Has anyone seen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800099/">this</a> yet? I saw it in London last week - loved it. Another great film from Julien Temple.
<img src="http://a5.vox.com/6a00c2251f656c8e1d00cdf7eed865094f-320pi"></src>
*sigh*
Can't help lovin' that man of mine...
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Stupid Bono.
JS (as a lyricist) was heavily influenced by early folk and reggae - as y'all probably know, he went by the name "Woody" (after Woody Guthrie) for a while before the Clash came along. I reckon his lyrics generally follow in those footsteps, seeing his role (as early folk and reggae lyricists saw themselves) as a reporter of news un(der)represented in mainstream (white & western) media. JS really believed that people - informed, politically active people - could make a difference. He started out as a very aware hippie, living in a squat, busking for change to supply the squat with food, and playing squat parties to entertain his friends and housemates. I think he felt that he (as part of the Clash) was continuing that lifestyle - contributing to the collective good. The Clash saw their fans as part of their community, and their work aimed at enlightening and activating that community.
What were their politics?
We are all part of the global community and have an obligation to protect our fellow community members. Fight injustice everywhere you find it.
(Just my two cents - hoping to see other opinions...)
<i>edited to add:</i>
Yes, they sang some love songs and played some disco. Even Billy Bragg's done that (well, apart from the disco) and he's still considered the poster boy for socialism.
After reading the definitive biography of The Clash I learned more about the dichotomy that existed between Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. As talked about in Pamsterdam's post, Joe tried to stay more "salt of the earth" while Mick was more "rock star" with his upscale flat and lifestyle. But unless you were there, how can you say who contributed more to "Police and Thieves", "All The Young Punks", "Spanish Bombs", "Charlie Don't Surf", and "Straight To Hell". I'm fairly sure we know that Paul Simonon inspired "Guns of Brixton", a song that describes a situation that is not inherently political, but because of the ideas it poses to the listener, the song is political. (sidenote: I still get amused when they lead into the next inning on Red Sox radio with "Lost In The Supermarket")
For years I would replay in my head the line from "Spanish Bombs" (which is pretty poppy) 'Federico Lorca is dead and gone'
I eventually picked up a biography of Frederico Garcia Lorca. Since Lorca was assassinated during the Spanish Civil War, it piqued my curiosity about a period of history which I only knew of from a macro view (never having read "For Whom The Bell Tolls").
Is "Spanish Bombs" a political song? I imagine that it depends on what your definition is of what makes music "political". I find the idea of politics in music to be a large gray area. On the other hand I admire Woody Guthrie who inscribed on his guitar, "This machine fights fascism".
Epoisses: Good essay question
<a href="http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/11/02/movies/02stru.html?ex=1351742400&en=ebedfce42deef026&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss">The first US review I've seen</a>.
The Jones/Strummer dichotomy makes me thing of something Wayne Kramer (I think) says in True Testimonial--something about how the politics was mostly him and Fred Smith, and the rhythm section was just along for the ride, but I think most people still consider them to be political.
...and it might not.
Julian Temple takes a lot of chances in his films -- 'Filth And The Fury' was largely successful because of his whole Shakespeare theme. There were a few recurring threads in 'Future' -- his repeated usage of Orwellian imagery (both in the guise of the 'Animal Farm' cartoon and '1984') worked well with the dystopian vision that the Clash were singing about.
The visual campfire theme is a nice try -- pretty much everyone who talks about the Clash is lit like they're sitting around one (save for Scorcese and some insufferable Irish asshole). The motif is meant to illuminate (sorry) Strummer's post-Clash/self-imposed exile revelation at Glastonbury that punks and hippies should be united/there are people who he had a lot in common with. Thing is, the film assumes that everyone seeing it knows who all of the speakers are without visually crediting them -- I mean, yeah, some of them are pretty obvious, but the chronology gets muddled and a lot of names are thrown out in rapid succession. Major pacing problems, too -- a lot of filler; a lot of bits that needed more elucidation.
Certainly a nice addition to the pantheon, but nowhere near as definative as it coulda been.
Also, I think the campfire theme was very important in Temple's pre-emptive countering of those who would deem Strummer's post-Clash life as not important enough to devote time to in this film. It pulled together Strummer's squat-dwelling hippie days and his post-Clash Glastonbury days. Sure, I wondered up until the end, WTF (cue crazed cat-face). But when the explanation came, I found it very satisfying.
As I said before, I was predisposed to love this film. So, y'know, maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Fans are notoriously forgiving. Or not.
I might've felt different if I had seen it in a London art theater, sure. The fact of the matter is, though, is a) I didn't, and got lost even though I know my shit, and b) the film is going straight to DVD. It's cool if Temple is assuming that everyone seeing the film will be in a community atmosphere, but it's naive, too.
Correction: Sticker says "This Machine Fights Fascists". Also, a part about Strummer making a Lorca pilgrimage to Granada post-Clash...
Correction: Sticker says "This Machine Fights Fascists". Also, a part about Strummer making a Lorca pilgrimage to Granada post-Clash...