We Are the Clash
Page 39
Our political sources were crucial and broad-based as well. While both of us have our own vivid recollections as activists during the Reagan/Thatcher era, the main basis for our parallel narratives was intensive research. Rather than clutter the book with footnotes, we’ve tried to note our sources in the text itself. Particularly central works included The Great Strike by Alex Callinicos and Mike Simons, The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974–2008 by Sean Wilentz, Margaret Thatcher: At Her Zenith: In London, Washington and Moscow by Charles Moore, Thatcher’s own memoir The Downing Street Years; as well as The Miners’ Strike Day by Day: The Illustrated Diary of Yorkshire Miner Arthur Wakefield and Yorkshire’s Flying Pickets in the 1984–85 Miners’ Strike, Based on the Diary of Silverwood Miner Bruce Wilson (both edited by Brian Elliott); and The 1984–85 Miners’ Strike in Nottinghamshire: If Spirit Alone Won Battles: The Diary of John Lowe, edited by Jonathan Symcox. David Cortright’s Peace: A History of Movements and Ideas and Lawrence S. Wittner’s Confronting the Bomb: A Short History of World Nuclear Disarmament Movement and Toward Nuclear Abolition: A History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement, 1971–Present were key resources as well. Mark’s interview with Jason Toynbee at Open University also informed our discussion of neoliberalism and The Clash.
We are also blessed by all the photos and memorabilia Clash friends shared over the years of working on this book, most of which could not be included here. Thanks must go to Bob Gruen (with much help from Sarah Field!), Mike Laye, Eddie King, Kosmo Vinyl, Juan Jesús Garcia, Per-Åke Wärn, John Harris and John Sturrock of reportdigital.co.uk, Tim Beasley, Martin Jenkinson, Jan Bengsston/Schlager magazine, Creem magazine, the York Press Gazette & Herald, and Philippe Huguen/L’Agence France-Presse for their beautiful photographs and art. We found a number of anonymous shots on the Internet, some of which were truly compelling. We offer our most sincere apologies to any photographer who didn’t get credited properly for any image used in this book. Please let us know right away so we can correct this omission in future editions, okay? Thanks so much!
We don’t really consider this project over and done with, and we wish to keep learning more about this era, filling in blank spots, honing our understanding and insights. As such, we are eager for any additional recollections or feedback, the most valuable of which will be shared on wearetheclash.com, our ongoing resource for education and activism. (In order to pass along your thoughts, Mark can be reached at wearefamilydc@gmail.com and Ralph at chairmanralph@yahoo.com.)
Andrew Matey proved himself a superhero by helping us access the full collection of Clash live recordings—he is another testament to the generous spirit of the Clash community. Justin Cudney went above and beyond, designing and printing our Kickstarter We Are The Clash posters and postcards, as did Jason Lobe, Brian Duss, Stephen Jeter, and Robert Winship in filming, crafting, and editing our Kickstarter pitch video. Matt Connolly deserves kudos for helping get the rewards out when Mark and Ralph were overwhelmed by other demands, as do Juan Risso and Angie Hunter for computer help.
Special thanks also must go to Bobby Polsky, who gave Mark his first Clash II bootleg in fall 1984, as well as to Danny Ingram—Mark’s comrade Clash fanatic and original DC punk friend—and to Greg Carr, an original Montana punk friend. Along the same lines, Ralph thanks his late musical brother-in-arms Anthony Salazar, for teaching him those first Clash songs—an experience that ignited the desire to express himself musically, and to write about “the only band that matters” in the first place—not to mention his unflagging enthusiasm. (Rest assured, my friend, I’ve put those countless phone calls, conversations, and shared press clippings to good use.) Ralph gained further reinforcement for his original dream from his first editors, Jeff Tamarkin (Goldmine) and John Koenig (DISCoveries), whose support proved equally invaluable—as did the encouragement of Clash stalwarts like Johnny Green and Raymond Jordan, plus Vince, Nick, and Pete (of course), and a few Clash City confidantes whose names must remain behind the scenes, for now. Thank you, one and all.
We also must thank our stalwart—and very patient—Kickstarter supporters: A. Margaret Andersen, A. Binovi, A.J. Kandy, Aaron Dukes, Abby Moser, Allison Chang, Annie N, Armando Gonzalez, Azazel, Barry Shank, Bartosz Glowacki, Benita Raymond, Berrin Ozbilgin, Bert Queiroz, Bill Daly/Crooked Beat Records, Blain Myhre, Bobbie, Bonnie Schlegel, Brad Sigal, Brendan Hoar, Brendan Sweeney, Brian Lombardozzi, Brice Lipman, Brien Stewart, Bruce Carter, Burke Stansbury, Calista Redmond, Candace, Carl LeVan, Carlos Salinas, Carol Inagal, Caroline Klibanoff, Carolyn Sasich Leitko, Carrie Crawford, Casey Neill, Cassandra J. Perry, Cate Cohen and all the others at Mark’s Clash Kickstarter event at St. Stephen’s, Charlotte Manning, Chris, Chris Schneidmiller, Christina Ross, Christoph Paul, Christopher Corrigan, Christopher LaMarca and Katrina Taylor, Claire Packer, Clarissa Peterson, Clark Lobenstine, Colin Bill, Corbin Dallas, Craig Keenan, Craig Wedren, Dan Treado, Danielle Kurzweil, Daoud Tyler-Ameen, Darius Kanga, Dave Berman, David Comay, David Levine, David Maydoney, David McConnell, Deidre Swesnik, Dolores G. Perillan, Don Irwin, Donald Hargraves, Donna Wilson, Doug Abeel, drivenbyboredom, Edward Hoyt, Elana Brochin, Ellen Chenoweth, Emily, Eric Damon Walters, Erica, Ferruccio Martinotti, Frank Gasque Dunn, Fred Solowey, Gavin Malette, George Washington Burton, Gertrude Sunsted, Greg Hymel, Gregory Jay Bloom, Gretchen Brodtman, Hard Art DC 1979, Heather Booth, Heather Jameyson, Heidi Phelps, Helen French, Holly Wilson, Hovey Kemp, Iain Ross, Iselin Gambert, James Caparas, Jane Morrow, Jason Kooken, Jason Yawn, Jennifer Fox-Thomas, Jeremy Grant, Jess Owens, JG Sylvester, Joe Iosbaker, John Hilla, Jon Bolduc, Jon Hancuff, Jon K. G. Allanson, Joseph Hunter, Jud Branam, Juliana Paciulli, Julie Meyer, Justin Cudney, Kate Crane, Kathleen Kent Abate, Kathleen Ryan, Katie, Katy Otto, Kerry White, Kevin Dunn, Kevin Erickson, Kevin Johnson Jr., Kevin Tucker, Kevin Young, Kimberly Righter, Kristin Valentine, Kristina Hunken, Kurt Sayenga, Lale Kuyumcu, Lawrence P. Keitz, Leah Gold, Leann Trowbridge, Lenny Flatley, Linc Kinnicutt, Linda Hsu, Linette Robinson, Luther Gaylord, Mara Cherkasky, Marc Poe, Marian Currinder, Mark Anderson, Mark Haggerty, Mark Jenkins, Mark Kennedy, Mark Lance, Mark Lansing, mark p, Markus Kampschnieder, Marty Key, Matthew Saliba, Matt Siblo, Maura Pond, Megan Kuhn, Meghan Adkins, Mia, Michael Cotterman, Michael Horstman, Michael Markarian, Michael T. Fournier, Mike Paarlberg, Minna Morse, Mo Sussman (RIP), Molly, Molly Neuman, Morgan Daniels, Nalinee D, Nance Morris Adler, Nathan Larson, Neil Soiseth, Nicole Thomas, Nomnaut, Noreen, Omar Ronquillo, Patricia Mullahy Fugere, Pete Chramiec, Pete Perry, Peter, Peter Hogan, Ran Zilca, Richard Johnson, Richard Siegmeister, Rob Thornton, Robert Egger, Robert T. Bryan, Robin Bell, Roger Gastman, Roland Schrebler, Rudy Rucker, Ruth Hildenberger, Ryan Bell, Ryan Shepard, Sadie Dingfelder, Samantha Linscott, Sara Beauchamp, Sean Knight, Scott Favorite, Scott Sommers, Shawna Kenney, Small Axe Films, some fella, Soren Huseyin Ozdeger-Andersen, Stephen Jeter, Steve D. Lambert, Steven Wisnieski, Suki Valentine, Tarock Music, Tim Fitzgerald, Tony Ross, Tracy Lingo, Travis Morrison, Tyler Sonnichsen, Valerie Pletcher, Vic Bondi, Vige Millington, Wendy Lyon, William, William J. Fleming, and William Reintzell.
Last but not least, we must thank Johnny Temple, Johanna Ingalls, Ibrahim Ahmad, Alice Wertheimer, Aaron Petrovich, and all at Akashic Books, for their belief in this book—we couldn’t wish for a better ally in this fervent effort to help the last years of The Clash come alive again.
about the authors
Ralph Heibutzki saw The Clash Mark II on May 10, 1984, at Michigan State University. Since he had not witnessed the classic lineup, the backstage drama of Mick Jones’s departure hardly kept him away. If anything, the pro- and anti-Jones debates playing out in the music press spurred him to buy a ticket for the gig at one of the many midsize college venues that were the band’s theater of battle on their “Out of Control” tour—or “campaign,” in Clash-speak—that spring.
Energized by the razor-sharp, heartfelt performance and potent original songs, Ralph touted the new Clash to all who would listen, eagerly awaiting an album that had the potent
ial to match the raw, jagged brilliance of their first record. When Creem ran an article questioning the new lineup’s promise, Ralph did what came naturally to any die-hard Clash fan: he called the magazine’s Detroit headquarters and spent forty minutes debating with the author, Bill Holdship.
The wait for the promised new record turned out to be agonizingly long. Weeks turned to months turned to a year, and no album appeared. When Cut the Crap finally did materialize—nearly a year and half after Strummer had vowed to “go into the studio and bang it out”—the results initially left Ralph confused and disappointed, so distant were they from his expectations. Nonetheless, the excitement, passion, and meaning of the 1984 live shows stayed with him.
In addition, the yawning distance between Strummer’s words and the record’s reality piqued his curiosity. Several years later, Ralph would become the first writer to seriously excavate that era with a series of articles based on interviews with most of the key players. Bit by bit, an alternative Clash Mark II history emerged from Ralph’s first foray into punk rock archeology.
As Ralph dug deeper, he found much to admire—from the combustive intensity of the new material, to the band’s reborn political engagement and brash underdog gestures like its busking tour of northern England and Scotland. Only The Clash—armed with little more than some acoustic guitars and Pete Howard’s drumsticks—would play for free in any available public space without sitting down for a formal press interview, let alone any new record to promote.
One idea runs through all of this like a red thread: the notion, as Joe Strummer constantly declared throughout the whole impromptu exercise, that the performer onstage is essentially no different and surely no more important than the people in the audience. This credo lies at the core of punk rock, an ethic that Ralph took to heart when he soon began taking up the guitar and performing himself.
Those initial forays to London to ferret out the lost history of The Clash formed an essential backdrop to Ralph’s ventures into folk-punk music, spoken-word performance, and political activism through his involvement in groups like the Hillsdale County Coalition for Peace and Justice.
Those ideals also motivated Ralph’s first book, Unfinished Business: The Life and Times of Danny Gatton, and is a driving force in all the projects that he has pursued since then, based on the immortal dictum reportedly handed down by Rhodes at the outset of The Clash’s existence: “Look about your situation, and sing about what really matters.”
If anything, the neo-Clash era had an even more powerful impact on Mark Andersen, if in a somewhat different way. Having grown up feeling trapped by rural working-class life in Sheridan County, Montana, Mark first encountered photos and lyrics of The Clash in Rock Scene magazine as a teenager in 1977. It quickly became his favorite band, and helped inspire him to leave farm/ranch work behind to attend Montana State University and become a radical activist there.
Having excelled as a student, Mark was accepted into the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC, in 1983. It was a heady moment for a kid from nowhere. Massive loans were assembled to pay for a degree that was a ticket into the lower echelons of the American ruling class.
However gratifying in some ways, the career path that loomed—and the cost at which it came—unsettled Mark. When he read interviews in 1984 with Joe Strummer that questioned The Clash’s past direction, despite their Top 10 success, and called for a return to punk roots, it resonated deeply with him.
While Mark never saw this version of The Clash live, the interviews, photos, and bootleg recordings he tirelessly sought out helped to catalyze a second personal revolution. Heartened by the band’s example, Mark abandoned his elite-oriented career path, spending time in war-torn Central America, including as a “brigadista” helping harvest coffee in Sandinista Nicaragua in defiance of US policy. At the same time, he dove into the DC punk underground, cofounding the activist collective Positive Force DC in the “Revolution Summer” of 1985.
Mark’s immersion in this fertile, influential, and legendarily anticommercial DIY scene—which gave birth to phenomena like straight edge, Riot Grrrl, and emo while nurturing bands such as Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Fugazi, Bikini Kill, and Nation of Ulysses—would lead to cowriting Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation’s Capital and authoring All the Power: Revolution Without Illusion. Driven by that initial spark, Mark has done inner-city outreach, organizing, and advocacy for over thirty years, most recently with We Are Family DC. (For more information, visit wearefamilydc.org or email info@wearefamilydc.org.)
Ralph Heibutzki photo by Lisa Quinlan Heibutzki.
Mark Andersen photo by James Lathos.
Flyer design by Mark Andersen, photo by Bob Gruen.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher.
Published by Akashic Books
©2018 Mark Andersen and Ralph Heibutzki
Cover and title page photo: The Clash on busking tour, May 1985. (Photographer unknown.)
Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1-61775-293-3
eISBN-13: 978-1-61775-650-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017956558
First printing
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