Joe Strummer is best known as the legendary guitarist and vocalist for The Clash. His impact on music history reaches far and wide. After The Clash broke up in 1986, Strummer went on to do some solo work. In the late 1990s, he formed a new band called The Mescaleros. This poster was designed by Mike King for two shows in November of 1999 featuring this group. It's one of the 36 posters featured in our current auction with Psychedelic Art Exchange.
Poster Design
The legendary Mike King stayed true to his style while designing this poster. It features an image of Strummer on a dark blue background with the band and venue information laid out in large, legible lettering. Additionally, next to the image of Strummer is the phrase "Ex-Clash Guitarist", and an arrow pointing down at his name. In his book Maximum Plunder, Mike King states that he thinks adding this phrase to the poster might have been "one of the dumbest things I have ever been asked to put on a poster", due to the fact that Strummer's name could speak for itself. If you look at King's other work, this piece is right in line with the style and layout he usually adheres to.
Mike King got his start as a poster designer similarly to how many modern poster artists did. He began his career by crudely designing punk flyers with the help of a photocopier. The layout of these early flyers definitely had an influence on his current design style. The Clash was one of the quintessential punk bands of the 1970s, so this design style is perfect to advertise a Joe Strummer show.
The Legacy of Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer is without a doubt one of the most important musicians in history. Not only was he hugely important to the evolution of punk rock, but his political and social ideas could be considered ahead of their time. Unfortunately, Strummer died in 2002, just three years after the show on this poster took place. However, his legacy lives on. Thus, a poster for one of his shows even this late in his career would be an excellent addition to any collection. Go ahead and bid on this poster today, and it could be yours! The value of this piece is sure to only increase as time goes on.
