Miscellaneous - The Clash FAQ

  by Tony Gaughan

published: 27 / 5 / 2017

intro

Tony Gaughan finds American Gary Jucha's'The Clash FAQ' to be the definitive book on the seminal punk band

American Gary Jucha previously wrote the 'FAQ' on Jimi Hendrix and clearly spent many painstaking hours to make this a brilliant insight into the Clash. Over twenty-six chapters it charts the history of the group which began when Mick Jones assembled the now legendary punk rockers out of the ashes of his previous band London SS, which featured Brian James and Rat Scabies from the Damned and Tony James from Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Generation X, who later reunited with Jones in Carbon Silicon. Nicky 'Topper 'Headon and Terry Chimes were also early members of London SS, but it was bassist Paul Simenon who had previously seen Joe fronting the R&B pub rockers the 101'ers whilst they were supporting the Sex Pistols that recommended Strummer to Jones and manager Bernie Rhodes and the rest, as they say, is history. The early part of the book quotes many music journalists, artists like Patti Smith and people who were around the scene like Malcolm McLaren, and magically describes the excitement and buzz of the very early punk movement when for four of their first five gigs the Clash supported the Sex Pistols on the infamous and plagued Anarchy tour. This is a comprehensive must have cataloging virtually every recording including many live bootlegs. Jucha also clearly charts the band's rise in the United States, a feat in which they reached the heights of playing the Shea Stadium and a seventeen date residency at Bond's International Casino in New York. It also covers set lists, support acts and much much more. The band had many mind games with Bernie Rhodes and others who clearly tried to influence and control the Clash and inevitably it ended in complete chaos. Jucha has compiled a real compendium of the history of the band. Despite many previous books this book is an absolute must read for fans of punk rock or the Clash and for fans of the band. It could be the only book that mattered.