Clem Burke, the drummer for Blondie (and briefly The Ramones) died on Monday at the age of 70 after a battle with cancer.
I always really liked Blondie, but would never claim to be a mega-fan, or extensively educated about their catalog or legacy. In typical Pencil Storm fashion when it comes to these cases, we’ll leave those details to the experts. I will, however, share a funny story I heard a few years back when I was milling around the stage after a DESCENDENTS show in Detroit. Descendents drummer Bill Stevenson was walking around in his usual sphere of hyper-positive post-show caffeinated energy talking to everyone and anyone who would listen.
“Man, I heard the greatest story today. Clem Burke goes back to his hotel room after soundcheck, takes a nap, then drinks a pot of black coffee right before he goes to the venue to play the show. That’s amazing! That’s me!”
The crew and his band-mates chuckled as he paced around pondering the magic of it all while they continued putting guitars in cases and wrapping up cables. That story and the way it was told has stuck with me since.
Here’s my favorite Blondie song.
Rest easy, Clem. Cancer sucks.
Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit, fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos, and plays acoustic shows all over the place. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
www.thetucos.com
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Twitter: @jeremyportermi | Instagram: @onetogive & @jeremyportermusic
