Tag: Joe Strummer

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On Joe Strummer’s Birthday: The Latino Rockabilly War

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To celebrate what would have been NTSIB patron saint Joe Strummer’s 60th birthday, I bring you a taste of the Latino Rockabilly War.

The Latino Rockabilly War – whose core consisted of Zander Schloss (Circle Jerks), Lonnie Marshall (Weapon of Choice), Jack Irons (Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Wallflowers), and Willie MacNeil (the Solsonics) – first came together with Strummer to record songs for the Permanent Record soundtrack in 1988. The soundtrack included “Baby the Trans”, “Nefertiti Rock”, “Nothin’ ‘Bout Nothin'”, and “Trash City”.

 

“Trash City”

 

“Nothin’ ‘Bout Nothin'”

 

Later that year, the Latino Rockabilly War joined Strummer on his Rock Against the Rich tour, playing new material as well as classics from the 101ers and the Clash.

 

 

The Latino Rockabilly War went on to back Strummer on his solo album Earthquake Weather, released in 1989. Songs such as “Gangsterville” showed the sprouting of what would later bloom into the sound of Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros.

 

“Gangsterville”

 

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Friday Link Session

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  • Viva Joe Strummer: The Clash and Beyond turned up for free viewing on Hulu recently. I haven’t watched it yet, but a glance around the web shows fair-to-middling reviews. (But I’m a completist, so you know it’s going into my eyeholes.)

     

  • Through some happenstance of internet serendipity, I learned of Cleveland band Harvey Pekar. As a fan of late Cleveland comics writer Harvey Pekar, I can’t imagine the jazz-loving worrywart listening to this heavy band, but I feel better about the world just knowing they exist.

     

  • A recent episode of the Nerdist podcast had me digging up this ’90s treasure:

     

    “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” – Crash Test Dummies

     

    I still like the song, but I know haters are gonna hate. I wouldn’t have brought it up here, though, if it hadn’t led me to this “Weird Al” Yankovic parody. Those of you who were cognizant in the ’90s might want to brace yourselves for the time warp.

     

    “Headline News” – “Weird Al” Yankovic

     

    Then, confluence as Al joins the Crash Test Dummies for a performance at the 1994 Canadian Music Video Awards.

     

    “Headline News” (snippet) – “Weird Al” Yankovic with Crash Test Dummies

     

    Now step outside for a moment and appreciate the fact that it is no longer the ’90s.

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Joe Strummer: “I wake up and thank God for punk rock every day.”

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Even after writing the date again and again, I somehow forgot that yesterday was the 9th anniversary of the death of NTSIB patron saint Joe Strummer. As I said to a friend, some days it seems like more, some days it seems like a lot less.

Here’s some treats I gathered in remembrance: extra interview footage from Dick Rude’s great documentary Let’s Rock Again!, the great (and cranky) Bo Diddley talking about his opening slot for the Clash in 1979 and, via boingboing, the 1942 New Year’s resolutions list of one of Joe’s heroes, Woody Guthrie (you can easily imagine a very similar list coming from Joe himself).

 

 

 

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Saturday Matinee: The Future is Unwritten

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Apologies for the absence, my babies. I’ve been battling the flu from hell the past couple of weeks, but I’m ready to get back on top of things. So, here’s a tribute to the NTSIB patron saint, Joe Strummer, from filmmaker Julien Temple.

After watching this, I highly and enthusiastically recommend getting a hold of Dick Rude’s wonderful documentary of Joe’s last tour, Let’s Rock Again!. And if you’re in the mood for the absurd, Alex Cox’s Straight to Hell Returns is free to view on Hulu.

 

Joe Strummer – The Future Is Unwritten (Documental) from hardcorepunkarg7 on Vimeo.

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On Joe Strummer’s Birthday: The 101ers

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Time again to pay tribute to NTSIB’s patron saint, Joe Strummer, who would have been 59 years old today.

Before he was known as Joe Strummer, John Mellor was nicknamed “Woody” after hero-idol Woody Guthrie (he looked a bit like Guthrie, too). And before he was boldly stolen from them by a couple of fellow art school misfits called Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, he was in a pub rock band called the 101ers.

 

 

Joe said he knew the fix was in for the 101ers and pub rock when the band played a gig on April 3, 1976, with a young upstart band called the Sex Pistols.

 

 

If you’ve heard “Lose This Skin” from the Clash’s Sandinista! album or any of the great albums from Joe’s last band, the Mescaleros, you’ve heard the work of another 101er, Tymon Dogg. Another tie found on Sandinista! was a song the 101ers covered called “Junco Partner”.

 

 

After the 101ers, guitarist Clive Timperley played with the Passions, bass player Dan Kelleher went on to Martian Schoolgirls and the Derelicts and drummer Richard Dudanski played with The Raincoats, Basement 5 and Public Image Ltd. On April 20, 2003, Timperley, Kelleher, Dudanski and saxophonist Simon Cassell reunited for a Joe Strummer tribute gig, with guest guitarist Mick Jones.

101ers Fan Site