home Mojo - October 1999
(απόσπασμα)
...Twenty-two years
later, The Clash remains the definitive punk statement: fast, urban, adrenalised,
an expression of frustration and anger driven along
with simple Ramones-like bass lines and souped-up Johnny Thunders guitar licks.
One classic follows another: Janie Jones, I'm So Bored With The USA, Garageland,
Career opportunities, London's Burning. "The only difficult decision was
whether to include Police And Thieves," reveals Humphrey. Luckily they
did. "Everybody at the record company was
shocked when the album went straight in the charts. They hadn't realised the
extent of what was happening."
The Clash's first nationwide jaunt, the White Riot tour, witnessed enthusiastic
and often violent scenes across the country; at London's Rainbow Theatre several
rows of seats were trashed, much to the fascination of Simonon's father who
turned up to check out what 'his son was up to these days. Terry Chimes missed
the fun -having already quit before the Anarchy tour and been drafted back in
to do the album as a favour, he'd left for good in March. Joe, Paul and Mick
cited political differences, and exacted their revenge by crediting him on the
album as Tory Crimes. "He wanted to buy a Lamborghini," says Paul;
Terry contends he "found the constant hardening up unnecessary and wearing".
Terry's replacement was the son of a grammar school headmaster from Dover, Nicky
Headon, a ball of pent-up energy who'd learned his chops on the 'chicken-in-a-basket'
circuit, playing back-up for visiting US soul acts. 'Topper' - as Paul renamed
him, because he, thought he looked like a character out of a kid's comic - was
by all accounts "a terrific drummer" and "really good to have
around". His arrival transformed The Clash. "The rules of rock'n'roll
say you're only as good as your drummer," asserts Strummer. "We became
an interesting musical unit after he joined, because funk, soul and reggae didn't
faze him. Finding someone who not only had the chops but the strength and stamina
to do it was a breakthrough. If we hadn't found Topper, I don't think we'd have
got anywhere."
The first Clash product to feature Topper was Complete Control, a song inspired
by one of Bernie's managerial mantras: "I want complete control! "
Reggae magus Lee 'Scratch'Perry was drafted in as producer: "big thrill
for us," says Strummer, "a dream come true. " Perry told Bob
Marley about these four white boys who carried the baton for reggae, and funky
Reggae Party was born...
..."Guy was
great, he made me feel really at ease," enthuses Paul. "We were doing
Death Or Glory and he just lost it. He ran into the room, picking chairs up
and throwing them against the wall. Another time, we looked into the control
booth and there was Guy wrestling with [engineer] Bill Price over the mixing
desk. He liked to get a mood going."
Mick: "He'd come into the studio while we were playing, pick up a ladder
and start swinging it around. Joe would be banging on the piano and Guy would
be going, 'Play like Jerry Lee Lewis, play like Jerry Lee Lewis! ', spitting
in Joe' s ear. One day he. came in and poured beer in the piano. He said it
would improve the sound; which I think it did."
On one occasion, Guy turned up with a mysterious companion whom he plied with
beer all day. At the end of the session the man left, demanding £67 because
he'd left his meter running: he was a taxi driver. "It was the opposite
of Give 'Em Enough Rope, it was all about energy levels," says Johnny Green.
"But after a while Guy became a liability; nobody said it, but it was true.
That's not to denigrate his contribution to that record -he set the inspiration
up -but Guy would do what drunks have to do every night: nod off and pass out.
Eventually; we'd ring him up and say we weren't working over the next few days
so they could concentrate on overdubs. But it was Guy's record -and Mick's;
Mick showed real humility not taking the credit. "
Buoyed by the stellar cuts of punk, soul, rock'n'roll and reggae already in
the can, The Clash headed out on the legendary second us tour with which they
stormed America, an epic 42 -date trek whose sup- port acts -Sam And Dave, Bo
Diddley, Screamin' Jay Hawkins -were chosen as a reminder to 'white rock audiences
of their black musical heritage. "I've never seen anyone go down as badly
as Screamin' Jay Hawkins when he was carried on-stage in his coffin," remembers
Johnny Green with a shake of the head. "The audiences gave them...