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Celebrating 43 Years of Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska”
I posted this video on my Instagram page, but I thought I would share it here. September 30 marked 43 years since Bruce Springsteen released his solo album, Nebraska. Along with Darkness on the Edge of Town, Nebraska represented a new era in Springsteen’s songwriting, with stripped-down music and lyrics that were brilliantly terse but overflowed with imagery and emotion. I love a lot of Bruce’s early work, but songs like “Growin’ Up,” “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City,” and “Spirit in the Night” depended on effusive, poetic lyrics that were more suited to a newer artist just finding his voice. With Darkness on the Edge of Town and Nebraska, he learned to say more with less — “I got debts no honest man can pay,” “I guess there’s just a meanness in this world,” “the dogs on Main Street howl” — and that’s a skill that only comes with a little age and experience.
As I mention in the clip, I’m also looking forward to the release of Nebraska 82, an extended version of the original album that includes full E-Street Band performances of some of the original tracks, and the film Deliver Me From Nowhere, based on Warren Zane’s book of the same title. And while you’re at it, pick up a copy of Steve Van Zandt’s Unrequited Infatuations, which is a fun read.
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Episode 28: Working for the Clampdown
I’m back after a short break with a new episode, this time focusing on September observations in the US, from Labor Day to the anniversary of 9/11 to Constitution Day. Apropos of those events, I talk about the two Clash songs I’ve practiced on guitar over the past couple of weeks: “Clampdown” from London Calling and “Tommy Gun” from Give ’Em Enough Rope. The first of those songs deals with the connections between the oppression of working people and the rise of fascism, while the second shows the Clash’s opposition to terrorism and political violence (while still supporting national liberation movements around the globe).
But first, I tackle Jann Wenner’s absurd comments about Black artists and women in music and how they, in Wenner’s mind, are not as “articulate” as white male artists. Needless to say, that conflicts not only with reality but with the views of … an awful lot of white male artists such as the Rolling Stones and the Clash, who openly acknowledged the influence of Black musicians from Muddy Waters to the legends of rap.
So, please give this week’s show a listen, share your thoughts in the comments below, and follow the podcast on Twitter at @2Minutes59. And remember, as Joe always said, “Without people, you’re nothing.”
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Episode 27: Straight to Hell
Fifty-five years ago this week, Chicago hosted the Democratic National Convention, which resulted in a police riot and split the party between old guard populists and a new, pro-civil rights/anti-war faction that would come to dominate it. On this episode, I talk about memories from that time and how the Vietnam war influenced Joe Strummer’s lyrics and the Clash’s music, from “I’m So Bored With the USA” to “Charlie Don’t Surf” and “Straight to Hell.”
These are great songs that examine colonialism, war, exploitation, and abandonment — basically, everything the Clash fought against. And if you haven’t heard it, check out Lucinda Williams’ excellent cover of “Straight to Hell.”
So, please give this week’s show a listen, share your thoughts in the comments below, and follow the podcast on Twitter at @2Minutes59. And remember, as Joe always said, “Without people, you’re nothing.”
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Episode 26: Happy Birthday Joe!
This week I celebrate the 71st birthday of John Graham Mellor, better known as Clash frontman Joe Strummer. Though all of Joe’s music was fantastic, especially, of course, his music with the Clash, on this episode I focus more on his outstanding post-Clash solo career. And, on that subject, it just so happens that my copy of the latest Joe Strummer release, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros: Live at Acton Town Hall, arrived on August 21, Joe’s actual birthday.
So, I go through the tracks on the Live at Acton Town Hall LP (including the last three, featuring Mick Jones!), talk about how Joe’s solo music never really got its due in America, and discuss Joe’s “missing years” in Spain and the Spanish language documentary, I Need a Dodge! Joe Strummer on the Run. I also focus on Joe’s late ’90s/early 2000s albums with the Mescaleros and the 2018 release called Joe Strummer 001, a 32-song collection across three LPs (plus a 12-inch single of the Strummer-Jones track “US North”) which was curated by Joe’s wife, Lucinda Tait.
Then, in honor of Buffy Sainte-Marie’s recent announcement that she’s retiring from touring, I discuss the excellent PBS American Masters episode on her incredible life and career called Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On. Though she is more folk than punk, she is an absolute force of nature who captures the punk spirit in her own way. The American Masters episode is well worth an hour of your time!
And finally, I bring you Irish hip-hop. As in, hip-hop in Irish, via the Belfast duo/trio Kneecap. Check out their music on their website and their YouTube channel. You’ll be impressed … and probably a bit confused, since the lyrics are not in a language most of us are familiar with. Are they controversial? Yes. Yes they are. But the Irish language works surprisingly well with hip-hop. I just hope they’re not rapping about something that could get me in trouble …
So, please give this week’s show a listen, share your thoughts in the comments below, and follow the podcast on Twitter at @2Minutes59. And remember, as Joe always said, “Without people, you’re nothing.”
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Episode 25: The Cost of Living
As promised, this week’s episode is a deep dive into the Clash’s 1979 release, The Cost of Living EP, which consists of four tracks:
- “I Fought the Law”
- “Groovy Times”
- “Gates of the West”
- “Capital Radio Two”
The EP combines outstanding musicianship with sarcasm and wit in a way only the Clash could pull off. From hard-driving rockabilly to gloom and doom realism to New York-inspired hope for the future, it’s your favorite band at their late 1970s peak.
And while I may or may not have misheard certain lyrics, I must point out that the Clash Wiki site backs me up. So, there’s that.
In other news … a new Joe Strummer release! Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros: Live at Acton Town Hall is coming out August 18, and you should definitely check it out. The album features a mix of Clash and Joe Strummer solo favorites across sixteen tracks … the last three of which include Mick Jones!
Finally, and I think this goes without saying, “Try That in a Small Town” artist Jason Aldean needs to grow the hell up.
So, please give this week’s show a listen and share your thoughts in the comments below. And remember, as Joe always said, “Without people, you’re nothing.”
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Episode 24: Safe Home, Sinéad
I planned to get back to talking Clash after a brief time off. Specifically, to dive into the band’s Cost of Living EP, released in May 1979 to coincide with the UK general election that brought Margaret Thatcher to power.
Instead, I was blindsided by the untimely death of Sinéad O’Connor the day before I sat down to record this episode. So, my plans changed. I don’t really know how to describe this episode other than as an homage to her. First and foremost, to her creativity. Genuine creativity that went so far beyond chord progressions and scales and deft musicianship. As in, groundbreaking creativity that transformed music.
And then there’s her bravery. From defending children against the most powerful religious institution in the world to sharing her mental health struggles publicly and without shame. It’s hard to underestimate the number of lives she touched just by being strong and outspoken and fearless.
And lastly, there’s the legacy she left us. As Pearl Gates (Pearl Harbour) said so brilliantly on Instagram, “I wish I was brave enough to be like you.” We should all be brave enough to be like Sinéad. We owe it to ourselves.
One postscript. I did not see it before I recorded this episode, but this article by Rory Carroll in The Guardian suggests she did find some peace in a small Irish village over the past few years. Thank goodness for that.
So, please give this week’s show a listen and share your thoughts in the comments below. And remember, as Joe always said, “Without people, you’re nothing.”
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Episode 23: Give It Up for Mick Jones
Returning to normal after last week’s special episode on Garland Jeffreys (and thanks to Garland for the shout-out on social media), we turn to a long overdue subject: Clash founder Mick Jones!
While I’ve talked a lot about Joe Strummer (of course!) and Paul Simonon (especially in light of the great new Galen & Paul album, Can We Do Tomorrow Another Day?), I realize that I haven’t given Mick his due. With his recent birthday (that I forgot to mention on the show!), I figure this is as good a time as any.
As I say on the show, when conflicts arise between songwriting teams or a member of your favorite band departs, it’s common for us to feel like we have to “take sides,” but we really don’t. Joe will always be one of my favorite artists ever, but there’s still plenty of room to appreciate Mick’s excellent contributions to the Clash. And Mick’s contributions were huge. From his formidable guitar skills to his remarkable gift for writing a great tune, the Clash would not have been the Clash without him. And it’s worth pointing out that Mick was perhaps the main reason the band expanded its horizons, particularly on Sandinista! It’s doubtful that the Clash would have embraced hip-hop and other modern sounds without Mick’s ever-evolving musical curiosity.
And then there’s the fact that Mick and Joe patched things up in the 1990s and even wrote some new material together. As Mick’s Wikipedia page says:
In an October 2013 interview with BBC Radio 6 Music, Jones confirmed that Strummer did have intentions of a Clash reunion and in fact new music was being written for a possible studio album. In the months prior to Strummer’s death, Jones and Strummer began working on new music for what he thought would be the next Mescaleros studio album. Jones said “We wrote a batch – we didn’t use to write one, we used to write a batch at a time – like gumbo. The idea was he was going to go into the studio with the Mescaleros during the day and then send them all home. I’d come in all night and we’d all work all night.” Jones said months had passed following their work together when he ran into Strummer at an event. Jones was curious as to what would become of the songs he and Strummer were working on and Strummer informed him that they were going to be used for the next Clash album.
Just imagine what could have been!
So, please give this week’s show a listen and share your thoughts in the comments below. And remember, as Joe always said, “Without people, you’re nothing.”
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Episode 22: 80th Birthday Tribute to Garland Jeffreys, the King of In Between
On this special joint episode of our two podcasts, In the Shadow of the Evening Trees and Two Minutes Fifty-Nine, Jennifer and I celebrate one of our favorite artists, Garland Jeffreys, who turned 80 on June 29.
To those who don’t know, Garland Jeffreys is a singer-songwriter from New York who wrote and performed some of the most influential, if not necessarily widely-known, music over a 50-year career from the late 1960s to 2018 or so. His first big hit “Wild in the Streets,” has been covered by multiple artists and featured in movies and on television over the years. He also traveled in the same circles as Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Willy DeVille, Lou Reed, and the New York Dolls back in the day.
In this week’s show, we talk about how we connected with Garland, first through the music and later through social media, and how, in a weird sort of way, we lived parallel lives without knowing it. Which is to say, we both started having kids around the same time, which led Garland to pause his musical career and us to drop out of pop culture for awhile, as parents do when their kids are young. And so we both reemerged, in a sense, around 2011, and that’s when our paths crossed in real life. Since then, we’ve gotten to know Garland and his wife, Claire, we saw Garland play live in Chicago on multiple occasions, and we ultimately traveled to New York for his farewell concert five years ago.
It’s impossible to summarize Garland’s career or what his music means to us, but he and Claire are working on a documentary of his life and music called Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between (a fitting title, as we explain), and we’re hoping that it’s out soon. In the meantime, you can contribute to the pos-production costs here.
Anyway, please give this week’s show a listen and share your thoughts in the comments below. And remember, as Joe always said, “Without people, you’re nothing.”
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Episode 21: Punk and Pride
Pride Month is rapidly passing and this weekend it’s Chicago’s turn to celebrate, so I thought I’d ponder the connections between punk rock and the LGBTQIA+ community.
First, I talk about Joe Strummer and the band’s support for the community, starting with “The Right Profile” from London Calling. “The Right Profile” is a song about the legendary but closeted actor Montgomery Clift. The song is clearly empathetic, but it focuses on Clift as a tragic figure, which, indeed, he was; but this shows how many allies viewed queer people back then — as sad, lonely people who led sordid lives as a result of societal pressure and rejection. However, Joe’s empathy and support for the community grew and evolved from there, to the point where, some twenty years later in “Diggin’ the New,” Joe celebrated LGBTQIA+ people not as tragic figures but just as people. And, notably, he embraced the trans community long before most straight, cisgender artists did.
But the connection between punk and the queer community is much more than a song or two. To that end, I refer to two fascinating pieces on LGBTQIA+ punk: Jayna Brown and Tavia Nyong’o’s 2020 NPR story, “Queer as Punk: A Guide To LGBTQIA+ Punk”; and Mark E. Moon’s 2022 article “Check Out These 10 Queer Punk Bands” from the Dallas Observer.
More broadly, though, I talk about the way punk welcomed all comers, especially outsiders of every stripe — including LGBTQIA+ people. Though far from perfect, the world of punk rock gave so many of us who didn’t fit in anywhere else a time and a place to breathe, to be ourselves even if we didn’t know who or what we were. And that was and always has been especially important for queer people.
I also highlight some of the more influential queer and queer-supportive punk acts, like the Buzzcocks, the Slits, the B-52s, Tom Robinson, and the great Joan Jett. (By the way, the B-52s song I mention, “Dirty Back Road,” is from the Wild Planet album released in 1980).
Anyway, please give this week’s show a listen and share your thoughts in the comments below. And remember, as Joe always said, “Without people, you’re nothing.”
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Episode 20: Dads, Guitars, Folk Music, and Punk Rock
Father’s Day is coming up and that can be a mixed bag for some folks. On this week’s episode, I talk about how Garland Jeffreys’ song “Collide the Generations” and the website dedicated to it helped me find the thread running through an old photograph, an old guitar, my dad, my brother, Joe Strummer, and me.
I also discuss the 45th anniversary of the Clash’s single “White Man in Hammersmith Palais,” which they included on the US version of their self-titled debut album, and how it shows that they always knew what was up, even from the very beginning.
On a sadder note, I talk about New York singer/songwriter/legend Jesse Malin, who recently suffered a rare form of stroke that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Jesse’s a huge supporter of the Clash, and he’s done a lot work raising money for other musicians and folks in the hospitality industry impacted by the pandemic. Now is the opportunity help him: if you can, please donate to the Sweet Relief Fund for Jesse, here. You can also watch Jesse and other assorted Clash and Joe Strummer fans in A Song for Joe: Celebrating the Birthday of Joe Strummer.
Finally, you can watch the latest episode of Jon Stewarts The Problem on Apple TV, in which he discusses the latest indictment of a certain ex-president (a subject I discussed on last week’s show).
Anyway, please give this week’s show a listen and share your thoughts in the comments below. And remember, as Joe always said, “Without people, you’re nothing.”
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