THE WRONG TROUSERS
I visit Placeta Joe Strummer in Granada; the ironic irony of rock monuments and commemorations.
The Clash B-side ‘1977’ (featuring Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones); 1984 (featuring David Bowie).
1976 then and now; wearing the wrong trousers.
T-shirts (featuring the Clash, the Sex Pistols); the DESTROY T-shirt and swastika rebels (featuring Sid Vicious).
Jackets (featuring Jimmy Page, Brian Eno).
Jeans (featuring Steve Hillage, Pete Burns).
History in the making, history revealed and history restored (featuring the Clash, John Lydon).
Page 211
…Placeta Joe Strummer…
Page 212
…the decadent-looking bootleg LP “Dollars In Drag – The 1980 Floor Show”…
Page 221
…Joe wore a red BRIGATE ROSSE RAF T-shirt…
The top colour photo was taken at Victoria Park with my Kodak Instamatic. The black and white photo is from The Clash Songbook, bought on Friday 12 January 1979.
Brigate Rosse (the Red Brigades) were a left-wing terrorist organisation based in Italy, and were responsible for around 70 murders. The RAF were the Rote Armee Fraktion (Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group) from Germany, and killed around 30 people. Interesting question: how does this compare with a swastika rebel T-shirt for outrage?
It seems Joe didn't know how to spell the name of Brigate Rosse, which probably makes the T-shirt that is currently available from numerous online retail sources a Joe Strummer tribute rather than a terrorist tribute.
Page 228
…”Entartete Musik” (Degenerate Music)…
This saxophone player ticks all the Nazi boxes: exaggerated African features, jazz saxophone, Star of David badge, and gypsy earring. And the image itself is in black, white and red just like the party flag.
Page 229
…I was at university having a hard time fitting in…
College photograph with hangover and badge. The idea of shooting people in theatres is no longer just a Situationist prank.
Page 229
…he got changed while we were on the Tube…
Page 229
…a bizarre and painful half hour or so of hair modification…
Page 230
…my first Favourite Jacket was a Wrangler denim jacket…
Bowie badge from Skeleton Records.
Page 230
…my second Favourite Jacket was a combat jacket…
The pentagram badge I made myself. I painted another badge black, cut the star and circle from thin strips of white sticky-backed plastic, stuck them on the painted badge, then varnished the whole thing. It was quite hard to source occult-themed badges back then.
The Who badge was bought at a gig by Collinson or his brother (who was also called Collinson). I think Collinson’s brother bought a load of badges and sold them. He definitely took black-and-white photos using a long telephoto lens and sold them. Some were quite good, some weren’t. Collinson's brother was something of an entrepreneur.
The Union Jack badge was from a motorbike shop. It was originally chrome plated, but I rubbed the chrome off with sandpaper because I preferred the copper finish.
Page 231
…my third Favourite Jacket was a leather bike jacket…
Page 232
…my Favourite Jeans…
The first image is before any patches were added. They had originally been taken up by my mum because they were too long when I got them. As I grew into them, she had let them down, hence the white lines around the bottom of the legs.
By the second image, things were getting underway patch-wise and I had started dying things black, in this case a white rugby shirt.
In the third image I am pretending to wee into the waste paper basket in the corner of Bogey’s girlfriend’s front room, affording a rear view. Note the multicoloured patches, and the embroidered scarab beetle, copied from the sleeve of the Steve Hillage LP Motivation Radio. The belt is the same as previously, but I had at some stage bought some studs from Birkenhead Market, and I wasn’t afraid to use them.
Page 234
…I got a badge off Joe Strummer…
Both of these images are of the same actual badge. Because I had two of these badges, I put a red sticker on the reverse of this one, so I knew which one it was.
..............................................................................................................................................................................
Page 236
…wow, the Clash, who’s going to believe this…
Page 236
…the design of the cover for “London Calling” was based on the LP “Elvis Presley”…
Page 241
…I found myself in the Vivienne Westwood Shop…
You can tell this is the Mathew Street boutique because the Beatles sculpture is reflected in the shop window.
Page 242
…being worn by Charlie Watts…
