An Education in Rock

Tucked away somewhere in my closet is a t-shirt designed with "The Clash" logo. But, I have to be honest that until doing research for our upcoming "rockumentary" film about The Clash frontman Joe Strummer, I knew nothing about the band. I suppose this proves that not only am I pathetically devoted to fashion trends, but I am also a lot less cool than I would like to think.

While researching the band, I found that I should be embarrassed in my lack of knowledge of The Clash. In reading about our next film- Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten, I found that the rock band had quite an impact on society. Joe Strummer had a devoted following of millions, continuing today, even after his death. His lyrics were powerful and compelling, and it was interesting to find out that some of those lyrics in the 1970's and 1980's even predicted current events like the war in Iraq and the consequences of global warming.

Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten was directed by one of Joe's long-time and closest friends, Julien Temple. Because of this, the film is a very personal look into Joe's life with real interviews, concert footage, and home videos. The way the film was produced was a great reflection of Joe Strummer himself- raw, honest, and uncut. Its MySpace page calls it a “spontaneous combustion” on screen, and I would have to agree. This "rockumentary" is definitely worth watching, whether you are a devoted Clash fan, have never even heard of the band, or are a fake fan like me. 

Local musician Robert Johnson introduced the film, detailing his personal encounters with Strummer and the band while recording alongside them in the summer of 1977.