Happy International Clash Day!
One of the first cassettes I owned was London Calling by The Clash. I don’t remember exactly how I ended up purchasing that white tape. Still, I like to think that a snobby record store employee like Barry in High Fidelity turned to me with a shocked look on his face and intoned harshly “You don’t own London Calling?!?!? It’s going to be ok.” while I blushed, grabbed the cassette from his hand, and rushed to the cash register.
When I first acquired the album I was obsessed and listened to it constantly. London Calling was a key that unlocked so many doors for me. Not just musically, but creatively. I was 12 or 13 years old and for the first time, I realized that an artist was both influenced by the things that came before them *and* capable of influencing the things that came after them. I came to London Calling over a decade after the album was first released. I saw that The Clash had been heavily influenced by musicians who came before them, while simultaneously having an enormous impact on the 90’s punk and post-punk music I was hearing on the radio.
A few years ago I was researching London Calling and discovered that it wasn’t just the album’s music that was influenced by earlier artists. The album art for London Calling – the black and white photograph of bassist Paul Simonon smashing his bass on stage with the pink and green lettering – is borrowed from Elvis Presley’s 1956 self-titled debut record.
There’s a Jim Jarmusch quote about creativity, influence, and inspiration that I return to every so often:
“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent.”
– Jim Jarmusch
Whether being influenced, borrowing, or stealing, the artists who create the art we love all rely upon and build upon those who came before them. Creativity is culmination.
What piece of art first inspired you at a young age?
++ Brett ++
Further Reading:
The Story Behind The ‘London Calling’ Cover in Retroavangarda
KEXP’s International Clash Day
25 Quotes To Help You Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon on his blog
This week’s inputs:
- London Calling by The Clash
- Moonstruck, the 1987 film