PUNK ROCK SUNDAY-Street Core by Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros

'Street Core', the album that Joe Strummer was working on at the time of his December 2002 death,will always be imbued with a slight, bittersweet sadness.It is not just a reminder that a man of such unforgettably hopeful,gritty and determined humanity was taken too soon.It is because it is radiant,undeniable proof that his risk-taking, compelling artistry was still in the ascendant.

The Clash was no ordinary punk band.As pioneers of the genre, they helped to define and transcend the movement,experimenting with and solidifying aspects that we take for granted today. They brought politics,activism and equality to their music, something that is still closely associated with contemporary punk.The Clash also incorporated their love and respect for world music--especially Reggae--into their songs.

Even at 50--long past the age when most rock stars have settled comfortably into their niche-sound--Strummer was still experimenting, still forging his way down multiple,unexpected paths. 'Street Core' is the result of his endless, varied and mature curiosity.Put together by his wife and band-mates, and released less than a year after his death,it is brilliantly tight.There is no sentimental or greedy padding out of material,nothing extraneous.

It is made up mostly of Strummer originals, adventurous and unique compositions by an artist sure of his voice and confident in his ability to change direction musically,while remaining faithful to himself.The 2 covers (Redemption Song and Silver and Gold) are restrained and bare. They are evidence of his incredible artistic judgment:he knew exactly how to harness his voice to others' songs,while doing both justice.

While there are myriad reasons to miss Strummer,both the man and the creator, the obvious joy,satisfaction and originality he brought to artistic experimentation has to be toward the top of the list.You never knew what he would do next.There will be no more waiting excitedly for his current project to reach fruition.This makes 'Street Core' even more of a prize. The fact that it is, arguably, the best thing he did after The Clash makes it easier to bear, and even more wonderful to listen to, time and again.

(A SLIGHTLY TARDY) PUNK ROCK SUNDAY-Wendy O. Williams

It has been exactly 11 years since Wendy O. Williams went into the woods near her house and shot herself to death. She was just shy of 49. In a genre that is highly polarizing, Wendy O. Williams was phenomenally off the grid in the get-her-or-don't ,love-her-or-hate her department. To call her original, enthralling, frightening, offensive or entertaining is like shooting a spitball at the moon: it doesn't come anywhere near its target.
Part punk-rocker, part performance artist, everything about her was overgrown: her voice, her physicality, her persona, her attitude. As the front woman for the Plasmatics and as a solo artist, she was worshipped and reviled for her semi-naked, suggestive onstage antics, which inspired the moniker "The Queen of Shock Rock."
Like so many artists throughout the existence of punk, she was an outspoken activist. Her passions were animal rights and healthy eating. Yes, the woman behind the sexy, violent facade was a vegetarian, and coupled with the same man for 2 decades. She was passionate and variable, with a mottled and controversial life. The thing she hated above all else was homogeneity; it is fitting that her life is a symbol of daring, controversial originality.
The video for "The Damned" is legendary, and unforgettable. I first saw it as a kid and, while it can be slightly terrifying for one so young, its apocalyptic aura is breathtaking.
The fierceness, the blonde mohawk, the guttural screech of her voice, and the ripe sexual button-pushing are all part of Wendy O. Williams, artist and woman; they are inseparable,one from the other. When she killed herself, she did so on her own terms, as she believed should be everyone's right. Whether one agrees or disagrees with that choice, she died as she lived, with controversy and freedom of action.

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros-Straight to Hell

PUNK ROCK SUNDAY:STRUMMER

I have described myself, for those who do not know me, as a punk rocker in ingenue's clothing, so rarely do I look the part. In reality, my morals, ideals and worldview are a harmonious pairing of the punk ethos and my hippie upbringing.It just so happens that I prefer to make my way through life looking like a retro starlet, when at all possible.

As they have with so many others, The Clash helped me find my moral footing. It is impossible to listen to their music--which remains relevant, transcendent and original--without thinking about the meaning, tone and impact of the words. As the lead singer, Joe Strummer was much more than the face of the band: he was the lyricist, and it was his pissed-off, compassionate ethics of inclusion that formed the heart of their gospel.

I have no idols;rather, I have guides. They helped me, when younger, to identify what is important in this world, and their individual fights armored me with the right set of tools to go forth and make the kind of difference that I want to make, in my own way. My mother, George Bernard Shaw and Joe Strummer are the examples that I refer and return to with greatest frequency.

I was driving to work on 23 December 2002, listening to my favourite alternative station, the same as I did every commute. Ten minutes into my drive--perhaps fifteen, I can never be sure--I heard the announcement: Joe Strummer was dead. Suspected heart attack. Only fifty years old. I wept, and I am unashamed to say that I wept until my face was raw. It was a gut reaction; it took over and inhabited my body, with no conscious thought on my part.

It was not for the death of an admired celebrity that I wept. It was for the passing of a great man--a flawed man--who spun his natural genius, and compassion for all that this world contains of injustice and beauty, into a web, steel-strong, of tireless dedication, righteous anger and, loudest of all, buoyant hope.

"Raise a toast to Saint Joe Strummer/I think he might have been our only decent teacher"-Craig Finn

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Punk Rock Girl All Grown Up

The Only Band That Ever Mattered - by amisslis on Polyvore.com