All The Young Punks : A People's History of The Clash

An oral history of the Clash in the words of over 300 fans and with an introduction by Billy Bragg

All The Young Punks is a people’s history of The Clash. They graduated from sweaty London clubs in the punk explosion of 1976 to become an internationally acclaimed rock act playing arenas and sports stadia. With singer Joe Strummer at the helm and Mick Jones writing guitar riffs that mixed glam rock with uptown Jamaica, The Clash turned the excitement level up to eleven every time they hit the stage. Remembered for Strummer’s political pronouncements, anthems like ‘White Riot’, ‘Complete Control’ and ‘I Fought The Law’ and hit singles including ‘Bank Robber’, ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ and ‘Rock The Casbah’, The Clash were the only band that mattered for a whole generation. 40 years after they split comes their story as over 300 fans recall almost 150 different shows. This book captures in words the sights no Clash fan will ever forget: the spittle-fuelled passion of singer-guitarist Joe Strummer, hanging off the microphone stand whilst stamping his foot; guitarist Mick Jones racing back and forth across the stage; Paul Simonon throwing shapes and a thunderous bass line into the mix; and drummer Topper Headon holding it all together with a ‘boom boom’ six-gun beat. With a foreword by Billy Bragg, this is a Clash book unlike any other.