 PROVING that you can't keep a guitar hero down, former Clash man Mick Jones is back in Liverpool again tomorrow with his latest band. Carbon/Silicon - described by former Creation Records boss Alan McGee as "the Rolling Stones jamming with a laptop" - was formed by Mick and his long-term pal Tony James, of Sigue Sigue Sputnik notoriety. With his late, great, fellow songwriter, Joe Strum-mer, the guitarist famously wrote the tune "1977," which included the line: "No Elvis, Beatles or the Rolling Stones." But although admitting to being a fan of Jagger, Richards and Co, Mick says of the Stones/ laptop comparison: "I'd rather say 'Stravinsky with a laptop!" And he adds: "We shouldn't be held to old lines like that - and we liked all that music, as well." Unlike many current artists, Carbon/Silicon - guitars mixed with computer samples - embrace the freedom which the internet and other technologies give the consumer: tracks aren't yet available on CD, but they are on the the band's web-site - while fans are encouraged to film their live shows to make their own DVDs. Mick explains: "Others might give a download free on their website, but it will normally be the worst track on their album - or a track not even good enough for the album. "I don't know if we'll start putting CDs out; we're hoping not to - but don't hold me to that! We're just looking at different ways of presenting music. At the moment we're enjoying being free and seeing how far we can go." In pre-Clash days, Mick and Tony, also a former flatmate, were in the band London SS and - despite their diverging careers - they have kept their friend-ship in tact. Mick says: "We always thought we might end up doing something together, but we thought it may be a bit later when we were even older - perhaps sitting on a riverbank somewhere and painting, or something like that." A public relations person had warned me earnestly that Mick wouldn't talk about The Clash - even though he and former bass-ist Paul Simonon happily plugged the 25th anniversary reissue of London's Calling on Friday's Later With Jools Holland on BBC2. But sounding totally taken aback, the affable, softly-spoken hero to so many says: "I'm happy to talk about anything you want to talk about - it's not a problem." | 
