If in the midst of the explosion of the punk movement, in the second half of the 70s, its detractors believed that it was just a handful of indignant aimless unable to play more than three fundamental chords…
The Clash had the task of breaking down that prejudice with a work that mixed different rhythms without losing the essence of the genre and that has endowed a poetic language with a strong political content, above all by the imprint given by its leader Joe Strummer, the man whose heart exploded on December 22, 2002, at the age of 50.
Perhaps in the same way that the Beatles did a comprehensive survey of contemporary popular music in the white album since 1968, The Clash paved the way for the broad scope for expression that punk culture had musically and poetically with his albums Call to London since 1979 and sandinista! since 1980.
There the group opened the game to Jamaican rhythms, which had already manifested itself in other bands, but also rockabilly, funk, jazz, dub and rhythm & bluesamong others: In addition, he laid his political foundations, in texts in which he did not remain in simple denunciation or fell into nihilism, and proposed to act.
Although it is true that the social side of The Clash has always been associated with Joe Strummer, while fellow frontman Mick Jones has been anointed as the band’s musical genius; the revolutionary artist was also the architect of stylistic openness and contributed resources that remained in the background compared to his discursive strength.
Unemployment, social inequality, racism, police brutality and militarism were some of the themes Strummer put his magnifying glass on in the Clash’s songs and shaped, in some way, a sort of theoretical framework that encompassed the punk rage.
And the radicalization of the artist was such in these points that the group itself imploded: the drummer Topper Headon would have been kicked out for his heroin addiction -a behavior which they understand does not conform to what The Clash proclaims in their messages- and, perhaps even more seriously, would cause her to break up with Mick Joneshis partner in the adventure of raising the bar of punk rock musically and lyrically.
Joe Strummer was born under the name of John Graham Mellor on August 21, 1952, in Ankara, Turkeyfate in those years of his diplomatic father, who also led him to live in Bonn, Mexico City and Cairo.
Since he was a boy he was interested in music and, first with the nickname Woody Mellor, in honor of his admired Woody Guthrie, and later the definitive nickname by which he was known, he joined various groups up to Mick Taylor and bassist Paul Simonon, from the London SS group, he is recruited by The 101’ers group, for a new project.
It was the Clash, who would reach their final form with the addition of Headon and the recording of their first albums, the 1977 debut bearing the group’s name, and “Give ’em Enough Rope” the following year, with the hymns What White Riot, I’m so bored with the USA, Police and Thieves, Career Opportunities Y London is burningAmong many.
However, they were the ones mentioned “London Calling” and “Sandinista!” the ones that turned the Clash into a central band of the punk movement and Strummer as its great ideologue.
“It seems to me that his poetry really explodes in ‘Sandinista!’, when he pushes the limits of punk. He had already warned in ‘London Calling’, but ‘Sandinista!’ that’s where the truth lies,” he commented Sergio Rothmanmusicians from various punk rock inspired bands, including The fabulous Cadillacsa group that one of its leaders, Flavio, has acknowledged trying to follow in the footsteps of the Clash.
“If I have to talk about Joe Strummer, I have to talk about ‘Sandinista!’, which for me is his pinnacle, especially with how chaotic the production of that record is,” said Rotman, who said he started with The Clash” a trip up here” from the acquisition, in the mid-80s, of a record which in its local version was translated as “Arde Londres.
Another local musician who has felt Strummer’s impact and has tried to emulate his artistic stance is the guitarist Toucan Barauskasfrom his work of over 30 years with Pil Chalar, the greatest Latin exponent of punk rockand from that place marked the importance of this artist to the movement.
“The three biggest bands were the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and the Clash. Of the three, the Clash were the ones who played the most. He surprised me with his songs and his social and political commitment; and also for a very interesting musical performance where they mixed reggae, afro sounds, more modern sounds; all things that other bands did later,” Tucán pointed out.
“His songs are totally up to date. She was a big influence on me because of their open headsbecause their songs had more poetic and musical flair, and could open the fan to more interesting places”, added the guitarist, who accepted that for the last albums he recorded with Pil they took as an example the attitude of not being limited by music genres, without losing the punk essence.
At the same time that The Clash saw how its influence spread from the adopted artistic concept and its corresponding political perspective, the radicalization of all these aspects in Strummer grew, which dynamized the group with the expulsion of Headon and the final break with Mick Jones. However, that didn’t stop Strummer from guesting on a record by Big Audio Dynamite, Mick Jones’ post-Clash project.
“I haven’t had the good fortune to meet him personally, although I’ve been close to him many times. Yes, Mick Jones, but according to what I’ve been told, he was quite a controversial character in his personality,” Rotman confided.
The same fate befell Toucan Barauskas, who believed he would have the opportunity when in the early 1990s he had agreed to come to Buenos Aires to produce a Los Violadores recordbut he backed out when the band broke up and those songs became part of Pilsen’s debut album “Bajo otra bandera”.
After the absolute failure and unanimous criticism that the album “Cut the Crap” received in 1985, now without Jones or Headon, Joe Strummer decreed the end of the Clash and, since then, had a zig-zag path within the music, with participation in the soundtracks of some films, a short time with the legendary Irish band The Pogues, their project called The Mescaleros and periods of long musical silences.
“It seems to me that his work is quite daunting compared to that of all his colleagues, who have produced much more than he has,” said Rotman, who singled out some unfamiliar facets as the most interesting.
“I think his values are not the ones that are seen the most. To me he is a very good rhythm guitarist, a very good decision maker, a very good composer of lyrics with music. The hits and the best known songs are the least enjoyable of his career. The sound of the band of Walker by Alex Cox is a very high point and goes unnoticed,” he warned.
There, the leader of Cienfuegos, El Siempreterno and Los Sedantes, among others, made a warning about his political image: “Strummer’s political vision belongs to another erato another world where understandable socialism was possible, and now we know it isn’t, because it no longer exists, so I wouldn’t go too far into that.”
In the midst of his many attempts to leave the shadow of The Clash with Mescaleros behind, and shortly after producing the album “Up the Brackets”, by the then emerging British group The LibertinesJoe Strummer died of a heart attack at home at the age of 50 from undetected congenital heart failure.
The legendary suit weighed on him and he wished to continue writing his story, as he would make clear The future is not written, the comprehensive documentary about his life made by Julien Temple.
Source: Telam/Hernani Natale
Source: Clarin
