Watch Fred Armisen's Ian Rubbish interview, jam with The Clash's Paul Simonon and Mick Jones
Since he left Saturday Night Live, Fred Armisen has been keeping himself busy filming Portlandia and popping up at the occasional live show as Ian Rubbish, classic British punk and lead singer of The Bizarros. It’s a pretty niche character, but one that’s so spot on and well researched that it works. It works so well, in fact, that even The Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon are more than willing to humor Rubbish, as seen in a new video released today on Funny Or Die.
In the short mock-doc, Rubbish sits down with Jones and Simonon in New York’s Electric Lady studios to talk about the punk scene in the ‘70s, as well as how he was influenced by the band. For example, after The Clash released its double LP London Calling, Rubbish And The Bizarros released the quadruple LP Camden Beckons, each copy of which was stuffed with money. The Clash put out Sandinista, and Rubbish put out Acapulco, an experimental record featuring some stand-up comedy.
At the end of the clip, Rubbish and the lads jam on a Rubbish original, “Hey Policeman.” It’s kind of a throwaway song, but with lines like “My boot goes in your face,” it’s nice that Simonon and Jones humored him (and Armisen) all the same.
The Clash’s latest release, the Sound System box set, was released Sept. 10 on Sony Legacy.
The Clash: The Last Gang in Town from Fred Armisen