Rude Boy

Let’s open things tonight with a little history lesson about the Rude Boys.

The term “rude boys” originated in Kingston, Jamaica, in the 1960s. They were juvenile delinquents and criminals who took influence from American gangster movies, dressing stylishly in suits, and wearing thin ties and pork pie hats. As Jamaicans immigrated to the United Kingdom during the 1960s, Jamaican “rude boy” music and fashion became a strong influence on the skinhead subculture.

During the 1970’s 2-Tone ska revival in England, the terms “rude boy” and “rude girl” were often used to describe fans of that genre. This revised use of the term continued with the late 80’s third-wave ska movement. In these two contexts, the term “rude boy” became separated from its past.

The 1980 Clash film / semi-documentary “Rude Boy” plays more on the ska context than the term’s historical context. The Clash was, of course, a seminal punk band, but it goes without saying that they also drew very heavily on Jamaican-inspired music.

“Rude Boy,” which was released on DVD in 2006, features a great deal of live footage, with the band performing songs from their first two albums. The action footage of the band is largely what drives the movie; the plot itself is somewhat convoluted. On one of the DVD extras, Ray Grange, who stars as “Ray,” admits the film was incoherent and complains about playing a character named after him but who wasn’t really a reflection of him. Neither did the Clash really care for the movie, distributing buttons saying, "I don't want Rude Boy Clash Film."

Tonight’s music comes from “Rude Boy.” I don’t remember where I got this stuff – if it was ripped from the DVD or what. As far as I can tell, there is no soundtrack album, but I could be wrong about that.

Rudie Can’t Fail (demo).mp3
Garageland (demo).mp3
Good Times Roll (outtake).mp3
No Reason (outtake).mp3
All You Young Cunts (outtake).mp3
Stay Free (outtake).mp3

Labels: movies, punk, the Clash

posted by aikin @ 8:45 PM