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Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash
The only internationally successful, million-selling group to emerge from the late seventies London punk scene, the Clash set out to change the world with a potent mix of politics, iconic imagery, and blazing rock ‘n� roll. It was an agenda mirrored in the Clash’s music, which swiftly evolved from ferocious punk rock to incorporate reggae, ska, funk, jazz, soul, and hip-hop. Passion Is a Fashion draws on over 70 interviews with the key participants in the story—roadies, producers, friends, and fans—and conversations with the Clash: Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and Topper Headon. The first book to give real insight into what went on behind the scenes during the Clash’s ten-year career, it charts the Clash’s picaresque progress through the days of the early punk scene and their groundbreaking Rock Against Racism gigs, to the arduous touring, to their break out in America, and the making of the classic London Calling album, all the way to the band’s eventual dissolution and the sudden, sad death of frontman Joe Strummer. Gritty, compelling, and above all authoritative, Passion Is a Fashion is the biography the Clash has long deserved.
404 pages, Paperback
First published October 21, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
January 23, 2008
This book just solidifies that The Clash is still "the only band that matters." I read this in about week, I could not put it down. It goes into each band members life before the band and life in the band. I can't say enough about how great this book is. I love it.
May 17, 2015
Go way back with these guys. I remember still being on my learner's permit when Sandinista! came out, so I had to throw my oblivious mother in the car for the drive to the record store. I even saw them live—only a couple gigs before they fired Mick Jones, so just under the wire. But it's been ages since I've listened to them. Something about the Clash—their rousing, communist-cell single-mindedness, their asexuality, I don't know what—put me off once I left my teens. Reading Pat Gilbert's (very good) biography coincides with my first real immersion in this band in ages, and I think I'm finally ready to come back into the fold, because these guys are unbelievable.
Great bands feel the need to deepen their roots at some point. As punks, the Clash couldn't go the usual route of the blues or folk—that's for hippies, for christ sake—so they turned to reggae, which led them to dub, and turned to funk, which led them to early rap; by the end, their sound was a harbinger of later hip-hop production. (Gilbert reminds us that Grandmaster Flash was an opening act, and reveals that the young Beastie Boys were fans.) Sandinista! and some of the weirder things on Combat Rock, which were a stretch at the time, make a lot more sense once you've heard Paul's Boutique or a little Odd Future. Of course, they were primarily rock and rollers, and listening to them again now, I hear fluency and character in their record-making—let's say genius—that's as good as the Stones were at their peak.
Gilbert makes it clear that likable prima-donna Jones was the biggest talent, but his heart is clearly with Joe Strummer, whom he got drunk with and whom people loved the way some soldiers love their platoon leader. Spend a half hour so with some of the video clips from the band's 1981 stand at Bond's Casino in New York and you may love him, too.
Great bands feel the need to deepen their roots at some point. As punks, the Clash couldn't go the usual route of the blues or folk—that's for hippies, for christ sake—so they turned to reggae, which led them to dub, and turned to funk, which led them to early rap; by the end, their sound was a harbinger of later hip-hop production. (Gilbert reminds us that Grandmaster Flash was an opening act, and reveals that the young Beastie Boys were fans.) Sandinista! and some of the weirder things on Combat Rock, which were a stretch at the time, make a lot more sense once you've heard Paul's Boutique or a little Odd Future. Of course, they were primarily rock and rollers, and listening to them again now, I hear fluency and character in their record-making—let's say genius—that's as good as the Stones were at their peak.
Gilbert makes it clear that likable prima-donna Jones was the biggest talent, but his heart is clearly with Joe Strummer, whom he got drunk with and whom people loved the way some soldiers love their platoon leader. Spend a half hour so with some of the video clips from the band's 1981 stand at Bond's Casino in New York and you may love him, too.
July 10, 2017
Passion is a Fashion is a lengthy, involved, yet essentially engaging biography of The Clash as written by music journalist Pat Gilbert. Strung together from a variety of sources including his own in-depth interviews with the players, Gilbert puts together a detailed story of a band that was both similar to and very different from others. In other words, this is both a predictable tale of rock and roll excess and one wherein the band largely eschews the clichés and tries to accomplish the huge task of pushing their own creative envelope. To this end, the legacy of The Clash is rooted deeper in the integrity and spirit of punk than in the limited confines of the rock music genre. Exploring a variety of styles from punk to reggae, ska, jazz, rockabilly, pop, dub, rap, and hip-hop, The Clash followed their muse instead of the money, and that sums up the punk ethos quite perfectly.
Through it all, Joe Strummer remains the gregarious punk-poet everyman who seems nearest and dearest to the author’s heart, while Mick Jones is acknowledged as a guarded, distant, albeit gifted musical genius, prone to moody prima donna behavior. I doubt either stereotype is totally accurate, but Gilbert seems content to draw from them for the purposes of telling the story. The rest of the band is painted a bit more loosely; bassist Paul Simonon a musical naïf to start who comes into his own as the resident reggae-ska expert, and the two drummers, Terry Chimes who began and ended the band’s history, and the immensely talented yet weak-willed Topper Headon, who was behind the kit for the majority of The Clash’s history before his addictions got him booted out.
The first few chapters are a bit dry (I started it months ago and then put it down before returning to finish the bulk of it inside of a week) as Gilbert flushes out the backstories, but once the band comes together along with the burgeoning punk scene in the UK, the tale rolls along with compelling narrative. Told from a host of perspectives, not only the band members, but the myriad folks who made up the support network, Passion is a Fashion is a relatively breezy and informative read, and one of the better rock and roll bios. There are far too few photos, but also a very comprehensive discography, to boot. Fine summer reading.
Through it all, Joe Strummer remains the gregarious punk-poet everyman who seems nearest and dearest to the author’s heart, while Mick Jones is acknowledged as a guarded, distant, albeit gifted musical genius, prone to moody prima donna behavior. I doubt either stereotype is totally accurate, but Gilbert seems content to draw from them for the purposes of telling the story. The rest of the band is painted a bit more loosely; bassist Paul Simonon a musical naïf to start who comes into his own as the resident reggae-ska expert, and the two drummers, Terry Chimes who began and ended the band’s history, and the immensely talented yet weak-willed Topper Headon, who was behind the kit for the majority of The Clash’s history before his addictions got him booted out.
The first few chapters are a bit dry (I started it months ago and then put it down before returning to finish the bulk of it inside of a week) as Gilbert flushes out the backstories, but once the band comes together along with the burgeoning punk scene in the UK, the tale rolls along with compelling narrative. Told from a host of perspectives, not only the band members, but the myriad folks who made up the support network, Passion is a Fashion is a relatively breezy and informative read, and one of the better rock and roll bios. There are far too few photos, but also a very comprehensive discography, to boot. Fine summer reading.
December 23, 2016
I may have fallen a tiny little bit in love with The Clash.
December 9, 2019
On first listen, I thought The Clash’s “London Calling� was one of the best albums I’d ever heard. Very shortly, it became, unquestionably, the best. It still is, and I’m old enough (and musicians “go for it� so little these days) that I have no doubt it will be my favorite album for the rest of my life.
The band’s other four albums (pretending, like everyone else, that the post-Mick Jones and Topper Headon album never existed) all are very good but imperfect. Pat Gilbert’s biography of the band, “Passion is a Fashion� (star rating rounded up) is a bit like some of those albums � flawed, it doesn't all work, but the whole is better than the sum of its parts.
It’s obvious, perhaps, that biographies should make us feel like we know these people, and that’s Gilbert’s greatest triumph, I think. It’s a skill to ask the right questions and allow those who were in the band’s orbit to enlighten us on just who these men were. Gilbert gets the vast majority of The Clash camp on board, including the band members, of course, and he talked to Joe Strummer just before his death in 2002. There are funny, strange, moving, disturbing stories throughout. What emerges is that The Clash was earnestly trying to make a difference, even while signing to the biggest music label in the world and becoming stars; there may not have been a rock band on earth that cared as much about its fans. The band members could be horrible to themselves and those who worked for them, and there’s some “rock star� behavior here (loved the Mick Jones quote on when the guitarist was ready to make underlings search high and low for what he wanted on the road: “I don’t want a case of scotch, I want a fucking banana!�; also, Paul Simonon, in the very unfortunate but fortunately brief remade Clash after Jones� sacking, forcing new hired-gun guitarist Greg White to change his first name to Vince because Paul refused to play in a band with someone called Greg!).
Gilbert is clearly a fan but is critical too, though perhaps the biggest complaint with “Passion is a Fashion� is one I’d lodge with the group as well: It didn’t last long enough. The book is 372 pages of main text, but I think Gilbert missed a chance to really dig deep and make this more epic. Gilbert has written for music magazines, including the sublime Mojo, and the book does read like an extended music magazine feature, albeit an excellent one.
I was a little worried that, though Strummer and Jones were the band’s fulcrum, Gilbert might focus too much on Strummer because of his death shortly before the book was finished. But strangely, there seem too few quotes from Joe.
As Clash biographies go, I’m confident this is the one to read. It might be a bit unfair of me, since I’ve never actually read it as such, but a very lengthy perusal of Marcus Gray’s “Last Gang in Town� reeks of a writer too obsessed with exploding what he perceives as Clash myths, and he seemed not to give the band credit for anything outside of the debut album and “London Calling.� Gray got the better title (could have done better than "Passion is a Fashion," surely), Gilbert wrote the better book, I feel sure.
There’s some sloppiness in editing that’s unfortunate. Gilbert refers to “Combat Rock� closing track “Death is a Star� as “Death AS a Star� (really?), calls the legendary Screamin� Jay Hawkins song “You Put a Spell on Me,� not “I Put a Spell on You,� and apparently thinks Minneapolis is an American state.
Gilbert’s very good at getting the band’s inner circle and the boys themselves to tell this story, and his writing is solid and well-organized, but I sometimes wish he had cast a deeper net, trolling for more source material outside the band’s orbit. As for extras, there are too few photos but there is a helpful discography (British and American).
Clash lovers and rock lovers who want to see how a righteous, revolutionary minded (as much revolution as you can sow from inside a rock band; they wanted to be stars) operated should enjoy “Passion is a Fashion.� Like the band itself, it's never boring.
The band’s other four albums (pretending, like everyone else, that the post-Mick Jones and Topper Headon album never existed) all are very good but imperfect. Pat Gilbert’s biography of the band, “Passion is a Fashion� (star rating rounded up) is a bit like some of those albums � flawed, it doesn't all work, but the whole is better than the sum of its parts.
It’s obvious, perhaps, that biographies should make us feel like we know these people, and that’s Gilbert’s greatest triumph, I think. It’s a skill to ask the right questions and allow those who were in the band’s orbit to enlighten us on just who these men were. Gilbert gets the vast majority of The Clash camp on board, including the band members, of course, and he talked to Joe Strummer just before his death in 2002. There are funny, strange, moving, disturbing stories throughout. What emerges is that The Clash was earnestly trying to make a difference, even while signing to the biggest music label in the world and becoming stars; there may not have been a rock band on earth that cared as much about its fans. The band members could be horrible to themselves and those who worked for them, and there’s some “rock star� behavior here (loved the Mick Jones quote on when the guitarist was ready to make underlings search high and low for what he wanted on the road: “I don’t want a case of scotch, I want a fucking banana!�; also, Paul Simonon, in the very unfortunate but fortunately brief remade Clash after Jones� sacking, forcing new hired-gun guitarist Greg White to change his first name to Vince because Paul refused to play in a band with someone called Greg!).
Gilbert is clearly a fan but is critical too, though perhaps the biggest complaint with “Passion is a Fashion� is one I’d lodge with the group as well: It didn’t last long enough. The book is 372 pages of main text, but I think Gilbert missed a chance to really dig deep and make this more epic. Gilbert has written for music magazines, including the sublime Mojo, and the book does read like an extended music magazine feature, albeit an excellent one.
I was a little worried that, though Strummer and Jones were the band’s fulcrum, Gilbert might focus too much on Strummer because of his death shortly before the book was finished. But strangely, there seem too few quotes from Joe.
As Clash biographies go, I’m confident this is the one to read. It might be a bit unfair of me, since I’ve never actually read it as such, but a very lengthy perusal of Marcus Gray’s “Last Gang in Town� reeks of a writer too obsessed with exploding what he perceives as Clash myths, and he seemed not to give the band credit for anything outside of the debut album and “London Calling.� Gray got the better title (could have done better than "Passion is a Fashion," surely), Gilbert wrote the better book, I feel sure.
There’s some sloppiness in editing that’s unfortunate. Gilbert refers to “Combat Rock� closing track “Death is a Star� as “Death AS a Star� (really?), calls the legendary Screamin� Jay Hawkins song “You Put a Spell on Me,� not “I Put a Spell on You,� and apparently thinks Minneapolis is an American state.
Gilbert’s very good at getting the band’s inner circle and the boys themselves to tell this story, and his writing is solid and well-organized, but I sometimes wish he had cast a deeper net, trolling for more source material outside the band’s orbit. As for extras, there are too few photos but there is a helpful discography (British and American).
Clash lovers and rock lovers who want to see how a righteous, revolutionary minded (as much revolution as you can sow from inside a rock band; they wanted to be stars) operated should enjoy “Passion is a Fashion.� Like the band itself, it's never boring.
May 6, 2007
a cool bunch of guys who were real nice to people and real dicks to each other.
October 2, 2018
Fine bio of the great band. Gilbert got on the case before Joe Strummer died, so there's plenty of material of here from all the key players, and they're all given pretty equal time, which means we hear from Paul Simonon (who was recruited for the group before he learned how to play bass, but invaluably contributed his store of reggae knowledge) and Topper Headon (the excellent drummer whose musicality was evident at moments like his co-write of "Rock the Casbah") as well as Strummer and Mick Jones. The band comes off not as perfect but very favorably -- a group that really tried to live up to its punk ideals (including in its egalitarian attitude toward fans) even as it pushed the music ahead into decidedly non-"punk" territory. Worth reading just for the great section on the making of the "London Calling" LP and the band's relationship with lunatic-genius producer Guy Stevens. The group's sad denouement gets its due (brightened somewhat by the recitation of Strummer and Simonon's little-remembered but inspiring busking tour of England!) but Gilbert makes it clear it can't really tarnish this great group's legacy.
April 3, 2022
got some complex feelings about this one. This is basically my first in depth look into the clash (I also watched that documentary, but.) and at times I felt it was…pretty dense and at times lacking in overall feeling (a little? flat?). I did however really enjoy certain parts of it (especially reading about london calling) & I’m fond of the clash so I’m glad I read it. The epilogue also made me cry :( Joe Strummer I love you.
October 30, 2017
The absolute best book about the Clash I have ever read.It's almost 500 pages, small ass print and informative as fuck.Great writing, very British.Fucking love The Clash.
May 13, 2024
My dad leant me a book about his favourite band - thoroughly researched, entertaining tales... unexpectedly sad.
A playlist for the insane amount of musical references would have been great...
A playlist for the insane amount of musical references would have been great...
January 9, 2011
È in sala Il futuro non è scritto il film documentario di Julien Temple su Joe Strummer, frontman dei Clash e icona indiscussa del combat rock, passato a miglior vita nel 2002. Per accompagnare la visione della pellicola si potrebbe approfondire l’intera storia del gruppo che, in meno di dieci anni di vita, ha cambiato per sempre il volto del rock. Death or glory (Arcana, pp. 504. euro 17,50) è la puntualissima biografia della band a firma Pat Gilbert, redattore storico di Mojo, del Guardian e del Times.
Death or Glory è molto più di una semplice cronaca degli eventi o di una raccolta di aneddoti e interviste, è una vera indagine agiografica di dimensioni monumentali, dal piglio comunque divertito e divertente che analizza e racconta il fenomeno Clash. L’unico gruppo punk al mondo in grado di carpire l’essenza stessa del punk e di rompere gli schemi musicali della tradizione precedente.
Il 2007 è stato l��anno dei festeggiamenti. Si è celebrata la nascita del genere, attribuendo il primato, ora ai Sex Pistols ora ai Damned. Ma le radici di tutto il movimento punk 77 britannico vanno scovate nell’oscura formazione dei London SS, al basso Paul Simonon e alla chitarra Mick Jones.
Dall’incontro, o meglio dallo scontro del proletario Jones, dell’artista Simonon e del upper class boy, già voce dei 101’ers, Joe Mellor, in arte Strummer (strimpellatore) nacquero quasi per caso in quel di Portobello i Clash. Il resto è praticamente leggenda. Una leggenda ricostruita alla perfezione da Gilbert che riesce a dare al lettore anche la misura dell’epoca in cui i Clash sono nati e cresciuti: la Londra thatcheriana.
Il libro, partendo dalle vicende del gruppo, attraverso le canzoni, mette in scena, oltre ai problemi dell’Inghilterra conservatrice, una serie di questioni globali ancora di estrema attualità , che vanno dalla disoccupazione al terrorismo, dalla minaccia nucleare alla politica egemonica USA, dal terzo mondo al consumismo: la visione clashiana del punk, quella che ha fatto coniare agli addetti ai lavori il termine combat rock. Il Punk era troppo stretto per Strummer e soci, per la loro poetica e per la loro etica; troppo fine a sé stesso, troppo reazionario e troppo impegnato a impomatarsi la cresta.
I Clash, “l’unico gruppo che conti qualcosa� secondo il guru della critica Lester Bangs, sono passati dall’urgenza dell’omonimo esordio alle ardite sperimentazioni di Sandinista! esplorando territori off limts come l’elettronica, il dub, le musiche caraibiche e addirittura il valzer, sovvertendo canoni e regole di un genere tanto allergico ai decaloghi da diventare prigioniero del suo stesso anarchismo, e utilizzandolo come veicolo di una presa di coscienza sociale.
Death or glory è la storia della gloria e della morte dei Clash ma anche della gloria e della morte del rock, che forse un giorno, chissà , resusciterà grazie a dei nuovi Clash. In fin dei conti, come è riportato in calce sul retro di copertina dell’ultimo disco della band, “Il futuro non è scritto�.
Death or Glory è molto più di una semplice cronaca degli eventi o di una raccolta di aneddoti e interviste, è una vera indagine agiografica di dimensioni monumentali, dal piglio comunque divertito e divertente che analizza e racconta il fenomeno Clash. L’unico gruppo punk al mondo in grado di carpire l’essenza stessa del punk e di rompere gli schemi musicali della tradizione precedente.
Il 2007 è stato l��anno dei festeggiamenti. Si è celebrata la nascita del genere, attribuendo il primato, ora ai Sex Pistols ora ai Damned. Ma le radici di tutto il movimento punk 77 britannico vanno scovate nell’oscura formazione dei London SS, al basso Paul Simonon e alla chitarra Mick Jones.
Dall’incontro, o meglio dallo scontro del proletario Jones, dell’artista Simonon e del upper class boy, già voce dei 101’ers, Joe Mellor, in arte Strummer (strimpellatore) nacquero quasi per caso in quel di Portobello i Clash. Il resto è praticamente leggenda. Una leggenda ricostruita alla perfezione da Gilbert che riesce a dare al lettore anche la misura dell’epoca in cui i Clash sono nati e cresciuti: la Londra thatcheriana.
Il libro, partendo dalle vicende del gruppo, attraverso le canzoni, mette in scena, oltre ai problemi dell’Inghilterra conservatrice, una serie di questioni globali ancora di estrema attualità , che vanno dalla disoccupazione al terrorismo, dalla minaccia nucleare alla politica egemonica USA, dal terzo mondo al consumismo: la visione clashiana del punk, quella che ha fatto coniare agli addetti ai lavori il termine combat rock. Il Punk era troppo stretto per Strummer e soci, per la loro poetica e per la loro etica; troppo fine a sé stesso, troppo reazionario e troppo impegnato a impomatarsi la cresta.
I Clash, “l’unico gruppo che conti qualcosa� secondo il guru della critica Lester Bangs, sono passati dall’urgenza dell’omonimo esordio alle ardite sperimentazioni di Sandinista! esplorando territori off limts come l’elettronica, il dub, le musiche caraibiche e addirittura il valzer, sovvertendo canoni e regole di un genere tanto allergico ai decaloghi da diventare prigioniero del suo stesso anarchismo, e utilizzandolo come veicolo di una presa di coscienza sociale.
Death or glory è la storia della gloria e della morte dei Clash ma anche della gloria e della morte del rock, che forse un giorno, chissà , resusciterà grazie a dei nuovi Clash. In fin dei conti, come è riportato in calce sul retro di copertina dell’ultimo disco della band, “Il futuro non è scritto�.
June 24, 2011
I love the Clash. I do. I love everything about them. So why did it take me this long to read this book? It's dense. Jam-packed. Every paragraph has at least two different anecdotes. This isn't a bad thing. Not at all. Actually, it's a good thing, because you really get to know their band personalities and how they interact. It's light on the personal info (which is fine, that's all been covered in other sources mentioned in the last chapter), but heavy on band inspirations, interactions and important performances. I liked this book a lot. Just give yourself time to take it slow and drink it in.
February 2, 2016
Oh my goodness. This was an exhaustive history of the band and I loved learning about them, but fuuuuuck, the writing was so dryyyy. I usually read so fast, but this took me almost two months because it was so difficult to get into. But the content of it is great!
November 9, 2017
Not much of a review for now, but when I read the part about Joe Strummer crashing at Rick Rubin's house while Johnny Cash was recording his American sessions and giving the impression that Joe was hanging around Cash like a wide-eyed little schoolboy, my heart warmed like a roasting fire.
April 3, 2007
Great bio on the Only Band that Mattered.
November 5, 2022
Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simmion and Topper are The Clash: one of the earliest punk rock bands from the 1970's. Inspired by New York Dolls, and rivals to the Sex Pistols, The Clash would eventually develop and outshine all of their early inspirations. This band survived the early chaos of the punk scene and developed into an international success. This book is about their rise, their success and eventually their fall.
There are a few characters that I orbit around the Clash that I feel should be mentioned: Bernie Rhodes (Manager), Roadant (Roadie), Pauline (long time supporter and short time manager). I feel I should mention these people because this is not about "The Clash." It's about all the elements the came together to create The Clash. It talks about the race riots in London, and the underground fights betweens the Teds, the Mods and the Punks. It talks about strict management forged the trio (Joe, Mick and Paul) together, and how each contribute to their success in their own way. It was about the challenges that they faced, on the road, at home and between band members. Pat Gilert doesn't just shine on the people, but tries to underline the environment those people were trying to achieve success in.
This is a great book. It's depth of world, and the Clash's own meager early success made the initial readings a little rough to get into, but that depth paid off. It's consistent reading of character allowed me to feel I understood the key players, and what they were trying to accomplish.
I can't imagine a more through and clear rendition of this story. Every character was given a chance to show development and purpose. The challenges of the band where outlined, and the steps to achieve those goals were highlighted. Each key point in the lives of these characters was given the context that un-anchors this book from the 1970's. There will be alot of books about alot of bands, but this one should be a classic.
There are few bad things about this book. It's really professionally done. It doesn't feel like a fan piece or an art project. It feels like a historian is trying to show you what the Clash were up against. Pat went out to right the best book on The Clash and I can't help but think he was successful.
There are a few characters that I orbit around the Clash that I feel should be mentioned: Bernie Rhodes (Manager), Roadant (Roadie), Pauline (long time supporter and short time manager). I feel I should mention these people because this is not about "The Clash." It's about all the elements the came together to create The Clash. It talks about the race riots in London, and the underground fights betweens the Teds, the Mods and the Punks. It talks about strict management forged the trio (Joe, Mick and Paul) together, and how each contribute to their success in their own way. It was about the challenges that they faced, on the road, at home and between band members. Pat Gilert doesn't just shine on the people, but tries to underline the environment those people were trying to achieve success in.
This is a great book. It's depth of world, and the Clash's own meager early success made the initial readings a little rough to get into, but that depth paid off. It's consistent reading of character allowed me to feel I understood the key players, and what they were trying to accomplish.
I can't imagine a more through and clear rendition of this story. Every character was given a chance to show development and purpose. The challenges of the band where outlined, and the steps to achieve those goals were highlighted. Each key point in the lives of these characters was given the context that un-anchors this book from the 1970's. There will be alot of books about alot of bands, but this one should be a classic.
There are few bad things about this book. It's really professionally done. It doesn't feel like a fan piece or an art project. It feels like a historian is trying to show you what the Clash were up against. Pat went out to right the best book on The Clash and I can't help but think he was successful.
August 2, 2019
we are finally done... i had to return this a while ago and then check it out again which is why it took so long but it was worth it! very VERY good i think i said this about the last clash book i read but it's a good mix of the basic useful information and interesting tidbity stuff. said stuff includes:
- mick jones getting paul simonon in his band based on the strength of his looks alone even though he couldn't play any instruments
- the clash were pretty poor in the beginning and one night after they put up all these posters paul was so hungry that he heated up the flour and water paste they were using to stick the posters up and ate it
- paul refusing to go to business meetings unless they got him a rabbit suit to wear
- kosmo vinyl talking about like how, paraphrased, "when the going got tough we always had this saying: it could be worse, we could be the jam"
- topper writing "rock the casbah" and the original lyrics were about how much he missed his girlfriend and when he showed them to joe joe said "how incredibly interesting!" and he crumpled up the paper and threw it backwards over his head
- when joe & paul were looking for replacement musicians they got this guy named greg white and he had to change his name to vince in order to join the band because paul refused to play with someone named greg
- mick jones getting paul simonon in his band based on the strength of his looks alone even though he couldn't play any instruments
- the clash were pretty poor in the beginning and one night after they put up all these posters paul was so hungry that he heated up the flour and water paste they were using to stick the posters up and ate it
- paul refusing to go to business meetings unless they got him a rabbit suit to wear
- kosmo vinyl talking about like how, paraphrased, "when the going got tough we always had this saying: it could be worse, we could be the jam"
- topper writing "rock the casbah" and the original lyrics were about how much he missed his girlfriend and when he showed them to joe joe said "how incredibly interesting!" and he crumpled up the paper and threw it backwards over his head
- when joe & paul were looking for replacement musicians they got this guy named greg white and he had to change his name to vince in order to join the band because paul refused to play with someone named greg
August 29, 2021
I always think the measure of a decent music biography is if during it you want the artist's music to act as the soundtrack of your life during or after it for a short while.
Such is the case of this in book I know find myself delving into the Clash and post Clash works of the subjects and also considering maybe ordering the 'likely correctly' maligned cut the crap...surely it can't be that awful?😂
Anyhow this was a good delve into the world of the Clash and was far more comprehensive than other books I have read which have usually touched on the band or post punk activities.
Anyhow must dash I have a date with Sandinista now...
Such is the case of this in book I know find myself delving into the Clash and post Clash works of the subjects and also considering maybe ordering the 'likely correctly' maligned cut the crap...surely it can't be that awful?😂
Anyhow this was a good delve into the world of the Clash and was far more comprehensive than other books I have read which have usually touched on the band or post punk activities.
Anyhow must dash I have a date with Sandinista now...
July 16, 2018
Loved it! Could not wait to read a few chapters everyday. It's written for Clash fans and has so far been the most informative of all the books on them have read. We still get no real insight into their personal lives however, they certainly kept that side of things a closely guarded secret. This is information from the bands inner circle, the people who knew them best in The Clash years so you get a really good story and genuine look at the dynamics within the band and between the guys and their manager, Bernie Rhodes. Great writing from Pat Gilbert. Highly recommended.
March 18, 2024
I'm a big fan of the Clash's music, but was a few years too young to hear it at its time. This book makes me want to fill in the gaps in my collection, memorize them, then reread it to really put the stories with the music.
I knew the Clash had a troubled relationship that led to their breakup, but the details are really interesting. The personalities of the many people in the band and its orbit are fascinating.
This is a well-written book, sourced by lots of first-person information. It really is an excellent window into a fantastic band.
I knew the Clash had a troubled relationship that led to their breakup, but the details are really interesting. The personalities of the many people in the band and its orbit are fascinating.
This is a well-written book, sourced by lots of first-person information. It really is an excellent window into a fantastic band.
October 28, 2017
Out of all the books about the Clash this is the one to buy. Pat Gilbert really does have a passion for the band. It covers everything you need to know about the band from the days before they existed to what happened after the band was no more. Put four strong willed characters in a group and rock and roll from the heart was the result. My first gig was forty years ago this month (October 1977) and the Clash were the headline band. Great book.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
March 21, 2022
I enjoy reading different telling of stories of bands/musicians and piecing together things from older books with things known today in more recent writings. It casts light on certain things that were less certain in past writing. It makes instances make more sense some times. Had that happen twice with this book.
This book was an enjoyable read and, man, did the people surrounding the band have some withheld issues with all that went on.
This book was an enjoyable read and, man, did the people surrounding the band have some withheld issues with all that went on.
July 19, 2018
This was a really good rock bio/backstory tome. As a rule, to me at least, these are almost always sketchy to some degree. You know, we're reading a book about a rock band so....Shakespeare it ain't. This one was very well done, input from ex-band members and people in the bands inner circle back in the day. Any of the issues between band members in the past were answered honestly and openly, no b.s. A very good rock bio indeed!
February 4, 2022
Written soon after Joe Strummer’s death, giving the whole book an elegiac tone. It’s a good history of the band, focusing on their interpersonal relationships and their constant struggle between their revolutionary ethos and desires for rock stardom. Would’ve liked a bit more attention to the songwriting and recording behind the scenes, but I guess there are other books for that.
April 25, 2024
Wonderfully researched book with countless first person interviews. The author clearly knows his music, from composition, lyrics to production. This book has been on my shelf for year’s and I’m glad to have finally read it. A very insightful and entertaining read with a dash of humour. As has been said, The Clash really were the only band that mattered.
September 3, 2018
I read this book because I wanted to know how The Clash reached mainstream success. This book explains it well and goes into a lot of details providing historical and musical context for the times described in it.
April 7, 2020
A fascinating history of one of the most influential and interesting groups of the initial UK punk explosion. Gives great insight into the group's formation, personality, style and methods. Recommended for any fan of the Clash.
June 19, 2020
Il miglior libro sulla storia dei Clash in circolazione. Che li abbiate amati tanto oppure no, poco importa perché il libro è veramente un magnifico affresco, storico e preciso per chi è interessato anche sulla società e la cultura pop giovanile inglese fine anni'70.
December 9, 2020
The Clash was once described as the only band that matters. Hear their music and you'll know why, and read this book too. Best look at the rise and fall of one of the best bands in the last 40 years. This is also one of the best rock bios written in recent years.
April 27, 2018
A fascinating history of one of the most important bands ever in the history of Rock. I've always loved this band and now I love them even more!
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