FOREWORD: Last night I watched a documentary about The Clash’s headman Joe Strummer. It portrays the man who brought The Clash to life, dominated London’s underground punk scene, exported it to American soil, and then destroyed it for personal reasons before moving onto other projects. More than the background story though, the main theme throughout ‘The Future is Unwritten’ is hope. Johnny Depp, John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Bono, Antonio Kiedis, Flea, and many others attest that this one man’s thousand lives have inspired them in their own. More information can be found on the official website.

CLICK PHOTO TO SEE OFFICIAL TRAILER

“IN WHICH PART OF LIFE DO WE FIND THE TRUTH. IS IT IN THE BEGINNING, THE MIDDLE, OR THE END? OR IS IT ALL QUASI-TRUTH?” – JOE STRUMMER

Valparaiso, Chile: A distant roar trickled down the hilltops. Drums. Cheering. The sound of dancing. It was the eve before New Years eve and I found myself amidst a group of travelers bent on discovering the musical source. The problem: no one knew the narrow streets and cable cars that connected the bay to the bohemian neighborhoods above. Draining box wine into plastic cups, we wandered with ears pushed to the air, air pushed from our lungs in long, selfless laughs. The entire city was a party. One continuous crowd overpowered the streets like a river running uphill. Tributaries of faces poured in from all directions. Policemen observed sternly from sidewalks. No cars entered the flesh zone. The collective consciousness had decided to take 2010 out for a test run and not even time itself could protest the riotous sequence of events that would follow.

John Graham Mellor, aka Joe Strummer

“I APPROACH EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE WITH A PUNK ROCK ATTITUDE. IN FACT, PUNK MEANS EXEMPLARY MANNERS TOWARD YOUR FELLOW HUMAN BEING.” – JOE STRUMMER

We pushed into the epicenter. Drums. Cheering. The sound of dancing. Closer. Louder. As the Dutch, Germans, and Americans threw themselves into the street party and flirted in the universal language of eye, the lone Canadian and I shouted back and forth on the edge of the drum circle. A few times my ear almost touched his mouth, and viceversa. Empty bottles were beginning to accumulate in the gutter. A hollow wine box rested at our shoes. Though my friend had a decade of life experience over my quarter century, we had plenty to talk about. We had discovered a mutual bond: punk rock.

“I NEVER KNEW WHO THE SANDINISTAS WERE OR WHERE NICARAGUA WAS. THE LYRICS OF JOE STRUMMER WERE LIKE AN ATLAS. THEY OPENED UP THE WORLD TO ME, AND TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO CAME FROM A KIND OF BLANK SUBURBIA.” – BONO

Punk rock changed our lives.

For him, it was the first real sound that emerged from the synthesized 80s. It was a raw energy that freed music from the commercial whorehouse, put the ridiculousness of Reagan-era politics into the sweaty microcosm of garages and mix tapes, and taught him that everyone is an artist, that creation is not the monopolized privilege of those with money, perfect voices, or narrow constraints over what art should be.

Can we watch Wheel of Fortune instead?

I, on the other hand, came of age in punk’s more marketable aftermath. Ska was skankin’ the radio. The ridiculousness of the Bush-era politics didn’t concern me much in middle America. Gangsta rap TDKs were the only mix tapes being swapped in order to by-pass the Parental Advisory Explicit Content fiasco. I didn’t rage against…anything. Punk was a casual hand-me-down from my brother, like jeans with holes in the knees, then became the soundtrack to my teenage skate and weight training sessions. My punk lifestyle was watered-down in adolescent narcissism, not burning with a youthful idealism waiting to take on the world.

Only recently have I realized punk’s very real influence on who I am today. Bands like Operation Ivy and Rancid were my first exposure to people who spoke out against society’s quiet acceptance, forcing me to recognize at an early age that the rest of the world was not waxed in my same middle class privilege, that injustices exist whether I chose to see them or not, and that I could change my reality at any time. Punk rock was part of my awakening.

December 22, 2002, Joe Strummer died unexpectedly from an undiagnosed heart defect.

“SO NOW I’D LIKE TO SAY, PEOPLE CAN CHANGE ANYTHING THEY WANT TO, AND THAT MEANS EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD. PEOPLE ARE RUNNING ABOUT FOLLOWING THEIR LITTLE TRACKS, I AM ONE OF THEM, BUT WE ALL GOT TO STOP JUST FOLLOWING OUR OWN LITTLE MOUSE TRAIL. PEOPLE CAN DO ANYTHING. THIS IS SOMETHING I’M BEGINNING TO LEARN. PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE DOING BAD THINGS TO EACH OTHER. IT’S BECAUSE THEY’VE BEEN DEHUMANIZED. IT’S TIME TO TAKE THE HUMANITY BACK INTO THE CENTER RING, AND FOLLOW THAT FOR A TIME. GREED, IT AIN’T GOING ANYWHERE. THEY SHOULD HAVE THAT IN A BIG BILLBOARD ACROSS TIMES SQUARE. WITHOUT PEOPLE, YOU’RE NOTHING. THAT’S MY SPIEL.” – JOE STRUMMER

The Clash was one of the Canadian’s favorite bands.  He recommended the documentary “The Future is Unwritten” as a way to add profundity and historical background to the nameless love I’ve felt for punk music for so long now but have been unable to place into the category of true appreciation—where it belongs. And now I recommend it to you.

For more information visit the official website.

assisti neste fim de semana ao documentário joe strummer: the future is unwritten sobre o líder do clash, morto em 2002, lançado em 2007 e dirigido pelo julien temple, o mesmo de “great rock’n’ roll swindle”. apesar das legendas da versão q eu baixei (aqui) atrapalharem bastante, mas se vc tiver uma pequena noção de inglês da pra ver de boa.

o clash é um dos vértices do punk. foram os caras que levaram, com london calling, o movimento um passo adiante da simplicidade dos ramones e do niilismo dos pistols. london calling é um dos discos de rock mais importantes já feitos e joe strummer era o cara que criou e comandou a coisa toda.

para contar a história de joe, the future is unwritten mistura depoimentos de pessoas que conviveram com ele antes da fama, companheiros do clash e dos mescaleros, artistas que foram influenciados pela banda e por ele e do próprio joe. misturando imagens de depoimentos originais com imagens de arquivo do clash e de joe, mais imagens de filmes antigos e desenhos animados para ilustrar principalmente os offs de joe. uma sacada bacana são suas locuções para um programa de rádio que servem como uma espécie vinhetas para o filme.

bom, muitos devem saber da história do cara. mas devo confessar uma coisa – apesar de gostar do clash, london calling é dos meus discos preferidos, e de achar o streetcore dos mescaleros um pusta disco – eu sabia muito pouco até domingo.

On October 10, 2009, a Cyclone of Slack will slam into Portland bringing true SubGenius mutation back to Stumptown for the first time in a decade!

Cast aside your false profiteers and your hipster biscuits, and bask in the Yetisyn glow of true Dobbsian mutation! Experience the gene-twisting joy of a SubGenius Devival in all of its mutated glory!

* See the psychedelic sights not meant for mere Normals!
* Hear the hindbrain-boggling ranting of SubGenius Doktors directly channeling the Elder Gods!
* Smell the third-nostril opening aromas of full-bore Yetis in heat!
* Feel the tidal wave of the TRUE SLACK that we were all meant to experience

when the CYCLONE OF SLACK hits Portland!

Featuring:

REV. IVAN STANG!
DR. HOWLAND OWL!
PRINCESS WEI R. DOE!
REV. DR. ONAN CANOBITE!
THE DUKE OF UKE!
REV. CRAWFORD!

With the Musical Stylings of:

POWER CIRCUS!
NEQUAQUAM VACUUM!
CULT OF ZIR!

And:

an utter lack of NENSLO!

pdx devival

Para quem estiver de bobeira em Sampa neste fim de semana e também durante a semana que vem, ainda dá tempo de conferir a bela programação da mostra “Tribos Urbanas no Cinema” que está rolando no Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (lugar bacana, ali no centrão, pertinho da Bovespa).

A mostra reúne filmes sobre diferentes tribos e movimentos que se formaram em todo o mundo na segunda metade do século XX – muitos deles ligados à música. Beats, punks, mods, hippies, grunges, skatistas etc.. Rótulos à parte, a seleção de filmes é bem interessante (assim como o preço da sessão, apenas R$4), trazendo desde obras antigonas – como o clássico Sem Destino (Dennis Hopper, 1968) – até outras mais recentes – como Control (Anton Corbijn, 2007).

Mas a minha indicação aqui vai para o filme The Future Is Unwritten (Julien Temple, 2007), documentário biográfico sobre o líder do Clash, Joe Strummer. O filme remonta a vida e a carreira do músico de forma brilhante (na medida do que é possível fazer com duas horas de rolo). Várias e várias imagens de arquivo – muitas inéditas – intercaladas com depoimentos de convidados especiais (de Bono Vox a Johnny Depp), ex-integrantes do Clash (menos Paul Simonon, infelizmente) e outras pessoas próximas a Strummer. Uma das sacadas mais geniais do filme, no entanto, é sua trilha-sonora, montada com trechos do programa de rádio London Calling, que Joe apresentou na BBC entre 1998 e 2002 (ano em que veio a falecer).

Outro grande mérito do diretor Julien Temple foi ter conseguido contar a história do líder do Clash, que era seu amigo, de forma equilibrada, dando a dimensão de sua importância, mas sem cair na vã idealização de sua imagem. Temple revela uma figura altamente contraditória e, por vezes, autoritária. Mas se, ao final do filme, pode-se concluir que Strummer esteve longe de ser um messias infalível, também é certo que ele não foi um cara qualquer. Uma cabeça pensante raivosa (pensar era um passatempo, ele diz), que mudou os rumos do rock, e da vida de muitas pessoas, e soube buscar sua redenção, até o fim da vida.

E o filme termina de forma arrepiante, com cenas do show de 2002 em que Strummer e Mick Jones voltaram a tocar juntos após 20 anos, e com uma declaração do biografado (reproduzida abaixo) que vai martelar na tua cabeça durante um bom tempo. Para quem é fã de Clash, de música ou de uma boa película, garanto que o programa vale muito a pena. A última exibição de The Future Is Unwritten ocorre no dia 30 de maio, sábado que vem.

“People can change anything they want to; and that means everything in the world. People are running about following their little tracks. I am one of them. But we’ve all gotta stop… just stop following our own little mouse trail. People can do anything; this is something that I’m beginning to learn. People are out there doing bad things to each other; it’s because they’ve been dehumanized. It’s time to take that humanity back into the centre of the ring and follow that for a time. Greed… it ain’t going anywhere! They should have that on a big billboard across Times Square. Think on that. Without people you’re nothing.” (Joe Strummer)

Managed to acquire £30 of Itunes vouchers for my birthday and after several hours of searching the Apple store for anything decent, I plumped my money down on the mighty Joe Strummer’s last studio album with the Mescaleros, Streetcore, quite why I hadn’t bought this before I don’t know as both The Clash and the Ramones are the foremost musical guides in my life!

What an album, a change from the previous two albums which were more World Music, you can feel the punk rock in the veins of this album – buy it!

Also bought a couple of live Ramones shows and a few other Clash bits and pieces nice…..

Also checked out the great The Future Is Unwritten DVD again last night, the man is a legend!

So, I’m the last Clash fan in the world to watch this film.  It doesn’t stop me considering it a very wonderful and intimate portrait of who, it transpires, was quite a fucked up genius.

OK, we always knew he was a public schoolboy doing all that gobbing stuff as a punk.

Was he a true communist?

I doubt it, but his views were passionately held and he walked the walk for as long as it really mattered.

Interesting to note just how upper middle class his mrs was though.

I loved, adored, the Clash, not especially from a politiccal ideology but because their mid-career music (especially London Calling) was the best of its generation at an age where music most consumed me.

Julian Temple’s movie demands respect because he didn’t take the fanclub approach.  He brilliantly paints this troubled man’s life story in  a way I was not expecting.

Respect.

And, I think I have to leave you with this…

]

I don’t know much about The Clash,  I only own a compilation, but this was a really  good film.  Directed by Julien Temple,  it includes a mixture of biography and documentary.   This chronicling of Joe Strummer’s life is a must not only for punk fans,  but also music fans in general and anyone who is looking to be inspired.  Particularly after the clash finished it seemed that Joe Strummer  just realised how good it was to be alive and this came across really strongly in the later part of the film.  The film  was really well done,  it was a mixture of old photos and video footage,  with interviews of people that either knew him or were fans of his,  including Johnny Depp, Bono,  John Cusack and Steve Buscemi amongst others.  It also included clips from his World Service show.  In the early part of the film there was also a lots of animation which was probably either his drawings or based on them,  although I don’t know that for sure.  I highly recommend that you watch it if you get the chance.

If your a musician, an artist, or anyone with a soul then Joe Strummer’s biography will move you.

Find it online or at your local video store. Do your self a favor and check it out. It is not only a great biography on some one who changed modern music, but it is a look at persistence, focus, and vision.

I have watched it twice, and like all great art, it gets better each time you experience it.

Check out the clip below to get a taste of what you’ll feel.

Lyrics baby, Lyrics,

Voyno

The New Rockstar Philosophy

The Clash treads hallowed rock and roll ground. This is one of the few bands that not only inspire progression, but outright thievery. Rock bands have been ripping of the Clash – badly- for 30 years now. The Future is Unwritten is Julian Temple’s excellent documentary on the band’s iconic catalyst Joe Strummer.

This film is not a giant leap in the genre of rock star bios but the combination of a powerful subject in Strummer, the artistic vision of Temple and the support of many talking heads makes this one of the better rock documentaries.

Temple filmed the interviews by a campfire. The campfire could have been a gimmick gone wrong but it adds an intimacy that would otherwise be gone in a studio. It also allows the interview subjects – everyone from Strummer’s childhood friends to Johnny Depp – to relax and reflect, rather than remember and regurgitate.

One drawback to the campfire scenes is Temple does not include the name of whoever may be speaking. Old punks do not look the same they did in ‘77. While there are several instantly recognizable faces, not everyone in the film has had the luxury of starring in blockbuster movies or fronting world famous rock bands. The problem is that the people you recognize have the least to say. Those closest to Strummer, and his own interviews over the years, reveal far more about the man as a person rather than the punk rock warlord. It is wonderful to see these people say what a lousy guy he could be and that his actions pissed them off. It made him human, and even more remarkable for what he achieved.

There seems to be a common thread of influence that runs through many of England’s greatest rock musicians. Strummer, like many well to do future musicians, attended art school. Basic rock and roll combined with a healthy dose of artsy pretension seems to be a great combination. Maybe this lends itself to a worldview that most people do not have. It also explains the visual element in Strummer’s work. Not only was he a remarkable lyricist he was a tireless artist. Sketching, painting, taking endless notes and constantly creating. The film pulls in many of his notes, sketches and paintings into the visual element of the film. Temple adds animation to the sketches to a great effect. This aspect of the film adds a frenetic punk energy while the campfire interviews add the quiet intimacy.

Critics heaped praise on this film as it hit festivals, and rightfully so, it is a very good film. The Future is Unwritten tunes into the energy of Joe Strummer, and stands as a fitting tribute to its protagonist.

For this review and many others go to www.antimusic.com.

Okay, I went to see The Dark Knight (imdb link) this past weekend — mostly because I hate to miss out on being a part of a big time cultural event in this great nation of ours.  After all $9 is a small price to pay to be a part of American movie history!  In retrospect I must say it was one of the best bloodbaths I have ever had the privilege to watch.  (Technically, I’m not sure that many people actually died in the movie, but there were a lot of really kewl explosions and why should I let the facts get in the way?)  Seriously, a good movie even if you don’t enjoy comic books.

Here’s what I’ve rented recently:

* Coffee and Cigarettes (imdb link) – Jim Jarmusch (wiki link) is a great director.  However, this is not one of this better efforts.  If you’re reading this in Memphis, I would recommend renting Mystery Train (imdb link).  If you’re reading this anywhere else you should rent Night On Earth (imdb link).  For those of you who don’t know JJ discovered Roberto Benigni and helped Billy Bob Thornton to get financing for Sling Blade (he has a cameo in the movie).  Johnny Depp, Bill Murray, and Forrest Whittaker have all had leading roles in his movies.

* Rock n Roll Documentaries/Mockumentaries – We all know I’m a rocker through and through (“AC/DC, Van Halen not Van Hagar, Skynyrd, Def Leppard…” ha ha).  I recently rented a documentary about the former lead singer of The Clash called Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (imdb link)and a documentary about Hunter S. Thompson called Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride (imdb link).  It is amazing how many of the same people knew and hung out with both of these guys.  Both movies were interesting, but somewhat laborious.  However, both might be much better if you knew very little about either person.  BTW, there is a great movie waiting to be made concerning Joe Strummer’s life from the time The Clash broke up until his untimely death.  If ever make it to NYU film school and if I find that patron – you know, the one who shares my vision and his/her wealth making my vision come true – I already have my senior project.

* The Bank Job (imdb link) – If this movie wasn’t based on a true story you would never believe it.  It is an enjoyable rent.  It’s not art and there isn’t some redeeming message.  It’s just enjoyable.

* Nora (imdb link) – I’m watching a lot of movies about Ireland since I just returned from there in June.  This movie is about the very different relationship between James Joyce and his wife Nora.  Not particularly well done, but still worth the rent if you want to learn more about James Joyce although it doesn’t tell the secret of reading Ulysses without being a pompous ass.

* College Road Trip (imdb link) – There was once a time in cinematic history when rated “X” did not equate to pornography.  When Midnight Cowboy was originally released it was rated X, and just to clarify, yes, I am talking about the version with Dustin Hoffman and John Voight.  Well, apparently rated X now means porno and rated G apparently means sucks!  This movie shows why Donnie Osmond is not an actor.  Hopefully when he quits acting he will take Martin Lawrence with him!  So, you’re thinking “surely there was something good in the movie” and you’re right — Donnie Osmond had some of the best movie hair in cinematic history!  No really, great hair!

* The Matchmaker (imdb link) – Once again, an Irish flick.  I saw this one when it was originally released on video (in the days of VHS) and didn’t think it was all that good.  Guess what, first impressions are correct!

Late.  No really, it is still late.

John Mellor, figlio di un diplomatico, cresce al seguito della famiglia in diversi paesi del mondo, l’adolescenza, trascorsa in un rigido collegio inglese, culmina con il suicidio del fratello David.
I primi anni’70 vedono il giovane hippy ribattezzarsi Joe Strummer e cercare di farsi un nome nel mondo della musica, il suo gruppo 101′ers ci e’ quasi riuscito, quando il cantante e’ folgorato da un concerto dei nascenti Sex Pistols, Strummer capisce che il punk e’ la nuova via della musica e rinnega il suo passato hippy dedicandosi anima e corpo alla nuova band, The Clash che in pochi anni diventa il gruppo musicale piu’ famoso al mondo; ma l’artista non e’ in grado di gestire il successo: essere una pop star contrasta con quanto denuncia dai suoi testi, da qui l’inesorabile fine de gruppo e una profonda crisi personale da cui il cantante uscira’ moltissimi anni dopo con il nuovo gruppo dei Mescaleros. Nel 2002 la prematura scomparsa dovuta a una malformazione cardiaca di cui Joe Strummer non era a conoscenza.

Il bel documentario di Julian Temple indaga la figura complicata e complessa di una rockstar che rifiuto’ il successo ad ogni costo, pagandone lo scotto in prima persona, non si tratta pero’ di un agiografia ne l’esaltazione romantica e decadente di un looser: il regista non teme di puntare il dito anche sugli aspetti piu’ negativi del carattere di Joe Strummer. Quello che esce dal documentario e’ il ritratto a tutto tondo di un uomo, piu’ che di un artista; la pellicola puo’ interessare anche chi non ha amato o conosciuto i Clash, la cui musica e’ meno presente nel film di quel che ci si potrebbe aspettare; a fare da colonna sonora sono soprattutto gli estratti di London Calling, il programma radiofonico che Strummer condusse per la BBC World.
Alle immagini di repertorio si uniscono le testimonianze di familiari, colleghi e personaggi del jet set artistico (da Bono a Johhny Depp, da Scorsese a Matt Dillon) tutte raccolte attorno a suggestivi falo’, tanto amati da Strummer, accesi ai margini delle citta’ che fanno da sfondo alla sua vicenda umana: Londra, Dublino, New York e Los Angeles.

joestrummerilfilm

venerdì 28 marzo 2008 – dalle ore 19
@ BITTE – via Watt 37, Milano.

>>> proiezione in pellicola
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (Irlanda,UK/2007)
di Julien Temple (124′)

Joe Strummer è pura leggenda, mito. Ma uomo. Dalle ali spezzate d’un talento strampalato, dall’umanità del mito, Julien Temple edifica un’agiografia per immagini dell’essere umano dietro al quale si celò, e si perse, John Graham Mellor (questo il vero nome del leader dei Clash). E’ un sapiente montaggio d’immagini di repertorio alternate ad una galleria di volti noti (Bono, Steve Buscemi, Brigitte Bardot, Matt Dillon, Johnny Depp, John Cusack, Terry Chimes, Jim Jarmusch, Mick Jagger and many many more…) che prestano il proprio Himself alla composizione d’un mosaico d’impressioni e ricordi. Vincitore del Briths Indipendent Film Award per il miglior documentario del 2007 e nominato nella stessa categoria al Gran Premio della Giuria del Sundance Film Festival e dell’Irish Film and Television Awards.

>>> prima e dopo la proiezione dj-set
Dre-Love, Diaz (Golden Bass)

DALLE 19
Ingresso libero + tessera ARCI
http://www.bittemilano.com

Got to see The Future is Unwritten recently, and recommend it highly. Along with Don Letts’ Westway to the World, you’ve got all the Clash info and interviews you’ll need. The trailer for Future:

]

The soundtrack for this film is pretty swell too – Strummer plays the DJ throughout, and introduces his own favourites – wide ranging and all great. The Clash make appearances in quality rarities, and Strummers pre-Clash band the 101ers are represented too. It’s a record worth getting – a great mix tape from the late, missed, wonderful old Warlord.

Here’s Racid Taha doing Rock the Casbah – awesome. If you look on youtube you can watch him perform the tune with Mick Jones.

Racid Taha – Rock the Casbah

Il nostro blog saluta l’uscita nelle sale, domani, 22 febbraio, di Joe Strummer, the future is unwritten, il film documentario di Julian Temple sulla vita dell’anima dei Clash: interviste, registrazioni audio, fotografie, materiali d’archivio.

Qui trovate le schede di 35 mm, di Rotten Tomatoes, della Bbc. E, sotto, il trailer del film, e Joe che canta Redemption song (sì son fissato con questa canzone).

Es ist eine sehr kuriose Geschichte, wie ich auf Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros aufmerksam wurde, geprägt von Zufällen, die ihresgleichen suchen.

The Clash war mir seit langem ein Begriff. Ich kannte das London Calling-Album, liebte den Titel-Track und Guns of Brixton wurde vor allem durch die Cover-Version der Toten Hosen eines meiner Lieblingslieder. Ich verehre The Good, the Bad & the Queen und Paul Simonon, der mit seinem Reggae-Beat die Musik unglaublich weich und fließend macht (sowohl bei The Clash als auch bei The Good, …). Als regelmäßiger Spreeblick-Leser und Freund von Johnnys Geschichten bin ich allmählich auch bei Joe Strummer auf den Trichter gekommen.

Okay, bis hierhin noch eine völlig romantisierende Geschichte, aber jetzt kommt die Brechung des ganzen, kapitalistisch, technisiert: Am 2. und 3. Januar hatte Saturn u.a. DVDs um 25% reduziert. Ich war an diesem Tag zufällig in einem Saturn (hatte kurz vorher meinen Führerschein abgeholt, aber das hat ja damit nichts zu tun) und hab mir – wie so viele andere Menschen auch – gedacht: “Bei den Preisen schaust du mal, ob du nicht doch was findest…” Nachdem ich am Anfang die zweite Futurama-Staffel als DVD-Box in der Hand hatte (die erste habe ich bereits), beschloss ich nach intensiverem Stöbern bei den DVDs meine 30€, die ich an diesem Tag in der Tasche hatte (wenn ich gewusst hätte, was mir da alles zu unglaublich attraktiven Preisen in die Hände fiel, dann wäre ich mit mehr Geld angereist!), anderweitig zu investieren. Ich entdeckte “The Future is Unwritten” (den biographischen Film über Joe Strummer, der letztes Jahr in einigen Kinos lief und von Publikum und Kritikern viel gelobt wurde) und “The Essential Clash”. Die Entscheidung fiel gegen Futurama und für Joe Strummer und The Clash. Inzwischen habe ich “The Future is Unwritten” auf Etappen zu Ende geschaut und war vor allem begeistert vom “späten Joe Strummer”, der alleine sein Ding macht und die Musik spielt und die Kultur prägt, zu der er sich ganz persönlich hingezogen fühlt.

Von Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros kannte ich bislang nur das Video zu Redemption Song, das mich sehr berührt hat. Der Film hat mein Interesse für dieses Spätwerk Strummes geweckt und ich habe mir heute per last.FM einiges davon angehört. Im Moment scheint bei Amazon nur eine von drei CDs von Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros erhältlich zu sein bzw. die zwei anderen lassen sich für astronomische Summen aus Japan importieren. Dummerweise war Mondo Bongo, auf das ich bei last.FM aufmerksam wurde, auf einer dieser beiden de facto nicht erhältlichen CDs. Ein Abstecher zu iTunes sorgte aber für Entspannung: Dort waren alle drei CDs zu finden und wenige Minuten später befand sich Mondo Bongo in meiner Musiksammlung und auf meinem iPod. Ich stelle gerade fest, meine Vorgeschichte ist viel zu lang für das, was jetzt folgt. Mist…

Mondo Bongo ist ein sehr ruhiges Lied von Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros. Mit einer unheimlichen Gelassenheit singt Strummer von der C.I.A., Blumen im Haar, Bauxit-Minen und den Zapatisten. Er wird getragen von einem Gerüst aus den bereits im Titel genannten Bongos, einer überaus sanften Gitarre, einem kaum wahrnehmbaren Bass, der an Paul Simonon zu seiner besten Zeit erinnert, einem Akkordeon, das den Takt angebt und für Dynamik sorgt, und einer Geige, die einerseits für dramatische Momente sorgt, sich aber andererseits perfekt in das “weiche”, “fließende” Spiel der anderen Instrumente einfügt.

Latino caribo, mondo bongo,
the flower looks good in your hair…

Mit diesen unheimlich eindrucksvoll präsentierten Zeilen führt Strummer durch den Song, raunzt ein rauhes “Such is life…”, um kurz darauf wieder mit samtweichen Gesang zwischen den Instrumenten zu verschwinden. In ruhigeren Momenten drückt das prägnante Akkordeon das Lied vorwärts, die Bongos kommen wiederholt in den Vordergrund – aber hier ist klar hörbar, dass kein Tony Allen, der bei The Good, the Bad & the Queen so stimmungsvoll und reduziert für die Begleitung durch die Drums sorgte, am Werk ist. Die Geige klagt, streckt das Lied, dehnt die Musik ins unendlich Scheinende.

Was bleibt ist der Eindruck, wie ungemein lässig Joe Strummer von Blumen im Haar singt. Wie hölzern würde sich diese Zeile auf Deutsch anhören? Die Blume in deinem Haar sieht gut aus. Gestelzt, gespreizt – auf Englisch fließt es, ist kein einschleimendes Kompliment, sondern kleine Randbemerkung, die aber so elegant und wohl gewählt ist, dass man sie nicht überhören kann.

Ein tolles Lied für ruhige Minuten, durch die Bongos leicht afrikanisch angehaucht, durch Strummers charakteristische Stimme mit einem ganz eigenen Klang und durch das drückende Akkordeon wohl auch tanzbar. So lässt sich Musik genießen!

Heute morgen war ich mit meiner Mom, meiner Oma und meinem Bruder in Erlangen. Davor noch kurz in die Sparkasse, mein Konto musste offiziell auf meinen Namen umgeschrieben werden. Der erste Weg in Erlangen führte zum Landratsamt, genauer gesagt zur Führerscheinstelle: Ich hab endlich meinen tollen Kartenführerschein bekommen (nie mehr rosa Zettel!). Danach ab in die Arcaden, bei Saturn gab’s 25% Rabatt auf CDs und DVDs. Außerdem war meine Oma noch nicht in den Arcaden gewesen, der Dame wurde also alles gezeigt…

Den Rest des Erlangen-Tags in Kurzform:

• wusste gar nicht, wie viel mit Photoshop eigentlich geht. Auf dem Führerschein schau ich sogar einigermaßen normal aus…
• ein Kapuzenpulli, sehr gelb (meine Mutter hasst ihn jetzt schon )
• ein sehr langer Saturn-Aufenthalt + Treffen von Wasserwacht-Kumpel (gelockt von den 25%), am Ende: vier DVDs zu unschlagbaren Preisen (“Syriana”, “300, “The Future is Unwritten – Joe Strummer”, “The Essential Clash”)
• 3 CheeseBurger bei McDonald’s und 1 Steakbrötchen bei einem Metzger draußen an der Straße (3 flache und zarte Steaks, sehr gut gewürzt und sehr lecker!)
• einen 5-Euro-Online-Gutschein bei Thalia, nachdem ich das Angebot, das nicht vorhandene Buch zu bestellen, abgelehnt hatte mit der Bemerkung, ich könne ja auch den lokalen Buchhandel unterstützen (Hatte eigentlich nicht damit gerechnet, dass man mir dann sofort einen Gutschein in die Hand drückt… Ja, ich bin käuflich!)
• wieder daheim: die Bestätigung meines eBay-Accounts kam gleichzeitig mit meiner kleinen Tocotronic-Bestellung an (Buttons, 1 CD, 1 EP als Geschenk; die hatten ne Sonderaktion laufen)