The Clash

Hello Everyone out there, hope you're having a wonderful day!

Topper Headon, of 70's punk band, The Clash, sat down with Rolling Stone to discuss their 1982 album, "Combat Rock" which includes major hit "Rock The Casbah"  The former drummer sat down in front of a piano to show RS how his original sketch for the song was presented to the rest of his band. The full story is in the new issue of Rolling Stone Magazine which is available on newsstands now. The article includes an audio clip from the interview and allows you to hear the chord progression of the song.

Although Headon's memory failed him when asked what the original lyrics were, The Clash's former co-manager, Kosmo Vinyl, told RS it was "a filthy ode to his ex-girlfriend"."He had really pornographic lyrics for it if I remember correctly. Very, very pornographic lyrics." Joe Strummer, who did vocals and guitar for the band, decided to steer the song in another direction. Strummer's inspiration came from another manager that the quartet also had, Bernie Rhodes.

Strummer had asked, "does everything have to be as long as a raga?" after they recorded "Sean Flynn"  which took a considerable amount of time to record. Shortly before Strummer's death in 2002, he recalled coming up with the official lyrics, "I got back to the hotel that night and wrote on a typewriter, 'The King told the boogie men You gotta let that raga drop'. I looked at it and for some reason I started to think about what someone had told me earlier, that you get lashed for owning a disco album in Iran".

Not only was he not included in the video, Headon was kicked out of the band because of a drug problem by the time the song became a global sensation. He says, "it was tough. In 1983 Pete Townshend [From The Who] paid for me to come to Los Angeles to have the electric box treatment for heroin addiction. And while I was there the Clash were playing the U.S. festival and 'Rock The Casbah' was all over the radio waves of course it hurt. The good thing about it was that we all ended up friends afterwards anyway".

These British natives are an important staple in the world of punk rock music, and have influenced a generation of bands that will one day inspire the next. They are and always will be, the only band that matters.

Have a great day Nimrods!