BEAT SURRENDER

That's entertainment, cassette style.

Setting Sons, Sound Affects, Snap! THE JAM

I picked up The Gift at the Tower flameout, but not these. I have a sentimental attachment to the disc that outweighs its general merits because it is where I hopped on with The Jam.

Little did I know that when I hopped on, they were just about getting ready to pull into the station. Which led to the gloomy sequence of breakups that dotted 82/83: The Jam, The (English) Beat, and The Clash.

I remember hearing about The Clash breakup on MTV. I was at my friend Larry’s house, and his punk cousin from SF was visiting. Right after the news, they played Spandau Ballet’s True video, and the cousin remarked on the negative connotations that song was sure to carry for me until the end of time.

Ironic then, that at the same exact time, about 8,000 miles away, the woman I would one day love was busy knitting a sweater for Spandau’s Gary Kemp.

Life can be gloriously strange, you know?