Good afternoon to you and thanks once again for visiting the blog. A lovely grey and rainy weekend here punctuated by cooler than normal weather has been quite nice. Just a couple of short things to get into this afternoon so let’s get started. The first news is a few days old and I meant to cover it more immediately, plus it’s also a pleasant surprise compared with where things stood just a month ago. Here is a link to an older post that I wrote in November that explains a lot more.

London’s famous 100 Club has apparently been saved from closure at the very last moment when it looked like time had run out on the old venue. If you’ve been following the blog you know we covered that quite extensively last year and the extreme increases in overheads looked likely to see not just another London venue but one of the most historic ones come to its conclusion at the beginning of this year. This despite a huge response to a call for donations from both the famous and the rest of us, it didn’t like owner Jeff Horton was going to be in a position to keep the doors open any longer. In the first weeks of 2011 it was reported that although an impressive amount of funding had been donated unless a corporate sponsor stepped in it looked as if time was up.

It was reported last week that the sponsor has been found – Converse (the shoe people) have stepped in with the intent of shareholding as a partnership rather than outright ownership, according to Horton he is now 90 percent confident that the 100 club faces a stable long-term future once again. I probably don’t need to retread the history of the Oxford Street nightclub but I’m sure you’re all aware of its connections to The Clash and the Sex Pistols as well as hundreds of others both before and since. I know that a lot of people worked long and hard over the last four or five months since the club faced closure to the news will be exceptionally well-received. Also, it doesn’t appear that it will be renamed the Converse 100 Club or have trainers in the title. As for me I haven’t bought a pair of Converse for probably 15 years but I think I will now as an act of solidarity.

I’ll be back soon probably with a post in the morning as it’s a holiday here tomorrow. Cheers – Tim

Glen Matlock, Mick Jones and Steve Diggle at the 100 Club – 26/7/2009

Hello again and thanks for dropping back in to the blog. A thoroughly average weekend here but I’ll take calm over chaos for the time being at least – did I mention Arsenal are top of the league? Well yes…they are and thanks for noticing! I saw some more good news today about the reissue of a film on DVD but unfortunately it won’t be available for the holiday (if you celebrate that holiday) but it will be available for January 11 if you can wait that long….of course you can!!

Punk: Attitude is a documentary by Don Letts which was originally released in 2005 and I didn’t get to see it at the time. Like many music DVDs it only enjoyed a short time on the shelves and quickly became out of print. The film looked at the origins of punk and the attitude behind it – according to reviews at the time where the film really succeeds is not looking at the spiky hair and clothing that came later it really looks at the origins of the scene as a social/political statement. Tracing the rise of the scene on both sides of the Atlantic the film explores the recollections of literally dozens of key members of the bands and scene. Some complain that the film glosses over the 1980′s but there was more than enough ground to cover from 1975-1979 I would imagine. Even politics weren’t at the heart of what was originally punk but the artistic aspect coupled with a reaction to social constrictions was often the baseline for the music. In London as you probably know the scene was truly tiny in 1976, the fashion aspect was critical (DIY) and the scene was very overtly gay friendly (or indifferent…more of an asexual statement) in its earlier forms. The Letts film spends time looking at the origins from the 1960′s and doesn’t pretend punk just appeared overnight in CBGB’s or along the Kings Road. It also features a fair ratio of Clash/Sex Pistols but from what I can tell casts the net much wider than that acknowledging the wider contribution of so many other bands.

The film features archive footage and interviews spliced together with present day interviews (well 2005 anyway) and although a hugely ambitious undertaking almost every review I’ve found was uniformly positive. Of course you can’t please everyone and cover every artist but Letts had a good go – but for example those passionate about the Los Angeles scene felt it was overlooked. Those interviewed in quantity run into the many dozens but some key names include Jello Biafra, Chrissie Hynde, Jim Jarmusch, David Johansen, Mick Jones, Wayne Kramer, Glen Matlock, Legs McNeil, Thurston Moore, Tommy Ramone, Henry Rollins, Captain Sensible, Paul Simonon and Siouxsie Sioux.

The two-disc special reissue contains lots of (what I understand to be) new extras and is available to preorder for $16.98 in the States – Amazon.co.uk don’t show an advance order option yet but I assume it will be forthcoming. If you already own a copy and want to share your overall thoughts jump right in with your comments below. I’ll be back in the afternoon….

Good afternoon, funny how a 3-1 away win makes the sun shine just a bit brighter. This won’t be a long post so thanks for zipping in to the blog for a quick half pint. I’ve got some overdue housecleaning and promotion to take care of for people who’ve helped make the blog what it is so let me get that done.

The Strummerville ‘Westway Round the UK tour’ kicks off in just over a weeks time so now is a good time to remind you of a chance to see 3 or 4 up and coming bands per night at a very reasonable price with proceeds helping Strummerville. Full information is over at the Strummerville site and they’ve even put together a promotional video (social media giants in the making!), you can now also purchase tickets for every gig at the site and hear sample tracks by the bands being showcased!

Strummerville UK tour video

We’ve been lucky enough to get the inside scoop from Buddy Ascott previously last Summer when he appeared on stage drumming with Mick Jones, Glen Matlock and Steve Diggle at the 100 Club. Talk about an amazing lineup, you can review his account right here on the blog. Buddy has also recently completed a time eclipsing reunion tour with The Chords and has been kind enough to write up his summary of the tour especially for the blog – so look for that in the days ahead.

Speaking of The 100 Club, moves to save it look to be more than a pipe dream a few days after the news broke about the likely demise of the famed club. A great place to keep abreast of the issue and try and help is the facebook campaign that is now more than 11,000 strong. On the same subject I regret that I must say goodbye to being a regular reader of a newspaper I once stood by through the thick and thin. I’ll still read it from time to time but on the back of showing intense dislike for Arsenal, officially endorsing the Lib Dems (perhaps crucially in that last winner free UK general election) they’ve now gone and turned on those who might like to see the 100 Club avoid closure. It pains me to say it but after reading this article,  fuck The Guardian and the fence sitting morality to which it plays off against itself and its readers.

Bootleggers listen up, I don’t usually make time to download and listen to bootlegs (I still seek an expert contributor for the blog on that front…hint hint) but I have to say give this one a go. 23 Tracks of rare edits, demos, outtakes and remixes all on one big download – and the links work! For all but the most hardcore of you there will surely be a few tracks that you’ve yet to hear – so pop on over to the Punk not Profit blog to start downloading.

Finally I confess I sometimes forget to transfer information from the ClashBlog facebook page over to the regular blog so you may already know this but wanted to make sure you all have a chance to take advantage of it. The Big Pink Clash book is currently still sitting in stock at a local bookshop for the ridiculously low price of $6.99 (US) – the original retail was about $45 and it makes for a very nice coffee table book for any Clash fan. As a Clash Blog exclusive I’m willing to purchase a copy, package and ship it you via USPS media mail if you are in the US. I’ll charge standard shipping rates and you’ll get the book within 10 days Here’s the official blurb on the book:

The unique story of the Clash, by the Clash. The Clash were a band like no other. Pioneers of British punk rock, their incendiary gigs, intelligent songwriting, definitive style and passionate idealism caught the spirit of the times and made them a worldwide phenomenon. Rolling Stone magazine declared London Calling one of the greatest albums of all time, their autobiographical documentary Westway to the World won a Grammy, and their music lives on, influencing emerging bands and exciting new audiences today.

This is the first official book to be created by the band. With unprecedented access to the Clash archive, this landmark publication brings together previously unseen material–including tour posters, artwork, and photos of the band at home, on stage, in the studio and on the road–with each member telling it like it was, in their own words.

Secure online payment available via the blog – for more information leave a comment or email me via the usual address Tim(at)theclashblog.com. The things I do for you lot! Next batch will be picked up on Friday so get in touch.

Cheers for now.