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The Clash Readies Autobiography

This autobiography from The Clash (due 11.04) should make for some great reading - it's shaping up to be a fascinating account of "the only band the mattered" with zero punches pulled.  Even fired drummer Topper Headon collaborated on the book, and according to a blurb in Page Six, bears no ill will for missing out on a few years of rock superstardom:

"I was out of control...On the tour of the Far East, I was standing in a lift with Joe [Strummer] and he's saying: 'How can I sing all these antidrug songs with you stoned out of your head behind me?'"

Check out two recently published excerpts from The Clash, published here and here, and thanks to Lindsay for the tip!

Joe Strummer Coffee Table Book to be Published

It's doubtful that many teenagers in 1970s London imagined that punk icon Joe Strummer would one day grace the cover of something as mom-friendly as a coffee table book, but the forthcoming release from the late Clash front man's widow actually sounds pretty cool.  The book will, according to The Independent, feature memorabilia, including unrecorded lyrics, drawings and odds and ends, plus rare, unreleased Strummer tracks. 

The book comes on the heels of the recent Strummer biography "The Future is Unwritten," now playing in selected theaters.

Scott Weiland to Pen Autobiography

We might not be big Velvet Revolver fans here at SS, but between his work in STP, an overlooked but impressive solo disc and an almost Doherty-worthy deathwish for most of the 90s, Scott Weiland should be able to put together one hell of an autobiography. 

The singer apparently got some advice from band mate Slash, who recently completed his own memoirs.  But while that one will likely pan out to a booby-filled romp with stories of Axl being a dick thrown in, Weiland's tales of addiction could make for something a lot more compelling.  Keep an eye out.

Franz Ferdinand the Subject of New Book

Though after just two full-lengths they don't exactly seem like prime candidates for the biography treatment, An A-Z of Franz Ferdinand sounds like a nice stocking stuffer for the hard core fans. (At least those that don't have Alex Kapranos' cookbook.) 

Written by Helen Chase, it's being released on November 19 through Northumbria University Press and will contain new, previously unseen photographs of the band, extracts from their personal journals as well as exclusive interviews and the band's thoughts on its upcoming 3rd LP.