Clash Reunion Called Off
Displeased that reports of a Clash reunion had overshadowed a tribute to Ian Dury planned at London’s Brixton Academy June 16, Joe Strummer has taken himself off the bill.
“It’s a delicate situation,” his manager Simon Moran said. “The last thing he wants to do is offend the memory of Ian Dury, or offend the charity [Cancer BACUP]. His concern was to raise money for cancer. He never planned for all this fuss.”
Mick Jones is still scheduled to perform, but will take the stage separately from Nicky “Topper” Headon, said Trisha Ronane, who handles Clash-related affairs. There’s no word yet whether Paul Simonon is also still on the bill, though he was the Clash member closest to Dury, Ronane said.
According to a Web site dedicated to Ian Dury, www.blockheads.co.uk, Jones is supposed to sing Dury’s “I’m Partial to Your Abracadabra” as part of his set. The site also reports that a Dury tribute album titled Brand New Boots and Panties is in the works and is to include contributions from Paul McCartney, Billy Bragg, Robbie Williams and Madness.