The Grey Blur
27th August 2006, 05:11
Sam and Matt are up in Sam's room. Sam's stereo is always on, even during this school l-r: Paul Simonon, Topper Headon, Joe Strummer, Mick Jonesday KGON is cranking out "Free Bird" and "Foxy Lady" and "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2," but at a very low volume so as not to annoy Denna, Sam's mom, whom is always called Denna by everyone without exception. Matt says Why don't you turn it off when you're not here? and Sam looks at him like You don't understand that? and then suddenly Matt does understand. If KGON wasn't on, Sam would be betraying the spirit of rock 'n' roll, which is simply not done.
Sam bought this album and has already listened to it The Clash livetwo or three times but this is the debut of it for Matt. Matt and Sam never own the same album, if one has it that's good enough for both, it works the same way with Matt's Springsteen and Rush albums. Matt has been coveting listening to this album ever since he heard it was out, but he had no money and he knew Sam wanted it too, so he had to sweat it out until Sam called him up and said Dude, The Clash are on the turntable right now. You gotta love birthday money.
So it's Matt's first time hearing London Calling and it's the most amazing thing he has ever heard. Paul, Joe, MickBoth have taken a speaker and put their ears right up against it to decipher this English growling, somehow the lyric sheet wasn't included so they're on their own with "Jimmy Jazz," although Matt is worldly enough to know that "zed" means the letter Z. They are rocking out to "Guns of Brixton" without really ever having listened to reggae before (except Clapton's "I Shot the Sheriff" of course). They are in love with a record. Matt never listens to KGON again.
He goes on to be in with a bunch of guys with big brothers and sisters way into music; they all memorize every single riff and kill in air guitar contests on the track team bus. Mick n' JoeMatt starts reading a lot about Central and South American politics because of The Clash, and he and Titus and Holbrook and Blakely Walter get busted for publishing an underground radical zine called "The IRA Newsletter" featuring Brigate Rossi jokes; Strummer wore a Brigate Rossi shirt in a picture Holbrook saw. Matt turns his own brothers on to Black Market Clash, the little 10" vinyl jam; when his mother hears "Bankrobber," she tells him for the first time about her own father, his grandfather, who spent his life in jail for robbing banks. When everyone else gets all into Combat Rock Matt just sniffs at them. Where the hell were they when Sandinista! tanked? Man, they ain't no true fans.
The Clash should have stayed broken up and not made whatever it was, the one without Jonesy, Mick and Joe but that just proves how powerful they were together - they were never built to last anyway. They rose up, they changed my life forever, they went on to lesser solo careers and drug addiction and all that. And Sam had a fucking heart attack and died. I miss him, and I miss that first time hearing London Calling so bad right now, I can't even tell you.
Hold your memories tight, people, hold your friends tight, and listen to your favorite music like it's the most important thing in the world. It might be.
Sam bought this album and has already listened to it The Clash livetwo or three times but this is the debut of it for Matt. Matt and Sam never own the same album, if one has it that's good enough for both, it works the same way with Matt's Springsteen and Rush albums. Matt has been coveting listening to this album ever since he heard it was out, but he had no money and he knew Sam wanted it too, so he had to sweat it out until Sam called him up and said Dude, The Clash are on the turntable right now. You gotta love birthday money.
So it's Matt's first time hearing London Calling and it's the most amazing thing he has ever heard. Paul, Joe, MickBoth have taken a speaker and put their ears right up against it to decipher this English growling, somehow the lyric sheet wasn't included so they're on their own with "Jimmy Jazz," although Matt is worldly enough to know that "zed" means the letter Z. They are rocking out to "Guns of Brixton" without really ever having listened to reggae before (except Clapton's "I Shot the Sheriff" of course). They are in love with a record. Matt never listens to KGON again.
He goes on to be in with a bunch of guys with big brothers and sisters way into music; they all memorize every single riff and kill in air guitar contests on the track team bus. Mick n' JoeMatt starts reading a lot about Central and South American politics because of The Clash, and he and Titus and Holbrook and Blakely Walter get busted for publishing an underground radical zine called "The IRA Newsletter" featuring Brigate Rossi jokes; Strummer wore a Brigate Rossi shirt in a picture Holbrook saw. Matt turns his own brothers on to Black Market Clash, the little 10" vinyl jam; when his mother hears "Bankrobber," she tells him for the first time about her own father, his grandfather, who spent his life in jail for robbing banks. When everyone else gets all into Combat Rock Matt just sniffs at them. Where the hell were they when Sandinista! tanked? Man, they ain't no true fans.
The Clash should have stayed broken up and not made whatever it was, the one without Jonesy, Mick and Joe but that just proves how powerful they were together - they were never built to last anyway. They rose up, they changed my life forever, they went on to lesser solo careers and drug addiction and all that. And Sam had a fucking heart attack and died. I miss him, and I miss that first time hearing London Calling so bad right now, I can't even tell you.
Hold your memories tight, people, hold your friends tight, and listen to your favorite music like it's the most important thing in the world. It might be.