joe strummer's mysterious disappearance and the paris marathon

it was 28 years ago today, may 18, 1982, that joe strummer of the clash resurfaced after a self-imposed "disappearance" from his band and fans. it was initially drummed up as a publicity stunt by the group's manager, bernie rhodes. but strummer felt guilty about the charade and genuinely "disappeared" - and didn't bother to tell rhodes (or his band) his whereabouts.

strummer left london and lived in paris with his girlfriend, gaby salter. in april, 1982, strummer (and gaby) ran the paris marathon. it wasn't strummer's first marathon (he ran london the year before) and wouldn't be his last (he'd run london again the following year). strummer reappeared from his self-imposed exile on may 18, 1982 - shortly after the release of "combat rock."

as for some of his paris marathon details (from a 1999 magazine interview):

Q: Didn’t you once run in the Paris Marathon?
Joe: Yep. I ran three of them.
Q: Correct me if I’m wrong but is it also true that you never trained for any of them?
Joe: You shouldn’t really ask me about my training regime, you know.
Q: Why?
Joe: Because it’s not good and I wouldn’t want people to copy it.
Q: Don’t make me beat it out of you.
Joe: Okay, you want it, here it is. Drink 10 pints of beer the night before the race. Ya got that? And don’t run a single step at least four weeks before the race.
Q: No running at all?
Joe: No, none at all. And don’t forget the 10 pints of beer the night before. But make sure you put a warning in this article, “Do not try this at home.” I mean, it works for me and Hunter Thompson but it might not work for others. I can only tell you what I do.

spoken like a true punk rocker :D

joe strummer died 7 years ago today - at the tragically young age of 50 :(

joe strummer, most famously the front man for the clash, died at the tragically young age of 50 on december 22, 2002. his untimely death was all the more tragic because strummer was in the midst of a musical resurgence, as he toured with his new group the mescalaros. after his days with the clash ended in the mid-80's, he fell into the musical wilderness for more than a decade before getting back to his roots.

it's no understatement to point out that the clash is one on my all time favorite rock bands (easily in my top half dozen favorites - along with the dead, zeppelin, the beatles, and green day)! their album covers ("give 'em enough rope," "london calling," and "sandinista") lined my dorm room walls. their shows in the late 70's/early 80's nyc are some of my greatest concert memories! it's hard to believe the interesting connections - such as allen ginsberg hooking up with the clash back stage at bonds (and how they collaborated on lyrics, no less)!

two great documentaries that focus on strummer are seriously worth checking out: "joe strummer: the future is unwritten" is must see for any fan of the clash, and "let's rock again!" is a short (one hour) documentary of strummer's brief time with the mescalaros. in memory of his death, a tribute album was released today in the uk ("winter sessions showcase album 2009") along with a christmas card handdrawn by strummer just before his death.

take a minute to think of joe strummer today!

the clash released self-titled debut album 32 years ago today!

it's hard to believe that 32 years have flown by since the clash's self-titled first album was released on april 8, 1977 (i was a sophomore in sheepshead bay high school at the time)! i was (and still am) a huge fan of the clash - and, especially, joe strummer. but, while this album has consistently been given great reviews (then and now), i hesitate to admit that it's not too high on my list of favorite clash albums.

as i mentioned in my earlier post on the "london calling" album, my first clash album was "give 'em enough rope" - which was probably my real introduction to the clash. but my all-time favorite clash album - a masterpiece in my opinion - is easily "sandinista!" well, to each his own, as the saying goes.

"the clash" was actually released in two different versions. the original, grittier, british version, was followed 2 years later, in 1979, by the american release. the newer version had some different material - mainly the inclusion of some post-1977 singles. if you're a die hard fan, stick with the undiluted original (albeit) short version.
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in a sad tangent, 17 years later, on april 8, 1994, kurt cobain's dead body was discovered (he had committed suicide w/a shotgun a few days earlier).

joe strummer "let's rock again" documentary review

last night i was pleasantly surprised to find the joe strummer documentary, "let's rock again," on the sundance channel. the short film (clocking in at just one hour), focused on strummer's last project - his tour with "the mescaleros" - before his untimely death in 2002 at the very young age of 50. "let's rock again" is the perfect coda to the more detailed look at strummer's life and art (including his time with the clash), "joe strummer: the future is unwritten."

the documentary provides only a thumb nail sketch of the his years with the clash. "let's rock again" is primarily a look at strummer's tour, with the mescalaros, of the united states and japan to support the band's second album, "global a go go." it was filmed over an 18 month period during the tour, by his close friend, dick rude.

in addition to excellent concert footage, it's a behind the scenes look at the gritty details of touring and promoting an album. the insights into the mature ("mellower" but no less intense) joe strummer are fascinating. my favorite part of the documentary took place on the atlantic city boardwalk. watching strummer hand letter his own concert flyers (on the boardwalk, with a mailbox as writing stand) and then personally distribute them to the wary passing tourists is simultaneously sad and inspiring!

strummer was one of rock's most celebrated front men and is, here, reduced to restarting his career - one fan, one concert flyer, one radio interview, at a time. the band rehearsals, the backstage goofing around with the band personnel, and the live performances themselves, are serious examples of a man with a renewed mission. strummer never lost sight of what it was about - always the music.

don't go into this film expecting another take on the clash. "let's rock again" is about the rebirth (after a decade in the wilderness) of joe strummer. knowing that his death is minutes around the corner made the film all the more urgent and, in the end, tragic.

it's an inspiring film - don't pass up the opportunity to check it out.

here is the trailer:

the clash "london calling" released 29 years ago: december 14, 1979

here is one of the album covers that graced the walls of my room in high school and dorm in college. back in day when album art was something big enough to view w/out a magnifying glass, i'm sure i wasn't the only one who had "london calling" double for its decorative value (among other uses).

after just seeing the joe strummer documentary, "the future is unwritten," the clash has gotten some renewed playtime on my ipod!

"london calling" was actually my second clash album - both for the music, as well as the cover art. "give em' enough rope" which i had picked up a year earlier, my formal introduction to the clash, was already up on the wall.



finally, while both "give 'em enough rope" and "london calling" had awesome album covers (and, it should go w/out saying - but i'll mention it just the same - great tunes), the my favorite clash album was (and still is) "sandinista!" - released in 1980. ironically, that album cover, as contrasted to the awesome world tinged music on the record, wasn't that interesting (i.e. cool) - and never got tacked up on my dorm room wall - ha.