Hello again, big yawn filled stretch before I get going. Hope your weekend was alright and that you have a job you go to that doesn’t eat your soul – I maintain that loving (or at least liking) what you do is the key to a healthy life…so do your best. I’ve got a lot to fill you up on today but wordpress (the blog program that I write upon) has been having issues all evening so I might curtail the length of this and continue tomorrow if need be.

Make sure you voted in the Clash Cup – match 2 is a lot more one sided than I expected but you’ve still got time to vote. There is a new Facebook page for Clash fans…I’m an equal opportunity Clash fan – so take a look but make sure you join my page first! (we’re approaching 300 fans!). I wrote the other day about the play now touring the UK “Meeting Joe Strummer” and I’m excited to share with you that BBC Six Music have a scheduled interview with the men behind the play this week. I’m not yet certain that it will get a replay slot on the website so here is the link to the schedule and also the Six Music homepage with the built in online player (top right corner to listen live). It might help if I say when also eh?

BBC Six Music – “Meeting Joe Strummer” interview – Friday Feb 26th – 3pm GMT (10am EST, 8am EST). I’ll do my very best to remember and let you know what you missed if you miss it.

You probably heard that the newest Julien Temple project is going to be a film about The Kinks. What you may not have heard is

Hello again, big yawn filled stretch before I get going. Hope your weekend was alright and that you have a job you go to that doesn’t eat your soul – I maintain that loving (or at least liking) what you do is the key to a healthy life…so do your best. I’ve got a lot to fill you up on today but wordpress (the blog program that I write upon) has been having issues all evening so I might curtail the length of this and continue tomorrow if need be.

Make sure you voted in the Clash Cup – match 2 is a lot more one sided than I expected but you’ve still got time to vote. There is a new Facebook page for Clash fans…I’m an equal opportunity Clash fan – so take a look but make sure you join my page first! (we’re approaching 300 fans!). I wrote the other day about the play now touring the UK “Meeting Joe Strummer” and I’m excited to share with you that BBC Six Music have a scheduled interview with the men behind the play this week. I’m not yet certain that it will get a replay slot on the website so here is the link to the schedule and also the Six Music homepage with the built in online player (top right corner to listen live). It might help if I say when also eh?

BBC Six Music – “Meeting Joe Strummer” interview – Friday Feb 26th – 3pm GMT (10am EST, 8am EST). I’ll do my very best to remember and let you know what you missed if you miss it.

You probably heard that the newest Julien Temple project is going to be a film about The Kinks. What you may not have heard is that apparently Paul Weller is going to be a major contributor to the documentary. This should be interesting to follow as The Kinks along with The Who are arguably the two archetypal London bands that preceded the Clash. Who has followed the Clash in that guise I wonder, I’d almost suggest Blur but they made London home rather than being a London band.

I stumbled upon this fascinating story the other day from Wired.Com about a lawsuit in the making that could forever change the concept of music copyrights as we currently know them. In short if successful the filing could return all ownership of recorded music and the associated rights to the original writers after a period of 35 years has elapsed. The ‘guinea pig’ trial is about the biggest guinea pig you could ask for as the incredibly tedious and wealthy band The Eagles are apparently looking to win full rights to all of their pre-1976 recordings. If this happens the labels would lose all benefits from the artists and the bands or their heirs would be free to sell all future music directly. The potential for change is quite remarkable – I need to read a bit more to understand in full but the potential for all of The Clash back catalog to be wrestled away from CBS/Sony over the next decade is at least possible – and maybe even likely. Wouldn’t that be lovely?

OK – I’ll get that global traffic info worked on for later this week,  more of the Clash Cup, two excellent interviews to announce and I need to know who might be going to Austin next month for SXSW as I’m not likely to be able to make it.

Cheers ~ Tim

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….

I was feeling a bit nostalgic this morning and listened to a lot of live Clash tracks from the famed Bonds appearances in New York back in May and June 1981. Over the years I’ve met a number of people who were at one of those numerous concerts (including matinees!) and I need to get recollections from some people written down as a feature on the blog. Anyway the speeding version of Magnificent Seven left me with a smile on my face and you can find most of the tracks on youtube now – just type The Clash and Bonds and you can while away a good hour or so. Overall the sound quality is decent but not tremendous, however the energy of the recordings tends to make up for that.

I’ve a few loose ends related to both The Clash and other things to zip through and then plan to write part 3 of the story about  The Roxy this weekend, ideally complete a jail guitar doors story (Thanks Stu) that was pending, and if time permits get The Clash Cup round one completed. Prior to that though I wrote earlier this week about the punk art exhibition set to begin in Bangor, Wales this weekend. I contacted the main main for the exhibition (Punk Forever) and learned that currently this is the only gallery confirmed for 2010 though they would like to take it out on tour. So I thought I’d send a message to readers in the UK to see if anyone has any strong contacts who may own or manage or represent a smaller gallery somewhere who might be interested in hosting the exhibition later in the year? If you know anyone and can put them in touch please email me at Tim (at) The Clashblog.com.  Thanks!! I see this as community service also so you don’t have to drive to the deepest reaches of North Wales to see the work. Thanks for joining  the Facebook Clashblog page…enjoying seeing your lovely faces and the banter! Over 70 of you in a week…nice one.

A few other non-Clash things to mention. The Blur film - No Distance Left To Run is set for cinema release next week in the UK. Not sure if it will make it over to the States, but the inside word is that its worth seeing even if you weren’t a fan. I’m a huge advocate of Blur and always saw some parallels to The Clash in the way they ended, Graham Coxon was ousted for his behavour/attitude but as the most talented musician it was never to be the same. Unlike the Clash they did have their final day(s) in the sun playing Hyde Park last summer (oh so close to Clash territory).

Just heard that Elvis Costello is coming to town in April….$58 to see him though….I’m on the fence at present.

I also heard The Big Pink will be here that same month, that one is $16 – so I’ll see you there.

Next, if you are anything like me in 1992-1995 Suede were quite a special band for you. Interesting to see them popping up for a reunion at The Royal Albert Hall (they chose a little club I see) and doing so without Bernard Butler. How is that a reunion? Come on…..

Last but not least…hats off to The Beat (I won’t use their US name…it’s just wrong) who just announced a special concert in San Francisco with proceeds going to help the crisis in Haiti.  However like an arse, I can’t find where I read that. ** Update and thank you Gil and Karl **  – The Beat are playing are playing the Haiti quake benefit @ the Red Devil Lounge on Polk St. in SF this Sunday (1/17). Tickets via this link. Help out Haitians if you can…its horribly grim. I’ll be back at the weekend with more stuff and a very cool piece of Clash memorabilia for you.