A Voice From The Wings: From Dingwalls To The Clash by Barry 'DJ Scratchy' Myers

Scratchy at Clerkenwell Festival August 2026 - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Back in September 2024 I interviewed DJ Scratchy (Barry Myers) for a special Retrosonic Podcast episode to coincide with the publication of his limited-edition photobook “Road-Eyes 20-20 Double Vision: Photo Tales with The Clash & The Mescaleros”. This was released mainly for his DJ tour of Japan and appearance at the Fuji Rock Festival and featured Japanese translations of the various comments and annotations accompanying the photos. During our chat, he mentioned he was working on his memoirs, and the good news is that finally the first volume has just been published by TangentBooks under the title “A Voice from the Wings: From Dingwalls to The Clash”. We saw Scratchy at the recent Clerkenwell Festival, where he gave an interesting talk and Q&A session about the book and it was good timing as I had just finished reading it the day before. What I must say from the start is this is not just another biography of The Clash, it’s very much Scratchy’s own unique story that takes us on a fascinating musical journey from his time in Ents and radio at Warwick University to his first professional work as a DJ at legendary London venues such as the Speakeasy, Lyceum and Dingwalls and his time on the road with The Clash.

Scratchy at The 100 Club, London - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

His superb descriptions of the music scene at the time, the various promoters and of course, those legendary and sadly often long-since gone concert halls, are highly evocative, putting you right bang in the heart of the action. Scratchy was there at the centre of London’s Punk Rock explosion and he discusses the impact of first seeing the Ramones and his part in the band’s iconic 1977 New Years Eve show at the Rainbow in London, which resulted in the classic “It’s Alive” live album. When he DJ’d for The Clash at their 1978 Music Machine gigs, his selection caught the ear of Joe Strummer, and this resulted in the band inviting him along as their Tour DJ. Joe dubbed him ‘Scratchy’ and it’s a name that's stuck to this day. The Clash's Roadie, The Baker, called him a “sonic alchemist” which is apt, as to this day, Scratchy specialises in creating a vibe and building an atmosphere at a show rather than just playing a load of records to a room (or field) full of people or pressing the play button on a random playlist, there’s a big difference. 

Scratchy at Clerkenwell Festival - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

I think Scratchy's selection of roots music such as Rockabilly, Reggae, Soul and raw R&B, along with the best Punk sounds of the times, surely must have had some sort of influence on the eclectic sound of The Clash’s “London Calling” album, it can’t have been a coincidence. It was this prime position as a trusted member of the Clash team that enabled him to capture so many superb candid photos, stories and memories that include his brief appearance in the Clash’s “Rude Boy” movie in the scenes filmed at the 1978 Rock Against Racism carnival in Victoria Park. Throughout the book, Scratchy keeps a discreet distance from the band, there’s no salacious gossip about the various members, and he doesn’t really go into depth about their personalities or his personal relationship with each of them. However, he doesn’t shy away from the on-the-road shenanigans, usually involving Topper, but generally speaking he is hanging out with the Baker and Clash Tour Manager, Johnny Green along with various roadies, van drivers and local promoters and often getting stuck in on the frontlines. It’s like a tour diary just from another perspective, as he discusses life on the road, the travelling, hotels and pranks that are played to alleviate the inevitable bouts of boredom. Scratchy captures this perfectly, as good as any band member or music biographer ever has. 

What also shines through is Scratchy’s enthusiasm and passion for music of all genres, he’s always seeking out what’s new and interesting in the cities he visits and he talks with glowing praise of some of the great support acts he saw along the way with The Clash, including those on his favourite bill, Bo Diddley and The Cramps. And there’s more, he touches on his own musical endeavours as bassist with The Snivelling Shits and the pages positively glow with energy and passion when he describes his travels around America and his love affair with New York. The book is dedicated to Johnny Green who of course wrote perhaps the definite Clash on the road book “A Riot of Our Own” and who inspired Scratchy to write his memoirs. He starts and closes the book with affectionate and touching eulogies to his great friend and mentor, who sadly passed away before the book was finished. I must also mention just how beautifully presented the book is and what a great job Tangent have done. There are full colour inner sleeves, a cord book-marker and it’s packed full of photos and various pages of Scratchy’s memorabilia including backstage passes, postcards, badges and reproductions of posters from various gigs that he has DJ’d at. In the back pages you can find various playlists and recommended songs to listen to while you enjoy the book. 

Scratchy at What's Cookin' London - Photo copyright Retro Man Blog

Scratchy will be releasing part two of his memoirs concentrating on his time with Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros and I’m sure the story will not end there. He is still very active with his Scratchy Sounds radio show on Totally Wired Radio and DJing for various Retro Man Blog favourites such as Oh! Gunquit, The Courettes and King Salami & The Cumberland 3. Not to mention his appearances at London’s premiere local community festivals in Somerstown and Clerkenwell every summer and regular tours of his beloved Japan. I’m sure it won’t be too long before we get news of a volume 3 of the Scratchy memoirs and I certainly look forward to that. You can order the book from all the usual retailers but can also contact Scratchy via his Scratchy Sounds website here for signed copies which come with a free postcard while stocks last.

Retrosonic Podcast · DJ Scratchy Sounds: Photo Tales with The Clash & Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros

Don’t forget to check out our thoroughly entertaining Retrosonic Podcast special episode where I chat to Scratchy about his fascinating life in music and photography – you can subscribe for free at Soundcloud, iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. All photos copyright Retroman Blog except CD cover.

Retrosonic Podcast with DJ Scratchy Sounds "Road-Eyes 20-20 Double Vision: Photo Tales with The Clash and Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros"

Photos: top left Bob Gruen, t/r Celeste Urreaga, bottom l/r Retro Man Blog

Retrosonic Podcast is back with very special guest Barry Myers otherwise known as DJ Scratchy Sounds discussing his excellent limited edition photobook "Road-Eyes 20-20 Double Vision: Photo Tales with The Clash and The Mescaleros". In this thoroughly entertaining episode, Scratchy discusses his early days as a tour DJ and his residency at Dingwalls Dancehall as Punk exploded in London. He explains how he got to tour with The Clash and some of the great support acts he saw along the way such as Bo Diddley and The Cramps. There's his part in some legendary gigs such as the 1978 Rock Against Racism Carnival in Victoria Park and the Ramones 1977 New Year's Eve show at the Rainbow which was to result in the blistering "It's Alive" live album. We discover his affinity with Japan and the fact that he has two volumes of his memoirs written and ready for a publisher to snap up. Then later on reconnecting again with Joe Strummer and his band The Mescaleros joining them at gigs including the Fireman's benefit show at Acton Town Hall during what would sadly turn out to be Joe's last tour.

The episode is soundtracked by songs from The Clash, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, The Man, Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, The Cramps, Dr. Feelgood and Ramones. You can see a video preview of the book and find out the details on how to order it at the Scratchy Sounds web-site here. You'll also find news on upcoming Scratchy Sounds live events and lots of excellent archived radio shows and podcasts. You can subscribe to Retrosonic Podcast for free at Spotify, iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, MixCloud or direct from our SoundCloud site below.

Retrosonic Podcast · DJ Scratchy Sounds: Photo Tales with The Clash & Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros

The Courettes, Oh! Gunquit & DJ Scratchy at The 100 Club, September 10th 2023 - Photos and Videos

It doesn't seem like five minutes since we last saw The Courettes and Oh! Gunquit put on a blistering show together at the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth - a perfect combination of two of Retro Man Blog's long-standing favourite bands - it was a match made in heaven. But not only are The Courettes now affectionately known as the 'fabulous' Courettes, they are also known as the hardest working band in showbusiness and for good reason, yes they are back in the U.K. once again and they picked Oh! Gunquit to join them at the legendary 100 Club on London's Oxford Street for the very last night of their latest tour. Tonight we are also treated to the added bonus of DJ Barry "Scratchy" Myers spinning some superb tunes to get everyone in the mood so we certainly got great value for our ticket money. Resident DJ at Dingwalls just as Punk Rock hit London, Scratchy did shows with Ramones and Flamin' Groovies before being spirited away by The Clash as their tour DJ from 1978-80. I love the fact that his eclectic choices of International roots music not only gets you dancing but also takes you on a whirlwind tour of the World's many and varied musical landscapes. I can see why he has struck up friendships with Joe Strummer in the past and with contemporary mixed-nationality bands such as Oh! Gunquit and King Salami & The Cumberland 3, as they, like Scratchy himself, sum up the best of multicultural London. 

It was one of the hottest days of the year but luckily the 100 Club now seems to have working air-con which was bloody good news as Oh! Gunquit and The Courettes certainly raised the temperature with their full-on, no holds barred Rock 'n' Roll assault, just what you expect from two of the most energetic and visually arresting live acts around. Gunquit were so good and everyone got so carried away that there was genuine surprise when the 100 Club turned off the lights and power due to them over-running their set. We wanted more, the band wanted more but the 100 Club said no. It's one of the downsides of Sunday night shows or at venues where they have night clubs after the live music - the curfews are so strict that there's not much chance of squeezing in extra songs or encores despite the crowd reaction. I've lost count of the amount times I've seen Oh! Gunquit play and they never disappoint. They have the originality, the songs, the look, the sound and the unpredictability to make each and every show a unique event that will leave you smiling for days after. 

There aren't many bands who would be able to follow Oh! Gunquit, it must be a daunting task - but of course The Courettes are one band who rise to any challenge, and its hard to believe the visual impact this Brazilian/Danish duo can have, especially as one of them is sitting behind a drum-kit for the duration! But Martin Couri is no typical drummer, first of all his kit is positioned at the front of the stage and he's a constant blur of energy, spitting water on his cymbals so that each hit sends a spray out over the audience. Then there's his call and response vocals with Flavia and his badgering of the crowd to join in the singing and chanting and to push themselves to match the band's energy. 

When Flavia is not singing she's zooming about the stage leaping on the speakers one minute and then down into the crowd the next, machine gunning us with blistering, instantly memorable riffs. She also sings "Daydream" in fluent Japanese and we are honoured to get a dedication for our help in the special 7" single released to coincide with their Japanese tour by Damaged Goods Records. Their last album "Back In Mono" and the companion "B-Sides and Outtakes" showed a band perfecting their own version of the Phil Spector layered "Wall of Sound" in the studio but live, stripped back to the raw elements of just drums, guitar and vocals, the quality of the song-writing still shines through loud and clear. Talking of quality song-writing, they played two excellent new numbers "Keep Dancing" and "Shake" which promise even better things are still to come from The Courettes - and knowing the 'hardest working band in show business' as I do, I can bet we won't have to wait too long for those good things to come!   

All photos copyright Retro Man Blog 2023. Here's the video to their latest single "Tough Like That"...

More of our live videos from the show can be found at our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel here, and don't forget our very special Retrosonic Podcast episode "Presenting the fabulous Courettes" is still available at Spotify, iTunes, Apple Podcasts or direct from our SoundCloud site below.

Retrosonic Podcast · Presenting the fabulous Courettes