Joe Strummer

I first came to The Clash with the their London Calling double LP. I bought it on cassette, and once I listened to it, I was hooked. I was a disaffected suburban youth with unclear ideas as to what I was fed up with and how to channel that anger. The Clash gave me a voice. I was fuzzy on the politics — I didn't know Andalucia from my arse — but I would drive around in my beater Honda Civic, shifting from third gear to fourth without the clutch, and playing songs like "Spanish Bombs," "Death or Glory," and "Koka Kola" over and over again, singing the lyrics loud, with a sneer and a trace of accent.

Every gimmick hungry yob digging gold from rock 'n' roll
Grabs the mic to tell us he'll die before he's sold
But I believe in this, and it's been tested by research
That he who fucks nuns will later join the church

A few years later, playing and singing in college bands, it was Joe Strummer's cool I tried (in vain) to channel.

We all have our musical heroes, and Joe is one of my very few who has stood the test of time. I appreciate and like what he did at every stage of his career. I can't say that about many. He neither grew old and fat, nor burned out, nor faded away. He and his music simply matured and changed — and did so in ways that I suppose I wanted to emulate in my non-musical life. And he was making damn good music straight up until the day he died December 22, 2002 at age 50 from a congenital heart defect.

The Clash was mostly reggae meets punk, but that's only the tip of Joe's musical influences, which in turn — and even now — opened my ears to new beats, new sounds, new attitudes. From rockabilly to electronica, hip hop, and world beat, the guy just plain had good taste in music. The songs he covered make a hell of a lineup: from Junior Murvin ("Police and Thieves"), Toots & the Maytals ("Pressure Drop"), and The Rulers ("Wrong 'em Boyo") to The Equals ("Police on My Back") to Professor Longhair ("Junco Partner"), The Bobby Fuller Four ("I Fought the Law"), the list goes on.

And he in turn influenced countless worlds of musicians, whether they realized it or not, some of my favorites among them. From The Specials and Operation Ivy to Stiff Little Fingers and The Alarm, Rancid and Green Day to (arguably) Chuck D and KRS-1. Again, the list goes on and is impressive.

Joe, You challenged us — musically, politically, emotionally. Thank god you visited; your music and its legacy rocks on.

 

The 101'ers — Keys to Your Heart (1975)
The Clash — Jail Guitar Doors (1978)
Joe Strummer — Love Kills (1986)
Joe Strummer & The Latino Rockabilly War — Jewellers & Bums (1989)
The Pogues — Whiskey in the Jar (1993; Joe as producer)
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros — X-Ray Style (1999)
Joe guest DJ'ing on Hova's WFMU show (2001)
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros — Coma Girl (2003)

Cowboy Mouth — Joe Strummer
Billy Childish — Joe Strummer's Grave
Stiff Little Fingers — Strummerville

Comments

[Robin]

Niiice. Joe Strummer's Grave was on constant repeat in the car a few weeks ago.