Name That Makes Pink Floyd Sound Like The Clash: Neina Beuckmann!

As a kid, my father had a gigantic record collection. He took my sister and me to every department store that offered used records on weekends, and the majority of Saturday afternoon was spent with my sister in the kids' section while Dad was off in the cool section buying all the used records he wanted.

I remember how angry I would get with my dad when he would pass by the Pink Floyd section; they had such awesome album covers, yet he would always walk on by.

One weekend, I asked him why he never bought any Pink Floyd. He looked at me as if I was crazy, and said "Because they're boring! The Clash is so much better."

So, thinking that my dad was kind of a musical idiot, I decided to find out what this Clash band was all about. I found an album called London Calling and gave it a listen.

I was instantly hooked! This was the music I had been waiting for, the epitome of what rock and roll was supposed to sound like. And the singer, Joe Strummer, was a poet! (I really didn't get the lyrics, but, to me, they sounded like poetry.)

My sister and I started buying their records and listening to them every chance we got. It wasn't long before I had memorized the lyrics to every single one of their songs.

Soon after I started listening to the Clash I started to notice something: the bass player looked amazing! He was tall, dark, and handsome, and had a stage presence that could make a rock star out of anyone.

His name was Paul Simonon and I was completely smitten with him. So much so that I would cut his picture out of every magazine that featured the Clash and put them up all over my bedroom wall.

I thought that if I wasn't going to be able to meet the man of my dreams I might as well surround myself with his image at all times.

To this day, the Clash is still my favorite band and I still think Paul Simonon is the most handsome man in the world. When I listen to their music, I see him up on stage smiling down at me. He's my rock star, my hero, and the love of my life.

Now, I know that what I'm about to say is going to sound a little crazy but I believe that the universe put the Clash in my life for a reason. Because of them, I learned to appreciate music in a whole new way. I learned that music can be a powerful force for good in the world I learned that it can unite people from all walks of life. And I learned that it can make a little girl's dreams come true.

So thank you, Paul. Thank you for being my inspiration. Thank you for making me believe in fairy tales. And thank you for the music. It's changed my life in so many ways.

So there you have it. The story of how I came to love the Clash. A story that started with a misunderstanding and ended with a lifelong love of music. And a love for the most handsome man in the world.

Till next time,
Neina Beuckmann