BONUS EPISODE: Me, Renée & The Clash

Strong Reception with Eli James

Welcome to the first-ever bonus episode of Strong Reception! I couldn't resist putting out this short "extra track." There are just too many smile-inducing moments contained in this unplanned 20-minute convo between myself and Renée Graham, associate editor and opinion columnist at the Boston Globe. After recording our "In Memoriam" episode last month, Renée stayed on the line to keep chatting about music. We bonded mightily over our mutual love for The Clash — a "forever band" that will live in perpetuity in our hearts.

As a teen in New York City, Renée was there when word of the Clash first hit the U.S. in the late '70s, and she was hooked from the first notes. I didn't hear the Clash until I started college in the '90s, and it was a "where have you been all my life?" moment I'll never forget.

I'm also amazed at how NOT confrontational I became when Renée admitted her indifference (and low-grade hostility) to the Beatles! Whereas a few years ago I would have angrily tossed out any goodwill that might have existed between a Beatle-dismisser and me, in this instance I listened patiently and maintained an open-minded curiosity when Renée said she thinks the Beatles are "fine," and aren't as good as Oasis. (SERIOUSLY, WHAT??!!)

For any Clash uninitiated, I've created a playlist you can listen to containing some of the songs we mention. Here's the Apple Music playlist. And here's the playlist on Spotify. It's a great place to start with one of the most revered, daring and influential bands to come out of the initial "punk rock" era.

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