New bio provides Clash insights
by Chris Salez <$>
THERE was a time when The Clash, the brilliant British quartet that blended politics with punk rock, was (quite properly) billed as “The Only Band That Matters”.A new biography about lead singer Joe Strer (pictured)<$> explains why — along with much, much more about the band, the times and the charismatic front man who died at age 50, leaving an inestimable musical influence and expansive body of work.
Redemption Song starts slowly, with British music journalist Chris Salewicz providing a first-person accounting of his reaction to Strummer’s death. There may be an “I” in biography, but it’s unnecessary in the writing.
And then Salewicz, a long-time Strummer associate and chronicler of the punk scene, quickly settles into his groove and stays there, his words as vivid as the lyrics to White Man in Hammersmith ais <$>or Londonlling<$>. The author spent more than three years and conducted more than 300 interviews for the project, and it shows: Details abound, providing fresh glimpses into the Strummer persona, along with those that preceded it, including a phase where he took the name Woody — as in folkie Guthrie.
Strummer, the son of a British diplomat, was an unlikely candidate for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Salewicz details Strummer’s childhood and family background, delving into the suicide of the singer’s elder brother, an event that coloured the rest of the rocker’s life.
There’s a recounting of Strummer’s ascension from living in a squat to playing in a pub rock band (the 101’ers) to the Clash opening for The Who before a sold-out Shea Stadium. The band’s 1977-84 run, including an abrupt end after the chart-topping success of Combat Rock, is painstakingly covered.
And Salewicz avoidsrning Redemption Song <$>into a hagiography: Strummer’s womanising, drinking and drug use are addressed, along with his ill-conceived decisions to fire Clash drummer Topper Headon and writing partner Mick Jones — the musical equivalent of George Steinbrenner trading away Jeter and A-Rod.
But Strummer returned in the 1990s with a new band, the Mescaleros, to make some of the most challenging music of his career — a more adventurous world sound that introduced him to a new generation of listeners. His untimely death in 2002 denied Strummer the chance to add additional chapters to his legacy — and this biography.
Redemption Song may nbe the Only Biography That Matters <$>when it comes to The Clash or its singer, but Salewicz comes close enough with his compelling tale of Strummer’s too-short life.
