Joe Strummer and the Legend of the Clash

By Kris Needs

Book Overview

The author of Keith Richards: Before They Make Me Run and The Scream: The Music, Myths, and Misbehaviour of Primal Scream chronicles the rise and fall of Britain's most enduring punk band, relying on his observations as a rock journalist covering the group during its heyday in the late 1970s and ear

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 085965348X
• ISBN13: 9780859653480
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Plexus Publishing
• Length: 351 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.6" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The best Clash retrospective I have found

This is an extremely detailed, up close and personal history of the Clash. The unique perspective of being written by a journalist that became a true friend of the band and who was there from the start gives it an authenticity that is irreplaceable. I did not want the book to end, just like a lot of things relating to the band.

Soak up this book!!

This "you're right there book" inspires and grabs you. Joe Strummer and The Clash are some of the greatest artists and original creators of all time. Author Kris Needs keeps you hooked. Fill your soul with Joe Strummer. Like a cosmic twin of John Lennon--he is raw, genuis, powerful, loving!!!

A genuine, funny book that portrays The Clash as real people rather than inaccessible rock icons

Kris Needs' 'Joe Strummer & The Legend of The Clash' is the most fun that you'll have with a book on this legendary band. The author hung out with the group during the heyday of punk and recounts many amusing anecdotes from this period. His reminiscences go a long way to dispelling the myth of the band as a quartet of humourless political activists and give a genuine sense of Messrs Strummer, Jones, Simonon and Headon's true personalities. In addition to exploring the indvidual band member's fun-loving natures, Needs exposes the interpersonal dynamics within the group and the way in which outside forces caused Strummer to sack both Mick Jones and Topper Headon, thus effectively destroying the band. The two decades following The Clash's split are comprehensively described and the section recalling Joe's untimely death from an undiagnosed congenital heart condition are especially moving. If you want to know what The Clash were really like, then you should check out this lively, entertaining book.