On this week’s rambling podcast, I start, somewhat unintentionally, with where I left off last week, talking about yet another artist we lost too soon: Tom Verlaine of Television, who died on January 28, 2023. Though I was aware of Television back in the day, I first gave them a serious listen after seeing the 2013 film CBGB, about the legendary music venue in the Bowery that launched the careers of the Ramones, Blondie, and Talking Heads, among others. (Here is the NPR review of CBGB I mention on the show.) 

Verlaine was the pivotal figure in one of the most influential, if lesser known, punk bands to come out of New York in the 1970s. He was an excellent guitar player in a band that was quintessentially punk, but not in an overtly self-conscious way. If you’re not familiar with Television or Verlaine’s artistry, the 1977 LP Marquee Moon is an excellent place to start, and check out Patti Smith’s beautifully written obituary/memorial called “He Was Tom Verlaine” in The New Yorker. 

From there, I pause for a moment to recognize James Joyce’s 141st birthday and segue into a discussion of Joe Strummer’s days with the Pogues, including the iconic 1991 Pogues/Strummer show in London when Joe was filling in for Shane MacGowan (note: I mistakenly said the show took place in 1988). Rhino Records released a recording of that show, aptly named The Pogues with Joe Strummer — Live in London, in 2014. And speaking of MacGowan, his Wikipedia page has one of the greatest ear-related punk rock stories of all time.

Finally, in this week’s Great Artists, Good People segment, I talk about the legendary Jimmy Cliff, a guy who introduced a generation of suburban Chicago kids to reggae with the soundtrack to his 1972 film, The Harder They Come. It’s not just that Jimmy is a great artist, but he also has a strong connection to the Clash and Joe Strummer. So much so that the Clash mention both The Harder They Come and Jimmy Cliff’s character, Ivan, in “The Guns of Brixton” from London Calling:

You see, he feels like Ivan

Born under the Brixton sun

His game is called survivin’

At the end of The Harder They Come

To bring it full circle, it turns out that Jimmy recorded his own version of “The Guns of Brixton” with Tim Armstrong of Rancid, which is totally excellent. And here’s Jimmy’s song “Over the Border,” featuring Joe Strummer. The Clash connections are everywhere!

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