Clash book misinformation

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muppet hi fi
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Clash book misinformation

Post by muppet hi fi »

I'm just finishing Marcus Gray's 'Route 19 Revisited', and it's quite a slog (still have about 50 pages to go). I'm disappointed. Aside from his usual thinly veiled hostility to the band (albeit much less so than 'Last Gang In Town'), his factual errors are numerous; his "factual" opinions are also numerous. At the start of the book I thought I should document these with a running tally, but said "Ah, fuck it". Now I wish I had. The most egregious that comes to mind is page 417 where he gets the date and location of the first Clash show I saw wrong. He lists the September 12, 1979 show at the old St. Paul Civic Center in St. Paul , Minnesota, USA as "August 12, Minneapolis". What makes this error even more maddening is that I seem to recall him getting either the date or location of the gig correct much earlier in the book. Jeez buddy - how about an editor?

What made me put the book down before the last 50 pages to post this was this from page 454: that BAD's "C'mon Every Beatbox" was copped from Eddie Cochran's "C'mon Everybody", when the musical cop is obviously Eddie's "Summertime Blues". So it makes me question just what he knows about the Clash, and music in general - or are his literary endeavors mostly academic, i.e. some interviews with b-players, second hand accounts, and reading a lot of other questionable books on the subject.

So what other books, or aspects of books on the Clash seem questionable to you lot?
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muppet hi fi
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Re: Clash book misinformation

Post by muppet hi fi »

p. 476: Converse's Chuck Taylor model basketball shoes referred to as "baseball boots". :lol: I'm sure there's a threads worth of IMCT Limey jokes in there.
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laxman
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Re: Clash book misinformation

Post by laxman »

I haven’t read that book for a few years, so can’t really remember any errors off the top of my head. Why does he write about them so much if he doesn’t like them?

dave202
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Re: Clash book misinformation

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laxman wrote:
24 Jun 2018, 1:12pm
I haven’t read that book for a few years, so can’t really remember any errors off the top of my head. Why does he write about them so much if he doesn’t like them?
Honk Kong Dollars and Eskimo Cents?

laxman
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Re: Clash book misinformation

Post by laxman »

dave202 wrote:
25 Jun 2018, 5:46am
laxman wrote:
24 Jun 2018, 1:12pm
I haven’t read that book for a few years, so can’t really remember any errors off the top of my head. Why does he write about them so much if he doesn’t like them?
Honk Kong Dollars and Eskimo Cents?
That was my first thought too, but surely there must be bands that he likes and would shift more books.

oliver
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Re: Clash book misinformation

Post by oliver »

muppet hi fi wrote:
23 Jun 2018, 7:16pm
What made me put the book down before the last 50 pages to post this was this from page 454: that BAD's "C'mon Every Beatbox" was copped from Eddie Cochran's "C'mon Everybody", when the musical cop is obviously Eddie's "Summertime Blues". So it makes me question just what he knows about the Clash, and music in general
I think you may be a little harsh here...
The opening of Beatbox (before the verse starts up) is very reminiscent of the opening of "C'mon Everybody" before the guitar kicks in and the title clearly cribbed.

00:15 --> 00:30


00:03 --> 00:08


I think I'd even say I think it's more C'Mon Everybody than Summertime Blues.

Then again, I have cloth-ears after playing my walkman too loudly as a kid
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matedog
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Re: Clash book misinformation

Post by matedog »

Eh, that's all a bit nitpicky.

The author did come around here for feedback for similar errors and commissions type issues. It's a good thread: http://clashcity.com/boards/viewtopic.p ... +slaughter
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

Inder
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Re: Clash book misinformation

Post by Inder »

I corresponded with him a bit around the time of Route 19 — nice chap. I enjoyed the book.

dave202
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Re: Clash book misinformation

Post by dave202 »

laxman wrote:
25 Jun 2018, 6:47am
dave202 wrote:
25 Jun 2018, 5:46am
laxman wrote:
24 Jun 2018, 1:12pm
I haven’t read that book for a few years, so can’t really remember any errors off the top of my head. Why does he write about them so much if he doesn’t like them?
Honk Kong Dollars and Eskimo Cents?
That was my first thought too, but surely there must be bands that he likes and would shift more books.
I agree, although I suppose The Clash are easy targets because of... everything they ever did and said, and things they didn't do or say. That leaves a lot of scope.

Low Down Low
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Re: Clash book misinformation

Post by Low Down Low »

matedog wrote:
25 Jun 2018, 11:17am
Eh, that's all a bit nitpicky.

The author did come around here for feedback for similar errors and commissions type issues. It's a good thread: http://clashcity.com/boards/viewtopic.p ... +slaughter
Well, fuck, there goes my evening ;)

I really like Route 19 though if not sure how it would stand up if i wasn't such a big fan of the band. Dont mind a few minor errors, not every author has teams of fact checkers available to ensure pristine, infallible copy.

muppet hi fi
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Re: Clash book misinformation

Post by muppet hi fi »

Low Down Low wrote:
25 Jun 2018, 1:45pm
matedog wrote:
25 Jun 2018, 11:17am
Eh, that's all a bit nitpicky.

The author did come around here for feedback for similar errors and commissions type issues. It's a good thread: http://clashcity.com/boards/viewtopic.p ... +slaughter
Well, fuck, there goes my evening ;)

I really like Route 19 though if not sure how it would stand up if i wasn't such a big fan of the band. Dont mind a few minor errors, not every author has teams of fact checkers available to ensure pristine, infallible copy.
BMC is a fine site for checking basic facts like date and location of Clash shows. I'm sure Gray was aware of it and could have availed himself of its utility.
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101Walterton
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Re: Clash book misinformation

Post by 101Walterton »

I loved LGIT for its detailed information plus it was the first real Clash book and years before the rest. I do remember being annoyed at some of the negative comments / opinions aimed st the band that didn’t seem necessary. Remember only Clash fans would read the book. I think I told Marcus that when he hung around here for a while.
I thought Route 19 was a great read. I didn’t notice or don’t recall the errors.

Inder
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Re: Clash book misinformation

Post by Inder »

I mean, Redemption Song has a chapter titled "I AM TAKE A HOLIDAY."

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