This is a Public Service Announcement -- With Cartoons!

For a band as integral to music’s history as the Clash, it seems odd that few fans know much about it; a revelation that doesn’t strike until you’re watching Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten. The new documentary follows the famous Strummer (a name/persona he created in his twenties – his real name is John Melor) from boarding school, to art school, through a stint as a squatter busking for change, to his rise to stardom with the Clash, and his turbulent, though eventually prosperous, solo career.

Julien Temple (The Filth and the Fury) created the film and utilized his friendship and access with Strummer to compile an amazing collection of archival footage, including old video interviews, early gigs, family photographs, and most interesting of all, old cartoons and artwork that Strummer himself crafted. Temple layers the cartoons on top of interviews with Strummer’s friends and his early band recordings to give an intimate, if not haunting, storybook documentation of his life. But even after watching this film, created by one of his closest friends, you don’t feel as though you really know Strummer; he seems almost empty inside. When the Clash was formed (yes, it was put together by a manager like a punk rock boy band), Strummer instantly cut ties with all of his former friends and housemates. He stopped acknowledging them at clubs. You come to understand that nobody really knows Strummer, yet he’s loved desperately by all who’ve come in contact with him, from his pre-fame years to the following decades in which he established his fame. Consider it a mandatory watch for fans of the Clash and of rock bio/docs in general. Catch it today at 4 p.m. at the Lake Worth Playhouse (713 Lake Ave., Lake Worth). Tickets cost $6.
Mon., Dec. 3, 2007

 
 

Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...

  • VOICE Daily Deals

    VOICE Daily Deals

    Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience

  • My Voice Nation

    My Voice Nation

    Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info

  • Happy Hour

    Happy Hour

    Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips

or

Log in or Sign up

Social Connect:

Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.


Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:





Forgot password?
or

Sign Up or Log in

Social Connect:

Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.


Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:



Privacy policy