THE CLASH ON TOUR
During the ten days between February 7 and 17, 1979, the people of Iran toppled the Shah; the American ambassador was assassinated in Afghanistan; President Carter was publicly reprimanded by the president of Mexico; Rhodesia launched air strikes against Zambia; a nervous China invaded Vietnam; and Britain's premier punk band, the Clash, played their first tour of the United States.
THE CLASH ON TOUR
by Stephen Demorest
During the ten days between February 7 and 17, 1979, the people of Iran toppled the Shah; the American ambassador was assassinated in Afghanistan; President Carter was publicly reprimanded by the president of Mexico; Rhodesia launched air strikes against Zambia; a nervous China invaded Vietnam; and Britain's premier punk band, the Clash, played their first tour of the United States. All around the globe, the underdogs were snapping at the heels of the fat cats, making them very jumpy.
The Clash, who obviously mean to seize the time, slammed out songs titled "Hate and War," "White Riot," "London's Burning" and "Tommy Gun". Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simenon, and Topper Headon are civilized, but their songs aren't. They represent the disintegration of civilization resulting from class oppression. A Clash set is as immediate, unsettling, frustrating, desperate, boring, tumultuous— and uncivilized—as the evening news. Take it as a warning, a threat, or a promise. If you close your eyes it will not go away; you have to deal with it—it is the currency.
Tuesday — February 6: