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It was with
great sadness, literally days before Xmas, that I learnt of
the death of Joe Strummer, (former singer and guitarist with
one of the all-time great London bands, The Clash) at the
age of 50.
A passionate, honest
fella, he left his mark on a generation of music-lovers, myself
very much included.
I first got the
Clash bug in early '77. My introduction being the 200MPH rebel rock
sound of their debut album. And to this day I can quote and sing
large chunks of it unaccompanied and often do!
Accessibility
It wasn't long
after that I was lucky enough to bump into Joe on the Edgeware Road,
where he subsequently invited me and ten schoolfriends to their
Camden rehearsal studio for an interview for our school mag-turned-punk
fanzine 'The Modern World'.
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| Last
gang in town: The Clash always managed to look after
their fans, me included! |
I guess that was
one of the wonderful things about Punk. Apart from the back-to-basics,
in-yer-face, life-affirming music - and those ever so cool clothes
- there was a wonderful accessibility about the bands, and no one
took that more seriously than Joe.
I thought he and
his band were simply fantastic and they, along with The Jam, provided
the soundtrack to my teenage years.
Sell
out
But it's with regret
that I think back to the last time I saw Joe. It would have been
on an afternoon sometime in 1983 on Old Compton Street.
I'd just started
presenting a show on Capital Radio. The Clash - remember? - had
written a scathing attack on the station back in 1977 and Joe wasted
no time in accusing me of 'selling out'.
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| My
last encounter with Joe ended in hurt and disappointment |
A row subsequently
ensued with me trying to reason that I'd been given this show strictly
because I'd be allowed to choose all the music that was played.
Joe wouldn't have any of it.
"And what
about The Clash signing to CBS in '77?", I argued. "You
guys sold out, signing to a corporate!" I sloped off, hurt
and disappointed. I really cared what he thought.
In hindsight it
all seems so silly, but I would dearly have loved to have had the
opportunity of meeting up with him again. It obviously wasn't meant
to be.
Memories
And his legacy?
Well, he was someone who made you sit up, think and question things.
He was someone who was very serious about what he did.
Without him we
wouldn't have the likes of Paul Weller, Billy Bragg,
U2, the Manics and countless others.
And without him
and Mick and Paul and Topper, I wouldn't have the memories of all
those extraordinary Clash shows I was lucky enough to attend - and
those wonderful records and songs he left in his wake. RIP Joe.
This
way for my Album, Single and Gig of 2002 folks!
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