Just the briefest of updates from me this afternoon and primarily because I haven’t yet had the opportunity to sit and watch just what I wanted to share with you. You may recall about 2 1/2 weeks ago I informed those of you in the UK or with Channel 4 via satellite that the three-part documentary made by Don Letts/Strummerville focusing on Strummerville eventsS so far this year be aired over the following three weeks. At that time like many of you outside of the broadcasting region lamented the fact that we were unable to see it, terrestrial television rights still sometimes apply on the Internet and almost all programs broadcast in the UK can’t be seen far afield unless somebody uploads them to Vimeo would Youtube. This would be a good time to thank whichever good people constantly upload episodes of Have I Got News For You / Never Mind the Buzzcocks / Mock The Week and many others, it’s a reminder that television can be entertaining which is something that’s easy to forget living in the states. Anyway, that’s off topic, my point is that Strummerville (wonderful people that they are) have solved our overseas viewing quandary for us.

If you jump on over to the Strummerville site today you can watch episode one in its entirety online, plus they also promised episode two and three will follow in the days ahead. Episode one features Rum Shebeen and The Riff Raff. I believe that episode three only aired in the UK this week so there may be some delay due broadcast rights or legalities for all that I know. I want to make sure you all get a chance to watch it, plus I think it’s wonderful that British television picked up on the series in the first place. I still remember being a little kid and having three channels to pick from, each of which typically went off the air before midnight and BBC2 had that test card (as pictured on the left) up for most of the afternoon anyway unless there were sheep dog trials or some such nonsense being broadcast. If you get to view it (Strummerville, not the test card) before I do please add your comments below for the benefit of one and all. Thanks for dropping in, I’ll be back soon. Tim (if you like the post please share via Facebook, twitter, wikio or bugging the people you sit next to at work…)

So that will be the late afternoon sunshine closing down another weekend then Clash fans? Another weekend consigned to the rubbish bin of history and a surprisingly early awareness of the holiday season rushing in. Late December used to mean time off work and John Peel’s festive countdown, now its straddled by the anniversary of the the loss of Joe Strummer and a reminder that we lost John Peel almost exactly two years later in 2004, both events slapped me in the face and said ‘you’re not getting

On stage in Glasgow during the recent Strummerville roadshow

any younger either’.  You may remember about a month ago I wrote this piece wondering where have all the protest singers gone – and while I didn’t suggest that none existed I just wondered why there wasn’t a loud voice or band making a full blown campaign against the overt rubbish that passes for governments and the collective indifference of youth who want more pop and less angst. I was happy to get a very reasonable reply from an artist who says not only are his band writing real protest songs in 2010 but to find them you’d need look no further than the Strummerville roster! I’ve been meaning to write more about other bands in general on the blog which has consistently been one of the best laid plans, but I also think listening to other stuff and better still introducing people to something new is fully in keeping with the legacy of The Clash not to mention interesting to listen to. So I’ll do more in that direction if you’re on board? Chances are if you’re in the UK you’ve seen them on the recent 3 part Strummerville documentary that’s been airing.

The contact was made by Chomsky (of Chomsky All-Stars) who explained that not only do protest songs still exist but that they are at the heart of the music of Chomsky Allstars and after putting some time aside to have a listen he’s entirely right. Rather than try and rewrite history – here’s a reproduction of  the official blurb about the band:

Part financed by the Strummerville charity, Chomsky Allstars’ debut album is a truly eclectic melting pot, featuring vocal cameos from Christy Moore, Drunken Balordi’s Billy King, Bob Marley biographer Chris Salewicz, notorious Scots rapper Eastborn, Noam Chomsky and even Mahatma Gandhi. The Glasgow band’s high-octane constellation of punk, blues, dance and dub has so far seen them feature on the internationally-acclaimed ‘Shatter The Hotel’ CD, headline both the London launch of the album and the Glasgow leg of the ‘Westway Round The UK’ tour and feature in Don Letts‘ ‘Strummerville’ documentary. Guitarist and lead singer Chomsky even provides guest vocals on the opening track of breakbeat legend Cut La Roc’s current album ‘Larger Than Life’, alongside Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody. That song, ‘What Love Is’, is also included here. All ten tracks on ‘Rhyme, Treason & Rhythm’ are infused with infectious melodies and inspiring lyrics, from the opening anti-consumerist rocker ‘Disease Of Desire’ and the Afrobeat-inflected World Cup anthem ‘The Beautiful Gain’ through to long-time live favourite ‘The Big I Am’. Acoustic tracks are mixed seamlessly with the gritty eco-blues of ‘Bad Mood Rising’ and the sensual funk of ‘Give Us Peace’ to create a concoction best described as Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros meets Rick Rubin.

But let’s get you current with the band – the new album “Rhyme, Treason and Rhythm” should be available for download on Nov 14th but for the most current information please bookmark the Chomsky Allstars Myspace page where you can hear more songs. Getting back to my original point though, of protest songs and singers. I would encourage you to check out the lyrics to each of the songs currently available online, very notably ‘So Long’ which offers a less than warm farewell to Margaret Thatcher. You can download and listen to the track via this link. The impact of the former prime minister remains a source of great division in the UK and although twenty years have passed since she relinquished power the scars have yet to heal for many of us of a certain vintage. ‘Bad Moon Rising‘ is linked here and is a acerbic look at the BP oil spill. My favourite track that I’ve heard thus far is The Beautiful Gain that is linked in the official blurb above.

I hope that you take some time to give Chomsky Allstars a listen and keep up to date or get in touch with Chomsky via their facebook page as I’m sure he’d love to hear from you. In the weeks and months ahead we’ll look at many artists associated with Strummerville and also profile more new bands that I stumble upon or that you tell me about, especially if they have something to say. Cheers – I’ll speak with you Monday. Tim

Good afternoon and thanks for another visit to your Clash Blog. I just had a shower during which all that I could think about was the blog and trying to find a way to get more content posted more frequently. One of my biggest concerns when I started writing about The Clash was whether there would be enough content of interest to go around, talk about being worried about the wrong thing – as the last year, actually nearly year and a half have provided far more current Clash related stories than I ever expected in addition to how deeply we can look back at the past. That’s a good thing though, I don’t possess the contacts, the history nor the expertise to provide the sort of analysis already available in some great books and online publications but just like you it’s fun to interpret the history of the band and equally enjoyable to look at all that’s happening today.

As a mentioned last night I need to get up to speed on a few things and back in the rhythm of research and contacts to provide lots of new features, but in the days ahead will have a least one very special story about Mick and Paul from New York City earlier on the tour, a special feature about one of the artists on the Strummerville roster, and we’ll also leap back into The Clash Cup / lost in the supermarket / Video Clash / Clash Landmarks and more. The one major thing I really wanted to at least get off the ground on the blog in 2010 was interviews and want to announce that we’re finally just about ready providing the software and file structure of the blog passes the testing stage. I’ve been really lucky to get wonderful support from a number of people I know you’ll enjoy hearing from, hopefully I haven’t burned my bridges with everyone by having to delay far longer than I would’ve liked. But at last interviews will be coming soon and hopefully will develop into a regular feature on the blog, whether a podcast ever becomes a reality will be very much a matter of finding time rather than the right technology or having enough to talk about. I’ve become a remote friend with somebody who does one of the most successful weekly podcasts in the UK and although he loves it he warns me that it takes so much time in preparation if you want to put out something good (which he consistently does).

I’m also working out the potential for some special promotions or discounts in affiliation with The Clash Blog but due to lack of time that might not kick off until 2011. I would like to do something where something can go to Strummerville and another cause that Joe was passionate about (more on that later). The other thing I will add over the weekend is a look back at the month just passed and the most popular stories which a number of people have asked about.

Last but not least thank you so much for all of your support, comments, ideas and participation. Without you reading this,  the blog serves no purpose and without your participation it wouldn’t be half as much fun as it’s turned out to be. In the meantime off you go and kick over some statues, I hope to see you a bit later on.