Background to the The Clash's 17 gig residency at New York's Bonds Casino

Italy to New York

When The Clash landed at JFK airport in New York on the night of the 25th May 1981 they had no idea that their residency at a Broadway nightclub would create such a furore and nationwide media coverage that it became a pivotal event in their assault on America, helping to propel them into the major league Stateside. As Kosmo Vinyl has succinctly put it, "People who didn't have straight trousers and short hair suddenly knew who we were. It got out - it was big!". The Bonds concerts became one of the most enduring aspects of the Clash legend.

As the band made their way through JFK airport though, the prospect of the band playing 8 concerts (including an under 18 matinee) in the city had generated only limited media interest; only 12 reporters turned up despite Bonds laying on a bus for the event. Photos were duly taken of the band (with their ghetto blasters) and before they and their entourage set off for the Gramercy Hotel, the Clash prophetically promised New York "something special".

The Clash at JFK
picture copyright www.Corbis.com

It would be wrong to think that there was no excitement amongst the press at the bands visit (the New York Times had run a background piece a week before but it in no way compared to the excitement amongst the New York public. When tickets went on sale in early May, fans jammed the ticket office phones from the early hours.

Queues waited outside for 7 hours only to be told there were no tickets and to come back the next day! Bob Gruen's book includes a photo of fans camping out overnight at Bonds in order to get tickets. For each of the 8 planned concerts 3,500 tickets were immediately sold.

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Mountain to Mohammed

On Bernie's return in February 81 the plan had been to tour European cities, then the USA and then the UK in autumn, Epic though refused to finance a US tour. Bernie came up with the idea of playing residencies in New York, Paris and London. Instead of the usual band travelling to the fans, it would be reversed or as Joe put it "It's the mountain coming to Muhammad"

Joe recalled in 1996 for Mojo; "Bernie had this idea to do 7 nights in various cities, because it enables you to hang out and get in touch with the place. It makes it far more of an event, far more intimate... It was good fun, a real golden time". Mick when back in New York in the 90's with BAD said, " We ran this town. We took Broadway. De Niro was bringing his kids to see us, and the city stopped. The Clash were in town"

picture copyright www.Corbis.com

Culture Clash

The Clash's knowledge and growing interest in the emerging new black rap music was way ahead of the vast majority of their white fans. Their choice of support acts was typically daring; at Bernie's insistence they had to be "culturally interesting and progressive".

The seven-night stand at Bonds International Casino at Times Square (now the Virgin Megastore, if you're curious) figured a varied support. In one of those acts of passionately awkward idealism which characterized the Clash's career, they booked opening acts against punk type: rappers Grandmaster Flash and the Treacherous Three, The Sugerhill Gang, Funkapolitan, Lee Perry, Texan bard Joe Ely, and a forgotten horn-section-and-skinny-tie band called the Nitecaps. And, plucked fresh off the stage of CBGB's, Miller Miller Miller & Sloane and a KRAUT who had formed 3 weeks earlier with only 3 demo songs and who never played live. Plus bands that showed The Clash's continuing identification and admiration for punk; The Dead Kennedys, The Fall, The Slits, and The Bloods (not to mention The Brattles!)

Futura 2000

Futura 2000, real name Lenny, a graffiti artist from Brooklyn was among the Bonds crowd (also including Gerb, Kiley Jenkins, Josh Cheuse) that befriended the Clash and introduced them to Fab Five Freddie and the local hip-hop world. Futura collaborated with the Clash first by spraying graffiti behind them (notably on the Tom Snyder show) and then by performing a rap on tour later in 81, which they later recorded together.

The Clash deserve greater recognition as the first white band to intertwine the new Black culture of hip hop, break dancing and graffiti into the group and their live shows. The Clash's "musical distillery" was a catalyst for change. White rock fans at Bonds got their first taste of what was happening in the Bronx and Harlem.

Magnificent Dance, much to the band's pleasure was getting repeated plays on black station WBLS. Pearl Harbour, now with Paul was DJ for the Bonds shows and got plenty of stick for playing a diverse range of music that reflected the band's (if not the audiences) tastes.

Maybe not surprisingly many of those watching Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five on this opening night at Bonds found this new culture clash too much to accept. TV news reports from this opening night show missiles being thrown at the stage and fans booing and shouting abuse. The Clash were embarrassed and angry at the reaction of their fans, and on the second night Mick dedicated Magnificent Seven to Grandmaster Flash "without them this song may not have existed".

Inside Bonds

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