Ive just picked up a book by Billy Bragg & he dedicates it to The Clash.
I first saw Billy Bragg in 1985 & have seen him countless times since & heard any amount of bootleg tapes too.He has always engaged in banter with the audience,I remember him talking about Michael Jackson,Levi Stubbs (The Four Tops),Woody Guthrie,William Blake & Phil Ochs as big influences yet before Joe Strummer died I never heard him refer to The Clash at all.
Since Joe Strummers death he seems to have jumped right on the bandwagon,getting in to every tribute going & saying how much The Clash shaped his life & his beliefs.
I always had plenty time for Billy Bragg since I seen him out busking with his portable amp & speakers strapped to his back,but these days he seems to have turned nto the token lefty to be wheeled out as & when required.
Joe Strummer once sang "He who fucks nuns will later join the church" I think Billy Bragg proves that point.

Same as when Ian Dury died....I'd only ever heard of Madness talking about him....but when he went he was EVERY FECKERS greatest influence and everyone thought his lyrics were genius!!!!

Pity they didn't say things like that when he was alive!!!!

I'm sure Bragg has always said that The Clash were the reason he picked up a guitar? Could be wrong but he was an absolute star till he discovered Wilco and Woody. Really didn't take to his Mermaid Avenue stuff but Tax Man and Workers Playtime to name but 2 are works of genius for me. The boy writes a terrfic love song I have to say.

you cant avoid having heard one or two of his 'tunes' but i have avoided the little trot like the plague - big nosed, over political shower of shite

welcome to the board

The Leftfield Tent at Glasto did a whole weekend in 2004 (?, might have been 2003) dedicated to Strummer as the programmer was a massive fan, Don Letts DJ-ing, Phil Jupitus and Billy Bragg (remember------Leftfield) lead the chorus on Garage Band for his encore.

I've met Billy countless times and he gets pulled all over the place for these things, he's not as rabid as everyone might think, but if it's slightly pinko, his phone's ringing off the hook.

here's Don that weekend:



And the chorus, ugly bunch eh??

That first picture is a health & safety nightmare. Also that bloke has had a really rough night, look at the state of his hair!!

What's up with it like?? We got through that festival with only one cut finger!!

Elvis,I think thats a bit steep,Billy Braggs first few albums were all good albums (Lifes a riot,brewing up,workers playtime,taxman,dont try this at home,internationale).I dare say his later albums are okay too,but I got lazy & stopped buying them.During his early careeer he always came across as someone who worked hard to to get his opportunities & his live shows have always been worth seeing.
MadJohn,I cant remember him making reference to The Clash until I saw him at Peterlee college in May 2003,next thing I know hes the spokesman for Clash fans everywhere,including the Strummer tribute at Glastonbury that Kev mentioned (pretty sure it was 2003 Kev)

And he has a God awful voice

But how well do you know him Flip?? Image is one thing but personality is another. I think he's a top bloke and I think I'm much harder on the human race that you are. The man loves standing around with a pint talking about anything except politics and music and he tells the filthiest funniest jokes I've ever heard. He's very self deprecating but has a problem saying no to anyone who wants his time to promote their cause.

There's an obvious logical inconsistency here. How can you comment on something you've never heard?

You missed you usual morse code full stops out of that reply ADG...........

Is your keyboard bust.........

each to their own like but Billy Bragg has done some decent tunes.
can't see how he is an odious man though.maybe you don't like his politics,personally I do,but that doesn't prevent me from noticing his iffy voice and dodgy guitar playing from time to time,but thats part of the deal isn't it.
download walk away renee or at least give the guy credit for a new england.

no walk away renee isn't a cover! at least not the one you mean,its a good tune.

Criticise the bloke and the politburo pops up ....

No similarity between Costello and Bragg so why compare - Bragg's a (magnificent) one off. I'm off to me imperial bedroom now. Costello up his own jacksy these days I have to say.

Never seen him live elvis, only on telly - bought everything (with a couple of exceptions) up to the album with Toussaint (gift from Mrs whitelight.whiteheat). Just think he takes himself too seriously now and is on a downward curve (lost his edge I guess). Never bettered My Aim Is True imo although many great albums especially Bedroom and King Of America.

And really do think much of Bragg's stuff stands up better although it's not a great comparison - no real similarity. At the time Parker was his competitor (Howlin' Wind, Heat Treatment and Sqeezing Out Sparks being the killers and what a live performer he was with the Rumour. Gig at Leeds Poly one of the best of my life).

Probably a bit harsh on Costello (much wider range) in my desire to defend Braggy who I have seen and loved a time or two. But then I am old Labour and There Is Power In A Union.

Cant understand how anyone isn't moved by Levi Stubbs Tears!

Like you I just love music - I'll listen to anything from Crazy Horse (Osmonds - their only great song) to Beefheart/Zappa to Coltrane/Davis/Mingus.

Clash are my all time faves but my individual fave is Lowell George (Little Feat who were also awesome live). That guy played guitar and sang to make you cry.

What I will not do is listen to Joss Stone even if it means getting out of the lift.

Between floors??

By the way, I don't possess any BB albums, nor do I particularly go out of the way to see him. I like 'Waiting For The Great Leap Forward,' and a few others but FFS sake Red Wedge was pre-Maggie.

Old Labour - who remembers them?
Maybe the RedWedge musical thing backfired because it got too many people's backs up in trying to force across the socialist message. This also backfired on these people as musicians, because a lot of people would be put off listening to overtly political music, regardless of how talented these musicians may have been
A shame for people like Neil Kinnock and (especially) Michael Foot, who would have made excellent Prime Ministers.
How ironic that the most successful Prime Minister (election-wise) in Labour's history has been someone so slippery and of such seemingly little substance, that you get the feeling he only did it as a career and not because he passionately believed in his politics in the same way those other two did.
Hmm, subject variation begins..............

the point I was trying to make there is, I wonder how many voters turned away from Labour due to some of these musical socialist crusaders?

Back in those days I think the main thing that turned off the Labour voters was the Militant Unions. Someone was on strike every week and when it started to get to the ordinary man, power cuts, no fire engines, ambulances, trains or dustbin men and Labour where seen to be hand in glove with them, the voter had had enough. I wouldn't have said Weller et al changed much.

It must have had an effect on SOME young voters though, especially in marginal constituencies!!!! A few hundred lost voters to the Tories could have made the difference to a boatload of towns and cities in the South and Midlands, which is effectively where the General Election is decided (given that the North and Scotland will seemingly always be a Labour hotbed)

never underestimate the influence of music on young people!!!! And in this case, its influence on them to make them puke and turn their back on it!! See ECG for example!!! And me!!!

so you never fancied knocking about with champagne socialists either then ? Maybe it was the sycophancy to the Red Wedge music movement that I couldn't tolerate.

I love Billy Bragg. Done some awesome songs. Seen him many times live and is always entertaining.

Sulk
Levi Stubbs Tears
The Saturday Boy

Three of my favourite songs of all time. Love the lyric "I never made the first team, I just made the first team laugh" from The Saturday Boy.

Plus, on him being outspoken. Give me 1000 Billy Braggs to the shyte that comes out of Bonio's or Thrum Yorkes mouth any day of the week!

Peace

it sure is Chip

wasn't it on an E.P with walk away renee?
b-side between the wars-another cracker!

welcome to the new brunette
milkman of human kindness - how good?!





its all about personal choice innit?
but I know hwere ECG is coming from in that once you've closed your mind to someone its really hard to change it. I'm really guilty of that

You're right there Chip.
I cant do much of him but the song "From Red to Blue" gets me every time.
A beauty