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The Clash on the Clash: Interviews and Encounters (14)
The Clash thought they could change the world. They never did, but they created some of the greatest rock music of all time in the attempt. Clash interviews were mesmerizing. Infused with the messianic punk spirit, the Clash engaged with the press like no rock group before or since, treating interviews almost as addresses to the nation. Their pronouncements were welcomed but were hardly uncritically reported. The Clash’s back pages are voluminous, crackle with controversy, and constitute a snapshot of a uniquely thoughtful and fractious period in modern history. Included in this compendium are the Clash’s encounters with the most brilliant rock writers of their time, including Lester Bangs, Nick Kent, Mikal Gilmore, Chris Salewicz, Charles Shaar Murray, Mick Farren, and Lenny Kaye. Whether interviewed by punk fanzines like Sniffin’ Glue and 48 Thrills, pious UK weeklies like New Musical Express, Melody Maker, Sounds, and Record Mirror, or US periodicals like Creem, Trouser Press, and Rolling Stone, the Clash consistently created copy that lived up to their sobriquet “The Only Band That Matters.”
- GenresMusicNonfictionHistory
384 pages, Hardcover
Published November 1, 2017
About the author
Sean Egan
72 books26 followersA freelance journalist, author and editor who writes about arts and entertainment (music, film, TV, comics and literature), social history (20th and 21st centuries) and sport (soccer and tennis history).
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 10, 2018
As far as I’m concerned there can never be enough books on the Clash. This new one, ably edited by Sean Egan, brings together a set of interviews with the members of the only band that matters over the years. Most of the material has obviously been published before, but only a die-hard fan would have access to everything here. Sean Egan also includes several interviews that had not available till now.
Everything is mostly in chronological order so we can see the band grow and mature over the years. There are some classics here, including the Lester Bangs article from the early days of the band as well as the many viewpoints of the breakup and failure to reform. Susan Whitall from Creem Magazine covers the Clash show and interview at the Motor City Roller Rink on 1980 that I attended and still consider to be the best concert that I had ever seen. The passion that Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon and Terry Chimes have for the band shows up clearly in many of these interviews as does a sense of regret that the band could not find a way to stay together.
There’s probably not much new here that Clash fans don’t already know, but it helps bring a lot of things into focus. Terry Chimes tells us why he left the band and Mick Jones cannot get himself to say that he was fired by the band he started. Joe Strummer regrets the firings of Topper Headon and Mick Jones, but remains so loyal to Bernie Rhodes that he refuses an invitation from Mick Jones to reform the Clash unless Bernie Rhodes is the manager. We all know how the story ends but are grateful for everything that Clash did for us.
The books is very-well put together; Sean Egan does an exceptional job is introducing and framing each interview in the context of where and when it occurred. He even points out the mistakes, exaggerations and even “fake news” that comes out in some of these articles. It’s a welcome addition to the Clash canon and serves a reminder of how great this band was and how well their music still holds up.
Everything is mostly in chronological order so we can see the band grow and mature over the years. There are some classics here, including the Lester Bangs article from the early days of the band as well as the many viewpoints of the breakup and failure to reform. Susan Whitall from Creem Magazine covers the Clash show and interview at the Motor City Roller Rink on 1980 that I attended and still consider to be the best concert that I had ever seen. The passion that Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon and Terry Chimes have for the band shows up clearly in many of these interviews as does a sense of regret that the band could not find a way to stay together.
There’s probably not much new here that Clash fans don’t already know, but it helps bring a lot of things into focus. Terry Chimes tells us why he left the band and Mick Jones cannot get himself to say that he was fired by the band he started. Joe Strummer regrets the firings of Topper Headon and Mick Jones, but remains so loyal to Bernie Rhodes that he refuses an invitation from Mick Jones to reform the Clash unless Bernie Rhodes is the manager. We all know how the story ends but are grateful for everything that Clash did for us.
The books is very-well put together; Sean Egan does an exceptional job is introducing and framing each interview in the context of where and when it occurred. He even points out the mistakes, exaggerations and even “fake news” that comes out in some of these articles. It’s a welcome addition to the Clash canon and serves a reminder of how great this band was and how well their music still holds up.
January 3, 2022
It’s an interesting concept for a book, contemporaneous interviews will always have weaknesses, but they’re of a moment, and can’t be airbrushed by history.
That said, there’s a lot of repetition in here, and you have to really sift for nuggets.
Because of the style, some pieces work better than others, and draw you in more easily.
Overall it’s an interesting perspective on the band, their arc of creativity and ultimate demise. I found myself wanting more detail on the creative moments, and there wasn’t enough of that.
That said, there’s a lot of repetition in here, and you have to really sift for nuggets.
Because of the style, some pieces work better than others, and draw you in more easily.
Overall it’s an interesting perspective on the band, their arc of creativity and ultimate demise. I found myself wanting more detail on the creative moments, and there wasn’t enough of that.
January 25, 2018
This is an excellent collection of interviews that are enhanced by editor Sean Egan's commentary at the beginning of each interview, which were mostly originally published in the English music press.
Included is the great 3 part piece by Lester Bangs, which was the only piece I had previously read. This piece was collected in Bangs' "Psychotic Reactions and Carburator Dung."
The interviews expanded my already great appreciation for The Clash, and caused me to go back and listen to their second album "Give 'em Enough Rope." I guess I shouldn't be surprised to learn of Joe Strummer's great appreciation for Woody Guthrie, and I was reminded of The Clash' very admirable and truly punk attitude towards their fans.
The interview focus mostly on Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, but include all the members including Keith Levene and Terry Chimes. I would have liked an interview with Clash manager Bernie Rhodes.
Clash music is always nearby, and I found myself last weekend at two different demonstrations singing in my head:
Kick over walls/Cause governments to fall.
The Clash are still relevant!
Included is the great 3 part piece by Lester Bangs, which was the only piece I had previously read. This piece was collected in Bangs' "Psychotic Reactions and Carburator Dung."
The interviews expanded my already great appreciation for The Clash, and caused me to go back and listen to their second album "Give 'em Enough Rope." I guess I shouldn't be surprised to learn of Joe Strummer's great appreciation for Woody Guthrie, and I was reminded of The Clash' very admirable and truly punk attitude towards their fans.
The interview focus mostly on Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, but include all the members including Keith Levene and Terry Chimes. I would have liked an interview with Clash manager Bernie Rhodes.
Clash music is always nearby, and I found myself last weekend at two different demonstrations singing in my head:
Kick over walls/Cause governments to fall.
The Clash are still relevant!
January 14, 2018
Very nice selection of interview pieces from days gone by, including some previously unpublished interviews with Terry Chimes and Joe Strummer. Enjoyed the introductory blurbs by editor Sean Egan, placing some of the interviews within an appropriate temporal context. Maybe for the Superfan only, but, then, that's me.
Still the only band that matters.
Still the only band that matters.
July 25, 2018
Essential reading for any Clash fan.
July 12, 2019
very nice normally interview compilations bore me to death but i liked this one a lot especially one of the first few where the writer compares paul simonon to a muppet
November 2, 2022
Entertaining account of the on-the-road road lives (and loves) of "the only band that mattered."
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews