One of these days I’ll definitely get together a definitive list of Clash related reading material (let’s go ahead and call them books) for the site. I don’t think I’ve read everything on the market myself yet but I think a buyers guide might be useful and informative. With your help we may even uncover some gems that I didn’t know about. There have been shelves of books already written about the birth of the English punk scene in 1976 and of course the genetic links that the English origins hold to New York or elsewhere. When I say elsewhere I’m thinking The Saints who were from Australia and arguably were the earliest purveyors of what was to sound like British punk rock. While I’ve read many (but not all) books written about The Clash I’ve not done more than skim the surface of books that look at the entire scene. Naturally enough many of those devote many chapters and ratios of their contents to discussing The Clash and the part they played on the scene. If you’ve read some or many of those books get in touch if you’d like to help put together an unofficial guide to them for the site as a future project.

For my money I’d still recommend that every Clash library begins with at least two books and if I had to narrow it down I’d first go with the Bob Gruen book which is of course primarily photographs but my goodness such photography. Page after page of fantastic imagery that owes as much to the undeniable talents of Gruen as it does his extremely warm relationship with the band. There are so many moments where he catches the band just hanging out like mates or an urban gang that you realise another photographer wouldn’t have been able to capture. Check it out if you don’t have it – the link for Amazon in the US is here or the UK is here. The price is about the same for both as both currencies continue to plummet to oblivion in an exchange rate equivalent of West Ham against Bolton Wanderers.

The other book I just can’t stop reading and enjoying each time through is the very detailed and emotive work Chris Salewicz and his fairly recent biograpy of Joe Strummer – Redemption Song. A riveting work that I keep finding excuses to read again as each time I open the pages I feel like I am transformed to a specific moment in the evolution of John Mellor to Joe Strummer and The Clash from West London nobodies to globally famous. Equally meritorious is Salewicz’ ability to bring light and definition to Strummer’s childhood and equally fascinating his life and career after The Clash. You almost have to roll your chair back when you appreciate that  period covers some 25 years and saw Strummer acting, writing, and performing in a number of guises. Speaking of Chris Salewicz I just picked up his new book about Bob Marley which I’ll get started on in the weeks ahead, here’s a link to a really good interview with the author in the Houston Press about “Bob Marley-The Untold Story”. More info on Chris’ official site.

Extract from 'Redemption Song' courtesy Chris Salewicz

In the weeks ahead I’ll compile a list of all books I can uncover that relate to The Clash and perhaps draw on you the reader for your collective knowledge, especially for the titles I mentioned above. Not much news from the desert for you – trying to determine just how near to the stage do I need to be for Gorillaz and justify the expense. Once you are more than a dozen rows back does it make much difference, or will I rely on the video screens? I don’t do 5,000 seat venues as a matter of course…..

Thanks for dropping by as always. Tim

Right then…here we are again; Bastille day and all that! July 14, 1979 was a famous day for The Clash as they returned to the scene of one of their most famous moments – The Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park North London. They’d been there before in May of 1977 which was the unofficial moment that punk became something far bigger then ever before, I’d written at length about the venue and the show before. By 1979 The Clash had cemented their reputation and already outlived almost all of their punk contemporaries from 1976. The concert was almost a cathartic homecoming, expectations were higher than ever and The Clash did more than deliver. This was the same summer that the band had been writing and rehearsing the tracks that were to become London Calling later that year just a mile away or so in Highbury. As it was the concert took old and new Clash songs including about half a dozen that would be new to the audience and won them over playing more than 20 songs with a new swagger and range that had not been seen before. Right before their hometown audience The Clash were turning into something new, something bigger and a band about to release an album that would change all preconceived notions of what The Clash were really about. If ever there was a concert I wish I attended that might be the one.

A quick link to the never dull L.A. Times music and culture blog which features a short interview with Shepard Fairey. Fairey has (especially after the Obama poster) become an artist who is in great demand but I love the fact that he always – simply always – is happiest when discussing Joe Strummer or The Clash. Good man Shepard!

Things via the Clashblog email ~ I’m often asked where to get the full audio for the famous ‘Without People You’re Nothing” quote by Joe Strummer. Happily we managed to get an audio link via Antonino D’Ambrosio today which I’ve added to the AudioClash page on this website. (find it under ’special stuff’). That page reminds me that I really must do some housecleaning on the website – dead links don’t look good at all. If you have a mop and broom and want to pop over and help, get in touch!

I’ve waxed on about NPR (National Public Radio) more than once before on the blog, but it truly is a goldmine of information and viewpoints. Please enjoy this audio link to a great interview with Chris Salewicz the author of the wonderful Joe Strummer biography ‘Redemption Song’ that was on NPR in 2007. I’ve got to dash – thanks for dropping in. More later tonight or tomorrow…

Goaaaallllll !!!! Nah just kidding, there weren’t any goals in England’s big match and if you laboured with me through the 90 minutes of tedium from Cape Town today you might wonder why anyone would ever want to be a football fan. This was meant to be the World Cup and the best eleven players England could offer, instead we got a feature length advert about poor tactics, lack of creativity and rule one as to why club football is infintely superior to international football (the answer being it just is).  Cheering for England is like getting excited about a new McDonalds getting opened, very familiar but ultimately pointless and not good. I learned years ago that we English should be happy that we produce the best rock music on earth and expecting to lead the world at more than thing is both selfish but also unrealistic. If I want to hear flair I’ll listen to Jazz, if I want flair on the pitch I’ll depend on the Dutch and Brazilians as I don’t think its going to be borne of Stoke and be orchestrated by an Italian manager, nothing personal but I don’t watch Serie A for mesmerizing attacking football. I’ll move the topic rapidly back to The Clash but don’t be downhearted about the football if you’re English, be realistic we’re not The Clash on the field – far more like The Alarm.

Opening night at the Ray Lowry Exhibit (Courtesy Idea Generation Gallery)

On a brighter note I’m really excited at the press coverage this Ray Lowry London Calling exhibition is receiving and rightly so. I exchanged the briefest of messages with author Chris Salewicz who was at the opening event who relayed that it was an excellent event, well attended but perhaps lacking in those who were very familiar with Ray or The Clash. That’s what those nights are for it seems, the real fans can start attending today and enjoy its  run until July 4th. My thanks to Ian and Hector who both emailed me details of a wonderful audio slideshow via the BBC News website. I can’t encourage you strongly enough to take a few minutes to listen and watch. It features Johnny Green talking about Ray and The Clash and also artist John Butterworth discusses the contributed pieces of art to the exhibition. The link is here so please nip over and enjoy.

Also trying to determine more information about the auction of the contributed pieces to the exhibit although these things often happen quite a little bit later but I will keep you posted. Another question from Betsy asked if there was an official guide or book to accompany the exhibition, I spoke to the gallery and at present no guide has been confirmed but a poster is being published – details to follow (hopefully by Monday).

As ever I’ve a deluge of things to cover so we’ll shortly launch into that news snippet idea (Westway Traffic) over the weekend. I feel like I’m cheating you out of information if I don’t write more but also if I don’t link these stories. We’ll get there in the end.

Finally tonight another wonderful article via theQuietus on The Ruts. Please do read it if you can for the Ruts were a great band though fraught with tragedy. Malcolm Owen died of an overdose at the age of  just 25, and Paul Fox passed from cancer back in 2007. The Ruts were seen by some as capable of following the path or even carrying the punk banner said to have been dropped by The Clash. However you feel they certainly made some great music. The article is here so have a look.

Cheers for stopping in, the exit is your back button but please bookmark the site if its your first time visiting. We’re a nice bunch.