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CNN Live At Daybreak
Remembering Joe Strummer
Aired December 24, 2002 - 06:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to switch gears now and take a look at an international music legend, Joe Strummer. He died this week in London. He was only 50 years old.
And ITN's Richard Salea (ph) says that Strummer's music has been silenced but his legend and influence lives on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD SALEA, ITN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty years ago, The Clash were one of the biggest bands in the world and Joe Strummer's songs inspired a generation. "Rolling Stone" magazine named "London Calling" the best album of the '80s even though it was released in 1979, a sign of how far The Clash were ahead of their time.
CHRIS SALEWICZ, MUSIC JOURNALIST: They were hugely influential I think, particularly during the 1990s. Certainly groups like the Offspring and U2 they influenced massively. Bono, the U2 singer, said that you know The Clash wrote the rulebook. Joe basically wrote the rulebook for what U2 did.
SALEA: Joe Strummer, seen here at a recent film premiere, died of a suspected heart attack. He was just 50. Today his former band mate, Mick Jones, has been comforting his family at their home in Somerset.
Fans, too, will mourn a rock legend. The Clash were at the forefront of punk, but their music always had a political edge. It embraced many styles from reggae to rap and gained them 16 Top 40 hits, including this No. 1.
THE CLASH: Should I stay or should I go now.
SALEA: In recent years the hits stopped coming, but Joe Strummer never stopped playing, especially if there was a left wing cause that needed promoting. One of his last concerts was in support of striking firefighters. His politics may not have suited everyone, but few could deny that he was one of the best songwriters of his generation.
NORMAN COOK: Coming from the punk generation, you know, the Stones and Hendrix were both kind of what your big sister liked. But for me he was the coolest and greatest rock and roll star in the world.
SALEA: Many of the top stars have been paying their tribute today and they all say the same thing, they owe their career to Joe Strummer.
Richard Salea, ITV News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 24, 2002 - 06:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to switch gears now and take a look at an international music legend, Joe Strummer. He died this week in London. He was only 50 years old.
And ITN's Richard Salea (ph) says that Strummer's music has been silenced but his legend and influence lives on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD SALEA, ITN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty years ago, The Clash were one of the biggest bands in the world and Joe Strummer's songs inspired a generation. "Rolling Stone" magazine named "London Calling" the best album of the '80s even though it was released in 1979, a sign of how far The Clash were ahead of their time.
CHRIS SALEWICZ, MUSIC JOURNALIST: They were hugely influential I think, particularly during the 1990s. Certainly groups like the Offspring and U2 they influenced massively. Bono, the U2 singer, said that you know The Clash wrote the rulebook. Joe basically wrote the rulebook for what U2 did.
SALEA: Joe Strummer, seen here at a recent film premiere, died of a suspected heart attack. He was just 50. Today his former band mate, Mick Jones, has been comforting his family at their home in Somerset.
Fans, too, will mourn a rock legend. The Clash were at the forefront of punk, but their music always had a political edge. It embraced many styles from reggae to rap and gained them 16 Top 40 hits, including this No. 1.
THE CLASH: Should I stay or should I go now.
SALEA: In recent years the hits stopped coming, but Joe Strummer never stopped playing, especially if there was a left wing cause that needed promoting. One of his last concerts was in support of striking firefighters. His politics may not have suited everyone, but few could deny that he was one of the best songwriters of his generation.
NORMAN COOK: Coming from the punk generation, you know, the Stones and Hendrix were both kind of what your big sister liked. But for me he was the coolest and greatest rock and roll star in the world.
SALEA: Many of the top stars have been paying their tribute today and they all say the same thing, they owe their career to Joe Strummer.
Richard Salea, ITV News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
