How The Clash Changed Music

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A brief documentary about The Clash. Produced and written by Matt Beat. Check out @theclash 's music: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCf-a_3DiA07vhQmoEaczDhw

Sources/further reading:
We Are The Clash: Reagan, Thatcher, and the Last Stand of a Band That Mattered by Mark Andersen
Purchase here: https://amzn.to/45ZewNM
The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town by Marcus Gray
Purchase here: https://amzn.to/3P19c5T
Punk Rock: An Oral History by John Robb
Purchase here: https://amzn.to/484gFcO
Joe Strummer And The Legend Of The Clash by Kris Needs
Purchase here: https://amzn.to/45W9Ubb
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-clash-mn0000075747/biography
https://www.theclash.com/gigography
https://www.theclash.com/discography
https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-Clash-British-rock-group
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clash
https://www.theclash.com/biography/
https://www.setlist.fm/stats/concert-map/the-clash-bd6a53e.html?tour=63d63a23
https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-end-of-the-clash
https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/the-clash

An annotated script of this video: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GuUIZOixn25XVdf5R-U1Zd6cVq4DqMbpX5dFEB5c9BI/edit?usp=sharing

#musicdocumentary #behindthemusic #theclash

Today, The Clash is way more popular than it ever was when they were still together.
Sure, the Sex Pistols and Ramones came first, but The Clash were arguably even more influential than both in terms of bringing the entire punk movement into the mainstream, even if that took a couple decades. But while the Sex Pistols sought to destroy rock, The Clash sought to resurrect it, and indeed, they took it in an entirely different direction. This is why most folks don’t even know about The Clash’s punk rock roots- they ended up being so much more than a punk rock band actually, exploring seemingly every music genre in existence.

They planted the seeds of what eventually became known as “alternative rock,” this weird genre that exploded into the mainstream in the 1990s.

The Clash were one of the first significant political bands. They were known for lyrics about social and racial injustice. For years after they broke up, concert promoters consistently tried to throw lots of money at them for a reunion show, but they always resisted.

After all, they didn’t seem to do it for the money. They did it for the passion. They did it for the fans. And that’s why their spirit still lives on.