Hello again, I came back for more and I hope you’ve done the same. How was your Thursday then? I hope reasonable and with some merit. I’ve spent the better part of the last two hours reading some opinion pieces, listening to some interviews and watching footage from the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ events that have been gaining momentum over the last twelve days. Speculation that I actually spent the time that the Clash Blog was quiet organising events in New York City is completely unfounded. I’m part of the lower middle class who can’t afford health insurance never mind a ticket to NYC, so I can’t take any credit.

His crime was having good video equipment in his hands...

It does seem though that a movement is growing, in terms of the media (finally) giving coverage to the issues in Manhattan but also the formation of dozens of other protests in cities throughout the USA and now seemingly around the world. As you can see from this site it is definitely getting organised. After the very different events in London (but with a comparable root cause) I wondered why nothing sparked across Europe and into the US. The rioting in London and elsewhere was quelled by courts processing the arrested 24/7 and a sudden threefold increase in policing. The calm was restored but the economic climate that is part of the fury remains. The chances of finding work, keeping your home or getting an education without going into extreme debt are issues that cross the Atlantic but still no protests were noted. Too much excitement watching TV and the debates whilst watching the 401K dwindle perhaps. Suddenly it seems that a grass roots thing is taking place and being heard. The banks are seen as the conspirators and our choices in government both seem to cater to big business rather than the populace. I recall a teacher telling me 30 years ago that corporations will be far more important than the politicians in years to come, a sensible protest would become the right to choose who leads those corporations rather than the political parties who aid them. I never forgot his words.

It’s one of those times when I wish the Clash Time Machine was in full working order and Joe Strummer could take himself in outspoken, motivational 1979 mode to the streets of New York today and join with the protestors. A few songs could have been busked and inspiration for a new Clash song or two would have surely been found. Then again Joe Strummer did somewhat foreshadow much of this at the end of side 2 on London Calling. I’m not in New York so can’t profess to know exactly what has been going down but it seems like the perfect time to get out one of those stacked speaker PA systems from the Notting Hill Carnival and blast Clampdown from the windows of your dirty cheap apartment in the village (remember it’s 1979 mode) so that the police could listen to the lyrics. As one girl shouted at the police on a video that I watched “You should be standing with us, all of your pensions are at risk too”.

The Clash – Clampdown (on ABC Friday’s April 25, 1980)

Speaking of Clampdowns has anyone else noticed that CBS/Sony have removed literally hundreds of official Clash recordings (studio versions/official videos) from YouTube recently?

Good evening, a late night update from the desert from me(*typing by moonlight and a tall/cold glass of water). I know I owe you part two of the Mick Jones in Minneapolis piece and I will get to that tomorrow. Earlier this evening though I was looking through my records, you remember, vinyl. It struck me as how beautiful album (and even singles) sleeves were, I grabbed London Calling and realised just how much of an impact those 4 pages of lyrics and photos had impressed upon me as a teen.

I hadn’t revisited some of these records for quite a few years, each small black and white photo on the London Calling inner sleeve and the (Ray Lowry) fonted lyrics reminded me of how many hours I’d spent with these pieces of paper all those years ago. While the record was doing it’s thing at 33 1/3 rpm we would sit and look at the record’s artwork. We’d smoke cigarettes and drink cider as we wondered if there was ever going to be anything as important as our records and although I realise I’m supposed to grow out of that I’d still argue that the answer is still no. Nothing mattered as much as music then and I don’t know if anything has ever mattered as much to me since. Through music came a feeling of action, of involvement, of excitement, of possibility and usually a reaction. I looked at the 7″ sleeves of some of The Clash singles I have (so sadly dog-eared now) and the simple but expressive beauty of some of the early Two-Tone singles by The Specials. I found myself shocked at the majestic quality of everything I still own on Factory Records and 4AD, heavier cardboard, beautiful construction, art for the sake of it – and no wonder Tony Wilson couldn’t keep Factory afloat.

I slid the three slabs of Sandinista! out of their sleeve and laughed at the fact that The Clash insisted on making sure the record was affordable so their fans didn’t need to save up to purchase the thing, perhaps a triple album would be their folly but the fans shouldn’t need £15 or $20 to get their latest offering, it was of course marketed (if memory serves) at £5.99 in the UK and $9.99 in the US much to the ire of CBS records, about half of what the label wanted it to cost. The Clash meanwhile had to make peace with CBS by skipping royalties until 200,000 copies had sold, that moment didn’t arrive for more than two decades. I briefly panicked when I couldn’t find my copy of ‘The Armagideon Times’ booklet until I recalled that it was stored away with all my box set stuff.

I quickly looked at Combat Rock and remembered the bittersweet relationship I had with what always felt like an early goodbye from a band I wanted to have beside me for many more years, after The Clash my collection was dominated for a while by acts on Rough Trade, Mute, Factory and Beggars Banquet – my loyalty went to movements and labels (stables?) rather than a single band for a while but The Clash were still my gateway to all of that.

When CDs eventually replaced vinyl I resisted for a while but since felt sorry for those who never had the proper association with having amassed a record collection. Yet now twenty years later with a CD collection in excess of 2,500 titles, I’m told that nobody buys CDs anymore which isn’t true based on my local music shops. Even that is now obsolete and I thought it was hard enough to connect with an artist when the inlay card measured just 5″ x 5″ – is there anything more soulless than a downloaded collection of music then compressed onto your i-pod? Besides which you’re taking a huge hit in sound quality you’re also taking the media down to the lowest common denominator. I put my records back on the shelf with the mixed feeling of sadness but also gratitude for having them in the first place. I might even start a new blog called 144 square inches when I find me some time.

Good evening and welcome back to the blog. Hope all is well and if you’re in the UK that all is calm. Another day of tension in England it would seem and although London was seemingly quieter it seemed a lot of the troubles instead occurred in Manchester, the West Midlands and Nottingham. I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t been a major distraction this week and working from home on a computer having a newsfeed or radio stream in the background has been a constant. Interesting but distracting. I know I warbled on at length about this earlier so I will cut it short on this post but thanks for so many excellent opinions on the last blog post. I must say that now that England is four days into this chaos you really start wondering what the solution is. The UK has a long history of community policing with moderate use of force (debatable I realise) but it simply doesn’t seem to be working this week, nor can the service provide 16,000 men to London each night. However, if a radical change to that approach is decided upon it is really difficult perhaps impossible to ever return to the way things were. Thus now the blame game begins while the looting and burning continues. While none of this is overtly political there are of course underlying facts that the economics and the economy produce. Underneath all of that as Pete said earlier ‘rioting is fun’ and having been involved in a fair few myself it genuinely is, although I never saw it as a chance to steal. I remember all of this being predicted by so called radicals after the last election but in truth it wasn’t a radical prophecy nor an avoidable one sadly. Something’s got to give but I don’t see a solution on the tip of anyone’s tongue. One smart observer noted that a few rainy nights would slow things down to a great extent and as daft as that sounds it’s probably true. This won’t go on for months and the root issues won’t get addressed – but the UK may end up with a complete change to the approach of law and order.

Enough of that for now. I did want to link to the ridiculous story (fact) that much of the official advertising for the 2012 Olympics will feature the track London Calling. Can you think of a less appropriate use for the song? I think that it’s one of best songs ever written and will never tire of it but the lyrics do anything but invite you to London. It might contain some of Joe’s greatest lyrics of all but they speak of a city and a world shrouded in risk and doom. This was all in the shadow of the Cold War, Three Mile Island, inner city tensions and a society collapsing in on itself. Funnily enough it has more relevance to this week riots than the bloody Olympics but somehow it has become a theme song – just don’t examine the lyrics. The best piece I’ve seen or heard on this so far occurred on NPR (public radio in the US). Below I have the full four minute piece as broadcast, courtesy NPR. As it happens I’ve yet to hear or see the adverts. If you can and care to share with us please do so.

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NPR feature on London Calling as an Olympic invitation

I started writing this piece last night and it’s now the night after (Wednesday) and time escaped me not for the first time. We’ve got gig reviews and some inside scoop stuff to share in the next 48 hours as well as The Clash making the cover of the NME. The timing was of course intentional. More on that tomorrow, until then please enjoy this video of B.A.D. performing in Minneapolis earlier in the week. Until then go easy…..Tim

BAD – E=MC2 Minneapolis Aug 7, 2011