On this week’s episode, I return to the roots of the podcast and my obsession with the Clash … but not without first mentioning that my wife and I have our own podcast, In the Shadow of the Evening Trees, and on our latest episode we go into some detail about the Springsteen concert we saw in Dublin in May (the subject of a good part of last week’s Two Minutes Fifty-Nine show).

I also mention that my wife and I recently recorded an episode of Jesse Jackson’s Set Lusting Bruce podcast, talking, naturally, about the Springsteen show and related matters. I’ll let you know when that episode is up, but, while recording, Jesse challenged me to recommend some Clash songs for a non-Clash fan like him to listen to as a sort of introduction to the band.

So the balance of this week’s show is dedicated to that task. Here are the songs I’ve come up with, though, to be manageable, the list will have to be pared down some:

• “Spanish Bombs”
  
  
• “Career Opportunities”
  
  
• “Garageland”
  
  
• “White Man in Hammersmith Palais”
  
  
• “Tommy Gun”
  
  
• “Stay Free”
  
  
• “Gates of the West”
  
  
• “Rudie Can’t Fail”
  
  
• “Revolution Rock”
  
  
• “Brand New Cadillac”
  
  
• “London Calling”
  
  
• “Washington Bullets”
  
  
• “Somebody Got Murdered”
  
  
• “Sound of the Sinners”
  
  
• “Police on My Back”
  
  
• “Know Your Rights”
  
  
• “Car Jamming”
  
  
• “Straight to Hell”
  
  
• “Atom Tan”
  
  
• “This Is Radio Clash”
  

And, because I can’t help myself, I consider whether to include these solo Joe Strummer or Joe and the Mescaleros tunes as well:

• “Generations”
  
  
• “X-Ray Style”
  
  
• “Yalla Yalla”
  
  
• “Johnny Appleseed”
  
  
• “Coma Girl”
  
  
• “London Is Burning” (“Burning Streets”)
  

Anyway, 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.”