Follow on TwitterMusic Video: The Clash Perform “Charlie Don’t Surf”
Here’s a video of an amazing Clash song, “Charlie Don’t Surf,” from the Sandinista album.
The footage of the video was apparently pulled from a 1982 live performance in Tokyo, Japan, laced w/ scenes from Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, which had been the inspiration for the song.
In the movie, Robert Duvall’s character, Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore, justifies his orders to reclaim a dangerous beach from the Vietcong so his men could do some surfing, with the phrase “Charlie Don’t Surf.” (Charlie, of course, was the American troops’ slang for the Vietcong).
The chorus:
Charlie don’t surf, and we think he should
Charlie don’t surf, and you know that it ain’t no good
Charlie don’t surf for his hamburger momma
Charlie’s gonna be a napalm star
My interpretation of this, though others may disagree, goes to how the U.S. forces western consumerism down the world’s throats. And for those who dare to resist its Capitalist imperatives, it is napalm for you.
ENJOY!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h788GoKMT-4&feature=colike[/youtube]
FREE 12-Song Download: Carbon/Silicon (Ex-Clash Mick Jones) New LP, ‘Carbon Bubble’
Great news for all impoverished music lovers out there!
Carbon/Silicon, featuring — one of my all-time favorite songwriters — Mick Jones (formerly of The Clash and Big Audio Dynamite) and Tony James (formerly of Generation X), have just released their new 12-Song LP entitled The Carbon Bubble. It is available at the Carbon/Silicon site as a free download. THAT’S RIGHT, FREE DOWNLOAD! Get over there, and get it!
Also, for those of you who don’t have it yet, be sure to download their fabulous two-song EP, Maybe That’s The Meaning of Life, as well — co-written and recorded with Gary Kemp (formerly of Spandau Ballet).
I’m playing The Carbon Bubble LP right now as I type, and it is awesome! The tracks “What’s Up Doc” and “The Best Man” — a favorite of mine so far — both have an authentic late 70s punk sound — and could easily pass as early Clash tunes. “Reach For the Sky” is great as well — sort of has that now-familiar Carbon/Silicon sound. “Make it Alright” has an early 60s, garage sound — just fantastic!
Carbon/Silicon have written an awesome album! — definitely, one of the best releases of 2009! Mick Jones has still got it. And now he’s giving it away.
Once you’ve downloaded and had a chance to give it a spin, let us know what you think. Enjoy!
Watch: Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros “Tony Adams”
In the name of disclosure, I’ll just say that The Clash are one of my all-time favorite bands.
I sense that quite a few out there have shied away from Joe Strummer’s post-Clash efforts. For those of you who loved The Clash, but haven’t yet delved into this part of Strummer’s career, a word to the wise: “there’s gold in them there hills.”
Here’s one of my favorite Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros songs. Off the Rock Art and the X-Ray Style album — it could fit nicely on Sandinista — Here’s ‘Tony Adams’. Enjoy!:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arhfQLJNZE8[/youtube]
You can download ‘Tony Adams’ or the entire Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros album, Rock Art and the X-Ray Style, here: 
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