{"product_id":"9781617752933","title":"We Are The Clash: Reagan, Thatcher, and the Last Stand of a Band That Mattered","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"The inside story of the last great British punk record.\"\u003cbr\u003e— \u003cb\u003eJon Savage\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eEngland's Dreaming\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003ci\u003e\"We Are The Clash\u003c\/i\u003e tells an important part of the story of both The Clash and punk rock. The repercussions of what went down politically both in the USA and UK back then are still very much felt today.\"\u003cbr\u003e— \u003cb\u003eKosmo Vinyl,\u003c\/b\u003e former manager of The Clash\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The Clash are remembered as much for their blistering music as their gritty yet hopeful message to listeners worldwide. In this first serious look at The Clash's music and meaning, post–commercial success, the authors mix thoughtful reflection with grassroots political analysis in an effort to inspire a new generation of music fans and activists to Cut the Crap.\"\u003cbr\u003e— \u003cb\u003eCraig O’Hara,\u003c\/b\u003e author of \u003ci\u003eThe Philosophy of Punk: More than Noise!\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Clash was an incendiary paradox of revolutionary conviction, musical ambition, and commercial drive. \u003ci\u003eWe Are The Clash\u003c\/i\u003e is a gripping tale of how the band—fractured by its Top 10 success—fought to reinvent and purify itself as George Orwell's \u003ci\u003e1984\u003c\/i\u003e loomed. This extraordinary effort crashed headlong into a wall of internal contradictions, personal tragedy, and rising right-wing power as personified by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile the world teetered on the nuclear abyss, British miners waged a life-or-death strike, and tens of thousands died from US guns in Central America, Clash cofounders Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon set out to rebuild the band after ejecting guitarist Mick Jones and drummer Topper Headon. Bolstered by coconspirators Bernard Rhodes and Kosmo Vinyl, and three twentysomething recruits—drummer Peter Howard and guitarists Nick Sheppard and Vince White—The Clash launched a desperate last stand, shattering the band just as its controversial final album, \u003ci\u003eCut the Crap,\u003c\/i\u003e was emerging.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAuthors Andersen and Heibutzki weave together extensive archival research and in-depth original interviews with virtually all of the key players involved to tell a moving story of idealism undone by human frailty amid a climatic turning point for our world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Akashic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47018597351664,"sku":"9781617752933","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781617752933_p0.jpg?v=1763850704","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781617752933","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}