On the 22nd December 2002, the music legend Joe Strummer died. It is over 2 years since this event so I want to remember the great man at this time. Joe represented honesty and raw quality ... he was savage, evoking, eventual and diverse ... which is what my work is all about too ... I love to create, I love to make music, I love to sing and I don't GIVE A SHIT! I care nothing for genre's or labels or the bigotry, pomposity and hypocrisy of the mainstream music industry. Joe Strummer taught us all genuine artistic principles ... from The Clash to The Mescalaros, Joe always stayed true to his roots. The Clash were a real garageband, playing in squats and hovels and garages.
That's how my brother and I started out - playing in freezing cold basements on guitars with 5 strings, distorted microphones and amps made out of old record players .. but we did it for the love of it. We cared not if we were shit - we learned our instruments and we dreamed our dreams. And we're still here now, lucky enough to be doing what we love - making music, writing lyrics, making art, performing and even teaching as well ... what a true privelege this is.
How many people get to work at what they really love? And to work with brilliant and talented artists and musicians as well ... this is a genuine honour and makes every day an awesome experience. Even the grey days. After all, these days are all part of the movie!
Joe Strummer's final album "Streetcore" came out last year and it is truly inspirational ... check out this lyric ... "We're going on through yes never to know what is true ... and so the new century came ... and somehow fame had forgotten her name ... we're pushin through ... on this fantastic Ramshackle Day ... this is the Ramshackle Day Parade." So why are we still here, without major fame, without major fortune, without major recognition? 'cos this is WHAT WE DO ... dead simple - we're pushin through and this is what we do - and we fuckin' love it. We are a part of this Ramshackle Day Parade!
And now we have the Internet, we have Mp3's and Midi, we have Cubase, Soundforge, Dreamweaver and Reason ... we can experience an event to inspire us in the morning, write a song about it in the afternoon, record it in the evening and have it playing to the world by midnight ... and now we have this immense new website - www.soundclick.com to host our work .... and wow! ... this site is FRESH! There are some fantastic artists, music and visuals on this site. This is where the music industry should be looking for new talent ... come on industry ... put away your fear .... in the immortal words of Rage Against the Machine - "WAKE UP!"
Most importantly of all - thanx to all of you around the world who have bought my work, come to my gigs, signed my guestbooks and forums, tuned into my radio broadcasts, checked out and downloaded my mp3's ... You who are reading this message ... Your love and your support make it all worth it.
Jayl
