UNC CLE

First I’d like to thank you for the cover feature on The Monkees and Michael Nesmith [MOJO 340]. It’s a spotlight they’ve long deserved. I also want to request an article about the ’80s New Zealand rock scene, the Dunedin Sound and Flying Nun Records. It’s strange that, as an Australian, I had no idea there was this huge indie rock scene right next door. Growing up, I only heard Splitz Enz and Crowded House on the radio. I found a book about NZ rock at a book fair recently and was amazed to learn about all this music that, to my ears, sounds like it could have been recorded and released on Bandcamp yesterday. I’d love to learn more about it – maybe even a How To Buy feature?

Conor Bendle, via e-mail I don’t get tough with anyone… my lawyer does

It was surprising to see a full-page picture of Joe Strummer on-stage at the Rex Theatre in Toronto, in February of 1979, in your Clash MOJO Collectors’ Series edition. The photographer would have been standing just to the right of me (I was snapping away in front of Mick Jones). I wonder if the shutterbug would remember the guy who somehow got Strummer’s attention part way through the show? Strummer crouched down in front of us while the fan told him, “The station that’s sponsoring your show (Toronto’s Q107 FM) never plays your records; they only play stuff like Styx and Foreigner!” To which I added, “Yeah, and they slagged off your album!” One of their DJs had given Give ’Em Enough Rope a pretty negative review. Strummer got back up to introduce the next song by dedicating it to the station by name, along with something rather uncomplimentary.

The show was great, of course, and I had to try for some autographs, so I waited outside the theatre where a cab was waiting. Sure enough, Strummer came along and I pulled out a punxploitation magazine that had a colour picture of the band. When I couldn’t find the pic right away, he said, “Come on man, it’s freezin’ out here!” which it kind of was, Canadian winters not being leather-jacket weather. Oh, and Q107 reviewed the show the next day, announcing in high dudgeon that The Clash were now banned from their airwaves – which they were, until about the time London Calling came out.

Ian Mitchell, Oshawa, Ontario Forget it, Jake

The headlines in Theories, Rants, Etc [MOJO 342] were taken from David Jones (Patrick McGoohan) to Commander Ferraday (Rock Hudson) in Ice Station Zebra (1968). Keep up the great work.

Gerry Graham, Scottish Borders

MOJO is the world’s best music magazine, and in a quarter century of reading it I’ve seldom run into a quibble worth writing to the editor about. There’s a first time for everything, I suppose. I loved your special section on George Harrison [MOJO 341] and jumped with great interest into your list of his 30 Greatest Songs. I looked over the list once, then again, and then a third time. Surely I must be overlooking What Is Life? Alas, I wasn’t. I’m not saying the omission of that song strips your list of all credibility – it doesn’t – but I’m appalled it wasn’t among the top five, let alone the top 30.

Chris Dortch, Chattanooga, Tennessee

…I really enjoyed the George Harrison feature, especially your list of his 30 Greatest Songs. I’ve somehow managed to reach my mid-fifties without having ever heard the beautiful Stuck Inside A Cloud, so thanks for its inclusion. Equally lovely, but not in the list, is the meditative Sat Singing – another recent find of mine, and well worth checking out. To think what I’ve been missing out on when, instead, I’ve had a long-lasting struggle to get through Handle With Care without wincing when Dylan starts to sing.

Stephen Gregory, Altrincham You’ve got a nasty reputation

There seems to be an increasing tendency to rewrite history. In recent MOJOs we have read how Lennon and McCartney were not actually the best songwriters within The Beatles, but it turned out to be George Harrison [MOJO 341]. This was implied by your article (mainly on the back of the recent Get Back documentary, which was edited to show George in a particular light), and, of course, George did write some good songs. But good though he was, he was never on the same level as Lennon and McCartney.

Then we read how marvellous Karen Dalton was [MOJO 341]. The reality is she sold few records because her singing was total garbage. But the modern way is to proclaim that the person was merely far ahead of their time and/or misunderstood rather than to admit the truth. We then read similar things about Vashti Bunyan [MOJO 342]. She is slightly different to Dalton in that she was undoubtedly more musical, and even a bit listenable too. But the reason that her records did not sell well originally was because her singing and her songs were plainly bland – the easylistening style of folk music – and not anything that stood out from the crowd. I have no doubt that in about 50 years’ time someone will be reading what a brilliant singer XXXXXX (insert any one of a hundred modern “social media” “stars”, all of which have zero real talent) was, but did not get recognised as such in their own time. We know the truth now, but will those readers of the future know what to believe?

Graham Stark, Yateley, Hampshire

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