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humanriff77
Ive read those books and while Joe Strummer had his weaknesses like everyone they are very negatively slanted (and in some cases total bullshit), its like the negative attitude towards Johny Ramone in the films and books about the Ramones it makes a good story but its not the whole picture. Both were hard working, decent guys who lived and breathed rock n roll. You can slag Joe as much as you want but there wont be another one, he was a unique and true rocker and I still miss him. They were the most @#$%& incendiary rock band of all time and I can only say respect and the guys who say Paul Simonon couldnt play never saw the Clash live.

I saw The Clash regularly between 1979-84. And they played blinders - apart from 1984. My favourite gigs of theirs were the ones I saw at the Lyceum in 1981, their London Sandinista residency. Awesome. They started with Broadway and premiered Know Your Rights. Then there was a gig the following year, on the Know Your Rights tour (which had been canceled when Joe disappeared), which featured Futura 2000 covering the backdrop with graffiti while the band played.

Simmo really couldn't play at all when The Clash started. He said this in Westway to the World. Mick Jones taught him the notes for the songs, and Paul painted them onto his bass. He has since become an accomplished bassist, of course.

No doubting Joe's greatness as a lyricist (just read those amazing verses in Straight To Hell), songwriter, frontman and overall force of nature. But, like all creative people, he was a bundle of maddening contradictions. He rediscovered his humanity in the wilderness years between The Clash's demise and his first solo album. And he gained some personal equilibrium and peace shortly before his death too. That said, the most revealing biography - by Chris Salewicz, who was a close friend of his - still paints a fairly unsavory picture of him in The Clash years, especially vis-a-vis Bernie Rhodes.

Funny you bringing up Johnny Ramone in the same breath. Him and Joe were very good friends. The End of the Century documentary (which is one of my favourite rock docs of all) doesn't paint him in a particularly good light, but can you imagine being in a band with Dee Dee?

Mick Jones would be a dream producer for any future Stones album.

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Squiggle
Mick Jones would be a dream producer for any future Stones album.

I take it you didn't hear the first Babyshambles album, then?

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Squiggle
Mick Jones would be a dream producer for any future Stones album.

No, that honour firmly belongs to Rick Rubin.

Baby shambles was in, well, a shambles when they did that album. I think a similar approach from Mick Jones producing the Stones would have much better results.

I think Mick Jones did a great job on the LIbertines first album. Who found who there? IMO a perfect match.

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Nikolai

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Palace Revolution 2000
"Sandinista"...I love hearing Strummer talk about it. Then listen to it, with his words in mind. They fired off a track, maybe rough mixed it, barely even listen to it, and went on to the next one.
I also love Strummer talking about Jones; not one bad word. Calls Mick Jones a genius.
What is that great film/ documentary on Strummer that has all the people talking round the fire? It's made to look as if they are all sitting there together? Superb flic.

"At that point Mick was unbearable ... like Elizabeth Taylor in a bad mood".

(Westway to the World)

Yes, he said a lot of nice things about him, but there was resentment still there too.

Yes I saw all the Strummer films too. I didn't leave then feeling like Joe had much anger towards Mick Jones anymore. I heard mainly admiration and love. But I also believe that the demise of the Clash hurt Strummer more than anyone.

The other great flic on Strummer is him with his band, starting t the bottom, hawking flyers in the square, doing the radio shows, and watching that band just cook on songs like "Johnny Appletree"; beautiful.

Very interesting interview with Vince White of Clash Mark 2:

[www.henrymakow.com]

Still bitter and twisted after all these years.

And a racist - sample quote:


And I'm not f cking joking and let me just say I don't like the Chinese. I don't like their fat ugly faces. I wish they'd f king f k off. There are hundreds of these c u nts in Portobello Road these days, where I live. That's another thing the Clash promoted: multiculturalism. I don't buy it. I'm English and I don't like foreigners. Why are aliens allowed to flood in here?


Lovely bloke. Imagine being in a band with him.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-11-27 15:11 by Nikolai.

[www.bbc.co.uk]

2nd best band ever...

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Palace Revolution 2000

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Nikolai

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Palace Revolution 2000
"Sandinista"...I love hearing Strummer talk about it. Then listen to it, with his words in mind. They fired off a track, maybe rough mixed it, barely even listen to it, and went on to the next one.
I also love Strummer talking about Jones; not one bad word. Calls Mick Jones a genius.
What is that great film/ documentary on Strummer that has all the people talking round the fire? It's made to look as if they are all sitting there together? Superb flic.

"At that point Mick was unbearable ... like Elizabeth Taylor in a bad mood".

(Westway to the World)

Yes, he said a lot of nice things about him, but there was resentment still there too.

Yes I saw all the Strummer films too. I didn't leave then feeling like Joe had much anger towards Mick Jones anymore. I heard mainly admiration and love. But I also believe that the demise of the Clash hurt Strummer more than anyone.

The other great flic on Strummer is him with his band, starting t the bottom, hawking flyers in the square, doing the radio shows, and watching that band just cook on songs like "Johnny Appletree"; beautiful.

Joe talking about Mick at the end of Westway to the World is heartbreaking. There is so much regret in his voice about sacking Mick. I saw Clash Mk 2 once, left halfway through the gig. It was awful. Vince White doesn't matter. The albumm he is on is ignored in the Clash On Broadway box set discography. Like a bad dream that never happened.

As a Clash fan, for years I was furious at Joe and Paul for dumping Mick. In that film when I saw how much Joe hurt about that decision I finally forgave him. It was a tragic mistake, and nobody knew it more than him.