Mick Jones

The Clash

Before there was the Clash, there was the London SS. They had a revolving door of musicians, many of whom would go on to make names for themselves in the London punk scene. They recorded one demo, never played a gig, and somehow achieved legendary status. Finally, they fell apart, and Mick Jones was left with Paul Simonon, who looked great on stage, but had a problem: He couldn’t play a note. So Jones taught him to play the bass, after attempts at the guitar went nowhere. There was also Keith Levene, another guitar player. The three needed another input, and they got it from Joe Strummer, and then they added Terry Chimes to play drums. The Clash was born. Soon, Levene was out, and Strummer and Jones were writing songs. The rest is history. Jones was on lead guitar, and he was every inch the stereotypical lead guitarist. He went through several addictions, mostly to amphetamines and cocaine. He was the most soft-spoken of the group, and played a big role in incorporating rap and hip-hop into the Clash’s sound. Finally, after recording Combat Rock, Strummer and Simonon had had enough of Jones. He was fired from the band, which released one more album and then broke up. Jones was understandably hurt by this betrayal, and he started a new group, Big Audio Dynamite (BAD).

Big Audio Dynamite

BAD was formed in 1984, with Don Letts, Dan Donovan, Greg Roberts, and Leo Williams. The band was around, in various incarnations, until 1998. They released a steady string of singles, which were popular in dance clubs. They never managed to recapture the buzz they obtained with their first single, E=MC2. This song was a huge hit in the clubs, and helped to put the band on the map. However, they could never really capitalize on this. Interestingly, Joe Strummer was given a copy of the first album by Jones, and didn’t like it. However, he co-produced the second album the band released. This did not lead to the Clash reunion many hoped for, as Strummer and Jones would not work together again for years. The split was still too recent to allow the rift to heal. In 1998, Jones was done with the band, and they broke up. Never one to rest on his laurels, he started a new project with Tony James, and started working as a producer.

Today

Jones is still producing and working with James. They play anti-fascist benefits, and encourage file sharing. In many ways, Carbon/Silicon picks up where BAD stopped. They make heavy use of samples, and their music is popular in dance clubs, just like BAD. Mick Jones reunited with the rest of the Clash to film Westway to the World, a documentary about the Clash. They were also to reunite when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, this was not to be. Strummer died in 2002, months before the induction was to take place. Jones felt the loss deeply, as he had lost a bandmate, a friend, and song-writing partner. Jones has seen and experienced much more than most people, and he continues to tell his stories through his music to all who will listen.