Sweet. Someone found The Clash interview on this site, and they also dug through the archive and found a group photo of the band on the tour bus. The links were then posted on a Clash forum called If Music Could Talk — www.clashcity.com.

Very cool. Best of all, their readers hit PingWi-Fi.com. We crave that! And at ClashCity, they posted speculation on the band — taking what they knew of Clash history and cross referencing that with the smile or frown on each member of the band’s face in the Ping photo. Interesting observations.

One post noted that I mentioned Mick Jones and Paul Simenon were, shall we say, less outgoing than frontman Joe Strummer. However, that Clash fan was quick to point out, Mick Jones looks quite jovial in all of the shots. He implied there seemed to be a disconnect.

No worries … I ain’t gonna lie … I’m just happy that they too are so into The Clash!

So, for them, let me set the record straight. Jones was approachable, but he certainly let Strummer do the talking.

When I fired a quick question to bassist Paul Simenon, about their immediate goals, he said something to the effect that, “the main goal right then was to get the bus rolling and go to the next gig.” Ouch.

And then as I snapped a few photos, Jones was more concerned about my camera bag, than anything else. He kept warning me that cars were going to run over it in the parking lot as I clicked away.

Dude … I am taking photos of “The only band that matters” as they were known — forget the camera gear,” (I thought).

Needless to say, I count that interview and the photos among my all-time favorite journalism moments.
Here’s how it played out:

I was told on the phone that I “could not meet with The Clash,” by their record company.

I drove a couple of hours to Amarillo and found The Clash at the swimming pool of their hotel.

They gave me a backstage pass and invited me to have a cold one after their concert.

They were a little rough sounding in the show … but they were punk … aren’t they suppose to be?

After the show, I snapped away as the group relaxed with a small gathering of fans, and the opening act — Austin’s then teenage Charlie Sexton.

Special memory: 5-6 of my college buddies were at the show, and they unfurled a long anti-nuke banner during the show. (I took the banner and some underground newspapers to Strummer after the show. He found it quite interesting.)

Finally, Strummer told me I could have an interview, the next morning.

The next day, Strummer and I sat in a Taco joint on Ross Avenue in Amarillo, with the tape running. (I am embarrassed to say that I smoked back then, but it adds a little to the story that I bummed a snipe from Joe.)

Joe Strummer Interview on Ping:

Then we walked back to The Holiday Inn and shot a few photos in the pool, in the sauna and then outside on the tour bus.

Good times!

Know what I sayin?