Would Joe Strummer approve of a movie based on his life? Will fans?
The problem with being a punk rock singer full of lofty ideals is that you never know what will happen to your music and your legacy after you’re dead.
When singer/guitarist Joe Strummer of eclectic English punk outfit the Clash passed away in 2002, it seemed inevitable that his memory would be dragged around through a series of tribute albums, cover songs, TV ads, and Green Day musicals, but could anyone imagine that he would be given the Hollywood treatment and be subjected to a biopic?
Apparently, yes. Sources confirm that a movie based on the life of the rabble-rousing singer is in the works. With a career that spanned nearly four decades, several bands, countless musical styles (punk, ska, pub rock, etc.), and political activism, it will be interesting to see which aspects of Strummer’s life the film will focus on. (Below, check out our free music playlist Joe Strummer Goes to the Movies featuring music from throughout Strummer’s career.)
The upcoming Strummer biopic is set to be written by Paul Viragh. Viragh also wrote the recent, not very creatively titled, Ian Dury movie Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll about the life of the titular leader of the Blockheads. It remains to be seen whether Strummer’s turn on the silver screen will hit closer to the cheese exploitation of The Runaways, affable melodrama of Walk the Line, Courtney Love-laced absurdity of Sid & Nancy, or artsy fiction of Last Days (about a fictional character that is obviously Kurt Cobain).
During his life, Strummer (born: John Graham Mellor) appeared on screen in documentaries and as an actor in films by Jim Jarmusch and Aki Kaurismaki, but will Clash fans line up to see the new Joe Strummer movie? Is it a good idea just to let some stars rest in peace? Will James Franco or Billie Joe Armstrong be involved in this? We’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, fans of music movies can check out the John Lennon flick Nowhere Boy while they wait for additional details of the upcoming movie about Queen set to feature Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen starring as Freddie Mercury.
Get the Playlist: Joe Strummer Goes to the Movies
Proving that it is hard to look cool during a daytime concert, even if you’re the Clash, Joe Strummer and Co. offer up “London’s Burning” to tens of thousands of fans during a 1978 concert.
