The Punk Rock Politics of Joe Strummer: Radicalism, Resistance and Rebellion

A Book Review of the Gregor Gall academic evaluation of the political life and times of Joe Strummer

First a few things about me and setting out my credentials to review this work. Agonizingly the (classic line up of Strummer/Jones/Simonon/Headon) played one Aotearoa/New Zealand gig in Auckland in 1982 and I was two hours down the road and did not make it. There is no bigger ‘missed the gig’ in my history.

Nonetheless I was a high school convert, had the first Clash album cover tee shirt, all the albums, and read every piece on them in the weekly NME. There is a small amount of tension of which line up can be the real Clash. Gall makes his first mistake by allowing the non-Strummer/Jones ensemble that gifted us ‘Cut the Crap’ as a legitimate version of the Clash, seemingly on the basis he missed the real version live but caught that one. It just ain’t so. The overwhelming evidence of Clash fans worldwide is that no Jones on guitar/no Clash. Call it Clash Mark 2, call it a Clash tribute band but it ain’t the Clash.

Later at University I studied politics and law and much later a Master’s in public administration. So whilst never an academic practitioner, I certainly hold the background of politics and academia to give the book an objective look over.

From the outset it is professionally written by Gall, but not an easy read. I mean that in the way that it is a genuine piece of academic writing and not intended for the Clash music fan. You need to be deep into the Clash ethos and the offerings of Strummer to take it on. It is data and evidence based in its research. The sources are acknowledged within the text and narrative in the social science method.

Personally, I prefer the Chicago School where footnoting allows for a more enjoyable and seamless read. Reading Gall’s book on a Kindle means a finger slip as you ‘brush to a new page’ and you are unintentionally in the appendices or end of chapter notes.

That aside it is thoroughly researched and written up by Gall; just maybe a version for the common reader and a version for academics would have been good. The source material is near impeccable. The good is the reference to the exemplar Strummer biography from Chris Salewicz, although there is one odd snide remark from Gall that seemed clumsy: “Even Salewicz in his so-called definitive biography paid little attention to this change …” p.202. Given the universal praise for Salewicz ‘s work this is odd. I have read 130 plus rock books and Salewicz is as good as they get.

The not so good is the reference of the works of Kris Needs as a Strummer/Clash source. I have read only one of his works, the turgid piece on Primal Scream “The Scream: The Music, Myths and Misbehaviour of Primal Scream” where he fails any attempt to be objective and lists in wallowing detail his times as a hanger on party boy with the band and entourage, laughably he even cries when the Scream dump him for the Chemical Boys as on tour DJ. So reliance on Needs as a creditable source is a concern.

So what do you get? Gall sets up a hypothesis that Strummer was not just a great rock and roller, with first rate punk rock credentials, but also someone with a political ethos that transcended him as an individual, as a musician, into someone with a creed and a political philosophy that inspired others and is academically catch-able or describable. The research is outstanding. Good source material, field work, analysis and all content is given a thorough academic work over, through to the write up of the findings.

He deals with some of the obvious Strummer flaws but skips others. For instance he acknowledges for a left of centre political role model, Strummer falls well short with regard to women, where he was an atypical 70s male rock dude, and either at the time, and definitely looking back, not cool. He sort of deals with the fact that Strummer came from middle class background (certainly not posh as some allude to) and morphed into his now well-known working class/London working class/rock guy accent. But Gall does not so much address the chameleon, adopt a persona thing Strummer continually did: middle class/public school unsure of himself youth (John Mellor); the ‘Woody’ folk songwriter giving up on art school for busking; the 70s pub rocker with the 101ers, with some rockabilly/Teddy Boy affections; at his best as punk rocker frontman for the Clash, morphing into spokesman for a generation; and finally middle aged reflective with the wisdom to not have all answers for others.

There is more to explore here in that Strummer adopted public profiles to project a new version of himself as suited his movement through cultures and scenes.

So what did this mean for any deep-seated political philosophies that deserve the attention of others? If there was a deep streak of principles, values and thinking it was clearly evolutionary and highly adaptable. The other glaring omission is, so little is said about Bernard Rhodes and his influence on Strummer, the Clash, and their politics. Strummer positively leapt from the no politics, pub rock ethos of the 101ers into hard core left of centre punk rock politics. Everything I have read puts Rhodes dead centre in that conversion, yet Gall barely gives the Rhodes influence/impact a passing mention. Whilst Rhodes’s Sex Pistol partner in crime McLaren was an out and out chancer that made up stories to suit his ‘genius’ after the fact. Rhodes was highly politicised and motivated to do things differently, and deeply steeped in socialist literature, and if the Clash were the last gang in town, Rhodes was the pack and ringleader for the early years for their intent.

The other factor not examined at all amongst the level of lyrical analysis to support Strummer’s political views, is the process Strummer went through to write his lyrics. Although there are some beautifully worked photographs of Strummer out there in shirtsleeves in front of a typewriter on a small desk in a garret. The evidence is overwhelmingly that Strummer knocked out his lyrics in the ‘Spliff Bunker’.

In each recording studio Strummer’s bashfulness in lyric writing was masked by an ensemble of guitar and instrument flight cases into a bunker where he would smoke marijuana until the words came. I just find it incongruous that a political manifesto was going to manifest itself not from intellectual scholarship but from a smoke infested haze as the studio clock ticks down and the musical band members get impatient to finish the song. Nonetheless the process certainly delivered some fine rock song lyrics.

To move onto Gall’s examination of his hypothesis, the man certainly delivers. He has scoured the available literature, far and wide. He has scanned the immense fandom writings and musing on the internet. He conducted field work. He has put all that through rigorous research. I have to say it all stands up well. So we are well poised for the conclusions to come.

Here is my greatest disappointment with the work: We were asked to withhold judgment whilst the evidence was examined and await the conclusions. When it comes it is underwhelming.

Strummer is a great rock musician, a fine lyric writer, and an outstanding lead singer/bandleader/spokesperson. Does he have a discernible political manifesto?

Gall’s conclusion is to fudge: First we need to wait until 2052 and then really look back, but I doubt the Strummer legend will be any greater in terms of political influence, whilst the songs will ring on. Then it is an acknowledgement that it is really foolhardy to extrapolate Strummer beyond a man, a guitar, a band, and the times: “A single musician who operated as a lone lyricist, when the combination of person, politics, and period were paramount to understanding his influence.”

So whilst that does not add up to a lot in terms of political manifesto, it does sum up my view of Strummer, a musician first, a political advocate, but not activist, and definitely not a political philosopher. Gall and I agree but was such an exhaustive work needed to get to this conclusion?

As an aside although we think of the Clash as a band fronted by Strummer as leader, chief lyricist and singer, the music was almost always Mick Jones, and he sung backing and lead vocals to such an extent he is arguably co-vocalist. It is interesting that for all the political nous and intent by Strummer, the listeners worldwide gravitate to an all-round band as much as to any political leanings by Strummer.

The evidence? Spotify shows ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go (Jones), Rock the Casbah (Headon), Train in Vain (Jones), Lost in the Supermarket (Jones), Guns of Brixton (Simonon) and covers of: I Fought the Law and Police and Thieves in the top ten plays. My point being trying to separate Strummer too far from his bandmates is a fraught exercise.

No question you have to admire Gall for setting up his hypothesis, doing the work and coming to his conclusions. As he reminds us of what became Strummer’s Law: No input/no output.

It would not be a Medium, the Riff music story without a playlist, so here is Strummer at his finest in political laden rock tunes, long may they be heard: