Clash on the Clash

The Clash thought they could change the world. They never did, but they created some of the greatest rock music of all time in the attempt. Clash interviews were mesmerizing. Infused with the messianic punk spirit, the Clash engaged with the press like no rock group before or since, treating interviews almost as addresses to the nation. Their pronouncements were welcomed but were hardly uncritically reported. The Clash’s back pages are voluminous, crackle with controversy, and constitute a snapshot of a uniquely thoughtful and fractious period in modern history. Included in this compendium are the Clash’s encounters with the most brilliant rock writers of their time, including Lester Bangs, Nick Kent, Mikal Gilmore, Chris Salewicz, Charles Shaar Murray, Mick Farren, and Lenny Kaye. Whether interviewed by punk fanzines like Sniffin’ Glue and 48 Thrills, pious UK weeklies like New Musical Express, Melody Maker, Sounds, and Record Mirror, or US periodicals like Creem, Trouser Press, and Rolling Stone, the Clash consistently created copy that lived up to their sobriquet The Only Band That Matters.