Returning to normal after last week’s special episode on Garland Jeffreys (and thanks to Garland for the shout-out on social media), we turn to a long overdue subject: Clash founder Mick Jones!

While I’ve talked a lot about Joe Strummer (of course!) and Paul Simonon (especially in light of the great new Galen & Paul album, Can We Do Tomorrow Another Day?), I realize that I haven’t given Mick his due. With his recent birthday (that I forgot to mention on the show!), I figure this is as good a time as any.

As I say on the show, when conflicts arise between songwriting teams or a member of your favorite band departs, it’s common for us to feel like we have to “take sides,” but we really don’t. Joe will always be one of my favorite artists ever, but there’s still plenty of room to appreciate Mick’s excellent contributions to the Clash. And Mick’s contributions were huge. From his formidable guitar skills to his remarkable gift for writing a great tune, the Clash would not have been the Clash without him. And it’s worth pointing out that Mick was perhaps the main reason the band expanded its horizons, particularly on Sandinista! It’s doubtful that the Clash would have embraced hip-hop and other modern sounds without Mick’s ever-evolving musical curiosity.

And then there’s the fact that Mick and Joe patched things up in the 1990s and even wrote some new material together. As Mick’s Wikipedia page says: 

In an October 2013 interview with BBC Radio 6 Music, Jones confirmed that Strummer did have intentions of a Clash reunion and in fact new music was being written for a possible studio album. In the months prior to Strummer’s death, Jones and Strummer began working on new music for what he thought would be the next Mescaleros studio album. Jones said “We wrote a batch – we didn’t use to write one, we used to write a batch at a time – like gumbo. The idea was he was going to go into the studio with the Mescaleros during the day and then send them all home. I’d come in all night and we’d all work all night.” Jones said months had passed following their work together when he ran into Strummer at an event. Jones was curious as to what would become of the songs he and Strummer were working on and Strummer informed him that they were going to be used for the next Clash album.

Just imagine what could have been!

So, please give this week’s show a listen and share your thoughts in the comments below. And remember, as Joe always said, “Without people, you’re nothing.”