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b'Listening to London Calling as a teen required an open mind and a willingness to follow The Clash on an existential and esoteric journey through the darkness of recent history and the darker realms of the human psyche.\\xa0 It was a bit like a history and philosophy class set to music and it didn\\u2019t always make sense to me but listen I did, and as I listened, I found myself drawn more and more to the ska and reggae anthems on the album like \\u201cGuns of Brixton\\u201d with powerful calls to action and layered stories about characters battling impending social chaos and situations that were out of their control.\\xa0 London Calling was the perfect soundtrack for the dawning of the Republican Party's Darwinian fantasy of \\u201cMorning in America\\u201d that would begin one year later with the inauguration of Ronald Reagan.As such, The Clash get name checked a lot in Ska Boom and for good reason. London Calling demonstrated The Clash\\u2019s move from punk rock to explore the sounds of reggae and ska and it resonated with other Gen X musicians in New York, Boston, Chicago and LA who hearing ska and reggae from multiple sources and also looking to raise their own voices. I know it inspired me to think I could be a musician too. In this episode I explore my admiration for Paul Simonon of The Clash and the effect the \\u201cGuns of Brixton\\u201d had on me and I share the story of how he influenced me to pick up the bass.\\xa0 I\\u2019ll also dig into the story of that famous smashed Fender bass guitar.\\xa0 Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the \\u201cFair Use Doctrine\\u201d as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. The law allows for use of music clips for purposes of criticism, comment, and news reporting.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'