THE REVELATIONS OF PRESTON BLACK Spotify playlist!

Every song in the book. Well, almost. The Beatles didn't make it easy.

Download Eddie Vedder, University Of California Berkeley, Zellerbach Auditorium, Berkeley, CA, April 7, 2008 (aka 2012, I'm trying not to hate you.)

So, there was about a minute way back in January when I thought I'd put together a post about my 2012 spiritual mentor/guru, kind of like I did with Joe Strummer about this time last year. Having somebody to 'emulate' felt kind of nice, like I could follow a path somebody else laid down since it sometimes felt like I was doing this in the dark. I wrote a little about Strummer's independence, especially during his time with the 101ers, when they had to use improvised mic stands and speaker cabinets because they were flat broke and how that didn't let that stop them from playing.

Don't get me wrong, I have many personal acquaintances from Seton Hill and Pennwriters who have gone down a path to publication, and I'm not trying to paint myself as a maverick, or whatever. But this is the first time I'VE done it. When I formatted my eBook there wasn't anybody to consult because nobody I knew was really doing eBooks. When it came time to get a real book cover I didn't have anybody to discuss it with because that's the kind of thing a publisher takes care of, not the writer.

So knowing that guys like Strummer made mistakes on their path made me feel like the mistakes I made were okay too.

This year I was leaning toward Eddie Vedder as a guy to 'emulate.' Pearl Jam has been around for 20 years, and they did a lot of crazy things that were motivated by a strong personal ethos. They fought Ticketmaster (and lost) and tried to organize their own shows at non-Ticketmaster venues. They ended up being a band that put their fans first, and built a very loyal following by doing so. I guess ultimately I liked that they worked hard, and that it paid off in a way that let them pursue the music they wanted to pursue.

But in the end, this is really just a post about how shitty my year has been so far. On January 3 a kid flew around a blind corner and nailed us, putting our car up on a guardrail and causing a lot of body damage. Then the following Monday my doctor called and said I had polyps in my gallbladder and I'm going to have to have that plucked out. Spent the remainder of the month in pain, afraid everything I ate was going to make me sick. 

So, Eddie, what do you say? How do I tackle this one?

On June 30, 2000, Pearl Jam was playing the Roskilde Festival in Denmark. Nine fans were crushed or suffocated as the crowd surged toward the stage. The band cancelled the rest of its European Tour and retreated to America. A few months later they started a North American tour, prompting Vedder to say that "...playing, facing crowds, being together—it enabled us to start processing it."(Not that my situation is comparable, by any means.)

But it was good advice. So I'm back in the new book. Tallying a new word count. Reading and researching like I haven't done in years.

Download the show at Sugarmegs.

Eddie Vedder
University Of California Berkeley, Zellerbach Auditorium, Berkeley, CA, April 7, 2008


Walking The Cow-(Daniel Johnston)
Around The Bend
I Am Mine
Dead Man Walking
I’m Open
Man Of The Hour
Setting Forth
Guaranteed
No Ceiling
Far Behind
Rise
Millworker (James Taylor)
Goodbye
Satellite
Drifting
You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (Lennon, McCartney)
Here’s To The State (Phil Ochs)
Trouble (Cat Stevens)
If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out (Cat Stevens)
Parting Ways
Forever Young (Bob Dylan)
Porch
Society With Jerry Hannan (Jerry Hannan)
Growin’ Up (Bruce Springsteen)
Lukin
No More
Arc
Hard Sun With Liam Finn, Ej And Jerry Hannan (Gordon Peterson)

The Clash, The Lyceum, London, UK, December 28, 1978

Posted this show in honor of my guest post over at Tennessee Hicks' blog.

From my post:

And anybody who’s going to spend thousands of hours embarrassing themselves, losing respect and credibility learns one thing by doing it themselves. They learn whether or not they love it, and if they’re willing to fight for it, even if it means going against the grain and being the unpopular kid.

And THAT’S how I got my deal. By bleeding for it. By hustling. By losing sleep and popping ibuprofen and swallowing a little pride. By taking a risk even though it meant career suicide. In other words, I got my deal by being a little stupid.

Read the rest here: http://www.tennesseehicks.com

Download the show at Sugarmegs.

The Clash
Flash Bastards Remastered
The Lyceum, London, UK, December 28th, 1978

Setlist:
01. Safe European Home
02. I Fought the Law
03. Jail Guitar Door
04. Drug Stabbing Time
05. City Of the Dead
06. Clash City Rockers
07. Tommy Gun
08. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
09. English Civil War
10. Stay Free
11. Cheapskates
12. Julie's In the Drug Squad
13. Police and Thieves
14. Capital Radio
15. Janie Jones
16. Garageland
17. Complete Control
18. London's Burning
19. White Riot

THE MUSIC AND PRESTON BLACK The Clash, Lochem Festival, Holland 1982-05-20

From THE DEVIL AND PRESTON BLACK:

    As I made my way up High I pulled out my phone and started to compose a text.
    I kept my phone in my hand while I walked.
    The apartment was dark and cold. I could see my breath. My bed remained unmade. I laid down and tried to call Katy. She didn't answer. I got undressed and tossed all of my clothes into a pile on the floor. I went into the bathroom and started the hot water for a shower. Steam rushed into the hallway, into the kitchen.
    Water scalded me. I turned the cold water up a hair. I hung my head and waited. No music remained in me. "The Sad Ballad of Preston Black" had taken it out of me. In two weeks I'd lived a whole other life. Maybe I should've enlisted back when Stu did. Maybe it should've been me instead of him. I wished it was. Then I could've proven to everybody I was decent. I'd tried for so long to just be decent. Maybe I should've set my goals a little higher than just decent.

Buy the book on Amazon.

If you are not, or have never listened to The Clash, now's the time to fix this. Beside influencing bands like Blink-182, The Offspring, Green Day, U2, The Cure, R.E.M. and Rancid directly, they have influenced hundreds of other bands indirectly by bringing together reggae, ska, hip hop and other forms of electric music. There's a reason they've been called 'the only band that matters.' Seriously. Google it. I'll wait.

The Clash didn't invent passion and weren't the first to turn their guitars up to 11. They were sincere and real and always gave 110%. You can hear that in the show below. They never phoned it in. That's why I love them, I think. I can listen knowing they never played a 'B' show.

Also, been loving THE ULTIMATE BOOTLEG EXPERIENCE and have been getting all my new stuff from them. They do an amazing job of providing high quality shows. If you stop by drop them a quick note of thanks.

The Clash - 1982-05-20 - Lochem, Holland

(Soundboard)

01. London Calling
02. Safe European Home
03. The Guns of Brixton
04. Train In Vain
05. Clash City Rockers
06. Know Your Rights
07. The Magnificent Seven
08. Ghetto Defendent
09. Should I Stay or Should I Go?
10. Police and Thieves
11. Brand New Cadillac
12. Bankrobber
13. Complete Control
14. Career Opportunities
15. Clampdown

Link for download is here below the setlist.

THE MUSIC AND PRESTON BLACK The Clash, Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL 14 September 1979

From THE DEVIL AND PRESTON BLACK:

    I threw on an old Clash t-shirt, faded and thin like shirts from when you were a kid, worn to translucence because they had Darth Vader or Snake Eyes on them. Thinking about the cold made me add a layer. As I buttoned up the old flannel I looked for a hoodie and scrounged around my closet floor. In the pocket of an old gray sweatshirt I found a thin navy toboggan which I pulled over my ears. I threw the hoodie onto my guitar case and looked for gloves. But I couldn't remember owning any. I grabbed the record to show Jamie. As I tied my scarf I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. An ex-con if I ever saw one.

Buy the book on Amazon.

Download the show at Sugarmegs.

The Clash
Aragon Ballroom
Chicago, IL
14 September 1979
WXRT FM Broadcast

01. Jimmy Jazz.
02. I'm so bored with the USA
03. Complete Control
04. London Calling
05. Clampdown
06. White Man in Hammersmith
07. Koka Kola
08. I fought the Law
09. Jail Guitar Doors
10. Police and Thieves
11. Stay Free
12. Clash City Rockers
13. Safe European Home
14. Capital Radio
15. Janie Jones
16. Garageland
17. Armagideon Time
18. Career Opportunities
19. White Riot

Lineage

Trade CDR `The Clash Chicago 1979’ (spacerabbit 2002) FM Broadcast (WXRT 93.1 Chicago) >
EAC > Soundforge 8 > CDWave 1.95 > FLAC 8

Notes
Removed WXRT Station tag after Trk 8 and minor edit between Trks 12-13.
Ran show through Soundforge Click & Crackle filter to remove some static and slight EQ to sound

2011 WRITING PERSPECTIVE A Whole Six Months Later (You've gotta be slightly stupid.)

I have a book out there.

It's on Amazon.com and B&N.com and the Apple iBook store.

I'd call it an indie book, but some writers don't want to let go of that term just yet. Small press writers mostly, it seems. They consider themselves 'indie' even though there's nothing independent about their own publication process. They've been edited and had covers created for them. Most didn't have a hand in any of their own distribution or marketing. The only thing indie about them is the number of books they've sold.

My book is self-published.

I published it myself. I built my cover from scratch. I formatted the book myself. Sent my book to readers and discussed changes and edits with them. I secured a few blurbs from some good friends who were willing to help a guy out. I sent review requests and .PDFs to hundreds of bloggers and reviewers. I've engaged hundreds, if not thousands of readers on Twitter, blogs and blog collectives.

I am an indie author.

I published my book myself.

Over the last ten years I've spent thousands of hours writing queries and synopses, researching agents and publishers, small and large, attending conferences and conventions, pitching, networking, working on my writing degree, writing and submitting short stories and non-fiction articles to magazines and newspapers.

Snooki didn't do any of that, and Snooki has been published. Snooki is not a writer. Snooki, no doubt, has sold a few books.

I am prepared to defend my right to publish the way I want.

Why do so many writers hate the idea of self-publishing? I didn't cheat to get my book out there. I didn't lie to or sleep with an editor. I sat down at my laptop and wrote the hell out of it.

Why does the way I decide to pursue happiness even matter to you at all?

Maybe it's because people are reading me. Maybe it's because I'm spending more time working on my fiction than I am writing queries. Maybe it's because I'm interacting with readers on a daily basis instead of waiting for the rejection that comes every 3 months. Maybe it's because I've learned more in the last six months than I have in the last ten years about the industry and readers. Maybe it's because I am having fun and am rewarded for my writing on a daily basis. I sure don't know where that attitude comes from, but I've seen it enough to know it exists.

I have readers. A few. But I've learned more from a few readers than I ever did from an agent, and I've earned and cherish every contact I've made. There is a small, but growing, group of people who know my characters and my plot, who feel like they've been to the places I've written about. And I have a few people who can't wait for my next book.

Now for the stupid part.

If you get a chance, read my earlier writing perspective to compare to this one. I start the post by talking about Joe Strummer's band before The Clash and the independent nature of those early gigs. You see, I kind of admire Joe Strummer for doing it on his own terms. I like the way he stood for what he stood for without making apologies. He was a regular guy, just like me. When I started writing I always had a bit of an inferiority complex because I wasn't an English or Creative Writing major. I got over that complex by doing what Joe did--playing to my own strengths.

It was Joe Strummer that said to make it in the music business, “You've gotta be slightly stupid.”

Publishing my own book may have been the stupidest thing I've ever done. Throwing a potential writing career down the tubes to do it on my own terms? Please. When you put it like that it does come off as pretty stupid. But I'd do it all again tomorrow in a heartbeat.

How do I know I did the right thing?

A few months ago I posted a link to some Clash bootlegs, hoping to establish the tone of my blog and get some good energy out there. This morning I woke up to a new comment on that post. A photographer who'd been backstage at a few of the Clash Bond's Casino shows left a link to photos he'd taking during the set and after. I clicked the link, and there was Joe, looking back over his shoulder at me from 31 years ago this week. I got goose bumps. Like Joe had somehow reached through time and space to give me a slight nod of approval.

Something I had put into the universe elicited that response.

That's how I know I am doing the right thing.

I am writing my future. I am not going to let it be written for me.

http://www.go2jo.com/photos/the-clash-bonds-nyc-1981/

http://jasonjackmiller.blogspot.com/p/2011-writing-perspective.html

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! Rewritten for Uniontown Area School Board

This is a public service announcement.

Know your rights--all three of them.

Number 1: You have the right to negotiate! Unless it's with the Uniontown Area School Board.

Number 2: You have the right to food money! Providing, of course, you don't mind a little intimidation, humiliation and, if you cross your fingers, association which leads to arbitration.

Number 3: You have the right to free speech! (as long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it.)

Stolen from Joe Strummer.

THE MUSIC AND PRESTON BLACK The Clash, Bond's International Casino, New York, NY, June 13, 1981

Here's another show from The Clash's stand at Bond's. Kind of pulled it at random out of a folder and had it playing while I finished a final draft on my novel.

I know I went into some of this a little before, but Joe Strummer really gives me what I need to get through some shitty times. This business of publishing books is merciless--nobody ever told me otherwise. But listening to some of these shows reminds me why I'm doing it. I'm working on something I believe in, and I'm not going to wait for a gatekeeper to tell me when it's alright to put it out there. If I could bottle just a little of the intensity Joe had for his music...

I've been writing for ten years. For the first five I didn't have a clue. Then I learned about agents and querying and marketing and writing didn't feel as fun. But the changing market makes it all very exciting for me again. I think it's the idea of putting out what I want, when I want without waiting for a marketing department to approve it. Writing this way approximates the way The Clash released their music--on their own terms, even if they lost money. That's why they're the only band that matters, and always will be.

Here's the setlist from http://sugarmegs.org/

The Clash
Bonds International Casino
Times Square, New York (Evening Show)
June 13th 1981

Trade > CDR > EAC > WAV > Traders Little Helper > FLAC

Disc 1

London Calling
Safe European Home
The Leader
Train in Vain
White Man in Ham Palais
Radio Clash
Corner Soul
Guns of Brixton
The Call Up
Bankrobber
Complete Control
Lightning Strikes
Ivan Meets GI Joe
Charlie Don't Surf
Magnificent 7
Broadway


Disc 2

Somebody Got Murdered
Police and Thieves
Clampdown
Career Opportunities
Street Parade
One More Time
Pressure Drop
Washington Bullets
Armagideon Time
Janie Jones
New York Burns
Junco Partner
Brand New Cadilliac
White Riot

Download here: http://www.archive.org/serve/Clash1981-06-13EveningBondsInternationalCasinoNYC/Clash1981-06-13EveningBondsInternationalCasinoNYC.wma

Shout-out from across the pond!

Many, many thanks to Tim Merrick for the kind words!

From http://www.theclashblog.com/

"Great article comparing Joe Strummer making a go of it with the 101′ers to becoming an author: Its no shock to most of you (I’d assume) that I enjoy writing and I’m perfectly keen to try and make a full time profession of it so I found extra reverberation in this piece which compares Joe’s early days trying to make inroads with his squat based band with the effort and resilience it takes as a writer on the endless path of seeking readers or even the holy grail of publication. Music much like writing is easier to get started in and ‘out there’ than it was 30 years ago but finding loyal readers or motivated listeners is another battle entirely."

THE CLASH Bond's International Casino, NYC 1981-05-29

Listening to this show right now-sound is a little tinny and thin, but the energy is crazy. LONDON CALLING is as fast as I've ever heard it. You could tell the band loved their residency in New York. SAFE EUROPEAN HOME is phenomenal. WHITE MAN IN HAMMERSMITH PALAIS is one of the best I've heard.

This is the second of 17 shows the band played. They were scheduled to do 8, but the fire marshals, fearing trouble, changed the capacity of the club. Rather than disappoint fans, The Clash played until all ticket-holders were satisfied.

Disc 1
1.Intro
2.London Calling
3.Safe European Home
4.The Leader
5.Somebody Got Murdered
6.White Man In Ham Palais
7.The Guns Of Brixton
8.This Is Radio Clash (corrupt file missing from sugarmegs stream)
9.The Call Up
10.Complete Control
11.Junco Partner

Disc2
1.Lightning Strikes
2.Ivan Meets GI Joe
3.Charlie Don't Surf
4.Bank Robber
5.The Magnificent Seven
6.Wrong 'Em Boyo
7.Train In Vain
8.Career Opportunities
9.Clampdown
10.One More Time
11.Brand New Cadillac
12 Washington Bullets
13.Janie Jones
14.Armagideon Time
15.Police & Thieves
16.I'm So Bored with the USA

Listen to show here :
http://ia700308.us.archive.org/25/items/Clash1981-05-29BondsInternationalCasinoNYC/Clash1981-05-29BondsInternationalCasinoNYC.wma?cnt=0