The Clash’s obsession with Reggae went beyond music as well. In aligning themselves with Reggae, they were consciously associating themselves with Rastas and Rude Boys - outcasts, criminals, and most importantly, political outsiders. The Clash, very early on, was as much a political organization as it was a band. Frantically trying to shed, or at least obscure the middle class roots of three quarters of the band (Paul was decidedly working class, hence the credibility previously mentioned), Reggae was a perfect touchstone for their personal historical revisionism.