The Punk Rock Politics of Joe Strummer by Gregor Gall;

Author:Gregor Gall; [Gall, Gregor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781526148971
Publisher: Manchester University Press

Conclusion

‘Rebel rock’ was the period when Strummer most extensively prosecuted his socialist world view as leader of The Clash and without much recourse to others inside and outside the band. Although without a new record, The Clash toured more extensively in 1984 than in any previous year other than 1982. The chapter considered three areas not covered in previous or subsequent chapters. Here, Strummer was unable to write about women and gender from a (radical or socialist) feminist perspective because he had neither the appropriate world view here nor the motivation in contrast other subjects. It was his blind spot. Notwithstanding some contemporaneous contradictions, ‘Sex Mad War’ was the fleeting ‘feminist’ highpoint during the ‘rebel rock’ years. This represented a yawning gap for a socialist of the period and for social realism overall. The import here was not and could not be offset by environmental concerns. These were more based on ethical capitalism than systemic change (see Chapter 7). Although his violent behaviour may be seen as resulting from his machismo, its implications for socialist realism would depend on how it was perceived by followers.

1 However, it was still somewhat disingenuous to then state, as Strummer and Simonon did, that Jones had ‘drifted away from the original idea of The Clash … allow[ing Strummer and Simonon] to get on with the job The Clash set out to do from the beginning’ (NME 10 September 1983). All had matured and developed over the previous seven years.

2 This was picked on by Fletcher (2005: 75), Needs (2005: 253) and UNCUT (August 2017). Lines such as ‘So don't complain about your useless employment/Jack it in forever tonight/Or shut your mouth and pretend you enjoy it/Think of all the money you've got’ from ‘Clash City Rockers’ (1978) also indicate an unusual perspective compared to Strummer's other lyrics about work.

3 ‘Rock against Thatcher’ did briefly exist in 1981 (UNCUT April 2013) as did ‘Rock Against Reagan’ and ‘Rock Against Bush’ in the US and ‘Rock Against Howard’ in Australia. There was also a ‘Rock Against the Poll Tax’. Strummer showed no interest in them. Of these, ‘Rock Against Reagan’ was the most substantial. Formed by the Youth International Party (‘Yippies’), which was founded in 1967 as part of the radical counterculture, it took its inspiration from the US RAR version which the Yippies established in 1979 and involved The Dead Kennedys and Millions of Dead Cops playing where there were also voter registration stalls, information and speakers.

4 Tranmer (2008) surveyed Bragg's breadth of activism as a musician, writer and commentator on patriotism and constitution. Subsequent to this study, Bragg engaged in anti-fascist, pro-environmentalist and pro-prisoner initiatives (see McLeod 2013).

5 The Redskins folded in 1986 and Easterhouse by 1990.

6 From Our Favourite Shop (1985) ‘Walls Come Tumbling Down!’ and ‘The Lodgers’. In the former, Weller sings: ‘They take the profits, you take the blame’ and in the latter ‘No peace for the wicked – only war on the poor/They're batting on pickets – trying to even the score/…/Oh an equal chance and an equal say/But equally there's no equal pay’.

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