By Amit Roy
PUTTING a smashed guitar on display in a major exhibition in London might seem like stretching the concept of art a bit too far, but this is an iconic instrument with a memorable back story.
The Fender Precision Bass belonged to Paul Simonon, from the English rock band The Clash, who smashed it on stage at the Palladium in New York City on September 21, 1979, “in an act of spontaneous and complete frustration”.
The Clash influenced rock bands all over the world, especially India. The image of the guitar being smashed is now ranked as “the greatest rock photo of all time”.
“I just got so frustrated ... and when it got to breaking point, I started to chop the stage up with the guitar,” Simonon said later.
However, he regretted breaking his favourite instrument, saying: “I gathered all the pieces up and kept them.”
That image appeared shortly afterwards in December that year on the cover of their third album, London Calling. It earned The Clash popularity in the United States, always a tough market to crack, and was hailed a decade later by Rolling Stone magazine as “the best album of the 1980s”.
It was just as well that Simonon kept his broken guitar because it is the centrepiece of an exhibition at the Museum of London which will open on November 15 and run until the spring of 2020.
According to an assessment in Culturs, the global multicultural magazine, “some of the social issues The Clash gave the spotlight to when it was uncommon for musical artists to do so were: support for the African and Jamaican, and West Indian, immigrant communities struggling for unity and integration in London during the late 70s; the disappointment that factory workers felt in a capitalistbased economic system; the legacy of the problematic US involvement during the Vietnam War; the threat of global climate change well before it was in vogue; police brutality and misuse of lethal force; and especially, the political disorganisation of youth facing heavy-handed systems of governments all over the world”.
The Clash, who were active between 1976 and 1986, were seen as key players in the original wave of British punk rock. The band embraced reggae, blues and funk and London Calling explored issues of unemployment, drug use and racial tension.
The group consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Joe Strummer, lead guitarist and lead vocalist Mick Jones, bassist Simonon, and drummer Nicky “Topper” Headon.
More than 100 personal items from the band’s archive, including notes, clothing, images and music, many of them previously unseen, will go on display. Other exhibition highlights include Strummer’s notebook from the period, along with the typewriter he used to put down ideas and lyrics. Jones’s handwritten album sequencing note and Headon’s drumsticks will also be on the show.
Beatrice Behlen, a senior curator of fashion and decorative arts at the Museum of London, said: “London Calling is The Clash’s defining album. The lyrics reflected contemporary concerns, many of which are still relevant today, as it moved away from traditional punk by adopting and reworking much wider musical influences.
“At the Museum of London, we tell the stories of our capital through the objects and memories of the people who have lived here.
“This display will provide a brand-new, exciting and vibrant take on this, showcasing rarely seen personal objects and telling the incredible story of how London Calling was, and for many still is, the sound of a generation.”
