History belongs to those who write it, which is one reason why the British and even American punk rock of the late '70s is so often misremembered as an exclusively left-militant affair. For a bracing antidote, read the anarcho-Tory ex-punk Kevin Michael Grace's appreciation of the late Joe Strummer in his weblog, The Ambler.
The high point: "Strummer was later to record the deathless classic Sandinista!, and isn't it a good thing that conservatives aren't rock and rollers? Can you imagine having to live down the shame of once having owned an album called Violetta! or UNITA!?"
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|12.29.02 @ 9:22AM|#
I do not profess to be a music expert. However I have always ignored the welfare message in the clash's music and focused on its individulaist (Libertarian?) message. and bugger it we have so few self declared poets so lets claim Strummer (Vail!)
Regards
Z