Joe in Heaven

Apropos of the post below, I need to say a few words about the Clash and maybe music as well. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big fan of the Clash (I'm also a big fan of Keanu Reeves but that's a much longer story). Recently a gentleman asked how I could be such a Clash fan and not like reggae, which heavily influenced the Clash, particularly in the later years. Good question. Gets right at the heart of my appreciation for music and my critical judgment in general for music. There is no good reason to dislike reggae and like the Clash except for the nostalgia factor. Listening to the Clash, even now, makes me feel like I could actually leave my keyboard and walk out onto the street and yell at the top of my lungs about injustice, war, Speed II. There is so much to protest against now and there are so many reasons to take to the streets and while I'm not out on the streets, some music makes me feel like I could be and should be. Reggae on the other hand makes me want to drive a little slower, sit on the couch a little longer and mutter about babylon--all things I already do. It may have the opposite effect for you since a lot of reggae is about rising up and casting off the chains. So musically there's not rational reason to like the Clash over reggae but all you have to do is look at my iPod and know that I am not a rational listener! Mostly because I don't know how to get the Christmas music out of my shuffle...