Love Me, Love My Band (1/2) By Kate Wood

Next page (2/2),

So I met someone. He was charming, well-read, funny and heartbreakingly cute. He liked my Yoko Ono jokes and my love of lab coats. I also think he could even put up with my snotty elitism when it came to music. This is it, I thought, Romance at last! And I love romance. If I could pick any line that describes my outlook on love, life and the universe it would be In love with love and lousy poetry by The Weakerthans.

I'm Charlotte from Sex and the City and a bad MGM musical. I adore romance for romance's sake, which I suppose could be construed as unlikely coming from a self-declared hardnosed feminist. But when things were going well with this guy I thought I could indulge and wallow in love for loves sake. Or if not love, just temporary misty eyed affection. This was until he mentioned one ever so slight problem. He nervously approached the subject with me but I'm afraid the blow hit hard when he guiltily confessed his secret.

He didn't like The Clash.

In fact the words he used were Over hyped, overplayed and boring. I was devastated. When I think of The Clash I instantly think of love and romance. I can't help it. They are inextricably linked, indissoluble and inevitable. For some reason I thought; How could I begin to develop feelings for a man who didn't feel the same way about The Clash as I did? I tried to examine why this was so ridiculous and yet still so distressing to me. For some reason I think of The Clash in my mind as being something very pure. That's really the only word I can think of. The Ramones or the Pistols cannot even begin to shine a light to them. They are loved by punk, indie and pop kids alike, old and young.

They are something more than just their songs, even though their body of work and the longevity of their careers is significant.

Their shimmering legacy and their politics have lingered well into the 00's and lets face it doesn't hurt that they were all pretty much perfect pin-up material too. Still, I cannot help but think of all the times The Clash have been there for me. When I look back on some of the most intense memories I have, they almost always have a Clash song as part of the soundtrack. When I think of being about 15/16 I vividly remember running home with The Clash on Broadway to start bedroom dancing to Rudi Cant Fail.

When I think of breaking up with an ex I think of Train in Vain - easily one of my most favourite songs by The Clash. With lyrics such as you said you loved me/and that's a fact/but then you left me/said you felt trapped/well some things you can explain away/but the heartaches in me till this day, you can begin to see the romance they could carry in my mind.

Continued ....Next page (2/2),

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