Remembering Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor was born August 21, 1952 in Turkey! That’s right Turkey! I know you didn’t see that one coming. Young John was sent away to boarding school where he developed a love of music, thanks to The Beach Boys. You definitely didn’t expect that either.
Strummer worked as a grave digger for a while, but hated the job. He was eventually sacked from the job when his boss found him sleeping in one of the graves, using a human skull as a pillow.
The Clash
On April 3, 1976, the then-unknown Sex Pistols opened for Joe’s band, the 101ers at a venue called the Nashville Rooms in London, and Strummer was impressed by them. Strummer agreed to leave the 101ers and join 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 (also known as the Mucky Duck, sometimes referred to as The Cock Pit, aka Chickitty Chicken, now known as the Boardwalk and is a Chinese Restaurant on Tuesdays).
On 25 January 1977, the band signed with CBS Records as a three-piece after Levene was fired from the band and Chimes quit. Topper Headon later became the band’s full-time drummer. The rest is history!
At the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Clash was said to be “considered one of the most overtly political, explosive and exciting bands in rock and roll history”
Run Joe Run
On April 21st, 1982, three weeks before the release of Combat Rock, Joe Strummer, at the height of The Clash’s fame, ran the Paris Marathon with his girlfriend Gaby Salter after allegedly drinking 10 pints of beer the night before with no training at all. He finished in third place. Joe Strummer once said that listening to Bon Jovi was like a dog being sick in your face.
Strummer died suddenly on 22 December 2002. He left an indelible mark on music and is sorely missed. A mural and Memorial to Strummer is painted on the wall at 7th Street & Avenue A, New York City.
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