R.I.P. Joe Strummer

I read the report of Joe Strummer's death with sadness and a bit of irony. Strummer was the lead singer and driving creative force behind the hardest rocking guitar band ever, The Clash. I won't bother with the The Clash's place in rock history, but for me The Clash were the embodiment of everything every hard rocking Detroit band could ever be. The MC5, arguably Michigan's greatest rock band ever, lost their industrial punk edge when they sold their souls to the collective jibberish of the White Panther Party. The Five were further mummified when they joined forces with record producers who made their edgy, soaring guitars sound like rock and roll muzak. The Clash dabbled in politics, but never at the expense of their music or their individuality.

The Clash was the embodiment of England's young adult urban angst. More true to their music than their punk counterparts, The Clash were as comfortable with ska as they were with "Kick Out the Jams." Their first album "London Calling" and their second "Sandinista" are testerone pumping masterpieces--a must for any serious rock collection. The tunes "Clampdown" from LC and "Somebody Got Murdered" from Sandinista run neck-and-neck as my favorites with a shitload of other songs coming in tied for second.

I saw the Clash live at the Mesa Ampitheatre a nice venue deep in the heart of Mesa not far from the Mormon Temple. The irony of gritty, booming urban rock echoing from the walls of the Mormon Temple was delicious. Rock the Casbah, indeed! Three hours of dancing and rocking in the desert night. The Clash never let up, rocking the night away.

Joe's Final Hours. My family is gathered locally for the holidays. 98% of the clan is within a couple of miles. Everyone was at our house for pizza and beer. Everyone save for my six-year-old nephew had grog in hand and was eating, laughing, and drinking. My five-year-old nephew, the Mighty Mike Mongeau, was demonstrating a few dance step he learned for his first-grade XMAS pageant to the delight of the assembled. I went to the TV, we've got digital music channels on the TV, and scanned for some music to fit the performance. While scanning, I found The Clash's "Lost in the Supermarket" and cranked it. I pointed at my brother, his eyes flashed, and we both said, Yah! The driving beat send my nieces out to join Mighty Mike and next the whole clan was dancing in the living room--all lost in the supermarket, all laughing, all loving.

Thanks Joe. Hope more people were dancing to your tunes as your strand expired.