The Clash |
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Wed. February 26.2003 1:13 PM EST |
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The Clash: Look Back in AngerMick Jones guides us through the Clash's early days of live shows and record-making. by Courtney Reimer & C. Bottomley |
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Mick Jones (Publicity) |
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It seemed strange to see Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl, and Little Steven belting out "London Calling" while standing shoulder-to-shoulder at this year's Grammy ceremony, but the Clash were always about incongruity. Assembled in 1976
Their scalding self-titled 1977 debut set the tone. The songs, like "White Riot," were hard and fast. But listen closer. Through the maelstrom, Strummer and Jones dared kids to empower themselves, singing about the short shrift their generation had been given. Not content with mere provocation, they instead opened up a dialogue with their audience. Their music wasn't all punk, either. Like the hero of "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais," they ventured into the unusual zones of reggae and rockabilly and the sophistication of their playing hinted they were looking beyond the seething London suburbs. The restless band thrived on globe-trotting and the bond they shared with their fans. 1979's London Calling said everything there was to say about life at the beginning of the Reagan/Thatcher era. Then the triple LP Sandinista! scrambled rock's conventions with disco, dub and hip-hop. The band knew no boundaries, touring with legends like Bo Diddley and pioneers like Grandmaster Flash, while carving a fashion image that drew upon '50s ducktails, Clockwork Orange boiler suits, and Pollock-inspired pop art. By the time they released Combat Rock in 1982, the Clash were writing radio anthems like "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go." Each set the bar for every new waver to follow, and the album smuggled beat poet Allen Ginsburg and references to boat people under pop culture's radar. Then, at the height of their success, they split. Getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was only a matter of time; their acceptance by an industry they once brazenly indicted is a victory, no question. But the triumphant spirit was marred by Joe Strummer's sudden death in December. The Clash had never reunited. They never cashed in. Instead, they let their music continue to speak truth to power, sending young fans to dictionaries and newspapers, prodding listeners to question authority at every level. The Clash not only changed the world, they did it without once compromising their integrity. Mick Jones took VH1 on a tour through the band's incredible career first trading stares with Joe Strummer in a welfare office, rejoicing in their first (bad) review, and bringing the white riot to America. VH1: How did you first meet Joe Strummer? Mick Jones: Paul Simonon and I had seen Joe play quite a few times, because Joe was in another band called the 101'ers. I had also seen him in the unemployment office with Paul, the week before we approached him to join the Clash. He was in one queue and we were in the queue opposite. We were sort of looking at him. He thought we were going to start trouble with him or something, but we weren't. We were looking in awe, because we had recently seen the 101'ers play! The first time we actually met him was after we asked him to join the group. Our manager Bernie Rhodes gave him 48 hours to decide. Joe said he took 24 hours to decide, phoned up and said, "Okay, I'm in." Then he came round to meet us at this squat we were all staying at in Shepherd's Bush. That was the first time I'd ever met him. VH1: So he didn't need much convincing to join the Clash? Jones: The timing was right. Punk was the new thing coming in, and Joe had the foresight to see that. The scene he was on pub rock wasn't really going anywhere. He saw the new scene coming up and thought, "That's the way." VH1: What was in the air in the time that led to the birth of the Clash? Jones: It was '76, so punk was just starting up. The young people could sense something was going on that was the opposite of their environment and the stuff that was going on in their lives. Punk was the antithesis of that. The Sex Pistols were an inspiration; there were a few other like-minded people who thought, "We're going to make a band." That's where we came in. VH1: What was your first gig like? Jones: Our first public show was up in Sheffield at the Black Swan, early in '76. We all drove all the way up there with our equipment in the back of this removal van, sitting higgledy-piggledy on top of the amplifiers and the drum kit. The gig was in the upstairs of this pub. Punk was just starting, so there were a few punks there. I remember the show was okay and we thought it was fine, but afterwards, in the Melody Maker, there was a letter that said, "We saw this group the Clash in Sheffield last week and they were rubbish!" We were really thrilled, because we'd just had our first mention in the music papers! VH1: What was the response to "White Riot" when it came out? Jones: It must have felt like a call to arms for people to do something for themselves, because "White Riot" was definitely different to most of the music that was on the radio. That whole first album made an impact because it sounded so different to what was going on. We also had a lot to say about the things that affected us but not necessarily world issues at that time. VH1: Were the Clash perceived as a menace to society? Jones: There was definitely a reaction against punk in general. The authorities didn't really understand what was going on. We went on the Sex Pistols Anarchy tour and nearly everywhere we went, the local council banned it because they'd been on the television swearing. Then we played at the Rainbow, which is a pretty big rock venue in North London, and they rioted. It was the first time that they ever had punk in the Rainbow. They had never seen anything like it. It definitely took a while for society to get their head around it. VH1: Can you tell me about the making of London Calling? Jones: Looking back on it, the second album Give Em Enough Rope was a transitional album. Then we came to make London Calling. We made it in London with Guy Stevens producing. He was like a catalyst or live psychic injection, egging you on and continually making you try and raise your game using different methods. It worked. We produced a lot of stuff and it ended up as a double album. We had a lot of different musical influences by that time. London Calling was showing that you don't have to paint yourself into your corner. Musically, you can go anywhere you want. VH1: What was a typical day in the studio like for you guys? Jones: One time we were in the studio, and it was a pleasant afternoon. I think we were recording something on Sandinista! Our friends Ian Dury & the Blockheads had just been on Top of the Pops dressed as policemen. Suddenly, about eight of them - all dressed as policemen - burst into the studio! We thought it was a bust! It gave us quite a shock! VH1: When did you first realize that people in the U.S. were waking up to the Clash's music? Jones: I guess with London Calling, but a lot of people were into it before that. When Joe and I first went to the U.S. in '78, we went to San Francisco first and there was already a blossoming punk scene there at the Mabuhay Gardens. Then I went to Los Angeles and stuff was starting there. Then we went to New York where we met the rest of the band, and we saw punk starting there as well. VH1: Did the Clash feel the need to spread and promote punk culture in the United States? Jones: I wouldn't say that. It sounds a bit po-faced. We weren't like that at all. It was good because we wanted to play wherever we could play! We were just out there having a really great time, playing in a great band that was about something. People knew what we were talking about and could relate to it. VH1: Combat Rock was the album where America really embraced you. What was it about it that led to it being such a success? Jones: Maybe because it was a single album instead of a triple or a double! [laughs.] VH1: "Rock the Casbah" became part of the whole pop culture canon. Jones: Sure. That's a song saying you can't ban rock 'n' roll. It was originally a reaction against the Ayatollah Khomeini's command to not play rock 'n' roll. We said, "You can't do that!" VH1: What was making the video like? Jones: We were in Texas at the time touring. So that's where the armadillo came from! We were in Austin, which is like armadillo world headquarters. It was so hot that I wouldn't come out of the pool! VH1: Why did you split when the band was at its high point? Jones: We were getting too tired at the end. When I look back on it, I think that's what happened. We stopped communicating a bit. We needed to chill out a bit and we never really got that time. We just went fast all the time! |
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