Joe Strummer in The Pogues

[obsoleteshock]

I'm curious if anyone has any links to articles or book recommendations that discuss Joe Strummer's tenure as lead singer of The Pogues? I'm particularly interested in the following questions:

- Was there any serious talk of him becoming the permanent singer?
- Were there any original songs/collaborations written?
- Were there any plans to record an album?
- Was the departure on good terms, or did things just not work out?
- Did Joe remain friends with Shane, or did he side with the rest of The Pogues?
- Did he leave with a specific project in mind (solo album, different band, etc.)?

I've searched around quite a bit an haven't really been able to find answers to these questions. Any idea?

[James]

I'm curious if anyone has any links to articles or book recommendations that discuss Joe Strummer's tenure as lead singer of The Pogues? I'm particularly interested in the following questions:

- Was there any serious talk of him becoming the permanent singer?
- Were there any original songs/collaborations written?
- Were there any plans to record an album?
- Was the departure on good terms, or did things just not work out?
- Did Joe remain friends with Shane, or did he side with the rest of The Pogues?
- Did he leave with a specific project in mind (solo album, different band, etc.)?

I've searched around quite a bit an haven't really been able to find answers to these questions. Any idea?

I'd recommend the Carol Clerk biography of the Pogues. Don't read Chris Salewicz's biography of Strummer ever, he can't write to save his fucking life.

To answer your questions as well as I can

-Joe would often make a point in performance of saying something along the lines of "Never forget MacGowan, I'm just keeping the seat warm."

-Afro-Cuban Bebop and another track done under the name Joe Strummer and the Astrophysicians. I think it might have been Burning Lights, but I can't remember off the top of my head. Strummer wrote them, and the Pogues backed him. It was round Hell's Ditch, though not when he was frontman.

- Recording an album was brought up, but Joe wanted to do his own thing. He wrote the boys a letter and got on with waiting is contract with Sony out before he could get the Mescaleros together and his confidence high enough to make new music.

-I understand it was good terms, with the Pogues grateful to Joe for impulsively helping them out with a very difficult job.

-Shane was een backstage at at least one Mescaleros concert.

-Nothing in particular in mind, like I say, he didn't want to be tied down.

-

[kmurray105]

I thought Salewicz's book was pretty good

[James]

I thought Salewicz's book was pretty good

Joe lived an undeniably interesting story, and it's very difficult to fuck that up. But Chrissy boy managed it, with a complete inability to actually, you know, structure a sentence or tell an anecote. Awful, awful man who told me far too much about Strummer's sex life. God, I didn't even want to hear about it in 'Lover's Rock'.

I've yet to read a Clash related book that beats Marcus Gray's Return of the Last Gang In Town.

[Smokey]

I thought Salewicz's book was pretty good

Joe lived an undeniably interesting story, and it's very difficult to fuck that up. But Chrissy boy managed it, with a complete inability to actually, you know, structure a sentence or tell an anecote. Awful, awful man who told me far too much about Strummer's sex life. God, I didn't even want to hear about it in 'Lover's Rock'.

I've yet to read a Clash related book that beats Marcus Gray's Return of the Last Gang In Town.

Have you tried Passion is a Fashion, by Pat Gilbert?

[Billie]

I thought Salewicz's book was pretty good

Joe lived an undeniably interesting story, and it's very difficult to fuck that up. But Chrissy boy managed it, with a complete inability to actually, you know, structure a sentence or tell an anecote. Awful, awful man who told me far too much about Strummer's sex life. God, I didn't even want to hear about it in 'Lover's Rock'.

I've yet to read a Clash related book that beats Marcus Gray's Return of the Last Gang In Town.

Have you tried Passion is a Fashion, by Pat Gilbert?

Good one!

[Smokey]

I thought Salewicz's book was pretty good

Joe lived an undeniably interesting story, and it's very difficult to fuck that up. But Chrissy boy managed it, with a complete inability to actually, you know, structure a sentence or tell an anecote. Awful, awful man who told me far too much about Strummer's sex life. God, I didn't even want to hear about it in 'Lover's Rock'.

I've yet to read a Clash related book that beats Marcus Gray's Return of the Last Gang In Town.

Have you tried Passion is a Fashion, by Pat Gilbert?

Good one!

It's a snappier, updated version of Last Gang in Town and about 100 pages shorter. Gilbert interviewed a lot more people than Gray did. I think he also skipped over Joe's stint with the Pogues, which seems to be mentioned by just about any other Clash/Joe Strummer writer. If I recall, the only mention of them was that Jem was part of a tribute show in Spain on what would have been Joe's 51st birthday.

Another great Clash book is A Riot of Our Own, by Johnny Green. It's a first-hand account of his time with the band and needless to say, he has some great stories.

I've heard that Joe did a cover of IISFGWG with the Latino Rockabilly War or one of his other projects. Does anyone know where I can find this?

[Low D]

I've heard that Joe did a cover of IISFGWG with the Latino Rockabilly War or one of his other projects. Does anyone know where I can find this?

Drop me a PM.

[James]

I thought Salewicz's book was pretty good

Joe lived an undeniably interesting story, and it's very difficult to fuck that up. But Chrissy boy managed it, with a complete inability to actually, you know, structure a sentence or tell an anecote. Awful, awful man who told me far too much about Strummer's sex life. God, I didn't even want to hear about it in 'Lover's Rock'.

I've yet to read a Clash related book that beats Marcus Gray's Return of the Last Gang In Town.

Have you tried Passion is a Fashion, by Pat Gilbert?

Yeah, it had more detail for the '79-'81 period, and was a decent read overall. I prefer Gray as a writer though.

Joe's 'Fall From Grace' is the best Pogues cover I've ever heard.

[Smokey]

I thought Salewicz's book was pretty good

Joe lived an undeniably interesting story, and it's very difficult to fuck that up. But Chrissy boy managed it, with a complete inability to actually, you know, structure a sentence or tell an anecote. Awful, awful man who told me far too much about Strummer's sex life. God, I didn't even want to hear about it in 'Lover's Rock'.

I've yet to read a Clash related book that beats Marcus Gray's Return of the Last Gang In Town.

Have you tried Passion is a Fashion, by Pat Gilbert?

Yeah, it had more detail for the '79-'81 period, and was a decent read overall. I prefer Gray as a writer though.

Gray had a lot more detail, but I preferred Gilbert's condensed version of Mick's pre-Clash bands.

[Clash Cadillac]

I thought Salewicz's book was pretty good

Joe lived an undeniably interesting story, and it's very difficult to fuck that up. But Chrissy boy managed it, with a complete inability to actually, you know, structure a sentence or tell an anecote. Awful, awful man who told me far too much about Strummer's sex life. God, I didn't even want to hear about it in 'Lover's Rock'.

I've yet to read a Clash related book that beats Marcus Gray's Return of the Last Gang In Town.

There is also a great book out there about Joe's time with the Mescaleros that I just loved. I don't remember the name of it right off the top of my head but will post it later if I remember.

[James]

I thought Salewicz's book was pretty good

Joe lived an undeniably interesting story, and it's very difficult to fuck that up. But Chrissy boy managed it, with a complete inability to actually, you know, structure a sentence or tell an anecote. Awful, awful man who told me far too much about Strummer's sex life. God, I didn't even want to hear about it in 'Lover's Rock'.

I've yet to read a Clash related book that beats Marcus Gray's Return of the Last Gang In Town.

There is also a great book out there about Joe's time with the Mescaleros that I just loved. I don't remember the name of it right off the top of my head but will post it later if I remember.

Vision of a Homeland? That's a fun read, if a bit repetitive.

[pogues24]

I always knew that Joe was brought in just as a temporary replacement, nothing full-time.

[Smokey]

I saw a Joe Strummer/Clash book by Kris Needs the other day. Is it any good?

[James]

I saw a Joe Strummer/Clash book by Kris Needs the other day. Is it any good?

Not really.