The Clash And The Ramones

 London, 1976 - Mick Jones has bought a new album

"I first heard the Ramones when Mick Jones brought a copy round my place and we both could not believe how fast it was..

Joe Strummer: Absolutely. We’d put the Clash together. Mick and Paul had a squat in Shephard’s Bush. Somebody’d got a hold of it and put it on and it was like “Eureka!” I think it’s one of the most fabulous records ever made. I was 22 or 23. I was a little bit more senior than the other punks.

The Clash first met the Ramones on the 5^th of July 1976 when the Ramones played at Dingwalls, minutes away from the Clash rehearsal rooms in Camden. Come to think of it I don't know if they had these rehearsal rooms then, or even if they were actually called The Clash at this point in time, its that early on in UK punk history.

Clash bassist Paul Simonon told Johnny they had a band but they had problems playing live as he hadn't learnt how to play properly yet. Johnny told him to just go and do it as he hadn't learned yet either

You read any of the tributes to Joe Strummer and they all say how he had time for the fans, he treated them as the Ramones treated him when they first met

Johnny Ramone - "We were friends right away," he said. "As soon as I heard 'White Riot' I knew they were a great band. Of all the punk bands, I felt closest to him than anyone else from that era."

When the Clash recorded the reggae song "Police and thieves" for their first album they didn't want to do it punk rock style (that didn't exist - they were helping lay down the blueprint) - they simply wanted to "Ramones it up" like the Ramones had already done with their 60's cover versions.

When the Ramones were touring Europe in 1977 on only their 5th day off in over 3 weeks rather than take it easy and spend it in bed they took a detour and went to see the Clash in Brighton

Marky Ramone toured with the Clash when he played drums for Richard Hell and the VoidOids and became friends with Clash drummer Topper Headon who made a point of meeting up with him when he toured with the Ramones because they both played like they lived - fast and hard

Legendary rock writer Lester Bangs almost got lynched by the band because he had a pre-release tape of Rocket to Russia - "I casually mentioned that I had a tape of the new Ramones album. The whole band practically leapt at my throat: "Why didnt you say so before? Shit, put it on right now!" So I did and in a moment they were bouncing all over the van to the strains of "Cretin Hop". Rocket to Russia became the soundtrack to the rest of my leg of the tour"

When The Ramones came to London to promote Ramones Mania at a record shop signing in London in 1988, the one CD that Johnny chose to take away with him was the Clash compilation Story of the Clash Volume 1

After the Clash disintegrated, Strummer hit his wilderness years before coming back with 2 albums with the Mescaleros but still he kept quietly pumping stuff out. Solo albums, soundtracks, guest appearances but nowhere near as prolific as the Clash - 8 slices of vinyl in 5 years plus singles

"They were unique because, here they are, breaking up at the peak of their popularity and having plenty of offers to come back, and not doing it," said Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone. "While other bands always come back for the money, they had a belief in what they were doing, and even though they could have used it, they never really cared about the money."

After Joey Ramone died and the Ramones were going to play his tribute birthday party with guest vocalists one of the first people Johnny called to sing with the band was Joe Strummer, unfortunately due to disagreements with Joeys family this never happened, Joe was also meant to play on Johnny/Rob Zombies ramones tribute album but that fell through as well

Joe Strummer was asked by Jane Stevenson of the Toronto Sun - How did the death of fellow punk pioneer Joey Ramone hit you, given you've dedicated Global A Go-Go to him?

Joe Strummer - When you know that someone's ill, you kind of expect the result. But I didn't know anything about that. So that really hit me big. I always assumed The Ramones were like immortal, like somehow The Ramones seemed like not mere mortals, but in their own universe. Also, I'd been hanging out with him a few months before. I don't go to New York that much, but every now and then, and always managed to run into him in a bar, and found him to be the funniest fucker. He had the funniest, driest, humour -- really quick and the utter comment that tops all the other comments, he was capable of delivering. And then I couldn't believe it when someone rang up and said he was dead."

The last tour Joe Strummer did was of smaller venues in the UK called 'Bringing it all back home' and was to get the band on form for recording the next album.

His last London show was a gig in aid of striking Firemen and Mick Jones joined him on stage for 3 songs for the first time since he was sacked for straying too far from the ideals of the Clash in 1983

I saw him on the first night of the tour in Edinburgh, the first time I'd seen him since 88 - I'd still bought all the albums, but I was always a bit disappointed because I knew he could do better. But rather then disapointing me live, it just reminded me how great he always was, his voice sounded the best I'd ever heard him, the band was cooking and his choice of material was strong - all the best stuff from the two Mescaleros albums, some cover versions that the Clash also did, some new songs and my two favourite Clash songs - Bankrobber and White Man in Hammersmith Palais, they finished with a fully charged version of White Riot and then he was gone

Like the Ramones the Clash were inducted into to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame the very first year that they were eligible

Sadly Joe Strummer died of a heart attack on December the 22nd 2002

www.punkmagazine.com - Judy McGuire - Did you ever feel like giving up?

Joe Strummer - No. See, I got to give some of my lineage here. My mother's from the north of the north of the north of Scotland. We're called Picts. The Romans built two walls all the way across England - two walls, all the way across - just to keep my people out. These walls go for hundreds of miles - that took some building. I feel proud when I see Hadrian's wall cause that wall was built to keep my forefathers out and it shows what motherfuckers we are. I will never give up. Sometimes I feel like it, but never have I ever thought of giving up. Even in the dark days. There was something going on, like a little spark that kept me sane. If I hadn't had that I would've gone into self-pity and misery, but it's because of my mother's blood that I never will give up.

I've never seen the X-files, but apparently there's a guy in it occasionally called Langly and he always wears a Ramones T-shirt - here's what he said about Joey and you could say the same about Joe

MORRIS takes notice of LANGLY'S "Joey Lives" t-shirt. He's just gotta ask.)

MORRIS FLETCHER: So, who's Joey?

LANGLY: What? (This is completely out from left field. LANGLY looks up at MORRIS. MORRIS FLETCHER nods down to indicate the shirt LANGLY'S wearing. LANGLY glances down at it.)

LANGLY: Joey Ramone? Leader of the greatest punk rock band in human history? Now shut up.

(MORRIS FLETCHER walks away, but not quietly. He snickers, snorts and shakes his head as he reaches the chair at the far end of the small room.) (This gets LANGLY'S attention.)

LANGLY: What?

MORRIS FLETCHER: What are you, 34, 35? Why don't you cut your hair and grow up, huh?

LANGLY: Need I remind you, Fletcher, that Doggett and Reyes aren't here to save you.

MORRIS FLETCHER: Yeah, well, get yourself a real hero, anyway not some dead teeny-bopper. (Those are fighting words that succeed in riling LANGLY up. He pushes his keyboard away, stands and slowly approaches MORRIS FLETCHER.)

LANGLY: You want to know why Joey Ramone's my hero? 'Cause people like you never managed to grind him down. They never stole his spirit. He never gave in, never gave up, and never sold out. Right till his last breath.

And he's not dead. Guys like that, they live forever.