Stuart McMillen

I am currently reading Paul Gilbert’s 2005 Clash biography “Passion is a Fashion” for the third time in three years. It is the most definitive account of the band’s history that I can imagine reading and, indeed, one of the best books about music that I have read.

Photo credit: Todd Heft

Gilbert has an excellent subject to work with, of course. The Clash embodied such a rich mixture of music, politics, image, style and substance, evolving continuously throughout their career. I am particularly intrigued with the working relationship of the main songwriters Mick Jones and Joe Strummer (above). It is amazing to read about their partnership, each man possessing an element the other lacked, and to appreciate the way they combined to a legacy greater than the sum of their parts.

I wanted to share an anecdote from 1978 that stood out to me:

Later the same day, in Aberdeen, [Clash associate] Johnny Green was nearly killed. The beige Ford Granada estate the group was travelling in had stopped at the entrance to the Aberdeen Music Hall’s car park. Green, who was behind the wheel, had opened the driver’s door and was standing up, leaning out to see what the hold-up was ahead. Then the car slipped out of gear. ‘The car is veering into a concrete wall, and the door is gradually closing, crushing me alive’, recalls Green. ‘Joe is in the passenger seat and starts crying. He’s going, “Oh God! Johnny’s dying. He’s going to be killed!”. Meanwhile, Paul and Topper leap out of the back seat and are in front of the car, trying with all their strength, without any effect, to stop it rolling forward. I think I’m a goner at this point, this is serious stuff. Then Mick leans over and calmly pulls the handbrake on. Thank God for Mick Jones! I thought that little crisis neatly summed them all up.’

Brisbane-based online bookstore Sustainable Insight have asked me to review books for them on a periodic basis. Here is a review that I completed in late July.

There is a palpable feeling among many people, myself included, that ‘business as usual’ is not producing satisfactory outcomes for Earth’s natural environment, nor for the bulk of humanity. The challenge, therefore, is to transition our society towards a future that is more environmentally benign and socially rewarding, without stalling the economic engine of productivity. Enter Sydney’s Di Worrall with her 2009 book “A Climate for Change“.

Despite the title and imagery on the front cover, “A Climate for Change” actually has little intrinsic connection with the issues of climate change or even the nuts and bolts of running a business sustainably. Instead, the book should be shelved alongside management/self-help books in the vein of Stephen Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. The intended audience of “A Climate for Change” is anyone who can imagine things being different. Worrall is quick to warn of the smorgasbord of emotions and abundance of obstacles, internal and external, that will be encountered by those wanting to change the status quo. “A Climate for Change” is put forward as a handbook for navigating the pitfalls and prizes of change: firstly securing change in yourself, then inspiring others, and eventually ensuring that changes sticks.

Yes, change is the key word here. Rather than being written solely in response to environmental issues such as global warming, Di Worrall seeks something bigger, and keeps her advice adaptable to scenarios not limited to such ecological problems. Parts of the book sometimes have pages and pages of text between even small mentions of topics relating to environmental sustainability. Readers hoping to gain inspiration from battle stories of environmental sustainability practitioners may be disappointed by the general nature of the book’s advice. For this reason I would mainly recommend “A Climate for Change” to those with a specific problem or project in mind before opening the book.

Di Worrall’s “A Climate for Change” contains information that will be of use to readers embarking on personal projects of change, but as a whole falls short in its execution. Unfortunately, the bulk of material is presented in a generalised fashion that is short on examples and therefore not vivid for me as a reader. This is my main disappointment, as I cannot fault the information put forth in the 278 pages of this book. With many books in this genre being peppered with case-studies and ‘hands-on’ examples of transition, the abstract style of “A Climate for Change” feels stark by comparison. To me, “A Climate for Change” is not a page-turning book I would likely read in full again, but is certainly one that I will keep on hand for the times when I can put its perspectives to use.

Stuart McMillen is the organiser of the monthly Green Drinks Brisbane event.