I just got an email from someone requesting the song I had up on last New Year's Day. She told me it was quite lovely and was hoping it would be a tradition at The Beef Stand. It's quite a reflective number and one of my favorites. So the tradition begins. We can only hope this year finally brings it.

Here's Quincy Jones - Love and Peace

Download 04_love_and_peace.mp3

In music it seems every generation had the one person or group who smashed the mirror, you know the ones who you could define a generation or movement: Chuck Berry, Elvis, The Beatles, The Doors, Bob Marley, The Grateful Dead, Nirvana. Then for me there was The Only Band That Mattered, The Clash. I had read about them when I was 13 and remembering taking a train and then the "L" to a record shop and buying the import of their first album, The Clash UK. It was the first import I had ever bought and probably the 4th or 5th album I had ever purchased. It's sitting next to me now as I write this, looking at I remember how amazed I was, this album wasn't shrink-wrapped, It was in a clear plastic bag, no wonder it was so expensive! When I first heard it, I literally sat there in front of the speaker with my mouth open, this was it! Bands like the Beatles and The Everly Brothers (my early listening) had spoken to me before but not like these guys did. I wish I could really put it in words how I felt, all I knew then was, this was real and honest. I was fortunate enough to see them live at The Aragon here in Chicago. It was life changing, to the crowd we were seeing "The Only Band That Mattered" and to The Clash we were "The Only People Who Mattered"

My love for the group continued, thru London Calling, Sandinista,and Combat Rock. Joe's words not only entertained but educated me, forced me to think and change my ways. Like John Lennon and Bob Marley before him, he preached humanity in his lyrics and showed us about suffering and there is more to life than working for the man. Unlike Lennon and Marley, Strummer and The Clash were my generation's voice. The one who stood up to Reagan and Thatcher and taught me to speak up when I saw injustice either at home or abroad. With each release the group became accepted by more of my friends and the world, The Clash were going to be the answer, the tide was changing goodbye cheesy rock bands.

Then it exploded and Joe Strummer kicked Mick Jones out of the band. I remembering reading that while in college and remember throwing the NME down saying out loud "What the FUCK, FUCK YOU JOE STRUMMER HOW DARE YOU?" I never bought Cut The Crap, I can't even recall hearing a song from it, I moved on, the journey was over. I followed Big Audio Dynamite and knew Joe had worked on some films soundtracks and then started The Mescalaros. A childhood buddy of mine recalled to me seeing the group in Chicago while I was living in New York. He was telling me how great it sounded and that I should go re-discover Joe. Wally knew I still really hadn't forgiven Joe for kicking out Mick and I had moved on. When my friend passed away, I went and seeked out Joe's work with The Mescalaros but unfortunately never got to see the group live.

I recently saw the documentary on Joe Strummer The Future is Unwritten and it is really worth spending some time with. I was glad they didn't make Joe out to be a Saint which some of these documentaries end up doing. Joe like many of us in our lives lose our sense of self,some return to it, others continue to search for it and some never find it. Watching the film it seemed Joe re-discovered himself. Five years ago, Joe Strummer died leaving us with the one thing I heard when I put the needle down on the turntable as a young teen. Hope.

Download career_opportunities.mp3 (The Clash)
Download 08_magnificent_seven.mp3 (The Clash)
Download johnny_cash_redemption_song1.mp3 (Johnny Cash w/Joe Strummer)

Here's something I discovered at work, an audio recording of Paul Simon and Steve Martin from a 1970's Saturday Night Live rehearsal , this never aired perhaps because it's just too funny or probably just a bit over the line.

Download 01_silver_bells.mp3 (Paul Simon and Steve Martin)