Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer
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The Clash was—and still is—one of the most important groups of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Indebted to rockabilly, reggae, Memphis soul, cowboy justice, and '60s protest, the overtly political band railed against war, racism, and a dead-end economy, and in the process imparted a conscience to punk. Their eponymous first record and London Calling still rank in Rolling Stone's top-ten best albums of all time, and in 2003 they were officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Joe Strummer was the Clash's front man, a rock-and-roll hero seen by many as the personification of outlaw integrity and street cool. The political heart of the Clash, Strummer synthesized gritty toughness and poetic sensitivity in a manner that still resonates with listeners, and his untimely death in December 2002 shook the world, further solidifying his iconic status. Music journalist Chris Salewicz was a friend to Strummer for close to three decades and has covered the Clash's career and the entire punk movement from its inception. With exclusive access to Strummer's friends, relatives, and fellow musicians, Salewicz penetrates the soul of an icon. He uses his vantage point to write the definitive biography of Strummer, charting his enormous worldwide success, his bleak years in the wilderness after the Clash's bitter breakup, and his triumphant return to stardom at the end of his life. In the process, Salewicz argues for Strummer's place in a long line of protest singers that includes Woody Guthrie, John Lennon, and Bob Marley, and examines by turns Strummer's and punk's ongoing cultural influence. Publishers Weekly In this biography of punk icon Joe Strummer, music writer Salewicz focuses on the heady days of the punk explosion and Strummer's long hiatus after leaving the Clash. Born John Graham Mellor in 1952 in Ankara, Turkey, to diplomat parents, Strummer enjoyed a peripatetic childhood before being parked at a British boarding school. An art school dropout, Strummer (who was known then as "Woody") lived a hand-to-mouth existence in London squats before rock impresario Bernie Rhodes selected him to head a new punk band, and Woody became Joe Strummer, the sardonic, gravelly voiced rabble rouser. For a long moment, the Clash channeled the most progressive elements in pop culture, blending punk anger, rasta vibes, bank robbers, cowboys and revolutionary traditions into music that remains compelling today. After the band's breakup in 1985, Strummer fell into a long depression that Salewicz attributes to heavy pot smoking and a family legacy that included his brother's suicide. Yet Strummer had revitalized his career and was making excellent music before his sudden death of heart failure in 2002. As a young writer in the punk years, Salewicz had plenty of access to Strummer, and does a good job of providing a blow-by-blow account of the tours and albums. However, Salewicz provides little historical context, thereby diminishing the importance of the Clash. Despite nearly 600 pages of analysis, Strummer remains an opaque figure. (May)Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Straight to Heaven 2002 3R.I. Punk 2002 9Indian Summer 1999 17Stepping Out of Babylon (One More Time) 2003 (1952-1957) 21Be True to Your School (Like You Would to Your Girl) 1957-1964 40Blue Apples 1965-1969 54The Magic Vest 1970-1971 67The Bad Shoplifter Goes Gravedigging 1971-1974 87Pillars of Wisdom 1974-1975 108"This Man Is a Star!" 1975-1976 129I'm Going to Be a Punk Rocker 1976 143Under Heavy Manners 1976-1977 170The All-Night Drug-Prowling Wolf 1977-1979 200Red Hand of Fate 1979 235News of Clock Nine 1979-1980 2561st May Take a Holiday 1980-1981 269The News Behind the News 1981-1982 302Anger Was Cooler 1982-1984 332Spanish Bombs 1984-1985 373Man of Mystery 1985-1987 391Soldiers of Misfortune 1987-1988 410On the Other Hand...1988-1989 436The Reckless Alternative 1990-1991 455The Cool Impossible 1991-1993 467The Excitement Gang 1993-1997 489Let's Rock Again! 1998-2000 530Campfire Tales 2000-2002 568Bringing It All Back Home 2002 589Coda (The West) 2002-2003 608Acknowledgments 615Index 621
