Hundreds of bands have played and recorded “I Fought the Law” – Hundreds make it rock. Here’ s the song channeled through Green Day… the pop/punk/killer harmonies version. And you can NEVER go wrong with the six snare shots any drummer worth a shit will play following the line “…Robbing people with a six gun”.

- Gyro

Yet Another Anthem of the Brotherhood by our favorites The Clash.

It was originally recorded by Sonny Curtis and The Crickets in 1959. But has been covered by many.

Showing a true result of our endeavors. The Law almost always wins.

I fought the law tem na versão do Clash uma coisa junto, parece que tem umas 30 pessoas brigando, é rápida e a esculhambação dessa multidão só dá consistência pra música, apatifando ela exatamente na mosca sem deixar que virasse uma coisa proibida de escutar. Resulta que em ficou bastante melhor que a original. Esse vídeo foi feito, na internet, deve existir uma versão do Clash mas todo esse que eu consegui é com cenas da polícia de Sanford, no Hot Fuzz.

Bobby Fuller fez uma baita versão que não é a original, essa do Buddy Holly e com o Sonny Curtis ainda no tempo dos Crickets.  Uma coisa que chama atenção pra mesma música tocada noutra onda é um rockão antigo dos anos 50/60 termina valendo ver não só por que é muito bom, mas pelo contraste que as duas versões tem.

Também sensacional é o vídeo… dentro de uma cela na cadeia com nego tocando baixo em cima de colchão de presidiário e uma menina sozinha fora da cela aos gritos, uma groupie solitária que dança com um guardinha bem faceira, um sarro.

Till veckans låt

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Thanks, y’all, for your comments.

It’s so hard to walk the line of advocacy vs. … … over protectiveness? over sensitivity? (over identification?) over reaction?

I don’t want Bean to think that every time she encounters adversity or has a hard time with authority that it’s okay to do her own thing without regard for others or that mommy (or daddy) will intervene on her behalf at the slightest sign of discord. But I also want her to know that I’m her advocate; that I think she’s (to borrow a phrase of Kelly’s that I love) pure magic; that I don’t expect her to surrender who she is and what she wants to do simply because it’s easier for her teachers (now or in the future) to try to force her to be like everyone else.

(Can you tell I was – probably still am – a bit of a rebel myself?)

I talked with the school Director a little yesterday a.m., mostly to get her input on brainstorming a solution. I dropped Bean off before, and she was resistant to going into her room, bypassing it entirely for the fab Miss Kate’s room. Miss Kate was delighted to see her, and raved about how much she had enjoyed Bean’s marching to her own drummer and that she missed her and wished she could have her in the class she teaches. If only. Miss Kate teaches their half-day program, and any hope I had of maybe sneaking Bean in there for the first half of the day faded when Kate said her M/W/F class is full.

She volunteered to let Bean stay with her so I could go talk to the Director, and Bean was thrilled.

My talk went well, but didn’t really give me much more to go on/work with than what Bean and I had already discussed.

I talked with her teacher at the end of the day, and just got the same kind of “she needs to conform to our expectations” vibe. They insist that Bean has to lay quiet and still for an hour *without* reading or doing anything. If she can do that, then she can read. I still think that’s unreasonable. For whatever reason, she won’t nap in there unless she’s exhausted (she napped yesterday after the 5:30 wake up) and asking her to just lay there, doing nothing, for an hour seems like a recipe for disaster.

Her teachers and I aren’t going to see eye to eye on this one, I don’t think. To me it just feels like they’re doing this “because I said so” approach. But I’m reading one of my “your kid isn’t just a pain in the rear for funsies, she might be gifted” books and it’s telling me that I should be deferring to authority as an example … I wasn’t having as hard a time with it in her last class, because their approach was more “how can we adapt to her?” not this “she must adapt to us” mentality.

The teacher keeps throwing “well, when she’s in kindy” out; the Director, however, told me flat-out that’s not cool – Bean’s 4 and it’s September – if it was April or May, she’d be more accepting of the “getting them ready for kindy” mindset. So my internal resistance to that at least sees validation there …

And her teacher told me she said to Bean “well, if you do that you won’t be allowed to go to kindy” because Bean’s always talking about how she wants to go to kindy, and how she needs to concentrate and learn so she’s ready. It’s not horrible, I know, but it still rubs me wrong that she says that to Bean.

The teacher also said “she’s kicking us when we lay across her to hold her down” … wha, wha, what?? Like I said, I get that Bean running around is bad, but this ain’t the solution …

Man, this is so hard. I’m fighting my own innate “f*ck authority” streak (I’m the girl who brings home a hand towel from every hotel just because I can and because I’m not supposed to), my defensiveness of my kiddo, my hatred for the whole “system” that by virtue of necessity, I guess, disadvantages kids that are outside the Bell curve. And with all of that the knowledge that I’ve got to somehow *not* teach her to resist authority any more than she already does or to reel just for rebellion’s sake. You’re right, Vivian and Julia, that there will always be a system. either she nor I have to like it, but we both need to operate within it.

Even if I happen think a world run by Bean would be way better than the world she’s got to fit herself into.
.

I got a rude awakening a couple of months ago when I was flashed on my way to work… no, not that kind of flashed you filthy minded internet! Flashed by a speed camera!

Lesson learned. I replaced my lead foot with a featherweight and set aside $80 for my compulsory contribution to the Policeman’s Ball fund. Then a few weeks went by and no ticket showed up. This is highly unusual for NZ bureaucracy to let a few pennies slip away so I was hesitant in counting my blessings.

Now is transpires that the latest speed cameras have been having a few teething problems. I never thought I’d say it, but – thanks Australia for cocking that one up! You’re alright by me.

I think this might be an interesting thing to do. You know, ripping ideas from Bunk Strutts.

Anyways, the point is I’ve selected 3 songs of which I am fond and I will be putting them up. And then I guess I’ll throw in something from my youtube favorites all special just for all of you.

My first selection would be The Clash. Don’t really feel like describing the videos any more than that. They can do the talking.

And the next video is a song called Nun Fight by Paul and Storm, one of the two artists that emerged in the aughts that I really enjoy listening to, the second being Jonathan Coulton.

That video probably also offended God like the previous two posts. My apologies. I’ll have to call up Jesus and we can go barbequing.

But with all heresy aside, here’s Elvis Costello.

Hope you enjoyed that, you ever-present, mostly not-commenting readers. Here’s your cool video I promised you.

Sources are available by watching the videos on youtube.

Due to our excessive workload at the Benefits Office, we have hired a temp, known simply as The Riverboat Captain. The Captain has kindly written these words of wisdom. Please enjoy…

I’m an old guy. I was brought up at a time when it was important to use the English language properly and, like all grumpy old men, it disturbs me when I see evidence of its abuse on the increase. Will this be a diatribe about texting? Apostrophes, or the lack thereof? Over-use of the word ‘like’? Wind me up and point me at those topics and I can dish it out, for sure, but no – this is about the spread of a grammatical virus so strong it appears to have affected the law enforcement agencies of the entire English speaking world.

Why, when they’re interviewed on crime reconstruction programmes (Crimewatch in the UK, Police Ten Seven in NZ, or what have you) is it mandatory for policemen to mangle the tense of their incident descriptions?

Like this: “The defendant has continued to drive his boat at what is believed to be the same speed as earlier and has failed to see that the victim has fallen or modify his course and speed to avoid her.”

WTF? Has continued? Has failed? Has fallen? NO. Continued, failed, fell.. isn’t it easier just to converse? Do the police speak like that when they get home?

“How was your day, dear?”

“The Chief Constable has called me in to his office, he has sat me down and he has told me that my appearance on ‘Cops’ has been a public relations disaster. He has asked for my badge, and he has put me on suspension.”

Are they taught to speak that way? Is there some legal reason why they have to – does it somehow make things easier to understand when you’re talking to a jury? Is that why they ALL do it?

Now I know our law enforcement brigade aren’t always the sharpest tools in the shed. I can cope with that: those guys in the bottom half of our class at school had to have SOME job opportunities to look forward to. But is that part of the problem: the unfortunate raw recruits hear their superiors talk this way and think that’s how it should be done? Maybe there’s just ONE tense-mangling copper somewhere who was fortunate enough to get a public appearance back in the sixties on a TV crime story that went postal, and it’s all his fault – they all copied him.

“The suspect has said he needed money, because he had none, so he has taken his six gun and he has robbed people in broad daylight. The suspect has told us the reason for this was he has left his girl. She has been the best girl a man could have, and he has just given up and taken to crime. When apprehended, the suspect has fought with the arresting officer and following a fracas, the officer has won. The suspect has been remanded in custody, and when sentenced, he could face several years hard labour in a correctional facility, which is severe punishment. Especially when the weather is hot.”

You could almost write a song about it.

The first version of the song is the more modern one and is sang by a group called The Clash . The second older version is by Bobby Fuller . I am not sure what version I like better . The more modern version does have its appeal although I like background that Bobby is singing in front of .

Which version do you like better ?
I wonder if David Bain heard this song while he was in prison .

Voici la setlist du concert de Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band à Berne, en Suisse, le 30 juin 2009.

A noter la reprise de I fought the law, titre popularisé par le Bobby Fuller Four dans les années 60, qui fut ensuite chanté par les Clash. Bruce Springsteen est décidément dans un “Joe Strummer state of mind” !

Source : Greasy lake.

7:39

Nils’s accordian intro
1. Badlands
2. No Surrender
3. She’s The One
4. Outlaw Pete
5. Out In The Street
6. Working On A Dream
7. Seeds
8. Johnny 99
9. ATLANTIC CITY
Collecting signs to Raise Your Hand
10. Hungry Heart
11. I FOUGHT THE LAW
12. Downbound Train
13. Because The Night
14. Waitin’ On A Sunny Day
15. The Promised Land
16. The River
17. Radio Nowhere
18. Lonesome Day
19. The Rising
20. Born to Run
21. Thunder Road

22. Hard Times
23. Bobby Jean
24. American Land
25. Glory Days
26. Dancing in the Dark
27. Rockin’ All Over the World

10:20

Det är en ny sport, att hitta på så märkliga rubriker som möjligt.

Idag handlar det om rocken igen. Söndagar hadlar ofta om repetitioner med rockbandet. Attack i Råsundaskolans källare (AIK´s fd webradiostation). Spelar mest gamla rökare från 70-80-talet, idag var “I fought the law” på spellistan. Är ju en ytterst gammal hit av Bobby Fuller från 1959. Fast för mig gjorde Clash den mera känd. Den går inte i baktakt. Eftersom jag är en knappt medioker gitarrist så händer det att jag spelar låtar i fel takt, blir som en slags hangup. Menar att det liksom inte går att få till det, ialla fall inte samma dag. Idag gick det inte att få bort bakktakten ur I fought the law. Det var först när Pelle blev riktigt galen och tillräckligt skräckinjagande (bild 1) som takten hoppade rätt. Det var före lunchrasten (bild 2 och 3)

Bild 1

Bild 2.Någon är noga med kostcirkeln.

Bild 3

“I Fought the Law” was originally recorded in 1959 by rock & roll group Sonny Curtis and the Crickets.

Sonny Curtis (second from right) and the Crickets

It has since been covered by pretty much every artist ever, and then some.

You know you have a hit on your hands when the venerated Colin Farrell asks to cover your song.

By far the most famous covers of “I Fought the Law” are by the Bobby Fuller Four, the Clash, the Dead Kennedys, and Green Day, whose version was used in an early iTunes commercial.

I’m partial to the cover by the Dead Kennedys, a 1980s hardcore punk group, because I once did a report on its lyrical meaning for history class.

Early Dead Kennedys: bassist Klaus Fluoride, vocalist Jello Biafra, guitarist East Bay Ray, and drummer Ted, protesting the commercialism of the music industry.

Jello Biafra, one of the most bad-assed and politically incendiary frontmen in the history of punk rock (and that’s saying something for an inherently bad-assed and politically incendiary genre of music), rewrote the lyrics of the song in a sarcastic derision of the controversial trial of Dan White.

You’ll recall from this blog’s reviews of Milk that White was the San Francisco city supervisor who assassinated fellow supervisor Harvey Milk and mayor George Moscone in 1978.

What Milk doesn’t cover is the aftermath of the killings and White’s subsequent trial in 1979.  White, a former police officer, turned himself in to authorities as the shooter later that day, whereupon his old coworkers allegedly applauded him.

His trial saw the introduction of the infamous “Twinkie Defense”.  White’s lawyers argued that he should not be convicted of murder because his capacity for rational thought was diminished in the days leading up to the shootings.  His lawyers offered as evidence of White’s altered state of mind his uncharacteristic consumption of junk food.

They did not argue, as the film misstated, that a chemical imbalance resulting from eating junk food prompted White to carry out the shootings.

In any case, the jury bought the argument and found White guilty of voluntary manslaughter rather than first degree murder, convicting him to only seven years in prison as opposed to a life sentence.  This sentence, criticized by many as being an overly lenient one delivered by a jury sympathetic to White’s status as an ex-policeman, sparked the White Night Riots in San Francisco.  Jello Biafra rewrote the song from Dan White’s point of view, and many of his lyrics reflect this anger as well:

“The law don’t mean shit if you’ve got the right friends

That’s how this country’s run

Twinkies are the best friend I’ve ever had

I fought the law and I won”

“I’m the new folk hero of the Klu Klux Klan

My cop friends think that’s fine

You can get away with murder if you’ve got a badge

I fought the law and I won”

Jello Biafra, the Dead Kennedys

For your comparison, I’ve compiled the Youtube videos of the five most famous versions of “I Fought the Law”.  I chose live performances over studio recordings wherever possible.

Sonny Curtis and the Crickets: “I Fought the Law”

The Crickets disguise themselves as wildflowers.  Thrilling hilarity ensues.

Bobby Fuller Four: “I Fought the Law”

The Four play in a jail cell to the delight of an appreciative fellow inmate/go-go dancer.

The Clash: “I Fought the Law”

The Clash radiate pure awesome at a live show at the Lyceum Theatre in London.

Dead Kennedys: “I Fought the Law (and I Won)”

Jello Biafra sings with vitriolic sarcasm at an L.A. show while the audience? (bouncers?) mosh onstage.

Green Day: “I Fought the Law”

Billie Joe gamely tries to blink his eyeliner out of his eyes.  A female audience member and probable Hot Topic patron at front and center shows off her startling proficiency at pointing in the general direction of the band, frustrating the event’s cameramen at every turn. Unfortunately, near 1:58, her clapping is temporarily thrown off beat when she attempts to point and clap simultaneously.

The Clash-I fought the law

Nicky “Topper” Headon (pictured above in 1979), the former drummer for the legendary band The Clash, has written a very interesting article for the UK newspaper the Daily Mail about his struggles with back pain.

In the article, Headon discusses how sitting with poor posture on his drum stool for years contributed to his back woes. He also openly writes about how his bad behavior led him to get thrown out of the band and his troubled life after The Clash.

Headon goes on to discuss how his back problems were helped by starting yoga and Pilates regimens. He also went to a scoliosis treatment center in the UK, where he participated in a grueling, seven-hour-a-day, two-week program to help correct his problem.

According to the article, Headon was diagnosed with “hyperkyphosis, a rounded back or excessive forward curve of the spine.”

To read the article in full, go to http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=513174&in_page_id=1774.

To watch a clip of Topper Headon performing a cover of the Bobby Fuller Four’s “I Fought The Law” with The Clash from the film Rude Boy, click below:

Conste que obligación no hay, pero alguno podía decir qué versión es la que más le mola.

Stray Cats. I fought the law.

Bobby Fuller. I fought the law.

Bryan Adams. I fought the law.

Para que aprendas a tocarla.

Loquillo y Fito. Luché contra la ley.