Well hello again to you all and thank you for dropping in The Clash Blog for your 1st or 101st visit, either way you’re very welcome and please come again. I’d love to be able to report that the situation in Japan had marginally improved since I last wrote but as you’re all aware conditions there seem to be getting more difficult and even more devastating than we had imagined just a day or two ago. Even at the weekend though when watching some of the many viral videos that were popping up online it was obvious that the extent of loss was going to far exceed the simultaneous information being provided by the media. Incidentally if you’re in the states and are tired of the endless pontification by CNN you can actually get access on their own website to Japanese television coverage on NHK in English if you prefer or just use this link to watch the channel. As I mentioned previously I do hope all of our many readers in Japan and their families are safe and managing to cope during this terrible time.

On a brighter note I managed to score the winning goal when playing football on Saturday which in itself is quite remarkable but what escalates this to the level of disbelief is that I actually did it with my left foot which I usually use just to stand upon, so that was good and it probably won’t get any better than that. Now today wasn’t exactly a quiet day in terms of Clash news either but the main story tonight does end over a year of speculation that I’ve had. The rumour that Big Audio Dynamite were about to reform originally started circulating about this time last year but the idea never made it into second gear due to the commitment by Mick Jones to play live with Gorillaz which for all intents took up more than half of 2010. So when news of the band reforming did eventually come through at the start of this year for live dates it wasn’t the largest shock of the year (that would be me scoring with my left foot). Although I’ve hinted at my curiosity about the potential longevity of a B.A.D. reunion I never came right out and posed the question of would they now be recording new material, I was simply happy at the prospect of them touring for what might be one last time and assumed that Mick had been bitten by the playing live bug after 2010 but this would be short-lived primarily due to the ongoing existence of Carbon Silicon. The idea of the band reuniting wasn’t that far fetched in the first place as Mick’s relationship with both Don Letts and Leo Williams had always been maintained over the years. I presumed things were going well and the commitment looked to be a little deeper when over the last few weeks a series of summer dates in Europe and Japan were announced which in turn would keep the band ‘together’ for a least a few months more. Now it seems that the band plan to actually record a brand new album – although I must stress I can only find articles that refer to an e-mail announcement from Sony music – rather than an actual press release. So while I’ve no reason to doubt the story on the other hand I can’t guarantee that it is accurate. It looks like the original source of the information  was the always enjoyable ‘Slicing Up Eyeballs’ site which constantly provides excellent news about artists who were most prominent in the 1980′s. Bookmark the site as it’s a great source to learn about re-issues, reunions and other bits and pieces. Here’s a link to the post from Slicing Up Eyeballs that was released early this morning which is quoted from beneath:

“Turns out the reunion won’t just be about looking backward: Mick Jones and Co. “have plans in the works for a new Big Audio Dynamite album,” according to a news release e-mailed late Monday by Sony Music promoting the band’s three upcoming U.S. performances. No other details of the project are known”

So I’d suggest that we keep our ears to the ground for further word on this but as a rule I do trust what comes from this particular source. The idea of B.A.D. writing about things in 2011 is definitely one that appeals to me especially when combining the enthusiasm of Don Letts with the added experiences that Mick has had since the band last were a going concern. Let’s hope it’s true and made more official over the coming days, I do have other news about B.A.D. which I’ll save for this weeks podcast which should be on Friday. Incidentally Steve Jones from The Sex Pistols has been confirmed as the master of ceremonies for the B.A.D. gig at the Roxy in Los Angeles (makes sense as he lives there), and speaking of MCs I’d be neglectful to not mention the sad passing confirmed today of Smiley Culture. He was one of the best UK reggae artists/deejays of his era and instantly reminds me of being 17 or 18 again. His recent years were blighted by a lot of difficult times it would seem so instead I suggest you listen to some of his music and read this more positive piece in The Guardian today. He was just 48.

Right, I’ve got a lot to get to tomorrow, so expect more then. Take care – Tim

That weekend was a complete blur wasn’t it? Sometimes the more aware you are of the weekend passing quickly the more rapidly its over, new strategy required. I’ve realised that there are again a pile of matters that don’t automatically need a full post so it would be time once again to hop on the flyover better known as The Westway and navigate our way through the rain and Clash related stories with the latest edition of Westway Traffic. The usual rules apply, if you fancy learning more about the story just click on the bold title to each story.

Nob Suzuki releases another special Clash design: Our friend Nob has released another of his custom Clash sketches as a t-shirt, all his designs are for sale on Etsy and ship from Japan. The new design is $21 plus shipping. I’ve featured a number of Suzuki’s creations in the past – I confess a soft spot for them but I think they are rather excellent and compared with most original designs far more affordable than many. The original link isto  the shirt pictured on the left and this link will take you to all his items.

Rome hosts punk exhibition: More than 500 punk artifacts and pieces of art will be part of a special collection at the Villa Medici in Rome from now until March 20th. The expo is titled EUROPUNK and promises to be a great collection along with featuring documentaries and live performance. I’ve found a few photos here from the event, if you have found anything good about this written in Italian let me know.

Hope Johnny had a rotten 55th Birthday: You probably noticed that John Lydon celebrated his 55th last week (Jan 31) and Craig Hlavaty over at the Houston Press put together a short tribute to the former Sex Pistol with a list of his best songs as a non Pistol. A good reminder of the fact that PiL were such a great band.

Interview with Andy Gill (Gang of Four): My repeated inclusion of tidbits about Gang of Four is not just a coincidence but due to the fact that a new album which sounds great and a large tour is ensuring they are generating a little buzz at the moment. I also think that they took a punk based sound and quickly carved out a new angle that has influenced more bands since than many others. I think my perfect 1980 concert would have been them supporting The Specials and The Clash. This interview with Gill in the San Francisco Chronicle is short but worthy, I highly encourage you try and see them on this tour if you can.

Jean Paul Gaultier goes punk in Paris: Famed french fashion designer Gaultier unveiled a collection inspired by punk rock it would seem with models doing that walk thing in outfits named ‘Joy Division’, “I’m an Anarchist” and “The Clash” to name just a few. Paris fashion show brought many of the worlds leading designers, models and shoppers together including Mr Paul Simonon. The linked story from the Telegraph also includes video.

Paul Simonon painting of London: I’d never seen this before in such detail; a Simonon original created in 2002 looking east along The Thames in central London. I like it beyond having the knowledge that he created it.

Zander Schloss playing live, interview: Of all the people that Joe Strummer worked with you rarely hear much from Schloss about their collaboration during Earthquake Weather and soundtracks. I didn’t know the musician/actor was still playing live so now I’ll need to do a little more research.

I think that’ll be a wrap for this evening I hope you find some tasty bits above, do check the links if you have time. Look forward to your comments and thoughts and have a pleasant (valley) Monday  -  Tim

Thursday afternoon then and now is your week going so far? I trust well but if not don’t worry you’ve only got one more day to navigate through. Cold and windy here today but atypically also very noisy as the next door neighbour is having a new roof put on his abode which means there have been four or five blokes bashing away at roof tiles and loudly chucking them down to the ground all day long. Don’t they realise that some people work from home and don’t want to put up with such a racket all day, come back on Saturday when you can piss off the entire street please.

I’m going to go a little bit off topic today if that’s alright but it still ties into our particular gang of Londoners anyway. I really do have a bit of an obsession with music and especially the way things evolve, splinter, fragment and then as often as not repeat themselves all over again. I’ve done a lot of reading lately and so much has been written about punk in the last 10 years, probably far more than was written when it was actually happening. If I try and define that period let’s just say 1975 to 1979 so we can include the New York scene in that definition. I think too many writers and observers get hung up on who was musically influenced by the early punk bands but I think the lasting influence or legacy of punk was an attitude of DIY when it came to making music, younger bands playing louder and faster than they had for many years and perhaps most importantly some major changes within the whole recording industry. The changes mind you were really good ones; the rise and rise of independent labels and the resultant indie or post punk music (now boringly labeled alternative) all came about because of punk, I don’t think that influence needs to ever stop in real terms. What I am always fascinated about however is what happened after the original implosion of that first generation of punk, the trajectories of music were very different but suddenly far more diverse than they had been five years earlier in 1974/5. While the UK fostered post punk, ska, goth, new romantics and synthpop in the immediate years afterward in the US the initial punk scene lasted a bit longer and stretched deeper and became more regional. Much of that of course was due to the sheer size of the US, a self supporting scene in Southern California for example didn’t rely on or even cross over to what was happening in New York or Chicago. Nor did it need to. One type of music that doubtlessly owes its roots to punk actually lasted far longer than the vintage variety I speak of but was for the most part a very North American trend.

I refer to hardcore which quickly gained a footing on both coasts and some of the acts developed a bigger following in the US than the early punk bands had ever experienced. When I look back at my record collection from 1980 onwards there are a number of things I’m not terribly proud of (Fiat Lux, The Lotus Eaters?) but I also realize that after punk and ska the floodgates were open to almost anything partly because of punk and I bought records from all over the spectrum. Hardcore grew in the US as an energetic diversion from what was still clogging up the charts in America in the early eighties, it didn’t suddenly go indie just look back and see. So tonight I thought I would touch upon the five bands that I consider to be the best of this bunch just in case you missed them first time round, I’d probably change my list in a few months!

Black Flag: Depending on where you draw the line historically, Black Flag were to hardcore what The Ramones were to punk, one of the very first and still one of the better of the genre. Furious Henry Rollins as a front man was ably assisted by Greg Ginn who also went on to form the SST record label which was one of the best of that era. The banner number of personnel changes while not remaining locked into any given style beyond the first of DIY punk, the origins can be traced back to 76 changing their name to Black Flag in 1978. Larger success and their first album did not follow until the arrival of Rollins in 1980. Inner wranglings and politics saw the band at their most creative spell rapidly followed by eventual breakup, few fans stayed with them for the whole journey as their sound has changed so much over the course of eight years leading up their conclusion in 1986. Some similarities with The Clash but a higher turnover of personnel. Best album – Damaged, 1981

Black Flag – Rise Above

Minutemen: Of all the US hardcore bands to emerge during that time the one I’m most likely to still go back and listen to is Minutemen, for many of the same reasons I can still find a lot of freshness in Sandinista! 30 years afterwards. Much of that is probably due to the variety of their songs which was less formulated than many of their contemporaries. Their songs were often a bit of a thrash but with lyrics and angles that make them stand out from the fray. The early death in a vehicle accident of singer guitarist D Boon (one day after Joe Strummer’s date of passing on December 23) in 1985 brought the band to a premature conclusion, while Mike Watt went on to form fIREHOSE as well as play with a list longer than your arm of other acts. Best Album – Double Nickels on the Dime, 1984

Minutemen – Corona (acoustic) I can always picture Joe Strummer doing this one

Bad Brains: Sadly my awareness of Bad Brains only came about just around the time they initially broke up in 1984 but before that they’d been amongst the very best hardcore acts in the states. The Washington DC group were originally a jazz band who reinvented themselves with the arrival of punk to become one of the fastest and most intense attacks on stage in that era. The fact that all the members were black made them even more revolutionary as a punk act. Best Album - Rock for Light, 1983

Minor Threat: Few bands apart from The Sex Pistols and The Stone Roses had a bigger impact in a short period of time than Minor Threat. Although they failed to last three entire years their sound was the benchmark for many of the bands that played with them and after them. Always at risk of self-destructing and causing difficulties with their lyrics the band were quick to disown the scene that they had helped to create. Best Album – Minor Threat, 1981

Husker Du: Along with Henry Rollins of Black Flag, Bob Mould of Husker Du went on to become the two definitive figures of second-generation US punk in the 1990′s (I’m putting The Ramones on a different shelf). For nearly a decade Minneapolis’ Husker Du routinely turned out the most creative music from the scene which progressed greatly from its hardcore origins to something that was far more accessible for the masses. Which is not to say they started making junk, in fact they were (due to their growing maturity and success) perhaps the missing link between punk and alternative before the nineties began and what was to become an alternative/college rock scene ever had it’s own label. Best Album – Zen Arcade, 1984 (or any of a number of others)

Husker Du – Don’t Want to Know if You Are Lonely

Even as I write this I realise I’ve excluded Dead Kennedys, Flipper, Naked Raygun (brilliant) Agnostic Front and Misfits to name just a few. I’d suggest you experiment with some of the bands mentioned above and then branch out if it appeals to you. You’ll find that different cities had their own local scenes that were equally strong. One of these days I’ll invest the time and money into my collection of earlier US punk from the West Coast and East to cover the time period before hardcore arrived, but hopefully you’ll find the above interesting. Cheers – Tim