- who did us before Cites, was he best epitaph to Joe Strummer,
on display in an HMV store. Joe Strummer - he never let us down.'
His final live performance was in London where he played a benefit gig for the Fire Brigades' Union during their strike. This act was repaid by the union which provided an honour guard of fire-fighters at his funeral, an image that moved some of those present to tears.
Thirty years earlier he had been playing benefits for squatters. In the late 70's he was a regular at Rock against Racism gigs. He was due to release a track in 2003 on an album compiled by Nelson Mandela's AIDS charity. A theme that ran through his life and work was his willingness to take sides when there was a struggle and he always took the right side.
The first Clash album, released in 1977, looked and sounded like a revolutionary manifesto. It's visual style resembled the poorly reproduced fanzines that were part of punk's profoundly egalitarian ethos.
The lyrics and their delivery told you straight away that this was a band that wanted you to take on the police, the state, your boss or your head teacher. And they meant IT. They often toured the United States, eventually making the top 5 in the album chart but that was because of, or in spite of releasing an album in 1980 called Sandinista! This was at a time when the US was running the CIA terrorist operations against the Sandinistas in Nicaragua.
There are still musicians today with Strummer's heart and his commitment.
The difference is that the Clash managed to have 16 top 40 hits while looking just the way a great band should and sounding revolutionary.
Maybe that's why the Christmas holidays were just that little bit sadder for those of us who were taught by Joe Strummer that you can mix socialism and music. produce the crime in the first place.
But neither will communities be won over to a vision of socialism that tells them to sit back and wait for capitalism to be overthrown. Instead community, trade union and left activists have to fight on several difficult fronts for:
• Drug decriminalisation
• A massive boost to public services: particularly comprehensive education, housing, childcare and youth facilities
• Police to be made accountable to the communities they work in
• A reversal of the slide to a culture based on individualism, acquisitiveness and the market.
• Support for communities and youth under racist attack from police, government, the media and the far right.
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Review / socialist resistance Ist res stance February 2003 23