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cover art for 54 - The Clash with Don Letts (Ladbroke Grove)

Music Maps - The Rock n Roll Book Club Podcast

54 - The Clash with Don Letts (Ladbroke Grove)

Ep. 54

We welcome Don Letts to discuss his experiences with The Clash - from directing every music video the band made to joining them on the pivotal White Riot tour in 1977, his initial impressions on meeting the band, the key gig with the Sex Pistols at the Nashville with Joe Strummer’s 101ers. 


Don shares anecdotes about filming the band, trips to America and his interactions with legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese. 


Years later Don made the legendary documentary Westway to the World: the legacy of The Clash for which he won a Grammy Award. We discuss the making of the documentary & the interaction 



It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmaps



It is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. 



You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/live/



Instagram: @rocknrollbookclube17


Blue Sky: @musicmaps.bsky.social


X: @simonmusicmaps


Facebook: E17rockbookclub



Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell

Written & Produced by Simon Cardwell

Edited, mixed & spruced up by Andy Maxwell 



Chapters: 

00:00 Introduction to Music Maps Podcast

00:42 Reflections on Economic Challenges and Cultural Richness

03:27 Exploring Don Lett's Life and Memoir

04:48 The Punk Rock Scene and Its Influences

10:28 The Clash and Reggae Connections

16:09 The White Riot Tour and Its Impact

24:07 Commercialization of Music and Cultural Reflections

27:50 The Evolution of Music Videos

30:26 The Clash's American Dream

33:20 Meeting Legends: Scorsese and the Clash

36:52 Documenting the Clash: Westway to the World

39:29 The Clash's Legacy and Impact

42:09 Reflections on the Clash's Influence

46:11 Remembering Johnny Green

49:56 Upcoming Events and Recommendations


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