Joe Strummer
Birthday:
21 August 1952, Ankara, Turkey
Birth Name:
John Graham Mellor
Height:
173 cm
Although best known as the outspoken front man for legendary punk rock group The Clash, Joe Strummer also carved out an interesting niche as an actor once the band broke up. The Clash formed in 1976, and along with the Sex Pistols spearheaded the British punk rock scene. By 1979, The Clash had broadened their musical horizons at a time when most pu...
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Although best known as the outspoken front man for legendary punk rock group The Clash, Joe Strummer also carved out an interesting niche as an actor once the band broke up. The Clash formed in 1976, and along with the Sex Pistols spearheaded the British punk rock scene. By 1979, The Clash had broadened their musical horizons at a time when most punk bands were painting themselves into a corner. By the early 1980s, The Clash were filling stadiums around the world; ultimately, trying to reconcile punk ethics with stardom took its toll on the band. The original line-up dissolved in 1983, and but with new members, Strummer soldiered on for a couple years longer. Ultimately embarrassed that The Clash had become a strange parody of itself, he split up the band once and for all, and then kept a low profile for a few years. When he returned, he decided to branch out in a new direction: acting.Strummer first appeared on film playing himself in Rude Boy (1980), a quasi documentary look at The Clash through the misadventures of a young roadie who tours with the band. His first proper role as an actor was as the grimy gangster Simms in Alex Cox's cult classic Straight to Hell (1986). Apparently Strummer employed the method school of acting on the shoot, not changing his clothes for days in the hot Spanish sun.His next notable appearance was as English Johnny in Jim Jarmusch's excellent Mystery Train (1989), a role clearly written for him by Jarmusch. His last appearance - speaking all of his dialogue in French - was in _Docteur Chance (1997)_ . Although not a professional actor by any means, Strummer's charisma went a long way, and he can be a treat to watch onscreen. Along with his acting work, Strummer also composed several film scores, including the excellent Walker (1987) and the raucous soundtrack to Permanent Record (1988).After more than 10 years with only sporadic musical output, Strummer returned in a big way with the excellent 1999 album Rock Art & The X-Ray Style. With his new band, The Mescaleros, Strummer enjoyed a strong comeback that put him back in the spotlight. Sadly, just a few months before The Clash were due to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Strummer died of a congenital heart condition at the still young age of 50. His death came as a shock to fans around the world. Show less «
I found that I was just hopeless at school. It was just a total bore. First I passed in art and English, and then just art. Then I passed ou...Show more »
I found that I was just hopeless at school. It was just a total bore. First I passed in art and English, and then just art. Then I passed out. Show less «
To me our music is like Jamaican stuff - if they can't hear it, they're not supposed to hear it. It's not for them if they can't understand ...Show more »
To me our music is like Jamaican stuff - if they can't hear it, they're not supposed to hear it. It's not for them if they can't understand it. Show less «
I spoke to Paul Simon about this and he said, 'Hey man, before Graceland I was dead in the water. Nobody was checking my stuff.' So he's a r...Show more »
I spoke to Paul Simon about this and he said, 'Hey man, before Graceland I was dead in the water. Nobody was checking my stuff.' So he's a realist. He had some barren years after stuff like One-Trick Pony, and out of the hat he pulled Graceland. So life is interesting: anything can happen. But you've got to be tough enough to take a spell in the wilderness, instead of hoping to be in the spotlight the whole fucking time. People get sick of you. Show less «
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