| Clash City Rocker |
January 2003
|
Joe Strummer Dies at 50, Lives 4ever
At its best, Rock 'n' Roll is youthful rebellion against the foolish laziness of the middle aged in 4:4 time. It has not been at its best in years, despite flashes from Seattle and from bands like the White Stripes, the Hives, and the Vines. But from 1976 to 1982, it glowed white hot, thanks to Joe Strummer and the Clash, and the other Bands of 1976. Joe died of a heart attack Sunday, December 22, 2002.
Punk would have been just a sneer and a safety pin without the political conscience of Joe. "All over, people are changing their votes, along with their overcoats. If Adolf Hitler flew in today, they'd send a limousine anyway." Or "I hate the army and I hate the RAF. I don't wanna go fighting in the tropical heat. I hate the civil service too. I won't open letter bombs for you. Career Opportunities, the ones that never knock."
Joe was also the one who brought the reggae beat into early punk. "Police and Thieves" on the first Clash record is a Toots and the Maytals classic. Joe was the Whiteman in Hammersmith Palais. When he moved on to play world music with the Mescaleros, it seemed like a logical progression. No sound was alien to Joe.
The Clash started playing at Rock against Racism gigs to counter the rise of the National Front. In February of 2003, they were scheduled for a one-off reunion at a benefit on Robbens Island, South Africa (where Mandela was in jail for 27 years) to raise money to fight AIDS in Africa. In between, the concerts sold out, but the band never did.
On December 29, the New York Times printed a column about Strummer in its "Week In Review" section. The picture that ran with it was of the other Clash guitarist, Mick Jones, misidentified as Strummer. Wherever he is, Joe must have laughed himself sick over that.