Good morning and thanks for returning to the blog or finding it for the first time as the case might be. Doing a bit of housecleaning around the blog today and thought I’d share what I want to get done over the summer. In addition to The Clash Cup, Clash Landmarks, Clash Shopping, interviews, guest pieces (yes please), Westway Traffic and the other usual daily items I am going to add our first annual readers poll, more features on other bands and based on numerous requests a Clash fan’s guide to London. It seems a lot of people take something of a pilgrimage to London and want to visit numerous locations associated with the band which is rather cool. I can almost relate, except for the fact I grew up in London.

Needless to say I could rattle off the name of 15-20 places worth a visit but I’ll try and put together something far more substantial. I may need your help, so if you want to contribute any first hand journalism to the blog that would help make it even more valuable. The London I know best is up to around the mid 90’s, its changed of course since then so newer reporting would add authenticity. The readers poll will be fun, an informal look at where we stand on all things Clash. It will also help me know what parts of the blog you find most worthwhile/pointless.

I’ll also add a bi-weekly (or so) video clash post where we look at cover versions and other oddities that keep being added to youtube and the other video sites. I also want to review online radio sites and podcasts, the very best way to hear a lot of new music (or excellent old stuff) is online so I’ll dig into that too from time to time. Podcast remains a possibility, is there enough to talk about? Do I have enough to say? It would probably need to be broader than The Clash but still remains under consideration. Most of all the blog exists for you to read…that’s why I started it and why I’ll continue it. If the visits dried up I’m sure I’d do something different but as long as you read it I’ll keep moving forward. The most help you can provide is tweeting it, mentioning it on facebook and telling your friends. There are literally tens of thousands of Clash experts out there and hundreds of thousands of fans. The more who visit the blog and then share with it the better. If you saw The Clash in 1978 you’ll have a unique view, if you saw BAD in 1986 the same applies. Don’t be shy – add comments, ideas, suggestions….the more we can achieve the better!

This blog can and should be Clash City online, that’s been the goal so let’s get to it! Thanks as ever, talk to you soon.

Tim – Clash City Blogger

Hello again and thanks for stumbling upon the blog (or welcome back). This was going to just be a journal entry but then I thought I’d share it. I was writing yesterday about time passing too quickly…and it got me thinking. Why is it that I can still clearly remember riding with my brother in his car to the record shop to purchase Combat Rock, peeling of the price sticker, fawning over the logos and cover photo of the band and squinting at that lyric sheet as Strummer’s words were squeezed in on that black background? Why is it that I can remember really acutely specific events from nearly 30 years ago and yet I can’t remember a thing about so many more recent events? I think I’ve established some sort of halo effect for certain spells and artifacts in my life. Cruelly I can’t say its been people who stick in the memory as jaggedly for me, there just wasn’t room with all the records and concerts. That makes me sound a bit of an arse but a memory only has so much space right?

Where so many good nights out began.....

With the advent of Facebook I’ve had people contact me and recollect trivial shared events from 1982 that I can’t even pretend to remember. Drunken nights or fights from 1985 are forgotten also, its just a blank space where a memory should be. But ask me about purchasing the 12″ single of Confusion by New Order in the Summer of 1983 and I know which shop it was and how I felt when I heard it (too electronic and tinny production….the legacy of Joy Division fading by the time of the run-out groove). Ask me about the first time I saw James in concert (they supported New Order coincidentally) and I’ll tell you where we had drinks beforehand, though not with whom I was with. This Factory Records analogy is just a coincidence but I realise I’ve tagged my life with singles and albums, concerts and football matches. Hearing new music and seeing new bands was never more vital for me than from around 1980 (when I first had some money to spend on records) til around 2001 when I’d left Los Angeles and the rich fountain of concerts it offered almost any night plus the restaurants, the people, the art, the scenery and all the rest. When you have lived in London, Chicago and then Los Angeles living anywhere else is going to seem a bit arid.

Since then I’ve kept buying too many CDs (downloading is just soulless for me) and reading about music all the time. I still have huge a passion for football and music of course but what I really am missing is going to 25 or 35 concerts a year – Its not my age, I blame this town, and the bands I like simply skip Phoenix. It’s not on the way to anywhere or from anywhere. Too close to Los Angeles to merit a separate stop and too far from anywhere East to fit within a tour schedule. It wouldn’t be far fetched to say every couple of weeks a band plays in L.A. or San Diego and I am forced to wonder how the gig was. Its 350 miles away…a tough argument just to catch 75 minutes of live music. But I really miss it!

So with that in mind during this new decade some sort of changes need to be made, fortunately its possible for us so the discussions will need to escalate, no hurry I’m a patient person. Southern California, the Bay area or Seattle seem to be the biggest and most logical contenders at present and any would be satisfactory so long as a goal is agreed upon. Its not just about the music, I need to see the ocean when I want to and be somewhere a little more welcoming to everyone  in general (not that I’ve suffered as a result of being English here), its a better place for kids (education, social environment) and a more rounded lifestyle. Perhaps most importantly I always felt strangely very much at home in Los Angeles and miss that dearly, I didn’t realise how vital that was. Its just that a cultural chasm exists and Arizona isn’t winning any awards for open arms or urban hip. With recent events here bands are even boycotting the state to protest the immigration issues. Think of the gulf between Swindon and London for some sort of comparison. London for a second spell is also tempting…maybe next decade!

I’ve got Clash news for you later, but I was just venting…so there you have it! Lots of news later I promise…thanks for reading, or skipping to the closing sentence as the case may be. Today’s video won’t win any awards for style but look away from the screen and remember it was recorded in the Summer of ‘76 in Brisbane of all places.

ps – sorry Swindon.

pps – If you want to win in the World Cup, try using Cesc Fabregas

Tim

Sorry for my time away and I hope you haven’t made too many visits in vain? I’m committing to Clash fans at least a short post daily through these hectic few weeks and then you can count on the daily updates and full news round up – analysis – interviews and more that you’ve come to expect from the Clash Blog. Works been busy and there was an avalanche of other daft events that left me with little time for the blog. I started the blog with the intention of daily updates and remarkably there is more than enough news to make that worthwhile. So thanks for your patience (if you’re still with me) and I’ll endeavour to make this your Clash spot for a long time to come.

Suddenly the Christmas season is almost upon us – I know it’s a bit taboo to even say the ‘C’ word in the States but I took a big chance and just mentioned it – Christmas…there, I did it again. Speaking of the holidays, if you are in the UK there’s time to get your hands on something very special from Strummerville if you act quickly. Joe’s last ever hand painted Christmas cards are available as a reproduction for a limited time (image beneath).

What could be nicer for any Clash/Strummer fan in your life than this piece of art from Joe? Speaking of Joe Strummer I’ve got a list of Strummerville events to preview over the coming days as this is the month where they typically peak. In addition to major events in London and here in Phoenix there are others too. If you want to be sure yours get mentioned please email me at Tim – @ The Clash Blog.com and include your information. Thanks!

Also on tap for the holidays is the Shatter the Hotel CD (more to follow on this) an events all around the world; London, Berlin, Glasgow, Phoenix, Bologna, Cambridge and Brighton to just name a few. I’ll spotlight each event in the days ahead for you.

If you are in Arizona (anyone?) I hope to meet you at this:

7th Annual Joe Strummer Memorial Gig.
Sat. Dec. 19th @ 8pm.
Where: George & Dragon Pub (Phoenix Az.)
4240 N. Central Ave.85012
Why: Celebration of Joe’s life and Music
Who: 8 damn good bands
How Much: $5.00 donation
8pm till 2am

Finally, I’ve seen better photos of Lily Allen but kudos on her shirt at least!