Joe Strummer

Infobox musical artist
Name = Joe Strummer


Img_capt = Joe Strummer in NYC 2002
Img_size =
Landscape = Yes
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = John Graham Mellor
Alias =
Born = birth date|1952|8|21|df=yes
Ankara, Turkey
Died = death date and age|df=yes|2002|12|22|1952|8|21
Broomfield, Somerset, England
Origin = London, England
Instrument = Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Genre = Punk rock, Rock and roll, Reggae, World music, "various genres"
Occupation = Musician, Actor
Years_active = 1973 – 2002
Label = CBS, Sony, Hellcat
Associated_acts = The 101ers
The Clash
The Latino Rockabilly War
The Pogues
The Mescaleros
URL = [http://www.strummernews.com/ www.strummernews.com]
Notable_instruments = Fender Telecaster

John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), better known as Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash. He was also a member of the The 101'ers, The Mescaleros and (temporarily) The Pogues.

The early years 1952-1976

Joe Strummer was born as John Graham Mellor in Ankara, Turkey on 21 August 1952. His mother, a crofter's daughter and one of nine children born and raised in the Scottish Highlands, was a nurse. His father was a British foreign-service diplomat who had been born in Lucknow, India. He was of partial Armenian ancestry.cite video
people = Letts Don; Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon, Terry Chimes, Rick Elgood, The Clash
year2 = 2001
title = The Clash, Westway to the World
medium = Documentary
publisher = Sony Music Entertainment; Dorismo; Uptown Films
location = New York, NY
accessdate = 2008-02-06
time = 3:50–4:50; 8:40–11:40
isbn = 0738900826
oclc = 49798077
quote = ] cite news|last=Cromelin|first=Richard|coauthors=|title=Strummer on Man, God, Law - and the Clash|pages=|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=1988-01-31|url=http://www.strummernews.com/latimes88.html/|accessdate=2008-02-02] The family spent much time moving from place to place, and Mellor spent his childhood in places such as Cairo, Mexico City, and Bonn. At the age of 9, Mellor and his older brother David, 10, began boarding at the City of London Freemen's School in Surrey. Mellor rarely saw his parents during this time. He developed a love of rock music listening to records by Little Richard and The Beach Boys as well as American folk-singer Woody Guthrie. (Mellor would even go by the name "Woody" for a few years, following his brother's suicide in July 1970, until changing his name to "Joe Strummer" a year and a half before the Clash was formed.) After finishing his time at City of London Freemen's School, Ashtead Park, Surrey, in 1970, Strummer moved on to London's Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, where he briefly flirted with the idea of becoming a professional cartoonist, but ultimately completed a foundations course.cite web
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2600955.stm
title=Strummer's lasting culture Clash
accessdate=2007-11-20
date=2002-12-23
format=STM
work=Entertainment
publisher=BBC News World Edition |quote=a) Born John Graham Mellor in 1952, Strummer was the son of a diplomat and was given a middle-class upbringing at boarding school in Surrey before going to study art in London - before deciding that it was a "lousy set up".
b, c, d) He had immersed himself in music since childhood, and his own musical career began when he started busking with a ukulele at Green Park tube station. He played in two bands, the Vultures and the 101ers, but when The Sex Pistols supported the 101ers in west London in 1976, Strummer saw the possibilities open up for him and was inspired to form The Clash. ] During this time, Strummer shared a flat in the north London suburb of Palmers Green with friends Clive Timperley and Tymon Dogg.

In 1973 Strummer moved to Newport, Wales to attend the Newport College of Art, but soon dropped out.cite web
url=http://trakmarx.com/2003_01/09.htm
title=Joe Strummer - 1952-2002
accessdate=2007-11-17
last=Encoule
first=Jean
year=2003
month=1
publisher=trakMARX.com
quote=a) Joe Strummer was born in Ankara, Turkey, in 1952 & christened John Graham Mellor. His family spent time in Ankara, Cairo, Mexico City & Bonn, before Joe returned to the UK to attend the City Of London Freemen's School in Surrey. Joe left school & enrolled at Central College of Art but left "after about a week", heading straight for the underground & squat culture. Joe spent time living in Wales, playing around in knock about bands & going by the moniker of "Woody" in homage to Mr Guthrie. Joe was always a protest singer.
b) The Vultures in time led to The 101'ers, a bunch of West London based squat rockers named after their squatted address, who provided some of the only high energy rock & roll action available in the capital immediately prior to the Punk Rock Explosion. The 101'ers were eventually supported by a nascent Sex Pistols & Woody became Joe Strummer. Blown away by the power of the Pistols, Joe immediately recognised that the 101'ers were "yesterday's papers" by comparison. It was time to strike out anew. Somewhere between myth & reality (& let us not forget: the myth is ALWAYS more interesting than the reality), the birth of The Clash was upon us.
c) "This is my Indian summer...I learnt that fame is an illusion & everything about it is just a joke. I'm far more dangerous now, because I don't care at all." – Joe Strummer to Chris Salewicz – 2000. ] While there, he joined up with some friends to form a band called The Vultures. This band included three former members of Rip Off Park Rock & Roll Allstars, the original college band co-founded by Terry Earl Taylor. For the next year he was the band's part-time singer and rhythm guitarist. During this time Strummer also worked as a gravedigger. In 1974, the band fell apart and he moved back to London where he met up again with Tymon Dogg. He busked on the streets for a while and then decided to form another band with his West London roommates. The band was called The 101'ers, named after the address of their squat (101 Walterton Road, in Maida Vale). The band played many gigs in London pubs, playing covers of popular American R&B and blues songs. In 1975 he changed his name from "Woody" Mellor to Joe Strummer, and insisted that his friends call him by that name. The name "Strummer" apparently refers to his role as rhythm guitarist, in a rather self-deprecating way. Though left-handed, he was taught to play right-handed by his friend Tymon Dogg; this hampered his abilities somewhat and confined him to strumming chords. Strummer was the lead singer of the 101'ers and began to write original songs for the group. One song he wrote was inspired by his girlfriend at the time, Slits drummer Palmolive. The group liked the song "Keys to Your Heart", and picked it as their first single.

The Clash 1976-1986

On 3 April 1976, a then-unknown band called the Sex Pistols opened for The 101'ers at a venue called "The Nashville Rooms" in London, and Strummer was impressed by them. Sometime after this show, Strummer was approached by Bernie Rhodes and Mick Jones. Jones was from the band London SS and wanted Strummer to join as lead singer. Strummer agreed to join just as the group was breaking up, but he formed a new band with Jones, bassist Paul Simonon, drummer Terry Chimes and guitarist Keith Levene. The band was named The Clash by Simonon and made their debut on 4 July 1976, opening for the Sex Pistols at The Black Swan (a.k.a. The Mucky Duck, now known as the Boardwalk Sheffield, England). On 25 January 1977 the band signed with CBS Records and was now a three-piece after Levene was fired from the band and Chimes quit. Drummer Topper Headon later became the band's full-time drummer.

The Clash are considered one of the most overtly political, explosive and exciting bands in rock and roll history.cite web
url=http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/the-clash
title=The Clash
accessdate=2007-11-19
date=2003-03-10
work=Induction
publisher = The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
quote=a) Quite simply, the Clash were among the most explosive and exciting bands in rock and roll history.
b, c) If not exactly a reunion, it was a rapprochement. On 15 November 2002, Jones and Strummer shared the stage for the first time in nearly 20 years, performing three Clash songs during the encore of a London benefit show by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros. This raised hopes for a Clash reunion, which were dashed when Strummer died of a heart attack on 22 December 2002. ] Their songs tackled social decay, unemployment, racism, police brutality, political and social repression, and militarism in detail. Strummer was involved with the Anti-Nazi League and Rock Against Racism campaigns. He later also gave his support to the Rock Against the Rich series of concerts organised by the anarchist organisation Class War. The Clash's "London Calling" album was voted best album of the 1980s by Rolling Stone magazine (although it was released in late 1979 in the UK, it was released in 1980 in the USA). [cite web
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2600669.stm
title=Clash star Strummer dies
accessdate=2007-11-20
date=2002-12-27
format=STM
work=Entertainment
publisher=BBC News World Edition
quote=Rolling Stone voted London Calling, their classic 1980 album (released in 1979 in the UK) as the best album of the Eighties. ] The Clash's influence can be clearly heard in countless subsequent rock bands.

During his time with The Clash, Strummer, along with his bandmates, became notorious for getting in trouble with the law. On 10 June 1977, he and Topper were arrested for spray-painting "The Clash" on a wall in a hotel. On 20 May 1980, he was arrested for hitting a violent member of the audience with his guitar during a show in Hamburg, Germany. This incident shocked Strummer, and had a lasting personal impact on him.cite web
url=http://homepage.mac.com/blackmarketclash/Bands/Clash/recordings/1980/Clash%20in%20Hamburg%20LP/Clash%20in%20Hamburg.html
title=The Clash Clash in Hamburg LP 20 May 1980
accessdate=2008-01-21
publisher=blackmarketclash.com
quote=a) This is the infamous riot show where there was mayhem in the audience and on the stage, riot police battling with fans outside, and Joe was arrested for seriously assaulting a 'fan' with his guitar. His actions shocked Joe, and had a lasting personal impact on him.
b) He would raise the incident in a number of interviews there after. Joe said, "I nearly murdered somebody, and it made me realise that you can't face violence with violence. It doesn't work". There is information on the night from three sources; German newspaper reports from the time, an eyewitness account described in Last Gang In Town, and interviews with Joe. ]

cquote
I nearly murdered somebody, and it made me realise that you can't face violence with violence. It doesn't work.
|
Joe Strummer

Before the album "Combat Rock" was released in 1982, Strummer disappeared from the group after pressure from the group's manager, Bernie Rhodes, because tickets were selling slowly for the Scottish leg of an upcoming tour. It was planned for Strummer to meet and stay with one of Rhodes' friends in secret. However, Strummer, uneasy with his decision, decided to genuinely disappear and "dicked around" in France. During this time, Joe ran the Paris Marathon in April 1982. He claimed his training regime consisted of 10 pints of beer the night before the race. For this period of time, Joe's whereabouts were not only a mystery to the public, but the bands management as well. Joe later said this was a huge mistake and you "have to have some regrets". This was in spite of the popular success of the single "Rock the Casbah". During this time band members began to argue a lot, and with tensions high, the group began to fall apart. In September 1983, Strummer issued the infamous "Clash Communique", and fired Mick Jones. Topper Headon had earlier been kicked out of the band because of his heroin addiction, which now left the band with only two of its original members. Rhodes persuaded Strummer to carry on and added new members. "The Clash Mark Two" released the album "Cut The Crap" in 1985. The album was panned by fans and critics alike and Strummer disbanded The Clash.

The wilderness years 1986-1999

A year later, Strummer worked on several songs for the 1986 film "Sid and Nancy", including "Love Kills" and "Dum Dum Club". Strummer also later worked with Mick Jones and his band Big Audio Dynamite, contributing to the band's second album by co-writing most of the songs. In 1987 he starred in the film "Walker", directed by Alex Cox, as a character named "Faucet" and wrote and performed on the film's soundtrack. He starred in another Cox film that same year called "Straight to Hell", as the character Simms. In 1989 Strummer played a substantial role in Jim Jarmusch's film "Mystery Train", as a man called Elvis with a drunken temper. He also made a brief appearance in Aki Kaurismäki's 1990 film "I Hired a Contract Killer" as a guitarist in a pub, performing two songs ("Burning Lights" and "Afro-Cuban Bebop"). These were released as a promotional 7" single limited to a few hundred copies, credited to "Joe Strummer & the Astro Physicians". During this time Strummer continued to act, write and produce soundtracks for various films, most notably the soundtrack for "Grosse Pointe Blank" (1997).

In 1989 Strummer began producing solo records with a band called The Latino Rockabilly War. The album "Earthquake Weather" was a critical and commercial flop, and resulted in the loss of his contract with Sony Records. He also did the soundtrack to the movie "Permanent Record" with this band. In 1991 he replaced Shane MacGowan as singer of The Pogues for a tour after MacGowan's departure from the band. Strummer also produced the Pogues album "Hell's Ditch". On 16 April 1994, Strummer joined Czech-American band Dirty Pictures on stage in Prague at the Repre Club in Obecni Dum at "Rock for Refugees", a benefit concert for people left displaced by the war in Bosnia. Backed up by the Pictures, Strummer played a blistering set of Clash songs that he said he had not played in more than ten years. Although the set appeared impromptu, Joe and the band had spent the days leading up to the event rehearsing and "hanging out" in Prague. After these self-described "wilderness years", Strummer began working with other bands; he played piano on the 1995 UK hit of The Levellers, "Just the One" and appeared on the Black Grape single "England's Irie" in 1996. In 1997 while in New York City, he had worked with noted producer and engineers Lee Perry & Marty Munsch on a significant amount of remixed Clash and 101'ers reissue dub material.

Also during this time, Strummer was in dispute with The Clash's record label, Epic Records. The disagreement lasted nearly eight years and ended with the label agreeing to let him record solo records with another label. If The Clash were to reunite though, they would have to record for Sony.

During the nineties Strummer was a DJ on the BBC World Service with his half-hour programme London Calling. Samples from the series provide the vocals for "Midnight Jam" on Joe and the Mescaleros' final album "Streetcore".

The Mescaleros and other work 1999-2002

In the mid-to-late 1990s, Strummer gathered top-flight musicians into a backing band he called The Mescaleros. Strummer and the band signed with Mercury Records, and issued their first album in 1999, which was co-written with Antony Genn, called "Rock Art and the X-Ray Style". A tour of England, Europe, and North America soon followed; sets included several Clash fan favourites.

In 2001 the band signed with Californian punk label Hellcat Records and released their second album, "Global A Go-Go". The album was supported with a 21-date tour of North America, Britain, and Ireland. Once again, these concerts featured Clash material ("London's Burning", "Rudie Can't Fail", "White Man In Hammersmith Palais"), as well as covers of reggae and ska hits ("The Harder They Come", "A Message To You, Rudy") and the band regularly closed the show by playing The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop". In the same year, somewhat out of character, Strummer and the Mescaleros performed the song Minstrel Boy for the movie "Black Hawk Down", a haunting and emotive Celtic tune that is played during the evacuation of PFC Blackburn during the Battle of Mogadishu.

On 15 November 2002, Strummer and The Mescaleros played a benefit show for striking fire fighters in London, at the Acton Town Hall. Mick Jones was in the crowd, and joined the band on stage during the Clash's "Bankrobber." An encore followed with Jones playing guitar and singing on "White Riot" and "London's Burning". This performance marked the first time since 1983 that Strummer and Jones had performed together on stage. Jones later remarked that it was totally unplanned and that he felt compelled to join Strummer on stage.

Strummer's final regular gig was at Liverpool Academy on 22 November 2002, yet his final performance, just two weeks before his death, was in a small club venue 'The Palace' in Bridgwater, Somerset near to his home. Shortly before his death Strummer and U2's Bono co-wrote a song, "46664", for Nelson Mandela as part of a campaign against AIDS in Africa. Strummer had been scheduled to play at Mandela's SOS fundraising concert in February 2003 on Robben Island. Mick Jones later recorded a version of the song in studio, performing both the vocals and guitar work, that has yet to be formally released.

Death and legacy 2002-present

Strummer died on 22 December 2002 in his home at Broomfield in Somerset, the victim of an undiagnosed congenital heart defect. [cite web
url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/23/britain.strummer/
title=Clash star Joe Strummer dies
accessdate=2007-11-23
date=2002-12-23
work=ENTERTAINMENT
publisher=CNN.com
quote=Strummer, who was the band's guitarist, vocalist and songwriter alongside Mick Jones, died on Sunday at his farmhouse in Somerset, southwestern England. ] His estate was valued at just under £1 million, and he left all the money to his wife Lucinda. [cite web
url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=426977&in_page_id=1773&ito=1490
title=Clash frontman Joe Strummer leaves £1m will
accessdate=2007-11-23
date=2007-01-07
work=TV & showbiz
publisher=Daily Mail
quote=Joe Strummer, the former frontman of punk band The Clash, left an estate worth nearly £1 million, it was revealed yesterday. ]

Throughout his career, Strummer was noted for his devotion to fans. It has been said that Strummer never left a venue until everyone who had waited around got an autograph and talked with him personally, a process which often lasted for hours. In fact, even after being hit in the leg with a cherry bomb in Asbury Park, when he was being driven to the hospital, he made the driver stop the car so he could talk to some fans first.Fact|date=March 2008

Strummer was instrumental in setting up Future Forests (recently rechristened The Carbon Neutral Company), an organization dedicated to planting trees in various parts of the world in order to combat global warming. Strummer was the first artist to make the recording, pressing and distribution of his records carbon neutral through the planting of trees. Many other artists such as Foo Fighters, Coldplay and Pink Floyd have followed suit and fans can visit the [http://www.carbonneutral.com/shop/ Carbon Neutral Company website] to buy trees to be planted in their favourite artist's forest (Strummer's being christened "Rebel's Wood", a specially selected section in Orbost, on the Isle of Skye). In his remembrance, Strummer's friends and family have established the Strummerville Foundation for the promotion of new music.

At the Grammy Awards in February 2003, "London Calling" was performed by Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, Dave Grohl, Pete Thomas, and Tony Kanal in tribute to Strummer. In March 2003, The Clash were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

At the time of his death, Strummer was working on another album, which was released posthumously in October 2003 under the title "Streetcore". The album features a tribute to American music icon Johnny Cash ("Long Shadow"), which was actually written for Cash to sing and recorded in Rick Rubin's garage, as well as a remembrance of the 11 September 2001 attacks ("Ramshackle Day Parade"), and a cover of Bob Marley's classic "Redemption Song", which Strummer had also recorded as a duet with Cash. (The Cash/Strummer duet version appears on the 2003 box set "Unearthed").November 2003 saw the release of a video for Redemption Song, directed by Josh Cheuse. The video features the painting of a memorial mural on the wall of the Niagara Bar in the East Village of NYC. [cite web
url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1480457/20031117/strummer_joe.jhtml
title=Joe Strummer Leaves Final Mark On New York With New Video
accessdate=2007-11-29
last=D'Angelo
first=Joe
date=2003-11-17
format=JHTML
work=MTV News
publisher=mtv.com
quote=Clip features cameos by Rancid, actor Matt Dillon, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. ]

On 22 December 2003, exactly a year after his death, a tribute show/benefit was held at Irving Plaza in NYC. Bands that played were Ari Up; Clem Snide; The Detachment Kit; Dirty Mary; Hammel on Trial; Jesse Malin; New Blood Revival; The Realistics; Eugene Hütz; Radio 4; Secret Army; Ted Leo; Vic Thrill + The Saturn Missile. [cite web |url=http://www.irvingplaza.com/artists.htm
title=Fillmore NY @ Irving Plaza - Artists
accessdate=2007-11-29
last=
first=
publisher=irvingplaza.com
quote=Joe Strummer Tribute - Ari Up (of The Slits); Clem Snide; The Detachment Kit; Dirty Mary; Hammel on Trial; Jesse Malin; New Blood Revival; The Realistics; Radio 4; Secret Army; Ted Leo (solo); and special guests ] The show was videotaped by punkcast.com but is as yet unreleased.

A documentary by Dick Rude titled "Let's Rock Again!" was released in 2004. The film, completed after Strummer's death, chronicles life on tour in the United States with the Mescaleros to support "Global a Go-Go". The Belfast punk rock group Stiff Little Fingers also recorded a tribute song "Strummerville" on their album, "Guitar and Drum". Al Barr, lead singer of the Boston punk band Dropkick Murphys, named his son Strummer in honor of Joe. [cite web
url=http://www.dropkickmurphys.com/press/press/expresstimes.html
title=Dropkick Murphys always sing loud, proud
accessdate=2008-03-13
last=Helmer
first=April
date=2004-04-23
publisher=The Express-Times. dropkickmurphys.com ] German punk band the Beatsteaks pay tribute to Strummer on their album "Smack Smash" with the song "Hello Joe". In 2004, German punk band Die Toten Hosen released an EP called "Friss oder stirb" which included a tribute song for Strummer called "Goodbye Garageland" which is a lyrical co-production with Matt Dangerfield from londons 77 punk band The Boys (UK Band).Boston Punk Rock Band Street Dogs recorded a tribute song called "The General's Boombox" on their latest album State Of Grace, and New Jersey's The Gaslight Anthem recorded the song "I'da Called You Woody, Joe" on their album Sink or Swim (Gaslight Anthem album).

On 12 February 2005 the Class 47 locomotive 47828 was named "Joe Strummer". The nameplates were unveiled by his widow Lucinda Tait in a ceremony at Bristol Temple Meads railway station. [cite web
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bristol/somerset/4256619.stm
title=Engine named after Clash singer
accessdate=2007-07-06
date=2005-02-12
format=STM
work=Bristol/Somerset
publisher=BBC NEWS
quote=The Class 47 Diesel, which is owned by Cotswold Rail, is being named after the singer, who lived in Bridgwater, Somerset. He died aged 50 in 2002."...
..."The locomotive, and plaque showing Strummer's name, were unveiled at Bristol Temple Meads station by his wife, Lucinda. ] On 22 July 2005 Tait unveiled a plaque on the house in Pentonville, Newport where Strummer lived from 1973 to 1974 and where his first foray into recorded music, "Crummy Bum Blues" was recorded. [cite web
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4707943.stm
title=Plaque for Clash legend Strummer
accessdate=2007-11-29
date=2005-07-22
format=STM
work=Wales
publisher=BBC NEWS
quote=The friend who arranged for a tribute plaque to Joe Strummer on the house where the punk legend wrote his first song admits he would have hated it. ]

New Orleans-based rockers Cowboy Mouth released a song called "Joe Strummer" on their latest album "Voodoo Shoppe". The song tells the story of a man who had to break up with his girlfriend because "...she didn't know who/Joe Strummer was." The popular track is a tongue-in-cheek salute to Strummer and the Clash that received significant radio play in 2006.

In addition, the Joe Pernice-penned "High As a Kite", included on The Pernice Brothers 2006 album "Live a Little", was, in part a tribute to Joe Strummer. Lyrics included, "Heavy downbeat of one and the show began/London calling, strike up the contraband" and the memorable opening to the chorus, "We wore pictures of Strummer."

"Raise a toast to St. Joe Strummer. I think he might've been our only decent teacher" is a lyric from The Hold Steady's "Constructive Summer" from the 2008 record "Stay Positive". This lyric praises the late great Clash frontman and his impact on the rock world.

"", a documentary film directed by Julien Temple about Joe Strummer, premiered on 20 January 2007 at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.cite web
url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800099/releaseinfo
title=Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007) - Release dates
accessdate=2008-03-13
publisher=Internet Movie Database ] In conjunction with the Strummer estate, Fender released the [http://www.fender.com/joestrummer/ Joe Strummer Tribute Telecaster] , combining elements of Joe's main guitars, namely the "road worn" finish of his 1966 Telecaster, which he used until his death. The first 1,500 guitars come with a Shepard Fairey designed "customization kit" with stickers and stencils, which resemble some of the designs Joe used on his guitars. [cite web
url=http://www.fender.com/joestrummer/
title=Joe Strummer
accessdate=2007-11-29
publisher=fender.com ]

Marriages and relationships

In the early 1970s, after being offered £100, he married Pamela Moolman, a South African citizen, so she could obtain British citizenship. Strummer bought his signature Telecaster, later painted black, with the money. He had two daughters with Gaby Salter but they did not marry. They were together from 1979 until 1993. In 1995 he married Lucinda Tait. This final marriage lasted until Strummer's death. He was also godfather to singer Lily Allen.

Documentaries

"Let's Rock Again!" is a one-hour music documentary, directed by Dick Rude, that follows Joe Strummer as he tours across America and Japan with The Mescaleros. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, May 2004.

"" is a documentary about Joe Strummer by Julien Temple. It comprises archive footage of him spanning his life, and interviews with friends, family, and other celebrities. It debuted at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. [cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003353439 |title=Exclusive: Strummer Documentary To Premiere At Sundance |accessdate=2007-11-29 |last=Orshoski |first=Wes |date=2006-11-07 |format=JSP |work=News |publisher=Bilboard.com |quote="The Future is Unwritten", Julien Temple's new film on the life and career of late Clash frontman Joe Strummer, will have its U.S. premiere in mid-January at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. ] [cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/image_galleries/joe_strummer_gallery.shtml |title=BBC - Somerset - In Pictures - Joe Strummer |accessdate=2007-11-29 |format=SHTML |work=Where I Live - Somerset - Celebrities and Events |publisher=bbc.co.uk |quote=Julien Temple's biopic of The Clash front man, entitled Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten, receives its premiere at The Palace in Bridgwater on Saturday, 5 May 2007. This photo is of a campfire in Somerset. ] [cite web |url=http://www.cinematical.com/2007/01/26/sundance-review-joe-strummer-the-future-is-unwritten/ |title=Sundance Review: Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten |accessdate=2007-11-29 |last=Kelly |first=Kevin |date=2007-01-26 |publisher=cinematical.com |quote=If you can imagine what it would be like to try to document the life of one of your closest friends after their death, and to assemble everything into feature film length, you can probably see how difficult the process might be. ]

A documentary on Strummer's politics "Let Fury Have The Hour", produced by Tim Robbins and based on the book of the same name by Antonino D'Ambrosio, is due out in 2008. NYC band Radio 4 are supplying soundtrack music. [cite news|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003576052|title=Radio 4 Tunes In For D'Ambrosio Documentary|date=2007-04-25|accessdate=2007-12-17|last=Cohen|first=Jonathan|publisher=Billboard]

Musical equipment

Strummer's main guitar throughot his career was a 1966 Fender Telecaster that originally came in a three color sunburst with a white pickguard. Strummer acquired the guitar in middle of 1975 while playing with 101ers. After joining the Clash the guitars body and pickguard was refinished in black auto primer, by 1979 the word NOISE was stenciled on the upper part of the body, a rasta flag sticker was placed at the horn of the pickguard and a "Ignore Alien Orders" sticker was placed above the bridge. By the release of "Give ‘Em Enough Rope" the guitar was fitted with a bridge with individual saddles, the original Kluson tuners were replaced with later model tuners and a large question mark was spraypainted on its back. the guitar would remain in this configuration throughout his career with the addition of different stickers on its body. The guitars black paint became worn down due to Strummer's playing and one many places the original sunburst finish and bare wood shines through, except for the square where Strummer taped his setlists. [http://www.strummerguitar.com/evolutionofalegend.html] The Fender Custom Shop is currently making a Joe Strummer tribute Telecaster with a reliced flat black finish. [http://www.fender.com/joestrummer/]

For amplification Strummer has been known to use amplifiers such as a Roland Jazz Chorus, a Vox AC-30 and various Marshall amplifiers, [http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/strummernews/vpost?id=2044598] but his main amplifier was a Music Man HD 212 150. [http://www.rockstarsguitars.com/product.php?c=1&cat=111&scat=216] Strummer commented oh his choice of amplifier with "I don't have time to search for those old Fender tube amps. The Music Man is the closest thing to that sound I've found." and that the "plastic motif on the front is repulsive." [Musician Magazine 1980]

olo discography

:"For recordings made with the Clash, please see The Clash discography".

With The 101'ers

The 101'ers albums

With The Mescaleros

The Mescaleros albums

elected filmography

In other media

* "The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs", by Irvine Welsh, has a fictional Joe Strummer being implicated in a paternity scandal.
* "Johnny Appleseed" is featured as the theme song to the HBO series "John From Cincinnati".
* Strummer is referenced by The Hold Steady in the song "Constructive Summer," in which the band sings "Raise a toast so Saint Joe Strummer. I think he might have been our only decent teacher."
*Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros appeared on the British musician Jools Holland Show "Later" on about 4 May 2002. Strummer, Warren Zevon, and Traci Chapman, as well as an ensemble cast, sang "I Fought the Law [and the Law Won] " at the finale. The show, and this episode, is occasionally shown on Ovation TV [ http://www.ovationtv.com/schedules?date=2008-08-02&genre=all&selected=1296 ] .

ound samples

* of Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros performing Bob Marley's "Redemption Song"
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRwmZ2bp_B0 The video] of the Joe Strummer And The Mescaleros version of "Redemption Song" from "Streetcore". A tribute to Strummer by his friends. The artwork being created in the video can be seen [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=112+Avenue+A,+New+York&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=51.841773,100.546875&ie=UTF8&ll=40.731747,-73.982363&spn=0.012228,0.031586&z=16&om=1&layer=c&cbll=40.72596,-73.983318&cbp=1,207.288846463023,0.650815246516613,1 here] in Google Maps Street View.Amsterdam's song Joe's Kiss is about Joe Strummer

See also

*The 101'ers
*The Clash
*The Mescaleros
*The Latino Rockabilly War
*Let's Rock Again!
*The Pogues
*

Notes

References

*cite book |last=D'Ambrosio |first=Antonino |title=Let Fury Have the Hour: The Punk Rock Politics of Joe Strummer |accessdate=2007-11-20 |date=2004-10-13 |publisher=Nation Books |location=New York |isbn=1560256257 |oclc=56988650 |quote = Edited with an Introduction by Antonino D'Ambrosio.

*cite book |last=Davie |first=Anthony |title=Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros: New and Previously Unpublished Photographs |accessdate=2007-11-20 |year=2004 |publisher=Effective |location=Northampton |isbn=0954856813 |oclc=64898380

*cite book |last=Davie |first=Anthony |title=Vision of a Homeland: The History of Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros |accessdate=2007-11-20 |year=2004 |publisher=Effective |location=Northampton |isbn=0954856805 |oclc=123775358

*cite journal |last=DeCurtis |first=Anthony |authorlink=Anthony DeCurtis |year=2003 |title=1952-2002 Joe Strummer - A tribute to the late Clash singer and songwriter, plus his final remarks on the rise and fall of the legendary punk band |journal=Rolling stone |volume=914 |issue=27 |publisher=Straight Arrow |location=San Francisco, CA |issn=0035-791X |oclc=96002520 |accessdate=2007-11-20

*cite web |url=http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/timeline.aspx?csid1=21 |title=Joe Strummer & The Clash - Revolution Rock |accessdate=2007-11-29 |last=Ferraz |first=Rob |year=2001 |month=08 |format=ASPX |publisher=exclaim.ca

*cite book |last=Gilbert |first=Pat |title=Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of The Clash |origyear=2004 |accessdate=2007-11-20 |edition=4th ed. |year=2005 |publisher=Aurum Press |location=London |isbn=1845131134 |oclc=61177239

*cite book |last=Gray |first=Marcus |title=The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town |origyear=1995 |accessdate=2007-11-20 |edition=5th rev. ed. |year=2005 |publisher=Helter Skelter |location=London |isbn=1905139101 |oclc=60668626 |ref=_note-Gray-The_Clash

*cite journal |last=Matula |first=Theodore |year=2003 |month=12 |title=Joe Strummer, 1952-2002 |journal=Popular Music and Society |volume=26 |issue=4 |pages=pp. 523–525 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |location=Bowling Green, Ohio |issn=0300-7766 |oclc=89586252 |accessdate=2007-11-20 |doi=10.1080/0300776032000144968

*cite book |last=Needs |first=Kris |authorlink=Kris Needs |title=Joe Strummer and the Legend of the Clash |accessdate=2007-11-20 |date=2005-01-25 |publisher=Plexus |location=London |isbn=085965348X |oclc=53155325

*cite book |last=Salewicz |first=Chris |title=Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer |accessdate=2007-11-20 |edition=1st American ed |date=2007-05-15 |publisher=Faber and Faber |location=New York |isbn=057121178X |oclc=76794852

*cite book |last=Yewdall |first=Julian Leonard |coauthors=Nick Jones |title=Joe Strummer with the 101'ers and the Clash, 1974-1976 |accessdate=2007-11-20 |year=1992 |publisher=Image Direct |location=London |isbn=0951921606 |oclc=28502630 |quote=Photographs by Julian Leonard Yewdall; introductory text by Nick Jones.

External links

* [http://www.strummernews.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.strummerville.com/ The Joe Strummer Foundation for New Music]
* [http://www.joestrummer.us/ The Joe Strummer Resource]
* [http://www.theclash.com The Clash website]

Video

* [http://punkcast.com/140 PUNKCAST#140] Live Video from St Ann's Warehouse, Brooklyn - April 2002. (RealPlayer)
* [http://punkcast.com/1164 PUNKCAST#1164] Chris Salewicz reads from his book, NYC - Jun 11 2007. (RealPlayer, mp4)

Persondata
NAME=Strummer, Joe
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=John Graham Mellor (real name)
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Musician and actor
DATE OF BIRTH=21 August 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH=Ankara, Turkey
DATE OF DEATH=22 December 2002
PLACE OF DEATH=Broomfield, Somerset, England