Paul Simonon–onetime bassist for The Clash (AKA the only band that matters); current member of The Good, The Bad, and The Queen; and lifelong visual artist–is kind of a personal hero. Why?
First off: The fucking Clash. You cannot argue with that. It’s just impossible. His bass lines are fantastic, from the straight up pounding root notes of their early stuff to the dancier vibe later in the band’s career. The best, in my opinion, were the reggae lines. Simonon’s ability to blend outside musical influences so seamlessly with the energy of punk is one of the main reasons that The Clash were able to push themselves beyond the scene that birthed them and become a musical force in and of themselves. But this ain’t no music blog. So…
Second, and key here: The man knew how to dress. Taking a look at photos from throughout his career, Simonon runs the gambit from punk to proper and still look like a goddamn rock star every step of the way. That kind of versatility is impressive. Furthermore, consider the fact that he managed to make it through superstardom AND the 80′s and you’d still be hard pressed to find a shot of him looking foolish. That, my friends, is a nigh-impossible feat.
Basically, the guy embodied the best of rock and roll both sonically and visually. A constant source of inspiration.
Loads more shots follow. Other members of The Clash pop up from time to time, as well as other famous faces like Andy Warhol. Good times, indeed.
And, to give credit where credit’s due, let us not forget that Joe Strummer could rock a leather jacket with the best of ‘em:
(And just plain look good, too…)
‘Nuff said.
—Jonathan
(Images courtesy of many, many sources. Please feel free to contact me if I haven’t credited you and you’d like the shout out, I’d be more than happy to oblige.)
Ed’s Note: Another very nice post I found during my picture hunting for this post can be seen at The Selvage Yard. Also, it should be noted that I play bass, so I’ve got a bit of a bias here (possibly).
