Rating: 
Summary: disappointing, but made me want a beer
Review: Man, I really wanted to like this book. You won't find a bigger Clash fan than me, and books about them are scarce and usually re-tell the same stories over and over again. I was hoping that this one, written by Johnny Green (the Clash's former road manager), would provide some new insight into the band and the period of time as a whole.Very few new things are revealed. Mick Jones seems difficult, Joe Strummer is idealistic, Paul is handsome and charismatic, and Topper is stoned. Drugs and alcohol flow freely, but is that new? No, not really. The author himself spends much of the book commenting on his own intoxicated state, which often leads to *hilarious* anecdotes where he is naked/driving a bus/throwing sound equiptment into the Thames. I realized how disappointed I was with this book when I found myself obsessing over a two-sentance mention Johnny Green makes about not paying child support. Why should I even notice this? At the end of reading this book, all I wanted to do was smack Johnny Green's big, drunk face with a boot and scream, "I don't care how much coke you snorted, stop talking about it already!" His narration (which often sounds like the rambling of the big goon at the party who won't shut up about his glory days doing keg stands) gets in the way of really detailing the personalities of much of the band. Like, he'll begin an anecdote about the Clash's intensity onstage, only to interrupt it to describe whatever he was drinking. Other reviewers have mentioned how his relationship with the band is hard to figure out, and I agree. Is he a close family member? Or more a member of the crew? Day-to-day descriptions are pretty good, though, and there are enough occasionally revealing anecdotes about the band to keep the reader hoping for more. The best thing would be if a member of the band writes a book, I guess. Please, Joe Strummer?
Rating:
Summary: disappointing, but made me want a beer
Review: Man, I really wanted to like this book. You won't find a bigger Clash fan than me, and books about them are scarce and usually re-tell the same stories over and over again. I was hoping that this one, written by Johnny Green (the Clash's former road manager), would provide some new insight into the band and the period of time as a whole. Very few new things are revealed. Mick Jones seems difficult, Joe Strummer is idealistic, Paul is handsome and charismatic, and Topper is stoned. Drugs and alcohol flow freely, but is that new? No, not really. The author himself spends much of the book commenting on his own intoxicated state, which often leads to *hilarious* anecdotes where he is naked/driving a bus/throwing sound equiptment into the Thames. I realized how disappointed I was with this book when I found myself obsessing over a two-sentance mention Johnny Green makes about not paying child support. Why should I even notice this? At the end of reading this book, all I wanted to do was smack Johnny Green's big, drunk face with a boot and scream, "I don't care how much coke you snorted, stop talking about it already!" His narration (which often sounds like the rambling of the big goon at the party who won't shut up about his glory days doing keg stands) gets in the way of really detailing the personalities of much of the band. Like, he'll begin an anecdote about the Clash's intensity onstage, only to interrupt it to describe whatever he was drinking. Other reviewers have mentioned how his relationship with the band is hard to figure out, and I agree. Is he a close family member? Or more a member of the crew? Day-to-day descriptions are pretty good, though, and there are enough occasionally revealing anecdotes about the band to keep the reader hoping for more. The best thing would be if a member of the band writes a book, I guess. Please, Joe Strummer?
Rating: 
Summary: this is my title
Review: Now this is good. So many rock biographies spend too many pages describing the youth of the subject - like Lost in the Wood, a book about Syd Barrett that is painfully boring until after 150 pages. No such prevarication here. Now it may be important for making a detailed psychological profile, but I want to read stories about the band, and get a bit of insight into the meaning of lyrics, or some description of how a song was written/ recorded. So on that level, 'A Riot of Our Own' delivers. Covering just the period that Johnny Green worked with the band, it's basically full of anecdotes and stories of day to day life with The Clash. And that's it. It may not be as completely Clash-focussed as some fans might like, but that's just cos it's a personal account of one of the road-crew, and as such is more authentic that so many other biographies. So it's worthwhile.
Rating: 
Summary: Makes the most exciting band in the world sound dull
Review: OK, ok, I've heard it a million times...being on the road with a band is only exciting for that one or two hours a night they're playing. BOY, does Green's book drive that point home! But, where a better story teller might have turned an account like this into a character study of some doubtlessly fascinatinating individuals (the band and its hangers-on), Green provides a series of dull anecdotes that don't seem to go anywhere or offer any real insight into the main characters. A big yawn by any standards, and a big disappointment for anyone looking for some insight into the Clash myth and legend.
Rating:
Summary: A great read about the only band that matters.
Review: Really, if you liked The Clash and their attitude towards music you can't help but like this book. The book tells real storys about actual guys; they're not super heros they're rockers; come on that's what made them so great. With the recent loss of Joe Strummer this one'e worth reading. Don't forget to spin your records while you read.
Rating: 
Summary: A great memoir of The Only Band That Matters!
Review: What a blast! I read this book in one day, I just could not get enough of its personal, unpretentious and colorful tone. Johnny Green has written a sly, thoughtful, and very sharp memoir of his days with the almighty Clash. Here one actually sees the courage and stamina and wit it took to be a punk rock band in the 70s--Green writes vividly of the police troubles, the riots and the madness (and poverty) of life on the road. He also does a great job of sketching the personalities of the Clash men: Strummer comes off the best, with his man-on-the-street persona, his gentle whisper in conversation, his concern for his downtrodden fans, and his insatiable interest in life around him. Jones is the prima donna, a "muso" with a definite vision for his band, fueled by coke, pot and women. Simonon is the sharp, funny, beautiful one, very cool. Topper's spiral into drug abuse begins near the book's end--he's the guy that just goes along, but Green always seems impressed by his talent. We see here how The Clash were truly trailblazers; albums like "London Calling" and "Give 'em Enough Rope" are among the finest British rock'n'roll ever recorded. I love this book, found it more insightful than the recent bio, "Last Gang in Town"; the Clash finally became real people to me, involved with the real world and people of all types. The Clash still remain, for me, the Only Band That Matters. Thanks to Johnny Green for putting his story to paper! (and after all this, won't you give me a smile???)
Rating:
Summary: Makes "Last Gang" read like "Elvis, What Happened?"
Review: Why does this book evoke more about the Clash than Marcus Gray's in only half the length? Probably because Johnny Green knows playing "Joe vs. Mick" is a petty exercise and downplaying the Clash's overall existence is the act of a writer too self-conscious about changing times. "Riot of Our Own" benefits greatly from Green's casual perspective. That he doesn't try to steep the Clash's growing success in socio-political terms allows us to see how focused, passionate and honest the band tried to be. He also reminds fans how great it was to enjoy a band of such articulate energy in the present tense.
Rating:
Summary: Makes "Last Gang" read like "Elvis, What Happened?"
Review: Why does this book evoke more about the Clash than Marcus Gray's in only half the length? Probably because Johnny Green knows playing "Joe vs. Mick" is a petty exercise and downplaying the Clash's overall existence is the act of a writer too self-conscious about changing times. "Riot of Our Own" benefits greatly from Green's casual perspective. That he doesn't try to steep the Clash's growing success in socio-political terms allows us to see how focused, passionate and honest the band tried to be. He also reminds fans how great it was to enjoy a band of such articulate energy in the present tense.
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