"The Ballad of Joe Strummer"
It’s hard to ignore the legacy of The Clash. Countless bands from the 1980s to the present can point to them as their greatest influence. They’re widely considered the greatest punk band ever and “London Calling” is among the greatest rock albums of all time.
And, with a nod to the other members of the band, frontman Joe Strummer remains the face of the band that took the U.K. and then the U.S. by storm in the late ’70s and early ’80s.
In his definitive biography of the late Strummer, Chris Salewicz draws from source material that includes his own vast memories of Strummer to countless music magazine clippings to interviews with nearly every single key player in Strummer’s life. “Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer” paints a truly definitive picture of the man who was born John Graham Mellor in 1952.
From Strummer’s early years as the son of a diplomat who was sent to boarding school and grossly affected by his brother’s suicide, to his years as the king of punk rock as the frontman of The Clash, through his “wilderness years” and the years with his band The Mescaleros leading to his death, Salewicz ignores no detail. It’s as if you’re right there through it all. You see the different sides of Strummer’s personality, you see the recurring themes of his life and you get a vivid picture of who he was.
The bulk of the book, fittingly, is devoted Strummer’s days as a member of The Clash. It’s fascinating to get such a comprehensive view of his relationships with other band members (most notably with the “classic” lineup of himself, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon), their different managers, the CBS record company, other bands and fans. Strummer is legendary for his almost stubborn custom of hanging around for hours after shows to sign autographs and personally speak to every fan who wanted him to.
Of course, “Redemption Song” also detailed the band’s downfall and the circumstances behind drummer Topper Headon and later guitarist Mick Jones — the band’s founder — being kicked out of the group. From there on, it’s a rollercoaster ride through Strummer’s “wilderness years,” as he found odd jobs doing soundtracks or acting in movies (or even going on tour with Celtic rock band “The Pogues”) until he finally emerged again as part of his own band — Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros.
For any fan of Strummer or The Clash, this read is a must. Salewicz — a journalist and author who has written about musicians such as Bob Marley, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Billy Bragg, and Jimi Hendrix — manages to add to the legend.
