News

Ewan McGregor narrates an orderly and perhaps too polite profile of the engineer and inventor behind some of the world’s finest motorbikes

Speed is expensive, as Ewan McGregor did not say in Trainspotting. The line was uttered by Philip Vincent, a Harrow-educated motorbike designer who made some of the world’s fastest – and priciest – motorbikes of the postwar era. This serviceable documentary narrated, a bit blandly, by McGregor tells Vincent’s story with contributions by fellow celebrity petrolheads Jay Leno and the Clash’s Paul Simonon.

Vincent was clearly a man of extraordinary drive and determination. He went into business aged 19, after being booted out of Cambridge for spending more time tinkering than studying engineering. When he opened a factory in Stevenage, they’d test drive the motorbikes on local roads; an employee once got caught doing 110 mph. This was in the 1930s, and when the case came to trial,...

Lightbulb Film Distribution has unveiled trailer for the new British, Ewan McGregor-narrated, documentary, ‘Speed is Expensive: The Philip Vincent Story.’

The doc brings to the screen one of the most dramatic stories in automotive history – the rise and fall of designer Philip Vincent.

His motorcycles set more speed records during the 1940s and 50s than any other manufacturer. Some models now sell for over $1 million and owners include Brad Pitt and Ryan Reynolds.

Yet when Vincent passed away in 1979, he was largely unrecognized, penniless, and living in council housing in West London.

The feature documentary includes interviews with Jay Leno, Paul Simonon (The Clash) and the late John Surtees, and has won numerous festival awards.

Also in trailers – “I think about you all the time…” Teaser trailer drops for Todd Haynes ‘May December’

The doc will be released On Digital & DVD in the UK & Ireland from September 25.

The post...

"Speed is Expensive" is a documentary narrated by Ewan McGregor about the most expensive motorcycle purchase in history. The documentary explores the legacy of Vincent Motorcycles and their founder Philip Vincent, who used unconventional marketing tactics to promote his brand. McGregor, a motorcycle enthusiast, has a history of participating in motorcycle documentaries, including the popular series "Long Way Up."

Actor and motorcycle enthusiast Ewan McGregor narrates the story of the most expensive buy in the history of motorcycles in the trailer for Speed is Expensive, an acclaimed documentary coming out on digital on September 26, following its LA premiere on September 20. Back in 2018, the world of motorbike collectors changed forever when an Australian collector bought a Vincent Black Lightning for $1.2 million. But Speed is Expensive not only centers on this legendary purchase, but the man behind the famous motorbike.

During the 1940 and 1950s, Vincent Motorcycles broke several records, with Philip Vincent...

Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more. This week, Drake samples Kim K, Rae Sremmurd make their return, and Suga of BTS, performing as Agust D, shares the first single off his anticipated solo debut album. Plus, Brothers Osbourne, Lil Yachty, and Wednesday.

Drake, “Search & Rescue” (YouTube)

Suga, “People Pt 2” (YouTube)

Lil Yachty, “Strike (Holster)” (YouTube)

Rae Sremmurd feat. Future, “Activate” (YouTube)

Towa Bird, “Wild Heart” (YouTube)

Anna St. Louis, “Phone” (YouTube)

Ralph, “Scary Hot” (YouTube)

Mark,...

Decades ago, “when the Clash was falling apart” – as the band’s bassist Paul Simonon tells it – Joe Strummer wanted to return to his roots busking in public. So he and the band journeyed to the north of England to play in the streets. “We slept on a lot of people’s sofas, because we left our credit cards and money behind and lived on what we earned in the street,” Simonon remembers on a Zoom from his home in London. “We had enough to get to the next town and something to eat.

Gina Birch has been creating punk art her entire life—but she’s just getting started. What could be more hardcore than dropping your first solo album at 67? She became a legend with the Raincoats, the London punk band she started in 1977, four renegade women inventing their own kind of racket. But she’s got that same rebel spirit on her new solo debut I Play My Bass Loud, on Jack White’s Third Man Records. It’s a statement of purpose, and one of the year’s freshest, funniest rock albums so far.

Forty years ago this winter, a strange new album arrived in U.S. record stores. It was a triple-vinyl set, by a London band still best known as punk rockers: the Clash’s Sandinista! It was barely a year after their global breakthrough, London Calling, which got them a U.S. Top 40 hit with “Train in Vain (Stand by Me).” Yet it sure didn’t sound like a band trying to ride the momentum of their first hit. Sandinista! was full of dub-reggae goofs and sound effects and proto-rap experiments.

The life of Viv Albertine, the punk musician and guitarist of The Slits, is getting the TV treatment after Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley’s Number 9 Films and Rachael Horovitz’ West Fourth Films teamed to acquire rights to her memoirs.

Albertine has published two autobiographical books, Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys in 2014, and To Throw Away Unopened in 2018. They chronicled how she was a founding member of all-girl punk band The Slits in the late 1970s, becoming a close friend of both Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash. In 1976, she helped form The Flowers of Romance with Sid Vicious and Susie Souix. Alongside music, she has worked as a director and also collaborated with Joanna Hogg, composing the soundtrack for Arichpelago, and starring in Exhibition.

The producers said they acquired the rights in a competitive situation, and will now develop a limited TV series from the material.

Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley’s Number 9 Films, together with Rachael Horovitz’s West Fourth Films, has acquired the television rights to the memoirs of legendary punk musician Viv Albertine.

Albertine released two memoirs detailing her upbringing in the 1970s and rise in punk music as guitarist for all-girl band The Slits (1977-1982) at the height of the male-dominated punk rock music scene. Albertine was among the first “inner circle” fans of the Sex Pistols and was a close friend of both Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash. In 1976, she helped form The Flowers of Romance ...

Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley’s Number 9 Films, together with Rachael Horovitz’s West Fourth Films, has acquired the television rights to the memoirs of legendary punk musician Viv Albertine.

Albertine released two memoirs detailing her upbringing in the 1970s and rise in punk music as guitarist for all-girl band The Slits (1977-1982) at the height of the male-dominated punk rock music scene. Albertine was among the first “inner circle” fans of the Sex Pistols and was a close friend of both Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash. In 1976, she helped form The Flowers of Romance ...

Looking back at some of the strangest cameos in film and TV history, we were struck by how many of them were by musicians. It makes sense. After all, musicians are already out of place among actors on a TV or film set. What they bring to the table is different from what actors bring, in terms of star quality, charisma, self-expression and established personae. If you’re familiar with both the musician’s work and the characters in a movie or TV show (and the actors who play them...

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has penned a heartfelt tribute to his “hero” Tony Allen. The pioneering drummer who helped define Afrobeat during his tenure with Fela Kuti died Thursday at the age of 79.

Calling Allen “one of the greatest drummers to ever walk this Earth,” Flea recalled his fellow rhythm maker’s spirit. “What a wildman, with a massive, kind and free heart and the deepest one-of-a-kind groove,” Flea wrote. “Fela Kuti did not invent Afrobeat, Fela and Tony birthed it together. Without Tony Allen there is No afrobeat.

This month marks the 40th anniversary of the Clash’s London Calling. Well, sort of. The album came out in England on December 14th, 1979, but didn’t cross the Atlantic to America until January 1980. That’s just a matter of weeks, but it’s the reason that NME has called it one of the single best albums of the Seventies and Rolling Stone labeled it the best album of the Eighties.

It’s a rare album that can considered among the best works of two separate decades, especially ones as...

The Museum of London has announced a new exhibition centered on The Clash. Titled “The Clash: London Calling,” the exhibit will feature more than 100 personal items from the band’s archive, including some that are previously unseen. These include bassist Paul Simonon’s Fender guitar, which he destroyed in 1979 for the photograph on the cover of London Calling, the band’s third album.

The exhibit will also display items like Joe Strummer’s notebook and typewriter, Mick Jones’ handwritten album sequencing note and drummer Topper Headon’s drumsticks. Draft lyrics,...

Blur reunited for the first time in nearly four years for a surprise gig in East London Friday during Damon Albarn’s annual Africa Express concert. Blur last performed together in November 2015 following the release of The Magic Whip.

For the performance, Albarn rejoined his band mates Dave Rowntree, Alex James and Graham Coxon to play “Song 2,” “Tender” and “Clover Over Dover”; the latter performance marked the live debut of the Parklife track. For “Tender,” the band was joined by London Community Gospel Choir and Rokia Traoré.

Blur rehearsals for Africa Express: the Circus,...

“Enjoy it while it lasts, because soon it will be different,” sings Damon Albarn in a new video for “The Truce of Twilight,” from last year’s Merrie Land by his group The Good, The Bad, and the Queen. Actually, it’s the second clip for the song. The first, released last year, featured Albarn in facial prosthetics, a puppet manipulating puppets. Given the lyrics, one might interpret that concept as a comment on politicians — puppets of larger powers who stand to gain from a divided E.U. — manipulating their bases...

The Good, the Bad and the Queen – the British supergroup consisting of Damon Albarn, Clash bassist Paul Simonon, ex-Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen and Verve guitarist Simon Tong – unveiled a gritty new live video for their track, “The Truce of Twilight.”

Simonon directed the simple performance clip, in which the band delivers the punchy, psych-tinged cut in a spare room. Though the black-and-white footage boasts a grainy, old school aesthetic, Simonon actually filmed the entire music video on three iPhones recording simultaneously.

“The Truce of Twilight” appears on the Good,...

Opening with a quote from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and rooted in a century of English recorded music, from music hall to the Beatles and beyond, Merrie Land — the second album by the Damon Albarn–led supergroup the Good, the Bad & the Queen — is a meditation on national identity that explores how Britain began morphing from a future-forward multicultural laboratory into an island of wagon-circling EU secessionists. Though specific to England, it’s a record the U.S. and other countries might learn a lot from in late 2018.

In some ways,...

Robyn delivered a powerful rendition of her Honey single “Missing U” during an appearance on Later… With Jools Holland Tuesday. Robyn released Honey this month, marking her first album in eight years.

Robyn’s rendition of “Missing U” was packed with plenty of tension as she belted the song’s anguished lyrics in her golden voice while an array of synths sparkled beneath her. After practically falling to her knees during the song’s second verse, Robyn rose once more as she sang, “Thinking how it could been/ I’ve...

Eleven years ago, Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn teamed up with a few friends to make an album called The Good, the Bad & The Queen. It’s a lovely set of downbeat ballads about life in London, but after that lone 2007 LP, the impromptu supergroup’s members — Albarn, Clash bassist Paul Simonon, Verve guitarist Simon Tong and legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen — went their separate ways.

Now they’ve rejoined for a new album called Merrie Land, due out November 16th. Longtime David Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti produced the LP...

Last fall, Gorillaz singer Damon Albarn was feeling bored on tour — so he did what he knows best and started sketching ideas for a new album on his iPad. “If you’re away from home for months on end, it just seems criminal not to try and turn that time into something tangible,” says the English singer-songwriter, 50, who’s released nearly an LP a year over the past quarter-century with Blur, Gorillaz and assorted side bands. The result is The Now Now, Gorillaz’s excellent new full-length LP. With its...

The Clash’s Joe Strummer chronicles the violence, racism and institutional corruption of 1980s England on his ragged demo for “This Is England,” set to appear on the late guitarist’s upcoming posthumous box set Joe Strummer 001.

Three Clash members – Strummer, bassist Paul Simonon and drummer Pete Howard – appear on the 1983 recording, dubbed “Czechoslovak Song / Where Is England,” which offers a more organic, energetic approach to the song later reworked for their sixth and final LP, 1985’s Cut the Crap.

Throughout, Strummer howls in-progress lyrics – “In a catwalk jungle, no...

Marvel Comics' Variant series is set to honor iconic rock album covers this fall and they look amazing. The idea is pretty cool considering that a lot of record aficionados also enjoy collecting comic books(not all, but some). Back in 2015, Marvel did hip hop Variant covers to great success. A few of the best covers were Doctor Strange getting a Dr. Dre's Chronic makeover, Guardians of the Galaxy getting Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride 2 treatment, and Black Panther's T'Challa receiving a Jay-z Black Album makeover. The covers were all done by different artists that reimagined the comic book characters in their own hip hop flavored world.

Now Ryan Penagos, Marvel's vice president and executive editor of digital media, has announced that the first Marvel Rock Cover Variants will be arriving this September. The announcement was made through Penagos' Twitter page and it shows artwork inspired by Nirvana, The Clash,...

Harry Styles‘ debut self-titled album is officially out — and we have a lot of questions.

Interviews leading up to the release of Harry Styles teased just enough to make us very, very curious about the One Direction singer’s solo effort. We have a lot more listens to go before we have all — or at least more — of the answers, but in the meantime, here is what we’ve deduced.

Any nods to Taylor Swift?

When Apple Music released the first teaser trailer for Styles’s Behind the Album documentary, fans did their due diligence and combed the video for clues.

"Rocky Horror never surprises me," says Lou Adler, who executive-produced The Rocky Horror Picture Show. "I can be sitting in the most conservative meeting about some other subject, and somebody will say, 'I have to admit...,' and then they give me their Rocky Horror story."

Later this month, Adler will be able to say he's heard four decades' worth of Rocky Horror lore, since the cult movie about newlyweds trapped in a mansion with a "sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania" will be turning 40. To celebrate, the film will be...

Frank Ocean has responded to his legal issues with Chipotle by posting a check for $212,500 — the amount the fast food chain paid him for an ad campaign — to Tumblr with "F*ck off" written in the memo section. Check out the post here. In July 2013, Ocean signed on to record a song for Chipotle for $425,000, with half paid up front. The singer said, via his a letter sent to Chipotle by his legal team, that he backed out because he felt misled about the intentions of the campaign: "When Frank was asked to participate in this project, Chipotle's representatives told him that the thrust of the campaign was to promote responsible farming. There was no Chipotle reference or logo in the initial presentation, and Chipotle told Frank that was an intentional element of the campaign," the letter said. Last week, Chipotle filed a lawsuit against Ocean for not delivering the...

Remember that "Pure Imagination" cover Fiona Apple did for Chipotle? According to the company, Frank Ocean signed up to do one, too — to the tune of $212,500 up front (and another $212,500 after he was finished). When Ocean decided against it (he claimed they promised he was promoting "responsible farming," not the Chipotle brand directly, and that he would have "full approval" of the master), the restaurant chain sued him for the advance plus any legal fees. Not one to let matters lie, Frank just posted the payback check on his Tumblr with the memo: "Fuck Off" — in case it was at all unclear how he felt about the legal dispute. That's not to say Frank's done with brands altogether. Just this morning, Ocean dropped a song with Diplo, Mick Jones, and Paul Simonon that is featured on a Converse compilation album.

R&B singer Frank Ocean, producer Diplo and the Clash’s guitarist Mick Jones and bassist Paul Simonon have combined their various talents into a new track for Converse's "Three Artists, One Song" series. Listen to and download "Hero" and watch a behind the scenes video below. According to Rolling Stone, Diplo led the charge, recruiting the musicians and managing production. Diplo famously sampled the Clash’s song "Straight to Hell" for M.I.A.’s 2007 hit "Paper Planes." "For me, the Clash represented really unexpected things with a garage attitude, so that’s where I was going with 'Hero,'" Diplo said. Ocean’s first new song in two years, "Hero" gains a heavy dose of soul from his vocals, which seamlessly blend with Diplo’s dub and electronic samples and the Clash’s dirty guitar riffs. The West Los Angeles Children’s Choir adds a gospel touch. Geoff Cottrill,...

Frank Ocean, Diplo, and Half of The Clash Made an Infectious Song for Converse "Hero" is the chill new entry in the sneaker company's Three Artists, One Song series. by Liam Mathews At first, these names don't seem to go together. Frank Ocean, Diplo, and The Clash are all from different worlds. But then you remember that Diplo produced M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes," which samples The Clash's "Straight To Hell." According to Diplo, he first met guitarist Mick Jones and bassist Paul Simonon through their lawyers. But those two songs are tremendous, so why wouldn't Diplo and these former Clashmen (and current Gorillaz) collaborate? It might work. Other songs in the Three Artists One Song series have worked well. And then you remember that Diplo knows everybody and is the most omnivorous dude in music, so of [...]...

Rock 'n Roll Will Never Die! continues at Trailers from Hell, with filmmaker Ti West introducing "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains."Nearly a lost film, music maven Lou Adler’s cheerful 1982 film about an inadvertent punk band was shot under the title All Washed Up and was shelved after a disastrous preview, only to be revived on the art house circuit in 1985. At one point there was only one surviving print, which was frequently programmed at Santa Monica’s Nuart Theater. Diane Lane and Laura Dern are the not-so-fabulous Stains with various real life rockers (including Steve Jones, Paul Simonon and Fee Waybill) fleshing out their rival bands. Cinematography by Bruce Surtees, the Dp behind the majority of Clint Eastwood’s more iconic films.

Nearly a lost film, music maven Lou Adler’s cheerful 1982 film about an inadvertent punk band was shot under the title All Washed Up and was shelved after a disastrous preview, only to be revived on the art house circuit in 1985. At one point there was only one surviving print, which was frequently programmed at Santa Monica’s Nuart Theater. Diane Lane and Laura Dern are the not-so-fabulous Stains with various real life rockers (including Steve Jones, Paul Simonon and Fee Waybill) fleshing out their rival bands. Cinematography by Bruce Surtees, the Dp behind the majority of Clint Eastwood’s more iconic films.

The post Ladies & Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

BBC Radio 6 Music will also feature an interview with Metallica's Lars Ulrich, vowing to "rock" Christmas and New Year's.

London – BBC Radio 6 Music, a digital radio station operated by the U.K. public broadcaster, will offer some counter-programming this holiday season, announcing it will air an interview with Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and two shows hosted by the "godfather of punk" Iggy Pop around Christmas and New Year's.

The station said that Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash will also present a show, allowing it to "be truly rocking around the Christmas tree."

Iggy Pop will turn radio DJ for his two programs – the first in the 1 p.m.-3 p.m. time slot on Christmas Day, the second one in the same slot on New Year’s Day.

"Iggy Pop’s Radio Show will offer 6 Music listeners an exclusive insight into the mind of one of the...

“Saturday Night Live” alum Fred Armisen brings satirical new meaning to the old saying, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” in his new video homage to punk pioneers the Clash, posted on Funny or Die on Wednesday. Dusting off his Ian Rubbish character, Armisen sits down with former Clash guitarist Mick Jones and bassist Paul Simonon to discuss how the Clash and Rubbish’s band, Ian Rubbish and the Bizzaros, influenced each other. Or rather, how the Bizzaros shamelessly ripped off the Clash at every turn. Also read: ‘SNL’ Alum Fred Armisen to Direct Kings of Leon Concert Livestream After “London Calling,...

The morning after the “History of Punk” sketch first aired on SNL, Seth Meyers tweeted, “Fred Armisen was born to play Ian Rubbish.” The character of the archconservative British punk is a perfect mid-point between his background as a musician and his career as a comedian. Good thing: Armisen is not ready to give up the character yet. Here is a video of him in character interviewing the Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon. They even play one of Rubbish’s songs together. It’s all really funny and endearing, as you know Armisen must’ve been freaking out inside.

London, May 30: Musician Paul Simonon has teamed up with rum brand - Sailor Jerry - to unveil a new clothing range titled "The Flash Collection".

Paul will design and create three limited-edition pieces - a leather jacket, a T-shirt and a neckerchief - by combining renowned tattoo artist Norman Keith Collins' iconic flash artwork with his own signature design style.

He is enjoying the prospect of combining his love of art and garments.

"I've always admired Norman Collins' art. He was a real original and his designs were the template for many other tattooists," femalefirst.co.uk quoted Simonon as saying.

"It's.

Martin Scorsese turns 70 on Friday, and the man has never been busier. In the midst of a multitude of projects, he's currently shooting his next feature, "The Wolf Of Wall Street," but of course, he took some time out recently to talk about David Lean's masterpiece, "Lawrence Of Arabia," as it arrives in a brand new 4-disc set today (get that Christmas shopping done early, folks). But before we jump into that, let's rewind the clock slightly. It's hard to believe, but it's been thirty years since Scorsese dropped "The King Of Comedy," a movie that still remains a bit underrated in his canon. And we have to admit, either we missed it or just didn't know, but The Clash cameoed ever so briefly in the film. Look closely and you'll see Mick Jones, Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon (plus associates like manager Kosmo Vinyl, singers Ellen Foley and Pearl Harbour,...

Blur frontman Damon Albarn has worked on many, many projects since the late-nineties, including four albums with Gorillaz, two film scores, a record with Congolese musicians, a record with Malian musicians, a record with legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen and the Clash’s Paul Simonon on bass, a record with Tony Allen and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea on bass, a stage adaptation of a sixteenth-century Chinese novel, a record label … and that’s not even the last of it. We got hold of Albarn, via Skype from his London studio, to talk over some of his current projects for a profile in the magazine. The most striking one is Doctor Dee, a pastoral folk opera about the Elizabethan scholar John Dee, now available as an album. (It’s sung largely by Albarn himself and feels like one of the most intimate projects he’s tackled in a while.

Damon Albarn, veteran songwriter-chameleon behind Blur's classic Brit-pop stylings and the electro-dub stew of Gorillaz, isn't exactly a stranger to off-beat projects or random collaborations: The short-lived The Good, The Bad, & The Queen featured the talents of—if you recall—former Clash bassist Paul Simonon and Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen, and he recently finished a, yes, opera, the upcoming Dr. Dee. It's also no secret that the guy has a deep appreciation for African music: In 2002, he recorded _Mali Music_, a joint effort with various Malian musicians; and just last year, he holed up in a Congo studio with local musicians and producers from Drc Music (Democratic Republic of the Congo Music), eventually releasing the well-received Kinshasa One Two.

Mick Jones and Paul Simonon have performed tracks by The Clash on stage together for the first time since 1982. The pair appeared with Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie at a gig at Scala in London as part of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign. Before performing classic Clash tracks, they also played Primal Scream's 'Rocks'. The gig follows Friday's on-stage reunion of Stone Roses members Ian Brown and John Squire for the (more)...

By Zachary Swickey

Brian Joseph Burton, the man the music world knows and loves as Danger Mouse, turns 34 today, and his many milestones are rather mindboggling. Growing up on the music of Pink Floyd and Portishead, Burton fit right in while living in London, where he moved to make a name for himself as a trip-hop DJ but instead found himself focusing on making hip-hop beats. But it was a moment of true serendipity that led Burton to where he is today.

While cleaning around his apartment and listening to the Beatles’ White Album, Burton came across his a capella copy of Jay-z’s The Black Album, and inspiration struck. After completing one song successfully and with surprising ease, Burton took to mashing up the entirety of both albums, creating The Grey Album. The result was clearly not exactly legal since it was the music of two separate iconic acts...

The supermodel isn’t one to shy away from controversy — even on her wedding day! Are you happy with her choice?

Kate Moss is set to wed James Hince tomorrow, and while much speculation surrounds the guest list and the grand affair, it’s nothing compared to all the hype regarding Kate’s wedding dress! British Vogue is reporting that Kate has chosen to wear a dress created by former Dior designer John Galliano.

Kate has had her own tumultuous past with the industry, yet the gorgeous model always manages to bounce back — and it looks like that’s exactly what she’s trying to do for the extremely talented designer who was recently defamed after an anti-Semitic rant and spat at a bar. In court Galliano said he hasn’t worked since losing his post at both his namesake label and Christian Dior — but it looks like that isn’t entirely true!

Sometimes hitting the multiplex just isn’t in the cards. That’s when Netflix steps in to provide a movie fix. But how to separate the wheat from the chaff? I’m happy to help; every week I’ll pick a flick from the Netflix Watch Instantly section and see if it’s worth your time. This week? “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains”.

Corinne Burns is a pissed off 15-year-old who lives in a small town in Pennsylvania, trying to start up an all-girls band. She and her bandmates (her sister Tracy and her cousin Jessica, aka Peg) get a big break when they manage to make their way onto a milk run of a tour by an aging metal band and their more talented opening punk rock act. As Corinne develops her on-stage persona, she amasses a cult of wannabes…but are The Stains a one-hit wonder or a true music phenomenon?...

In December of 1979 a punk band consisting of members Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Nicky Headon released their third studio album (those are what we had before CDs, you young whippersnappers), London Calling. The songs were a glorious mix of music styles, including punk, rockabilly, reggae and ska and London Calling is often referred to as one of the greatest albums ever recorded. The title track was The Clash's highest charting single. And now, fans of the band will finally get to see the story behind the band and the making of this iconic recording.

The film will cover producer Guy Stevens' (who had worked with The Who and The Rolling Stones) effect on London Calling; the band consistently credited Stevens for the album's quality and even wrote a song for him when Stevens died.

Not content to just give their blessings, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon...

The Clash were an integral part of the original wave of British punk, and now the 1979 album that launched their popularity overseas will be made in to a feature film of the same name: London Calling. Jez Butterworth, whose writing credits include the recent Fair Game and wrote and directed Birthday Girl almost a decade back, will pen the screenplay with the help of original Clash members Mick Jones and Paul Simonon. Filming is set for 2011 Ruby Films' Alison Owen and Paul Trijbits will produce along with Butterworth, who had writing support from the now abolished UK Film Council. Ruby Film is the same banner behind recent Brit List hot screenplays Sex Education and Corsica 72 - where we also have an update on that project. Gist: With Jones and Simonon on board as both advisers and exec producers, London Calling will have exclusive rights to the music that made up the legendary record.

The BBC reports that a film about The Clash is a go and that it is to center around the making of their 1979 record, "London Calling." The band, then composed of the infamous Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Nicky "Topper" Headon worked with influential British producer Guy Stevens to record the iconic rock album.

Both Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, currently playing animated alter egos in Damon Albarn's band Gorillaz, are on as executive producers. Alison Owen (mother of singer Lily Allen) is producing the film which begins shooting next year, with no cast yet announced.

I hope the story carries through '79 and into '82 for a bit of "Combat Rock," but we'll have to see where writer Jez Butterworth goes with it. The BBC notes that Butterworth is "author of award-winning play Jerusalem." That doesn't help a crude lad like me though, so I looked...

<p><a href="http://movies.sky.com/clash-classic-heads-to-big-screen"><img src="http://media.entertainment.sky.com/image/unscaled/2010/12/02/London-Calling-1.jpg"></a></p>The Clash's album London Calling - the legendary fusion of jazz, punk, rock and reggae - is to be made into a film. Clash stars Paul Simonon and Mick Jones will be executive producing and acting as advisors for the film which begins shooting next year. Award-winning writer Jez Butterworth, who has co-written the forthcoming Naomi Watts thriller Fair Game - will script the film.

Former members of The Clash are re-teaming to make a movie about the creation of their hit album "London Calling". British punk stars Mick Jones and Paul Simonon will act as executive producers on the forthcoming film, which will tell the story of how the classic 1979 record came to be. <br><br /> Producer Alison Owen says, "Fans of The Clash all over the world have been waiting a long time to see their extraordinary story played out properly and accurately on the big screen. We're happy that Mick and Paul have given the project their blessing and are on board to help steer the ship." <br><br /> The news comes just weeks after the announcement of plans for a big screen biopic based on the life of late frontman Joe Strummer. <br>...

<img src="http://www.darkhorizons.com/assets/0013/0834/london-calling_article.jpg" /><p>Scribe Jez Butterworth ("Fair Game," "The Last Legion") is teaming with The Clash bandmembers Mick Jones and Paul Simonon for a film about the making of the band's famed 1979 album "London Calling" reports <a href="http://www.screendaily.com/news/uk-ireland/jez-butterworth-writes-feature-about-the-clash-for-ruby/5021086.article">Screen Daily</a>.</p> <p>The story will follow how unconventional producer/manager Guy Stevens steered the English punk rock band to fame with their hit 1979 album which is now considered one of the greatest of all time.</p> <p>Butterworth, Alison Owen and Paul Trijbits will produce the feature with shooting to kick off next year.</p>...

Catherine Hardwicke is set to direct the adaptation of James Dashner’s Maze Runners, which centers on a boy with amnesia who finds himself in a mysterious place called the Glade, where children attempt to escape via labyrinth. Hopefully they don’t run into one of these.

Going, going, going… sold to Spike TV! The network’s Auction Hunters has been renewed for second season.

Jez Butterworth, Mick Jones, and Paul Simonon are ready to rock the casbah, teaming to develop a feature about The Clash called London Calling. [Variety]...

Damon Albarn is resurrecting Blur next year - the bandmembers are planning to work together in January. The group returned to the music scene after a six-year hiatus to headline a series of U.K. festivals last year.

Albarn has since been concentrating on his other bands Gorillaz and The Good, The Bad & The Queen, featuring musicians Paul Simonon, Simon Tong and Tony Allen. But the Brit is adamant he will perform with Blur again - the singer is planning to work on "something small" with his former bandmates in the new year.

He tells BBC 6 Music, "Well, we met up yesterday and had a really nice chat. I think we'll probably do something, well we did talk about doing something, maybe, in January... (It will be) something small, no career-based world-domination ideas."...