Eric recently added a Strummer bio to his Amazon wishlist, and a new Julien Temple biopic recently screened at SIFF. The Amazon info page notes that Strummer was born in Ankara, Turkey and known by the name ‘Woody’ until he adopted the nom de punk Joe Strummer. I can’t be the only one to hear echoes of Bob Zimmerman’s Turkish and folkie heritage here. Strummer didn’t teach me to hear or play music; those honors go to other abstracted fathers. He very much did teach me that it’s necessary to know your own mind and not to be shy about stating it, lessons lost to an extent in my life of late for many very valid and inescapable reasons.

Joe, here’s to ya.