Happy Joe Strummer Day!
Sunday, December 22nd, 2024
Joe Strummer is my guy. I remember the day he died—I was a senior in high school, and I was devastated. Joe and The Clash introduced me, a feral country kid in rural Nebraska, to leftist politics, world history, punk rock, world music, poetry, rockabilly, dub, folk, reggae, fashion, guitar, anti-racism, anti-fascism and so much more.
Although I was never fortunate enough to meet him or even attend a concert, I feel as if Joe left me a trail of breadcrumbs in his lyrics and work. Through them, I discovered so much about the world and myself while growing up in my very closed-off hometown in the middle of nowhere, Nebraska.
Below, I’ve included some of the trails Joe left for all of us: my favorite Joe Strummer/Clash songs, lyrics, quotes, stories, and photos.
Afro-Cuban Be-Bop
My wife gave me this Joe Strummer 001 box set for Christmas a few years back, and I ran across this unknown gem of a song: 'Afro-Cuban Be-Bop.' I can’t explain the joy this simple song brings me. It has everything a Joe Strummer song should—references to hip genre bending world music, New York City, drinking, cars, and, above all else, love.
Ghetto Defendant
My first introduction to Allen Ginsberg and Walt Whitman happened by chance when I read Ginsberg’s poem A Supermarket in California in an English class. I remember enjoying the poem but didn’t give the author a second thought. At the time, I was vaguely aware of the Beats but hadn’t read much poetry.
That changed when I discovered The Clash’s song Ghetto Defendant. This song was wild—a far departure from the three-chord early punk rock albums I had been listening to. While researching the song, I discovered that Ginsberg was a co-author of the lyrics and performed spoken word sections on the track. Somewhere along the way, I also learned that the song referenced the life of the poet Arthur Rimbaud, a wild, libertine, gun-running poet.
If The Clash was willing to collaborate with Beat poets like Ginsberg, I figured I should give them a shot as well. The floodgates were open!
Broadway
I love listening to this track best on my headphones during a long walk downtown—any dreary, abandoned downtown on a gloomy night in late fall, midwinter, or early spring. Joe was excellent at creating atmospheric scenes in his lyrics.
The song starts slow and ends in a magnificent crescendo. The music of The Clash fits perfectly, building and exploding into a frenzy of cars, bars, and big city lights. What I wouldn’t give to go on a bar crawl with ole Joe and the boys.
Gorillaz
This is one of my favorite things that has happened in music: Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash went on tour with Damon Albarn and the Gorillaz. Damon’s left-of-center politics and full embrace of world music mirror those of Joe Strummer's perfectly. Paul Simonon and Damon also went on to play in another incredible group called “The Good The Bad and The Queen”.
Rebel Waltz
I remember hearing this song for the first time and wanting to live in it. My childhood buddies and I had been hanging out down by the tracks in the woods—playing paintball, digging foxholes, wearing camo, smoking weed, and drinking beers on the regular. We even made Molotov cocktails and buried Playboy magazines in ammo boxes for the apocalypse.
One winter, we found an old stove, put up a tarp, and decided to try winter camping. To this day, I don’t understand how our parents allowed this—or if they were even aware. My buddies froze their asses off under the tarp, which was accumulating snow and melting. I, on the other hand, was snug as a bug in my Eagle Scout-certified winter sleeping bag.
Anyway, back to the point. I had brought a battery-powered boombox and played “Rebel Waltz” on repeat in an attempt to somehow live the song out in real life. I’m not sure my buddies from the farm really got it, and I didn’t really try to explain it—I just thought they might absorb it through osmosis. We were the rebels: the cops, our parents, our small town—all unaware of our teenage rebel camp.
If I remember correctly, my buddy’s sister and her friend even made the trek to visit us one night and shared some smokes and beers. Knowing my younger self, I probably tried to play The Clash to impress the girls.
The Street Parade
This one gets me all teared up every time. I don’t know where mysterious songs like this come from. Just read the lyrics they are perfect. Love and loss, hard times, heartbreak, disappearing into the either. Once again, another track from the incredible Sandinista album.
The Pogues
I heard somewhere that after the Clash’s breakup Joe was trying to cool it on his drinking, and a week later he got a call from the Pogues to stand in for Shane MacGowan. He went for it!
Joe Stummer For Animal Rights.
I’m not sure how I ran across this, but it must have been during Joe’s campfire/festival phase. He was basically attending festivals, tending campfires, hanging out with whoever, shooting the bull, telling tall tales, carrying on, and playing groovy tunes on his boombox for anyone who wanted to hang!
Johnny Appleseed
This is it—this song is my theme song. Joe is firing on all cylinders here. Joe fucking pulled it off! This song is an anthem for environmentalists, conservationists, anti-capitalists, and the working class around the world. More relevant than ever as we slide into crushing oligarchy.
”Hey, that's what the people are saying, no berries on the trees
You're checking out the honey, baby
You had to go killin' all the bees”
The comments below from this YouTube video are great. Joe had such an impact on so many people. I can’t remember if I saw this live, I was a huge letterman fan back when he was on air.
Once again, another genre bending wild track from Sandinista. This song is a wild Irish folk romp that hits hard with Tymon on vocals and violin.
Sandinista! is the fourth studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side.[7][8] It crosses various genres including funk, reggae, jazz, gospel, rockabilly, folk, dub, rhythm and blues, calypso, disco, and rap.[7][8][9] For the first time, the band's songs were credited to the Clash as a group, rather than to Joe Strummer and Mick Jones.[8] The band agreed to a decrease in album royalties in order to release the 3-LP at a low price.[10][11]
The title refers to the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, and its catalogue number, 'FSLN1', refers to the abbreviation of the party's Spanish name, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional.[9][10][12]
M.I.A. Paper Planes/ Straight to Hell
Joe would have absolutely loved what M.I.A. did with the Clash’s Straight to Hell sample. He was all about genre mixing and utilizing a diversity of influences from around the world.
I found the following on Wikipedia.
"Paper Planes" is a song by British recording artist M.I.A. from her second studio album Kala (2007). It was released on 11 February 2008 as the third single from the album. It is produced and co-written by her and Diplo. It appeared in the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire and on its soundtrack album. The song samples English rock band the Clash's 1982 song "Straight to Hell", leading to its members being credited as co-writers. A downtempo alternative hip hop, pop track combining African folk music elements, the song has a less dance-oriented sound compared to other songs on the album. Its lyrics, inspired by M.I.A.'s own problems obtaining a visa to work in the USA, satirise American perceptions of immigrants from Third World nations.[1]
Spanish Bombs
Straight up history lesson from the Joe the Clash. My introduction to not only the Spanish Civil War, but to the anti-fascist poet Garcia Lorca.
Wikipedia explains the lyrics:
"Spanish Bombs" compares the modern day tourist experience of Spain with the circumstances of the Spanish Civil War,[2] and contrasts the "trenches full of poets" to the planeloads of British tourists visiting the country's beaches in the post-Franco era.[6] Praising the heroism of the civil war republicans,[7] the song alludes to the death of anti-fascist poet Federico García Lorca,[8] with the line "Oh please leave the ventana open / Federico Lorca is dead and gone"[9] echoing García Lorca's similar line in his poem "Farewell": "If I die, leave the balcony open!"[10] ("Ventana" is Spanish for "window.")
More Joe Strummer Goodies!
Joe Strummer's London Calling was an Eight-part radio series that features Joe Strummer from The Clash spinning his favorite tracks from around the world. I’ve listened to all of it and I wish there was more!
Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Below is the first article I read about “Joe Stummer Day”. This article sums it up better than I could. It’s the perfect day for a bon fire and good tunes, Dec 22nd being so close to the winter solstice!
Joe Strummer Day- The American Scholar
Build a raging, leaping fire, okay?
By Brian Doyle | December 19, 2014
“Can I ask you a strange favor? On Monday night, December 22, go outside with your kids, or your friends, or your neighbors, and start a bonfire. “
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten is a 2007 documentary film directed by Julien Temple about Joe Strummer.
I love this documentary! It covers a lot about Joe childhood, and all the places he lived growing up with a diplomat father. One can start to understand all of multicultural influences in his music.
I'm old and missed the Clash, punk, and Joe Strummer, but reading about his music here made me think of The Crystal's sing He's a Rebel, one of my old favorites at the time. I dunno why.
See the way he walks down the street
Watch the way he shuffles his feet
My, he holds his head up high
When he goes walking by, he's my guy
When he holds my hand, I'm so proud
'Cause he's not just one of the crowd
My baby's always the one to try the things they've never done
And just because of that, they say
"He's a rebel and he'll never ever be any good
He's a rebel 'cause he never ever does what he should"
But just because he doesn't do what everybody else does
That's no reason why I can't give him all my love
He's always good to me, always treats me tenderly
'Cause he's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no, to me
If they don't like him that way
They won't like me after today
I'll be standing right by his side when they say
"He's a rebel and he'll never ever be any good
He's a rebel 'cause he never ever does what he should"
Just because he doesn't do what everybody else does
That's no reason why we can't share our love
He's always good to me, good to him, I try to be
'Cause he's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no, to me
Oh, he's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, oh, no, no,
He's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no
He's not a rebel, oh, no, no, no
The eternal spirit of rebellion.
I dunno what it is but he sings with some kind of poets voice.
London Calling and all the stuff he sang was deep, ressonant and made a shit day better.
Especially 2002 in a dank apartment in the worst part of town.
Like any great singer songwriter he had truth to offer.