Today marks the thirteenth anniversary of the passing of Joe Strummer. I can’t help but wonder what he would be thinking of today’s world. I’m guessing he’d have some strong words for Mr. Trump and a number of today’s politicians.
Last May, I was asked to take part in the Gloucester Writer’s Series’ Rock & Roll Fish Tales and here is the story I told of meeting Joe.
Never meet your heroes. I’ve been told this a hundred times because they will only disappoint you. This was not usually my experience and through my years of working in radio I had the good fortune of meeting many incredible people but none were cooler than former frontman for the Clash, Joe Strummer. His work still rings true!
“Know your rights. All three of them.
“You have the right not to be killed. Murder is a crime. Unless it was done by a policeman or aristocrat.
“You have the right to food money. Providing, of course, you don’t mind a little investigation, humiliation and if you cross your fingers, rehabilitation.
“You have the right to free speech as long as you’re not dumb enough to actually try it.”
– “Know Your Rights” – the Clash (1982)
In the late 90s, Joe was in Boston to present the Mighty Mighty Bosstones with a star to be placed in the sidewalk outside what was then Tower Records on Newbury Street. That evening, there was a record release party for the Bosstones Upstairs at the Middle East in Cambridge. I got there towards the end of the party and saw my friend, Julie Kramer, in the corner so I headed over to say hi. She was talking to Joe and introduced me. We mostly spoke about my radio show and a radio show he was just getting off the ground called London Calling. I had my picture taken with him. It was really nothing special but I did walk away thinking that it was pretty cool to have just met punk legend and personal hero, Joe Strummer.
I had to work the overnight shift at the radio station that night and didn’t want to go home, I was already out. Some friends were popping over to nearby Charlie’s Tap for a beer so I figured I’d tag along. When we walked into the bar Joe and his wife were standing in front of the jukebox and he yelled in his gravelly voice, “Chris! Mr. DJ Man! Come over here and help me play DJ!” He put his arm around me and exaggerated that his wife had just put a “million bucks” into the jukebox and we should just keep punching in songs. Charlie’s Tap used to have the most eclectic jukebox I have ever seen and Joe was absolutely thrilled to see music by Cannonball Adderley, Etta James and Nina Simone still being played in an American bar. He LOVED Nina Simone! He kept saying that this is the way all jukeboxes should be! The only problem was the volume of the jukebox was lost in the din of the bar. We kept asking the bartender to turn it up and each time he obliged but by such small increments it didn’t really help. After a while Joe’s D.I.Y. ethics took over and he asked me to help him move the jukebox, which we weren’t very successful at doing. I remember thinking as we grabbed the corner and tugged at it that we were going to get tossed out of the bar. But then I realized getting tossed out of a bar with Joe Strummer would absolutely give me lifelong punk rock credibility!
Joe grabbed a pad of paper and pen out of his pocket and managed to get his head behind the jukebox. He started writing down numbers. I had no idea what he was up to until he asked if anybody had a mobile phone. This was the late 90s and while cell phones did exist most of us didn’t have them yet. Joe wanted to call the jukebox company and ask them if there was a secret way that he could turn the volume up to his liking. I tried to explain to him that it was 10 pm on a Tuesday night and no one was going to be in the office to answer his call. No one had a cell phone anyway so it was all for nothing. We left and headed to another bar.
At the next place Joe kept trying to push beer on me. I had to work a six-hour shift and would have to stay awake until 7 am. As much as I would have loved to party with Joe Strummer, and I know it was not very rock & roll of me to not party with him, I knew better. We grabbed a table and Joe kept yelling to me from across it that I wasn’t keeping up. When I told him that I had to work he kept telling me that my boss called. My boss wanted Joe to break the news to me, that he didn’t have the heart to do it himself. He wanted Joe to tell me I was fired and should therefore get drinking!
When I got to work that night I played about 45 minutes of Joe’s music and loved every second of it even more than I had in my room growing up! Joe Strummer was hilarious and mischievous as all Hell. He was a really cool guy and a lot of fun!
Remember! Never meet your heroes because you might just end up having a night you’ll never forget! Thanks Joe!
Duke of Dead Air 