Look for the girl in the faded blue Dodgers hat and she's gone...

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

This is Radio Clash, Consider YOUR position!


Welcome to the second installment of
PEOPLE YOU NEED KNOW ABOUT

The second person you need know about is Joe Strummer.

Best known as the front man of legendary punk band The Clash, Joe was able to expand the horizons of punk rock to include other genres like reggae and ska along with many other things.

NOTABLE STRUMMER SONGS:
White Riot
London's Burning
English Civil War
White Man in the Hammersmith Pallais
Janie Jones
Lost in the Supermarket
Jimmy Jazz
Rudie Can't Fail
Clash City Rockers
and my personal favorite:
Clampdown

Joe Strummer's given name was actually John Graham Mellor, but he also went by the name Woody (in honor of everybody's inspiration Woody Guthrie) before he ever came to his iconic stage name. His musical inspiration was diverse, ranging from The Ramones (who influenced about every punk act that ever existed) to The Rolling Stones. It was R&B however, that would ultimately captivate Strummer, leading him to form the 101'ers. The line up would consist of:
Clive Timperley
Martin Stone
Dan Kelleher
Richard Dudanski
Simon Cassell
Alvaro Peña-Rojas
Antonio Narvaez
Julian Yewdall
Tymon Dogg
Marwood Chesterton aka " Mole"
Patrick Nother

The 101'ers would be short lived however as the Clash would be formed 1976. The Clash quickly gained fame, known for their seething lyrics and brutal style. As the main lyricist of the band, Strummer combined with Mick Jones (Who will probably be coming up in another edition) to create some of the most well known and thought provoking songs of all time.

Strummer is ultimately known for his socially aware lyrics that dealt with touchy subjects such as racism, world events, and more im
portantly, boredom. Using this, Strummer was able to get a bored and angry England to stop and think about the world around them. He was willing to write about things that other acts wouldn't touch with a 10 foot poll.

His trademark instrument? a battered 1966 fender telecaster that might just possibly be the most awesome thing I have ever seen. (the guitar on the left for anyone who's wondering)

Joe Strummer was an amazing man, who's name isn't mentioned enough with legendary performers and inspirational people in general.

Come back soon for the third installment of
PEOPLE YOU NEED KNOW ABOUT

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