Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Interrupting All Programs!
Last weekend, we went to see the Joe Strummer movie in Lake Worth and since then i've been listening to The Clash non-stop. This Is Radio Clash is one of my all-time favorites. I remember when I was about 11 buying The Clash's first (second over here) album with my allowance at Peaches' in Ft. Lauderdale. I still have it but I lost the bonus single that came with it. I never felt The Clash were really punk. As soon as they saw fit, they broke out of that pigeonhole. I mean, they had a cover of Junior Murvin's Police And Thieves on the first record! You wouldn't catch the Pistols or Black Flag trying that. There's so many great Clash songs and my favorites are usually sung by Joe. Rest In Peace John Mellor.
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I haven't had time to blog about the movie, so I'll comment here. I was reminded of why I love The Clash and Joe Strummer so much. While watching the movie, I felt like I was being reminded of a cool, brilliant, and handsome (go ahead, comment on his teeth) older cousin who died awhile ago so you put him out of your mind. Then at one Christmas dinner, people start talking about all the amazing things he did and suddenly you miss him and feel so incredibly sad.
Oh, had he lived to watch the world unfold in this century. I think he'd have had a lot of say. And it would rhyme.
I'm glad you liked the movie too. Even though I knew you would have preferred Naked Men Singing.
So
I enjoyed the movie too, but one thing that I felt afterward is that I wish the film would have delved more into Joe's politics, the things he actually had to say in his songs, about British politics, American politics, world politics. He was such a well informed guy from his world travels in his youth, and so intelligent, and the Clash had a lot of impact on music because of their beliefs. I had hoped the movie would get more into the actual content of their songs, the issues they really cared about. Instead, it slightly brushed the surface on that without any real specifics, not even much on London Calling, I'm So Bored With the USA, White Riot, The Call Up, Career Opportunities, etc. Just the one scene where they have the Sandinista bandanas, that's about it. The film was successful in showing the personal side of Joe, but if you wanted a sense of how the Clash fit into the larger scene with the things they had to say, it was lacking. Why did he write these songs? Why did it matter? That sort of thing. Just my 2 cents!
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