Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash [Paperback]

Pat Gilbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2005

The only internationally successful, million-selling group to emerge from the late seventies London punk scene, the Clash set out to change the world with a potent mix of politics, iconic imagery, and blazing rock ‘n’ roll. It was an agenda mirrored in the Clash’s music, which swiftly evolved from ferocious punk rock to incorporate reggae, ska, funk, jazz, soul, and hip-hop. Passion Is a Fashion draws on over 70 interviews with the key participants in the story—roadies, producers, friends, and fans—and conversations with the Clash: Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and Topper Headon. The first book to give real insight into what went on behind the scenes during the Clash’s ten-year career, it charts the Clash’s picaresque progress through the days of the early punk scene and their groundbreaking Rock Against Racism gigs, to the arduous touring, to their break out in America, and the making of the classic London Calling album, all the way to the band’s eventual dissolution and the sudden, sad death of frontman Joe Strummer. Gritty, compelling, and above all authoritative, Passion Is a Fashion is the biography the Clash has long deserved.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Former Mojo editor Gilbert presents an entertaining, definitive look at what is arguably punk rock's seminal band. For a group known for its integrity and political ethos, the Clash—Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon—had surprising origins, constructed and ruled with an iron fist by impresario Bernie Rhodes, a friend and contemporary of Sex Pistols creator Malcolm McLaren. Gilbert charts the Clash's rise—from long days spent in dank, freezing rehearsal spaces—to their descent: Headon's drug addiction and dismissal, personality conflicts, management problems and a bad record deal. Still, theirs is a triumphant story. The Clash bonded with fans like no other band in the late 1970s, choosing to play small venues over arenas, even designing their own fashions. Critically, the band was often vilified, especially for its experimental triple album, Sandanista! But, Gilbert shows, despite being called sellouts for signing with CBS, the Clash defined what it really means to be punk by eschewing the trappings of rock stardom, resisting the pressure to write hits and seizing the creative freedom to do innovative things, such as infusing their music with reggae and ska. Sadly, Strummer unexpectedly died in 2003 from an undiagnosed congenital heart defect. Photos.
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Review

"A page-turning look at a band that blended fierce leftist politics with an eye for fashion." -- Rock Pile, November 2005

"Fills in [the Clash's] roots with admirable clarity...Gilbert not only does the Clash proud, he does them justice." -- Village Voice7/5/05

"Gilbert breaks some new ground while providing a detailed history of the legendary band from inception to dissolution." -- Idaho Statesman, 12/25/05

"Portrays beautifully the fine art of falling apart ...Likely to last while weightier tomes languish in dustbins." -- East Bay Express 7/27/05

"Rare and wonderful...[Gilbert] digs deep to tell the story of punk rock's most potent, powerful and political band." -- Eonline.com7/12/05

"The definitive biography of the band ...Entertaining and insightful...A must for die-hard Clash fans...and all those fascinated by pop culture." -- Curled Up with a Good Book 7/25/05

"This is a heartbreaking and heartening story of punks growing up and growing old, the real story indeed. Essential." -- Library Journal, starred review 5/1/05

"[Gilbert's] grasp of that band goes far beyond stale stuff...A model for all band bios." -- Illinois Entertainer, December 2005

"[Gilbert] weaves a blow-by-blow narrative rich in color and loaded with trivia." -- Harp Magazine June, 2005

"[Told] lucidly and readably, at a brisk, even pace...plenty of new information...research-wise Gilbert has done some serious legwork." -- Boston Globe5/29/05

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (May 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030681434X
• ISBN-13: 978-0306814341
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,023,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars (Almost) The Only Clash Book That Matters, June 17, 2005

By 

William Errickson Jr. (Raleigh, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash (Paperback)

If only one Clash book is going to grace your shelves, it should be Pat Gilbert's "Passion is a Fashion." Gilbert, diligent music journalist he is, has gotten interviews with our beloved Joe, Mick, Paul and Topper (a feat Marcus Gray, author of the decade-old, the oft-maligned "Last Gang in Town" never managed). Particularly insightful are comments and insights the band members give after Joe's untimely death, and the knowledge of such imparts a poignancy to Gilbert's liquor-fueled interviews with Strummer. But Gilbert has also tracked down the erstwhile Bernard Rhodes, the "complete control" genius/maniac who managed the Clash in their early days and then again as they broke up. His quotes are marvelously irreverent and mythic, and are a part of the Clash history often overlooked.

As for the tale itself, Gilbert tells it with economy and precision (I think it's two-thirds the book that Gray's was), with lots of info even this diehard Clash aficionado was unaware of. Gilbert covers all the highs of the band--the knockout debut album that defined a generation and a whole new vocabulary of music and pop-culture style; the artistic triumph of "London Calling"; the outrageous intensity of their live shows; the conquering of America with "Rock the Casbah" and a Top 10 album... and then the fallout.

Gilbert covers the last days of the Clash, including interviews with the usually forgotten members of Clash mark II, who seem unwilling to discuss it. It's an ignoble end to an often noble and great band, written out of Clash mythology--I don't blame them. But enough time has passed that we can see the problems involved, which Mick and Paul talk about more openly than in previous interviews.

The book comes with a complete Clash discography as well as a bibliography, but one thing it lacks is a wealth of photos. There are a couple never-before-seen photos, but as Gilbert discusses, say, the changing look of the band (from Pop Art lettrism to black-and-white gangsters to military fatigues) some accompanying pics would've been nice. So, be sure to pick up Bob Gruen's peerless book of Clash photography, "The Clash," which spans just about the entirety of their career.

Clash PR man and confidant Kosmo Vinyl best sums up the inherent contradictions of the Clash this way: "We had so much fun robbing the bank, we forgot to take the money!"

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars if you like the Clash, you will like this book, July 1, 2005

By 

Timothy Horrigan "Tim Horrigan" (Durham, NH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash (Paperback)

This is quite a detailed blow-by-blow account of the history of the Clash, and even of its pre-history. Mr. Gilbert devotes the first 100 pages or so to the lads' pre-Clash lives, and he even reveals that the Clash were in fact originally a manufactured boy band. Their manager Bernie Rhodes put Joe Strummer, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon together primarily because they looked good: the fact that Joe & Mick turned out to be arguably the greatest songwriting team since Mick & Keith (or even John & Paul) was just a happy accident.

There's not much about the band's post-history, which is unfortunate since the Clash were one of those bands who were more popular and more influential after they broke up than while they were still together. (And also, Mick Jones' post-Clash band, Big Audio Dynamite were important in their own right, and Joe Strummer had a noteable solo career.)

In any case, there's lots of lots of information in this book about the Clash and their entourage. All six core members of the band (including the two "other" drummers, Terry Chimes and Pete Howard) were interviewed, although Mick and Topper had very little to say and Joe (who was the central figure in the Clash legend) died in the middle of the project.

If you like the Clash, you will like the book, though you may not love it. The book has a few flaws: a meagre picture selction (even though the author talks a lot about how the band looks), a pedestrian writing style, and not enough info about the music itself. I am also not sure if all the details are 100% accurate. For example, on pp. 250-251, we were told that the shot of Paul Simonon smashing his bass on thge London Calling album was taken at precisely 9:50pm at the Palladium in New York. I was at that show. It ended much later than that. At 9:50pm, Mitch Ryder (not mentioned in this book) would still have been performing. For another example, the Black Market Clash album was listed as having been released in 1991 when it actually came out in 1980.

This book does not quite rate the full 5 stars, but it does tell a fascinating story.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very impressive book - welcome to 1970s South London, June 1, 2006

By 

megade01 (Perth, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash (Paperback)

This review applies to the 2004 hardcover edition. I knew a reasonable amount about The Clash before reading this book but the author here opened my eyes to a number of things and helped to confirm some of my ideas and reject others.

This is an academic book in the sense that any university sociology or history department type would or should respect the high standard of scholarship here - painstaking research involving interviews with a large number of band friends, business associates and childhood and youth buddies - and objective and intelligent analysis throughout. Although the research is detailed and Gilbert takes the subject matter seriously, the writing is still lively and captivating.

The book first traces the childhoods, youth days and former bands of all members individually which is fascinating and well researched. A lot of this information would be new to even the diehard fans. It's fascinating to read about and see a picture of Mick Jones' gran's 18th floor council flat in South London overlooking the Westway - where Mick "practised daily in my room" according to the song Stay Free. We also get to learn about Mick's close friend, also written about in Stay Free, who in real life did serve time for a bank robbery offence.

The art-school beginnings and the "squatting days" in early 1970s London (living in vacated houses under the Westway without paying rent) and the members' pre-Clash bands are well documented. Overall, Gilbert does an excellent job in helping the reader recreate in his/her mind the world of 1970s South London where the Clash story was played out. That is one of the book's great strengths in my opinion.

The book demolishes some punk myths, but keeps others alive. Firstly, the book demolishes the cherished idea that The Pistols and The Clash were working-class lads who met up, decided to form a band, and sing about social and political topics. There is some element of truth in that idealised view. However, the bands' respective managers, Malcolm McLaren of The Pistols and Bernie Rhodes of The Clash, clearly manufactured the bands to a certain extent based on their personal visions of what they wanted to achieve. Joe clearly understood this and was willing to co-operate with Rhodes to achieve common goals - but Mick was less supportive, being more of a traditional old-time rocker.

Gilbert clearly describes the social changes affecting Britain in the late 70s - the rise to power of the Thatcher right-wing government and the first wave of West Indian immigrants into London (and especially Brixton). We see how all band members had a genuine and sincere desire for racial harmony - they were fascinated by Jamaican reggae music and later New York hip hop. The bands' involvement in anti-racism gigs and sharing the stage with acts such as Bo Diddley and Micky Dread were extremely influential in contributing to the unity of the streets.

Another Clash myth that the book does not debunk but strengthens is their closeness to the fans and genuine warmth they felt towards the fans and vice-versa. However, the bitter infighting and bad vibes involving Joe, Mick and Paul often seemed to take the joy out of their lives and the book exposes this fully. It ultimately led to Mick's sacking at the hands of Joe, Paul and Bernie.

Other highlights are detailed descriptions of the recording sessions that led to each album and brief song-by-song descriptions (however, the focus on the actual music is fairly brief - the book is more a study of people and society).

Producer Guy Stevens' drunken chair-smashing antics during the London Calling sessions are hilariously recounted. His crazy energy probably contributed to the eclectic joy that London Calling produced. The details of the football games during the London Calling sessions are also interesting. The orange mohawked Japanese guys they met playing football in the London park - who knew every note of every Clash song (and Joe's cynical reaction to them, in contrast to the other band members) - also is humorous in my opinion.

Lastly, we are also are given a rare insight into The Clash Mark II. The three young band members who replaced Mick and Topper are all interviewed. Naturally they were dissapointed with certain aspects of the Mark II experience - but they don't seem bitter and it doesn't seem that they were treated totally badly (at least not by the band - by Bernie Rhodes maybe). In my opinion "This is England" (from 1985) ranks in The Top 3 Clash songs of all time. Good to get an insight into this less-publicised and once-denied stage of the band's existence. It almost makes me want to go out and buy Cut the [...]!!

I enjoyed my trip to the world of South London that Gilbert offered and South London became a better place I'm sure due to the huge influence of Joe, Mick, Topper and Paul. Stay free...