Good afternoon to you, thought I’d add a wrinkle by loading a new post at a strange time of day. Its October and I feel reckless so things like this just might happen from time to time. I also have great confidence that Arsenal will win tomorrow at the bus stop in Fulham and thus not ruin my weekend, i.e. I may as well write in happy and optimistic mode. I watched that video from yesterday 3 times in the last 36 hours also and if that doesn’t make you feel a bit peppier about life then there’s something wrong with you. It also reminded me that the issues of 1980 are not significantly worse than they are today, if at all (disastrous economies dominating the world, Russians occupying Afghanistan, racism, unemployment and jingoistic fear of terrorism although the proponents then were from across the Irish Sea and not the back alleys of Luton or Riyadh). Which was sort of what I wanted to write about briefly today but first…that landmark I mentioned yesterday.

I was aware a few weeks ago that soon I’d be posting my 500th story on the blog and thought to myself “must make an event of that one” – which categorically failed as this Wednesday just gone did mark the 500th update. (*I’m sure none of you had noticed either, but there we have it) 500 posts strong or in the vicinity of  37,000 words written in anger or peace, laughter or fury about the only band that matters. If you’ve been with us since the earliest days thanks for the loyalty and if you are newer to the blog please keep coming back and better still get involved if you like. Always happy to hear from you via the comments section or email. The blog is a bit like brushing my teeth or brewing coffee now, part of my routine and a good outlet to write, research and communicate with some great people about some cool stuff. If I get around to it I’ll do some sort of summary of the most popular posts in that time…or I might not. What I will say is thanks for continuing to share it with others, in September we again had the most visits in a single month that the blog has ever seen, not unreasonably beating the marks respectively set in August and July. So thanks…I appreciate it!!

The original 'Woody'

So back to my original intention of this post….I hope that most of you have had some exposure to Manic Street Preachers. Somehow the Welsh band have now been going for over 20 years (yes it is that long) and quickly found a niche market for their strident, political, energetic but also brilliantly creative music. For many in the press (and for fans alike) they filled in some ways the exact same void that The Clash had left wide open and nobody had properly filled during the 1980′s. Don’t tell me U2…just don’t get me started. What the Manics have done is not only create some of the best albums of the last two decades but also worn that heart on the sleeve with the concerns of our society and the refusal to just sit down and shut up…in the best spirits of The Clash. They also overcame something that would probably see most bands implode and admittedly it caused them time to take stock about continuing when founder member Richey Edwards went missing on Feb 1, 1995. He was never found and has been presumed dead for most of that time since, its one of modern musics biggest mysteries and I think just as significant a loss as Kurt Cobain of Nirvana less than a year earlier. I realise that’s a very debatable opinion but Manic Street Preachers are by far the better band (for me) and the apparent death of Edwards (although never confirmed) was one of those strange pieces of news that became so protracted you just reluctantly accept he must have died. Unlike the band I mentioned previously the Manics regrouped and have continued in releasing one great album after another for all these years since, although not as frequently as I would have liked. If you are new to the band I would suggest you start with 1994′s ‘The Holy Bible’ and then work backwards or forwards, I’ve just read reviews of the newest release ‘Postcards From a Young Man’ which was released 10 days ago and they are universally stellar. You can find out more about them via their official site if you need to but I’m really writing about what Nicky Wire of the band said a few days ago in an interview when discussing current events:

“The middle of the greatest economic recession ever witnessed and no guitar bands whatsoever who seem able to engage with that”     Nicky Wire

That sentence echoes exactly what I’ve heard Don Letts saying in recent months too, Damon Albarn has said similar things and I’m sure if you believe that music has more value than being the backing track to American Idol or X Factor then surely you can relate. In fact you probably wouldn’t be reading this blog if your place for music was just something that was on in the background during your latest Julia Roberts romantic comedy. Think about what Nicky Wire is saying though…and I’m sure there are lots of smaller bands, unsigned bands, garage bands that would disagree with him entirely. However we’re not seeing them or hearing them. I know music with some bite still exists and that music and politics don’t have to be the angular bedfellows that the popular press would have us believe. 30 years ago we had The Clash, but not just The Clash looking at the state of the world and the state of our culture. But we also had The Specials, The Beat, R.E.M., The Jam, Talking Heads and so many others who not only were able to ‘engage with that’ but staked much of their careers on it. Have the bands changed or has the audience changed? Does a 16 year old not want to hear songs that look at the disasters in Iraq and Afghanistan or the corruption of Wall Street, MPs or BP? Does massive immigration and poverty just breed anger and racism in 2010 rather than activism and ideas? Are we really that disengaged now – does music still have a part to play?

Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan and on to Joe Strummer and Billy Bragg all wanted a reaction but most importantly sought desperately to spread some form of awareness. Joe Strummer wasn’t always right, God knows nobody can be but he was trying…genuinely trying. When I was 16 I thought Joe Strummer would lead us to the doors of Downing Street and get the change we sought. Five years later I thought Billy Bragg was going to do the same, five years on Bragg reminded his audiences he wasn’t going to change the world – we were. Indifference and apathy are as dangerous as corporations and politicians he pointed out, it took me until my late 20′s to work that one out. But now…in 2010, does anyone of a certain age think things have ever been as overtly shit, immoral and corrupt as they are today? Do we really think that sending young men and women off to a desert to die is securing anyone against anything? Do we even vote to say we disagree anymore? I hope we are at the nadir of apathy, I really do, surely we must be? Or is the biggest con of all convincing us en masse that Simon Cowell and ‘House’, American Idol and Grey’s Anatomy are the most important things going on around us? That these sings say more to us about our lives. Every once in a while like a tortoise having a rock thrown at us we come out of our shell and say how tragic the Tsunami/9-11/Haiti is and then we go back to our downloaded movies,  I-pods and our ridiculous phones to watch a video of a dog that can talk.

Where are all the protest singers and will anyone still listen to their songs?

Tuesday afternoon and I am extremely happy, if you happen to be a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur you might not be quite happy as me today then again the ratio of Spurs supporters who know how to operate a computer is quite low so I’m sure not many of you are reading the blog. You probably gathered that Arsenal snuck past Tottenham today by a score of 4-1 and to be honest that really flattered Tottenham. I’m also happy that a large storm is supposed to drop temperatures from the current 105f down to 72f in the next eight hours although I’ll believe when I see it. Thanks again for visiting the blog and spreading the word which has resulted in more visits than ever in recent weeks with September looking to continue the upward trend experienced since we came back online in June.

some young skinheads

Today’s post is more about the era and environment in which The Clash blossomed than about the actual band themselves. As I write the blog I’m often surprised at how many strange little things I’m able to remember from 25 or 30 years ago but the videos I’ve been watching the last few nights have reminded me of just how much I forgot about England in the late 1970s and into the 1980s. Many of you that read the blog are near my age of 43 or indeed a few years older, but I also know that a good percentage of you are in your 30s, 20s or teens. There’s also the obstacle of the readership being scattered all over the world when trying to relate to you what London or England was like 30 years ago. While numerous excellent books about punk and The Clash exist and we can review countless interviews from back in the day sometimes just seeing images once again brings the vivid memories flooding in as the recesses of your memory bank poke you as if to say ‘yes it’s all in here you just need to dig a bit deeper’.

Many of you probably know who Alan Davies is, the standup comic and writer turned actor/television personality has been in the public eye in the UK for many years if less well-known overseas. You might know him from Jonathan Creek on the BBC or from his stint as resident panelist on QI the Stephen Fry hosted quiz game on the same network. His sense of humor is intensely funny to me and is also more deeply appreciated for being a serious Arsenal fan the same time, as he hosts a weekly podcast about the club is often hilarious. His most recent production is called ‘Teenage Revolution’ and the first two episodes (of three I believe) have already aired in the UK on Channel 4 but happily have also been uploaded to YouTube, the program was based on his book of the same name.

Alan Davies meets Paul Weller

Davies is almost the same age as me, just 18 months older and his memories of growing up on the fringes of London in the 1980s drew a parallel to much of what I saw and conveniently might have filed away. I manage to remember most records I purchased and concerts I saw but so much of the periphery is forgotten to a certain extent until nudged back into view by programs such as this. It’s not earth shattering but is good television and as a documentary it does a great job of weaving together his personal recollections with video footage and photographs of his youth all the while mirrored by a soundtrack which as you would expect contains plenty of punk, two-tone and post punk music which adds a lot to the visuals. The Britain that he remembers is long gone which is both good and bad, although the underlying boredom of suburbia will probably never change for young teens who live in the same streets where he grew up.

The episodes are full of glimpses of the big and small themes that drove a teenager to frustration or participation depending on the individual. These were the days of CND and Greenham Common, Section 28, Apartheid, Margaret Thatcher and trade union strikes and Miner’s Strike activism. It was an era of protest unlike anything seen in Britain since. Two themes that run deeply through the videos are the importance of music coupled with the class system and racism that he rightly points out was so ingrained in British culture at that time. Davies has a passion for The Jam which plays a pivotal part in a scene where he finally gets to meet Paul Weller and have his copy of ‘All Mod Cons’ signed by the singer after waiting 30 years for the opportunity. Lots of great footage of punks and skinheads and the scourge of society that was the National Front and the divisive messages that they delivered. Other great scenes include record shopping, apologizing for the transgressions of his own youth and not so subtle reminders that the education system has changed greatly since we went to school. Funnily enough Epping Forest College which is featured in the program was about fifteen miles away from where I grew up.

If you haven’t seen it and and want a non-sensationalist recollection of England at the same time The Clash were at their height I’d recommend putting aside some time to view the links beneath. If nothing else it will stir your memories and provide some good laughs as well. All videos courtesy of Channel 4.

Episode 1 – Part 1 Growing up

Episode 1 – Part 2 Record Shopping and The Jam and meeting Paul Weller (as featured below)

Episode 1 – Part 3 Racism and the NF

Episode 1 – Part 4 Debden Skinheads

You can find all the rest on YouTube with little effort and should see the next episode uploaded soon. Here’s the Billy Bragg one…

Oh, did I mention that Arsenal absolutely stuffed Tottenham earlier on?

Hello again and cheers for stopping in at the blog whether it is your first visit or perhaps visit number 101(er) it is nice to have you here. I’m in especially buoyant mood tonight due to two factors, George (the Clash Blog cat) seems to be back to fairly robust health after a few weeks of me medicating her like a recovering drug addict (the cat not me) and also my other passion (Arsenal FC) provided the sort of footballing display today that makes you wonder how much better eleven players can perform in unison, a 6-0 win which was a flattering result for the opposition. It was as if The Polyphonic Spree or Belle and Sebastian had donned red shirts for the night and turned their collective talents to the beautiful game. I’m struggling to come up with other band names that might have as many members as the two mentioned above but quickly found myself clutching at straws and didn’t take the easy path of googling substitute options.

few people make me as happy as this chap....

As you all probably know The Clash began (as a live act) as a five piece band when a third guitarist – Keith Levene augmented the original lineup in 1976. Word has it that Levene was actually the best guitarist of the three with Mick Jones playing more as a rhythm guitarist initially, in fact Jones apparently said words similar to “I better learn more, quickly” when The Clash the more recognised four piece lineup. Levene became an influential musician in the post punk scene in his own right when he joined Public Image Ltd in 1978 with John Lydon after the Sex Pistols had ground to a halt. Levene occupied that position in the band for five years so if by chance you don’t own any of the first four PiL albums it’s a good place to become accustomed with his style which was definitely something unique to him. If I were to recommend just one start with I would probably lean toward 1979′s ‘Metal Box’ although each had their merits. Note to self: yet another example of why 1979 was such a great year for music.

It’s very interesting to consider (if a bit redundant) how the sound of The Clash may have evolved if they had stayed a five piece for an extended period of time, logic suggests that the role of Mick Jones may have been downplayed/sidelined to an extent as a songwriter although that’s just supposition on my part; more importantly that may have been a disaster when such a strength of The Clash was the composition/collaboration ability of Strummer/Jones. It’s funny thinking back to when I was about 12 and first discovered The Clash due to my older brother, at that time the first awareness I had of the band visually were the first two album covers. Naturally enough ‘Give ‘em Enough Rope‘ provided no clues so I deferred to the first album and I’m fairly sure for a short while at least I thought the band were just a

except maybe this chap....

three-piece despite the evidence on the back of the sleeve a drummer did exist with the unlikely name of Tory Crimes. I’m sure I was corrected by my brother within a few weeks but that I wasn’t the only person who may have made that mistake at some point when discovering The clash for the first time. Another strange memory that sticks in my head was buying the first album by The Specials where the cover shot features the band on a white background staring up at the camera and thinking bloody hell there are a lot of people in that group!!

It made me think just how many bands that we follow are typically in that four piece or five piece configuration with the variable most often being whether the front man or woman/lead vocalist plays an instrument or not. It also got me thinking about what three-piece band have been my favourite over the last 30 years or so since I’ve been mad about music. Who would yours be? Two of the most famous from the era of The Clash would be The Jam and The Police, on quick reflection I am struggling to think of a three-piece band with significant impact over the last 20 years although I’m sure I’m overlooking someone. The Clash themselves performed as a five piece band for an extended period in 1979/80 with the addition of Micky Gallagher on keyboards which filled out the sound for so many songs that were recorded during that time spell. So who would your favorite three-piece band be from the last 30+ years and who have I overlooked? We’ve had a bit of fun on the Clashblog Facebook page the last few days where I just throw out the names of two bands to see who prefers whom, things quickly become quite heated but happy to say the pairings have been fairly well matched. Something we’ll have to bring to the blog in the near future just for fun, who will The Stranglers be up against? I’m thinking Ultravox.

As always thanks for your visit and let me know about that three-piece question, cheers-Tim. Leave a comment…it feels like I should hear an echo here some days…  Thanks!!