not Hate concert in Manchester, followed by a handful of dates in the US including 3 nights in New York and then 7 dates around Italy. If he’s playing near you go and see him.

B.A.D. ‘events’ on Facebook - Are you a Facebook addict? Do you wish more of your friends were hip to the fact that Big Audio Dynamite are back together and playing live for what looks like being the entire summer? Find new Facebook friends via this link and add friends who are going to the gigs with you. Maybe someone will even make sure you get home in one piece.

411 Music induct The Clash into their Hall of Fame - Ever heard of the 411 music website? No…me neither but they did have the good sense to induct The Clash into their online music hall of fame.  You can read exactly why on their site which includes this especially dodgy criteria “One of VH1′s Top 20 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock”. Hard Rock indeed….still, nice for them to get the recognition. I don’t know what would be my favourite hard rock, I’m thinking granite.

I think that’ll do me for this evening, loads to follow and I’ll close with a video of Joe and the Mescaleros performing Pressure Drop on his last US tour. Not a video I’d seen in a while so hopefully the same applies for a certain number of you also (It’s on the excellent extras for the Let’s Rock Again DVD) . Be good…and come on Arsenal! – Tim

Joe and the pesky Meskys – Pressure Drop

Hello once again and thanks for dropping back in for a quick refill at the blog. No monumental news with me today to be honest, just a lot of blogging and reporting and numbers and coffee and blogging and coffee etc. That said it’s been a very productive day but I would like to perhaps just go and watch a film or something as soon as I’ve got this post completed.

I’m actually wondering if the music gods may have heard me complaining last year about the lack of concerts that come to the Phoenix area. I realize it’s not New York or Los Angeles but with close to 4,000,000 people it’s the sixth biggest metropolitan area in the country and yet far too many bands seem to skip it entirely and that wasn’t always the case. I also know that a great deal of what I listen to is British and with ever decreasing album sales paired with increasing touring costs I can see why record companies tend to hedge their bets before sending an act from the UK crawling around every city in North America. However my moaning was perhaps worthwhile as two more bands that I simply can’t wait to see are heading for this desert landscape in April. British Sea Power and also The Joy Formidable will both be here on consecutive weeks which is decidedly good news. Click on either bands name to see their full US tour dates and see if you can go and see them too. (ClashBlog seal of Approval)

The Joy Formidable – Whirring

If your memory is slightly better than mine you’ll remember that we spoke at length about the special exhibition of Adrian Boot’s collection of Clash photography on display in Camden Town through December and January. I know the feedback from those who went said it really was worth seeing up close and personal and our good friend Pete provided some stunning photographs of the exhibition one of which is below. Therefore today I wanted to point you in the direction of an interview he did with clashmusic (when will they change their bloody name?) Which focuses on his career to date with particular attention paid to his time spent with The Clash. When asked ‘who was the most photogenic of The Clash’ he replied:

“Joe Strummer was quite good, so was Mick Jones, I think that was obvious. The other two less so. It depends – live Simonon was always good – but to me, he seemed a lot more awkward in the line up”

Adrian Boot Photography Exhibition, Camden (image kind courtesy of Peter Stevens)

I realise his answer might not sit too well with you legions of Paul Simonon devotees but let’s face it Joe and Mick looked pretty bloody cool in the vast majority of photographs as well. Topper… well…Topper did his best. I jokingly suggested in the past we run a week of ‘bad photographs of Paul Simonon’ although I’ve been challenged that there are not seven in existence. I disagree and during a particularly slow news week or if I go on holiday this year I might prove my point, how about the one where he’s ironing. That’s not cool in the slightest.

I do really need to do a lot more research about Adrian Boot however as I didn’t realise he also shot the images for a book that I own about Billy Bragg visiting the then USSR (Midnights in Moscow). I’ll have to get in touch and see if he’ll do an interview – if you have his contact information please send it my way.

That’ll be me for now but I hope that your evening goes well, please share comment and partake…cheers!  Tim