Well the world didn’t end yesterday but mine sorta did, 10 years ago today. The death of an idol and a friend is something that is hard to describe. Joe Strummer, the inspiration the gentle punk the brilliant mind, the hero, the father, the teacher…….gone.
I will never forget the drop in my stomach. The panic of adrenaline and the screamed disbelief. We were hanging out just months before. He was fine, he was silly, he was so very alive.
I have been a fan of Strummer since I was just a kid. So much so that at one point the scenesters called me Strummer. Obsessed with every nuance of the guy it was hilarious. I’ve written it here before anyone who ever heard him say ‘knowwhatImean?’ as one word…it clings to your heart as one of the most adorable sounds in the world.
These annual tributes kill me. I write them and it’s hard to breath. I can smell his cloths, I can see him hunched over post show looking so human. See when you idolize someone for decades and finally have the ability to mingle it’s tough to shrug it. He WAS just human, but not to me- never. He was a guiding light, the sound in my head the inspiration for better thoughts and a strong cosmic connection.
He was gorgeous. Simply gorgeous. The angles of his face, the sheen of his hair the incredibly soft skin (no lie like seriously what the hell he had baby skin at 50) and the raspy voice of a God.
I try not to be too superficial when I speak of Joe but I have been eulogizing him here for years now and well the time has come for me to insert a bit of screaming fan girl this time.
The white pants in ‘Rude Boy’, the bandana around the neck in the’ Combat Rock’ video, the sweat spray in the ‘London Calling’ video. The Rolling Stone cover with Mick (lorrrrrrrrrrrrrrd help me that was hot), the silly smile in the ‘Johnny Appleseed’ video the gorgeous nearly father/son shot of Joe and Johnny Cash.. there are so many images that will live with me forever.
The arm thrown over my shoulder as we entered the bar- such a comrade move. He knew darn well I was about to faint nothing could distract my butterflies. Or how he laughed when I shouted “Oh Hi Simon!” to Scott Shields’ previously. Can you imagine in his career how many idiotic chicks he had to deal with? But here’s the difference between Joe and a million other rockers- Joe was a gentleman. In the truest sense of the word. Mr Global A Go Go was really global in that he was a whole person and not an ounce of arrogant.
How inspiring and what a huge loss. Today is a tough day but it is also important to pause and reflect on the zillion cool things Strummer left us. Let’s get a bit a rockin’, shall we?