Well hello again and welcome back to the Clash Blog. If you’re a regular reader you’ll already know it hasn’t been a typical 48 hours at Clash Blog Towers, not that I spent too much time here over the last couple of days. Of course the reason being was that Mick Jones and Paul Simonon were going to be in town as part of the Gorillaz lineup last night (Tuesday). I’ve got so much to write to try and compile all of my thoughts that I’m sure I’ll need to break this down into a few separate posts so I don’t miss anything.

First of all though I took a minute to reflect this afternoon about what a difference a year can make, and how the most unlikely things can still happen. Last autumn when I was writing the blog it seemed unlikely that any two members of The Clash would be regularly playing together on a worldwide tour at any point in the future. This was long before Damon Albarn had called upon his relationship with Paul and involved both he and Mick Jones in the recording of Plastic Beach at the beginning of the year. At the time I thought that was pretty great and would be just a unique experience that lasted a day with them sharing time together in the studio. Not long after it was announced that Gorillaz were actually going to play some live gigs as a proper band and feature Mick and Paul, even then I assumed I wouldn’t get the chance to see them live. By early spring it was announced that Gorillaz were going to play at the Coachella Festival in Southern California, I’m not quite sure what (money, work, being responsible?) stopped me from getting tickets but I failed to do so. In early summer a world tour was announced including the States so I assumed I’d be driving to Los Angeles or San Diego to see the band, but to my surprise Phoenix made the list of cities so of course tickets were hurriedly secured for last night.

Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and my friend Keith Jackson last night

Since then I’ve spent too much time looking forward to the concert and you probably remember me actively campaigning for ideas or contacts as to how I might go about meeting Paul and Mick. Good ideas were forthcoming (thank you) but nothing concrete came to pass so we headed into this week thinking we would wing it and perhaps some good luck would result in being able to say hello to the two of them. As recently as the weekend I was really annoyed with myself that I hadn’t made enough effort to try and secure a chance to meet them and wondered how things would turn out. Something told me it would still work out. Fortunately I know a few people who know other people that improved the odds somewhat when this week finally rolled around. I must thank Keith Jackson and the patience of his dear wife Rachel (Keith is pictured above last night with Mick and Paul) from The Glass Heroes for doing so much to help this week. Top Man Keith….you are a diamond. Also to Brandon for being so patient with me on the hunt for the boys.

In summary the last two days included gathering enough information to know just when the band arrived in Phoenix (Monday was an off day on the tour) and spending Monday evening playing paparazzi/private detective with my friend Brandon as we scouted around Phoenix seeing if we could bump into either Mick or Paul, it was a great night but ultimately not quite successful. Yesterday of course efforts continued to find out more preceding the concert,  a concert which exceeded expectations quite significantly. I know a few of you were sitting on the fence about getting tickets to see Gorillaz, now would be a good time for me to tell you make sure you get tickets – it really was a great concert. Then of course last night after the show all it took was some patience and being pushed in the back by the Clash Bloggette and it happened, I got to have a brief chat with both of them and it was quite simply worth the 30 year wait. Both seemed incredibly happy, were extremely polite and in no rush whatsoever to get on the tour bus after the concert until items were signed and people chatted with. I’d like to tell you that my role as Clash blogger meant that I was fully prepared, completely calm and was armed with a list of the most intriguing questions ever about The Clash. Sadly I managed to behave initially like an emotional teenager and then like somebody who couldn’t stop babbling, either way at least a snippet of conversation was held, and managed to shake each of their hands collect some signatures and thank them for everything….. whatever everything is…they were thanked for it.

So as a result I’m thinking about breaking this up into three separate posts, one about Monday evening and our operation to find Mick and Paul, a second post about the concert itself and the final post about actually meeting them and what that was like and what was said. I suppose I should do it chronologically but I’ll let you decide via the poll down below. I’ve got a lot to write and recount before I forget too much so I’ll get started on that and you can decide what comes first. It’s kind of hard to describe what it’s like to meet two men who comprised half of the band that you grew up on, a band that introduced me to so many different types of music whilst awakening me to political issues and ideas that I may have just ignored were it not for The Clash. I’ve said it before, they shaped who I am today to an extensive degree. Although the band effectively ended in 1983 the subsequent projects involving Joe, Mick and more recently Paul had always maintained my affection and interest. Also in the 1990′s I considered Blur to be arguably to the best band of that decade and the fact that Damon Albarn (who was brilliant last night) is responsible for Mick and Paul playing together again seems more than a coincidence to me. The music of the Clash has really book-ended my own love of music since 1979 so being face-to-face with the two of them after all these years was really something special. It was simply fantastic, and they were both more than courteous and very warm.

I’ll get writing if you can get voting. Tim

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Hello again good people, I had the best intentions about getting a post out this morning but the day was so nice that sitting in front of a computer seemed a bit harsh, although I did spend 2 hours in the company of Arsenal…that was nice as we edged Man Citeh 3-nil. Good times indeed. So I’ve got a good audio link for you tonight and a video also, so that will keep you occupied and save me from typing too much although the usual tendency of babbling on is hard to break. I’ve nearly finished that Marcus Grey book about London Calling so will have a review of that within the next week or so and I also need to review the NME special, the feature in Uncut and the Big Audio Dynamite reissue. When I first started this up I wondered if there would be enough to cover and really I feel like I’m having to defer and delay a lot of things all the time…I never imagined that!

First things first, a really entertaining interview took place with Paul Simonon and Damon Albarn when Gorillaz were in Minneapolis. I can’t recommend this one highly enough; it runs about 20 minutes and contains a few tracks but better still the time spent by the host Mark Wheat is split just about evenly between Paul and Damon. Paul is in sparkling form, funny, observant and more than that enjoying himself. Mark knows his subject well which adds to the value of the chat. You’ll get to the bottom of the submarine crew apparel for once and for all as these two are the main culprits. Any of that cynicism I remember reading about this ‘partial Clash’ reunion on Damon’s cartoon driven beat (not my words) I think ebbing away from even the most hardened observer now. Jones and Simonon are not only enjoying themselves but feel they are part of a very special band and contributing to it – not just collecting a cheque. I tried for an age to embed the audio file on the blog but something wasn’t meshing correctly and I waited for a reply to a technical inquiry all day but nothing was forthcoming – so instead I’ll need to give you a link to it. Forgive Damon stuffing his face full of something during the interview, horrible lack of manners. The interview link is here and was conducted by Mark Wheat on 89.3FM Minneapolis Public Radio – The Current.

From there I need you to sit back and watch a video, I really hope you haven’t seen this before, I hadn’t but I know some of you have seen everything! When I look back at The Clash, The Jam, The Specials and so many other bands in video and photographs from 1977-1982  there was always more than a bit of style on display. A band’s look was not the be all end all but for me there was something great about record sleeves and concert photos from that era. Sometime in the 1980′s the new romantic scene came into play and haircuts and clothing become more than a bit daft but in many cases the most important thing about a band. That seemed to heighten during the first half of the decade and got worse and worse (or better and better I guess). If you’re my age (born ’67) or older I bet you’ve looked back at photos of you and your friends from the 1980′s and thought aloud ‘what was going on there then?’. It seemed to reach absurd levels round about 1984 and that’s exactly when this video was filmed. When you think of The Clash you generally think about the epitome of cool, from Paul’s art influence to New York Gangster threads or 1940′s era hoodlums The Clash always looked pretty bloody great on stage. Arguably when combat gear took front stage in ’82 and ’83 they became a bit too colourful but the age of MTV and videos had arrived and The Clash were still cutting their own unique path. Now I don’t blame Mick Jones for what followed – the fashion police apparently went on an extended holiday in the mid 80′s and Jones with the newly formed Big Audio Dynamite were fully into baseball caps and New York street wear, whether it was being bought on Harrow Road or shipped from Brooklyn is in doubt but I know there were dodgy fashion crimes happening everywhere in London at that time.

Regardless, the video is interesting and entertaining all at once. It’s apparently filmed in Mick’s basement and features a demo/extended version of Sudden Impact from the debut album. Based on the level of completion it was from the final recording process which would place it in the summer months of 1985. What is obvious is that they are having a laugh, lip syncing and to some degree seeing where the band would go visually. Nor were the guitars plugged in, they were having a laugh for the most part. I saw Big Audio Dynamite at least three times in those first couple of years and they were definitely experimenting constantly, with sounds, lyrics, influences and also aware that housing a ‘former Clash star’ carried a unique level of expectation. As much as the press said that B.A.D. were where The Clash may have headed I think once Mick had the band formed the shackles were off to experiment with everything and anything plus within that mix was Don Letts encouraging a cinematic feel. Whether Big Audio Dynamite were quite as  innovative as I think they were can be debated but you can’t suggest they didn’t make a very important contribution to what followed musically. Actually on repeat viewing the wall behind features photos from the album’s artwork meaning the video was probably shot in October or November 1985.

B.A.D. – Sudden Impact remix

I’ll be back tomorrow with lots to get through…thanks for visiting and be good. Tim

Good evening you wonderful Clash people, hope your weekend had some good moments to tide you through the week that follows. I just got back from playing football (soccer if you insist) and a fine little dash around the field it was too, totally knackered now but good to get off my arse for a couple of hours. I’ve been scouring the net, well I glanced a while but need to continue  and still haven’t managed to find a Gorillaz interview in the press or archived via a radio station. Considering they were in two major media markets namely Toronto and New York I’m sure they must have had some sessions with the local media so I’ll keep looking. If you have seen anything let  me know and I’ll add it to the blog. Sorry this post was

Image courtesy Hitsville_UK_8 (check him/her on Flickr!)

deferred again, I started yesterday and only had a chance to get back to it this evening not keen on fragmented writing but I do feel a need to get a new post out every 24 hours if possible perhaps I should shorten ‘em up a bit?

Anyway, the point of my post was to link you to some more reviews/previews or associated bits about the ongoing Gorillaz North American tour. To make things easier for you the link are at the header of each and our tried and trusted MRS (Monkey Rating System) is in place allowing you to see the articles you really fancy the most.

The AVClub.com puts out a wordy and decent review of the concert at The Target Centre (oxymoron alert) in Minneapolis. Its well worth a read and points to the fact that despite the fact that the stage is a bit like a West End tube station at closing time (I know..old school) the choreography of everything from the guests to the constant video backdrop is essentially seamless. Not sure about Mick Jones ‘sneering at nobody in particular’ I mean honestly when was the last time you saw Mick Jones sneer? When he had to get his long hair cut at the start of 1979 I’m guessing. 3.0 Monkeys

The Chicagoist reviews the band in Chicago (clue was in the title) and whilst the summary is bit on the short side the accompanying photographs make the link worth a visit. Some really good crisp photos and your man on bass guitar sporting both extensive stubble and a leather jacket that looks like its been run over by the tour bus. The continued references to Damon leaping around the stage and making scissor kicks like its still the heyday of Blur makes me feel decidedly old and fragile, slow down Albarn – we’re the same age and you’re showing me up. 2.5 Monkeys

The writer of the VictorianHorror.com blog had a good time seeing them in Chicago too and got to meet up with Damon and much of the crew post show. Some pretty funny comments including the nightly ritual with the white flag and Mick along with Albarn instructing the owner that he’s waving it the wrong way. Nice to hear how pleasant Damon et al were nevertheless. 3.0 Monkeys

Twincities.com give a by the numbers type of review of the Minneapolis concert but its decent regardless. Kinda funny how they give Gorillaz kudos for longevity citing  ‘three albums over the last decade’ though in truth it is more like scarcity or abandonment. I’m intrigued to see whether the next thing Damon does is more Gorillaz work or something else entirely. I’d put a few bob on the latter outcome based on his career to date. 2.5 Monkeys

A great review from a pretty ropey newspaper, The Chicago Sun Times freelance writer Jeff Elbel (Hells Bells if you are not a cockney) then shocked me by writing one of the best reviews I’ve yet seen. Well researched and written with some shine he also gives more than a passing mention of our lads in addition to pointing out that Paul’s bass is actually integral to certain tracks. Based on the live clips I’ve seen that’s true and unlike Mick he’s not competing with two others playing the same instrument. Wasn’t it Ned’s Atomic Dustbin who had two bass players? I’m sure there are others that you’ll remind me about. I saw Ned’s back in Chicago and despite the excess amounts of hair on stage it stands out as a decent gig. I’ll have to dig out Are You Normal? later on. 3.5 Monkeys

Right, that should do for now. More soon and a Clash Cup and VideoClash on tap in the days ahead. Thanks for visiting, extra thanks for comments if you feel inclined. Tim