Well hello once again all you fine Clash people scattered around the world and welcome back to the blog. I hope you had an enjoyable holiday if you celebrate one or at least enjoyed a few days off from work if you don’t. I know I’ve been notably absent in recent days but a combination of a trip to California,being entrusted with the kids to keep an eye on and the Christmas larks, it all added up to very little time near a keyboard over the last week plus. A word of advice – never look for a new house at the very end of the year – it’s been an necessary but notably difficult process, it also seems that the housing market in San Diego remains far more recession proof than where we currently live so we’re putting our best foot forward trying to finalise something over the next week or so. Hopefully I’ll still find ample time to blog but if not at least you know it’s not because I don’t love you.

The last time we spoke we were sharing in the respect, sorrow and appreciation of Joe Strummer’s anniversary as the 9th year was upon us. I wanted to spend more time on the blog that day but time conspired against me but I do want to thank those of you who were able to contribute to the piece on the blog. The unique story of The Clash and their influence is always a little different for each of us but the burning commonalities also seem to remain which I find remarkable. Whether it’s Joe or The Clash I see the theme of a band/man that inspired and motivated so many of us. A band that helped us determine who we were and what needed to be done. In some cases Joe provided lasting inspiration over more than three decades but for younger fans he’s been just as critical even though their chance to see him on a stage never quite worked out. What’s apparent above all else was the fact that Joe is still deeply missed and continues to inspire – the music, the lyrics, the attitude but also the man under all of that who sought a better world and decided he had a part to play. He has been a beacon to all of us it seems. Punk rock wasn’t about just your hair or your jacket, it was something far more inclusive than that, it was something that said everyone has a voice and that everyone can do it if they want to. That ‘it’ doesn’t have to be form a band, it can be anything that you put your heart into if it doesn’t look to hurt others, it’s simply that humanity and community that (ironically?) seem to remain two of the most lasting influences of Joe Strummer. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Those days before Christmas were again under the spectacle of not being able to ignore just how much this all hurt back in 2002, in the morning this year I was fine, listening to songs, reading quotes and watching Facebook and Twitter literally fill up with people paying tribute to Joe. I don’t think I’m imagining it when I say the importance seems to grow year by year. It was great seeing people change their profile pictures to Joe and share both the most obvious or rare Clash songs and photos – there were no rules of course – celebrating Joe is right in the first place. Later in the day after it got dark I recall feeling down again – feeling Joe left right at the moment when he was more in tune than he had been in years, in The Mescaleros he’d again found a band who brought out the best in him. He was ready to keep going and seemed like he couldn’t be stopped and was gradually coming to be at ease with his new role as heralded elder statesman of punk. Of course the timing of his loss seemed unfair and harsh, which it was, but I can’t help feeling we were all lucky to see Joe writing and recording on a furious schedule again those last three or four years – and yeah he was obviously loving it too – it was worth much more than just some lining for the bank account. So to lose him remains bittersweet, I don’t think that will ever change.

In the next day or so I’ll link you to some of the best things I read and also share a story about some proper recognition of Joe overseas, needless to say it wasn’t in England again – I’m not sure what London is waiting for. If you want to get your blogger hopped up on caffiene you can always do so via the link on the right, but I do recommend you follow the blog on Facebook or Twitter for the latest. Thanks for making a return visit I’ll be back soon – sorry for the gaps! My goal in 2012 is 365 or more posts on the blog, let’s see how that goes. Tim

image courtesy Bob Gruen www.bobgruen.com

Good morning, hope you’re doing well on this anniversary that brings so many memories and emotions flooding out. I was up until about 2am last night listening to Clash and Joe Strummer songs on CJAM’s Joe Strummer day - appropriately enough a day to help the homeless in that radio station’s local area.  On previous years I’ve tried to avoid feeling anything other than sad but today I’m going to manage that. Joe won’t be forgotten and I’ve seen on the blog just how much he continues to matter to so many great people and it is via this blog that I can count the riches of new friendships via the Clash community. Joe would have liked that and he also would have loved the Hillsborough Justice Campaign earlier this month to such an extent that he’d have been front and centre on that stage with Mick I think. I’m left feeling thankful and of course full of memories but looking forward, just like Joe always tried to. Life got less interesting nine years ago today, someone I had relied upon left but I realised (in time) that the inspiration of Joe Strummer could mean I ought to do more. I’m still trying….

Later today (6pm GMT) Strummerville just advised me that there will be live streaming of a tribute event in La Plata, Argentina. Here’s the link.

Today the blog is yours – please feel free to add comments, best memories, thoughts of Joe or just lyrics or add a video below. Whatever you feel like adding is most welcome and appropriate, you can add comments via the blog or on Facebook. Please include your name and city if you can. I’ll update as the day goes on. Cheers everyone – Tim

A sad day for all…. -

Andrew Ferguson

Shed bucket loads of tears on this day over the years…Joe still plays live everyday in my house and heart..I cant say how much I miss him..RIP JOE…unless ur just touring where we cant go..yet.!!!.

Barry, Newcastle, UK

Today is the 9th anniversary of the death of Joe Strummer. Looking back from so many years down the line, Joe and The Clash may never have achieved the kind of commercial success that other, lesser mortals have achieved…..fill in the globally successful band of your choice….but they did achieve something far more important…

They became part of the global culture, part of the consciousness of countless millions of people. I was lucky enough to experience that intense, almost visceral experience of The Clash performing live and that will live with me forever. Thanks Joe !

When you raise a glass to Joe today, you raise a glass to compassion and to humanity and to peace, love and respect. Mick and Paul were reunited on stage two weeks ago, playing Clash songs together for the first time in twenty-nine years, Paul was even wearing one of Joe’s jackets. You know he would have been there too. He was in spirit and everyone in that audience at The Scala knew it.

Joe Strummer 1952-2002.

Pete, London, UK

Hey Joe ! Did you see ? They really rocked the Casbah in 2011 ! White riot already planned for 2012 ?

Christian, Lyon, France

Remembering Joe Strummer today and every day. Here’s to all the friends we’ve made because of him. ♥

Shannon, Cleveland, USA

Writing down how much Joe inspired me is hard. I discovered them thanks to my dad at a very important age. The Lyrics were just great. Just because of the words I could see life in England back then and with the lyrics of albums like London Calling and especially Sandinista! I could see the world at that time. He was the voice of a generation, I don’t think that there has been someone after Joe Strummer that had that special thing. As I said, putting into words how much he means to me is the hardest thing in the world.

Emile, Deinze, Belgium

They were my band. He was the man. We will never forget. Keep the flame burning.

Black-Chaos Johnston

Joe canceled an interview with me after a showat the Metro in Chicago. I was bummed. The tour manager said Joe didn’t know the interviews were scheduled and wanted to watch the fight (I think it was Lenox Lewis fighting). I walked outside and Joe was talking to people and signing autographs. He was trying to get to a bar to watch the fight, but put his fans ahead of himself.

W.G., Chicago, USA

I wouldn’t steal money from a friend. But I’d steal his girlfriend!

We’re very lucky to have had him about and his influence lives on in the decisions I’m sure all on this board make day to day where you kind a pull back a bit,dont always do the easy thing but try and do the right thing. brilliant bloke.

Stu, Leighton Buzzard, UK

“I think people ought to know that we’re anti-fascist, anti-violence and anti-racist. We’re against ignorance.  – Joe Strummer

Tim (the clash blogger) London and Phoenix

JOE, YO TE QUIERO INFINITO.. <3

Silvia, (one of the nicest people on the planet), Rimini, Italy

I don’t think a day has gone by since 1977-ish when I haven’t either listened to, or attempted to ‘sing’ something he wrote. You can keep your Bob Dylan, your John Lennon and just about every other two-bit tunesmith – Strummer was THE poet of my youth. RIP Joe.

Charlie, London, UK

‎”Don’t forget you’re alive. ‘Cause sometimes when you walk around the city and you’re in a bad mood, you can think, hey, wait a minute, we’re alive! We don’t know what the next second will bring and what a fantastic thing this is. This can get easily forgotten in the routine of life, and that’s something I’m trying bring to my attention at all times. Don’t forget you’re alive, we’re not dead, you know, this is the greatest thing.”

Siiri

Awesum guys! its the day afta here dwnunda & i spent yesterday listening 2 joes music & the cool vast music that inspired the great man, im currently loving the silent movie hell w10 that he wrote & directed, the soundtrack is so fucken cool! People can do anything.. the future is unwritten… R.I.N Joe (Rest In Noise)

The front of the memorial book for Joe (image kind courtesy of Brenda S)

Daniel, Nelson, New Zealand

RIP Joe

Max, Cheam, UK

“The future is unwritten. Like trousers like brain. No input no output. Without people you’re nothing”.
Thanks for the blog Tim. You’re helping keeping his spirit alive.

Steve (I think this is Toronto Steve..)

Thank you for showing me which call up to heed.

H. Jones

“how do you get an armadillo out of a bass bin?…play heavy reggae”

Frank Casey

‎’When you blame yourself, you learn from it. If you blame someone else, you don’t learn nothing, cause hey, it’s not your fault, it’s his fault, over there’ ‘We were standing around this car with a box of Swan Vesta and it’s one thing to say: burn the cars and burn the ghetto, but you try settings a car alight’ and that whole story about riots during Notting Hill Carnival in 1976

Monika, Torun, Poland

I haven’t added anything until now because yesterday was a flurry of trying to get ready for going back to the UK for the hols…so many really articulate ＆brilliant comments from people that I didn’t think I could contribute anything. Well…the very fact that people all over the world remember this day still ＆join hands (virtually?) ＆share memories together says a lot. I was watching clips of Joe walking around Fuji Rock ＆he was having a fine old time…just really great to watch. Rest in power Joe…♪

Daniela, Tokyo, Japan

To fully express how much Strummer, a man I never met, affected my life would be impossible here. I would be in a completely different situation if I’d never discovered Joe’s music. The Clash are what first got me into proper music in the first place, and in my mind they still reign supreme. So many take for granted how different, how much less interesting, music would be as whole without The Clash, and in particular without Strummer’s brilliance. His words sound as true now as they did in ’77, and I’m sure they’ll be just as true in thirty years still. Few men ever reach that kind of universality in their music, and I’d argue Joe was the best that ever did. A true light in the darkness, an inspiration if ever there was one. I don’t think any of us can do more than skim the surface of what Joe was in words, but I think we all know. RIP Joe.

A very warm hello to you and thanks for checking in with your Clash Blogger. I’m writing this (local time) on the eve of the anniversary that always shapes this time of year and detracts from the holidays, perhaps we need to work on that. I’ve had a very busy few days and lack time to do more than function so I’ve done an appalling job of prepping for tomorrow. Some days I find it hard to fathom that it’s been nine years since we lost Joe Strummer, on the more difficult days it can seem even longer. I’m not too impressed with how the world has changed over these last years and if you think Joe Strummer would be content with our current malaise then you hardly knew the man. There’s some sliver linings though I hope and it’s that global view that Joe was becoming ever better at expressing that I perhaps miss the most. We all love The Clash of course and the music Joe made after that too but I think many of you share how much we simply loved to hear what Joe had to say about the world at large and his place in it. I don’t think he ever tired of meeting people and trying (like we all do) to figure out his place in this soup we call our society.

When the World Cup was held in South Africa I wondered how much Joe would have loved that, when Obama became the first black president I can’t help but think Joe would have raised a pint and when the seeds of change rolled around the arab states and we even are showing signs of anger at last in the west this year wouldn’t Strummer have been bashing the drum and telling people to take back what is already ours. For me and I’m sure many of you it was a bit too much like losing a relative, for me Joe Strummer had more influence on my life that many with whom I share blood. That might just be a sad indictment of my fragile family whilst growing up but it’s my story and as such it’s the truth. To be confronted (via my brother’s bedroom) by the sounds of ‘Give ‘em Enough Rope as a twelve year old was to be kicked up the arse and given a need to explore more. Guns on The Roof sang this rogue and I needed to know what the words were really saying. I remember recording that album to cassette and trying to work out every word with the old play/pause routine (I had more than a few completely wrong).

Happily the following year saw a rather remarkable double album come complete with lyrics and my relationship with Joe moved into overdrive. The brilliance of Mick Jones, the power of Topper Headon, the cool of Paul Simonon all woven like a perfect tapestry around the poems and protests of Joe Strummer – you couldn’t choose better parents. I had my family but I had Strummer/Jones for when things were tough, when things were exciting, when things were mundane. If I was angry Strummer could help, if I was confused or troubled he’d do the same. Those records, those lyrics, they burned through us like a branding iron changing the way we viewed our world and changing the way we viewed ourselves. Joe Strummer was the voice I’ll always hear and I confess it never sounded better than from the moment Topper joined The Clash and the band went on that journey of outrageous output from 1977 to 1980 that no band since had ever competed with. The audacity to release a triple album within 12 months of London Calling coming out and pack more ideas and thoughts from local to global made me love music ever since and believe it mattered, shit it made me feel more important too.

Tomorrow please join me on the blog and share your words about Joe. I’ll be back in the morning but just like last year the blog will be handed over to you. I look forward to your thoughts of Joe.

I miss Joe of course, I miss that there’s nothing new to look forward to and miss hearing him talk as much as play. I don’t think I’ll ever stop being grateful to have had him be a daily part of my thoughts the last 33 years and if I’m lucky enough to still be around in 33 more I don’t think I’ll feel any differently, and if another thirteen year old is hearing Safe European Home for the first time and feeling his blood pump that bit faster than we’ll realise Joe Strummer never died.

Last night I was driving from San Diego to Phoenix through the desert, it was the darkest of dark nights and all you could see were the stars and the rocky outcrops making shadows in the desert against a misty looking moon, I thought they’ll be there millions of years to come, Joe Strummer was only here for fifty but somehow cast a longer shadow.