A Riot of Our Own

by Johnny Green, Johnny Green

'Hugely enjoyable ... Green's great achievement is to recapture exactly how those moments felt, but remain sufficiently detached about the whole thing to render the experience honestly' MOJO


Johnny Green first met the Clash in 1977. A RIOT OF OUR OWN is his tale of three delirious years of rock 'n' roll madness as confidant and road manager of the Clash, from the early punk days to LONDON CALLING and touring America. Ray Lowry accompanied the band as official 'war artist' on the second American tour and designed the London Calling album cover. Together, in words and pictures, Green and Lowry give the definitive, inside story on one of the most magnificent rock 'n' roll bands ever.

304 pages, Paperback

Published May 2, 2019

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this in 97 and remember it as being the best book about the Clash I had come across. Having just finished the updated version with a look at events since it was first published, it has become poignant with the death of Joe Strummer in the time gone by. If you like reading about the Clash then you need to read this, as it is still the best Clash book ever written.

Ray Smillie

[Alison Parkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me of ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ in its pace, the road trips and interesting illustrations by Ray Lowry which captured the scene, the mood and the attitude of the ‘characters.’
The anecdotes tell a story and give a great sense of the atmosphere, the energy and the chaos.
There’s also honest and clear descriptions of the people who were The Clash and how they were as people, and how they treated their fans. They started off like brothers who wound each other up, needed looking after by narrator Johnny Green, who reaped some benefits (drugs, drink, women) but put up with egos and demands.
Together the members of The Clash had magic, intuition, musical skill, and important ideas and messages to communicate. I can’t say I believe every word, but never let that get in the way of a good story, glad I read this rather than a factual biography with less humanity!