Along with The Ramones and The Sex Pistols, The Clash form the Holy Trinity of 70s-era punk rock. They created the foundations for so much of the punk that was to come. The Clash were major fans of The Ramones, but they also studied Iggy Pop and the Stooges, The Doors, and the very strange Captain Beefheart. But by the time they got to the late 70s, one group they really admired was—wait for it—Van Halen.
Here’s what Mick Jones said in an interview: “Hey, these guys are big successes,” but we want to be the successes that Van Halen are. We’d like to have those people’s ears. We want to make them listen! We’re not content. We want more.” They could have never admitted this back in the day—that would have been tantamount to punk rock treason—but striving to be as big as Van Halen was an important part of the second half of the Clash’s career.
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