Ha! that's the old English tongue in cheek humour. Both Laxman and I are fans of ABC but obviously when it comes to The Clash then their sound is and should be miles apart.
But with "Frankie Goes to Hollywood" you are pretty spot on. I can imagine Bernie thinking they were creating edgy pop music and hitting the top of the charts. Bernie clearly thinking he could be a Trevor Horn to The Clash.
I didn't mind ABC that much, actually, though I didn't really appreciate their better qualities till a long time after, when I saw that "Bands Reunited" thing on them. Then I thought, "Oh, OK, that's what they mean, then." Martin Fry did come across as pretty engaging, and charming, at least on that show. But that's not what I was listening to at the time.
And yes, I think FGTH seemed like a logical reference point, particularly on the likes of Fingerpoppin'. It makes sense that Bernie would try to cop some of that vibe, and I believe we advanced that same analogy (to Trevor Horn) in the book.
If Bernie had had his way, that's how his story would have turned out. I think he definitely aspired to be a creative personality, but not just a Malcolm McLaren-ish knock-off, as some commentators have stated -- I think he saw himself as some type of mega-mogul figure, cranking out the product, and pushing it out the door.
Certainly, by that point, in that era, being "merely" a "manager" -- even one who'd midwifed the likes of the Clash -- didn't seem to be enough for him anymore. But fate had other plans, not to mention a few knobs twiddled in strange places.
Or, as the man above said: "When your world is full of strange arrangements..." Little did he know, eh?