Tag: London Calling

Sunday’s Theme Music

I watched Atomic Blonde, an interesting take on the spy situation in Berlin as the wall was coming down, along with East Germany (GDR), and ultimately, the U.S.S.R. The music was a wonderful compilation of the new wave and punk era sound relating to Europe. Hits from Flock of Seagulls, Nena, After the Fire, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and others were offered. The final song was “London Calling” by the Clash. That’s an intriguing choice, since the song was released in 1979, ten years before the wall fell. I guess it could be seen as a bookend, and some ironic meaning found there, given the events of the movie. I enjoyed the movie, mostly. The violence was a little tedious, but it was a good cast, with Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan, and John Goodman (among others) complementing Charlize Theron and James McAvoy’s roles.

 

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Friday’s Theme Music

The Clash came to mind today because it’s the anniversary of Sid Vicious’ death. He died of a heroin overdose when he was twenty-one. These facts came together in a tsunami of media concern about punk rock and drugs.

Sid didn’t play on this song, “London Calling,” which came from an album by the same name. The mash up of styles and sounds and social awareness in the songs attracted me, but it wasn’t music normally encountered in the places I frequented or the people I hung out with. That meant I often listened to it alone in the car or at home.

“London Coming” came out 1979. I was stationed at Randolph AFB, San Antonio, Texas, having returned to service after taking a year off to buy a restaurant and go to college. The restaurant didn’t work out and the local economy sucked, so I returned to the military and stayed in another sixteen years.

 

 

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