Clem Burke – Drumming Icon

On this particular prolonged weblog/tribute, Martin Grey takes a heartfelt and appreciative look again at one in every of rock’s most illustrated, universally adored and charismatic and iconic drummers, Clem Burke, who tragically died final week aged 70, after privately battling most cancers, and shares his personal ideas and ruminations on how he was such a massively influential determine for thus many followers and aspiring drummers alike.

Flashback #1 – October 1971

Slade had been on High Of The Pops, performing their first no 1 hit Coz I Luv You. As a six-year-old, this was the primary band I went nuts for. They’d already featured on TOTP with their first high 20 hit a couple of months earlier – a stonking cowl of Little Richard’s Get Down And Get With It, however this time they’d grown out of their skinhead look of quick hair and bovver boots, and now glammed up with lengthy hair, they appeared considerably completely different, however ace.

Rip-roaring singer Noddy Holder sported his large trademark flat cap (later stovepipe hat with mirrors) over his curls; Dave Hill together with his pudding basin fringe, cape threw flamboyant guitar shapes; bassist Jim Lea brandished his viola; and, most enjoyable to me, Don Powell behind the drums, nonchalantly chewing gum as he pounded these skins. I used to be captivated and besotted. I pestered my sister to purchase me the one a couple of days later.

Slade grew to become my pop obsession for the following three years or so, together with fellow glam rockers The Candy, who additionally featured an important drummer (Mick Tucker) I merely couldn’t take my eyes off as an impressionable teen. Thanks to those two teams, I’d already determined there after which that I wished to play drums too. Different acts quickly appeared on High Of The Pops whose drummers I watched with zeal and harboured a need to repeat: the Faces with Kenney Jones, then the nice Cozy Powell (no relation to Don) in 1973 together with his hit Dance With The Satan.

Additionally in 1971, my elder sister had the one single we ever purchased by The Rolling Stones: Brown Sugar. It was a stone chilly basic and nonetheless offers me goosebumps to at the present time. While by no means a Stones fan in any respect, I all the time liked these stable, pounding, tough-sounding drums that the legendary Charlie Watts made a lot his personal type. He very quickly grew to become the following of the holy quintet of nice rock drummers I aspired to emulate: so we had Don, Mick, Kenney, Cozy and Charlie (sounds virtually like a 60s band!)…. I used to be starting to dream that dream, as youngsters of that age typically do.

And but what occurred in 1972 defied all logic. I didn’t ask for a drum equipment for my seventh birthday however I really settled for a guitar. God solely is aware of why, as a result of I wished to be a drummer, however drums took up an excessive amount of room. So a guitar it was, and thus I used to be promptly purchased one: a half-size baby’s acoustic. And I nonetheless have it to at the present time – 53 years later. Albeit lacking three strings and looking out a bit battered across the varnished wooden casing, just because I abused it with baby’s drumsticks. I used the left stick to slip up and down the frets and I might smash the strings with the best one – while laying the guitar horizontally like a pedal metal….. a tuneless racket for positive, however in some weird manner I could have unwittingly pioneered the Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth strategy to enjoying the guitar with drumsticks some 10 years earlier than it was even a factor…

A lot for eager to be like my 5 drum heroes then. Because it transpired, I by no means learnt to play the guitar correctly anyway, cos I used to be hopeless and much too impatient.

Flashback #2 – February 1978

High Of The Pops once more. There have been some actually cool bands within the charts by this level. The belligerence of punk the earlier yr had given approach to post-punk and new wave (extra tuneful, much less shambolic and thus extra interesting to me) and a complete slew of latest bands had been now common entries and featured on this version: Elvis Costello, The Boomtown Rats, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, The Motors to call however a couple of. There was additionally Kate Bush – the primary actually unique feminine artist to look in ages, plus a few disco acts, nonetheless, and the remnants of the Saturday selection present regulars (e.g. Boney M and Brotherhood of Man, each of whom I made a decision I hated).

Nevertheless, a gang of thrilling new faces had been on this programme: the debut efficiency of Debbie Harry and Blondie – making their UK chart debut with a gleefully boisterous tune Denis (later we found it was a canopy of ’60s vocal group Randy & The Rainbow’s Denise – now gender switched with French pronunciation). Having by no means seen this lot earlier than, I used to be captivated…and agog. It was like an epiphany. A pre-teenage ‘wow’.

Classroom discuss the following morning at school was inevitably about ‘that ace new band with the cunning blonde chick singer with cheekbones and Monroe-esque pout’. In fact all of us fixated on Ms. Harry in her quick pink one-piece stage gown, however I used to be additionally watching the drummer, as regular … as a result of, to be truthful, he was the opposite clear shining star among the many group. His manner of enjoying and his showmanship completely transfixed me – and never for the primary time both.

He appeared so effortlessly cool in a tonic swimsuit and tie, sensible mod haircut, a bit hint of Paul McCartney’s boyish seems to be too – he was a good-looking dude, and a complete fucking star even then. The band all appeared fairly suave and dapper come to that and the tune was an earworm straight from the off. In order that was it. A brand new favorite band to now comply with.

From that time onward. I might eagerly await the following time Blondie and Debbie Harry would seem once more on TOTP. I didn’t have lengthy to attend both as, a mere weeks later after Denis gatecrashed the highest finish of the charts, there was a second hit single in scorching pursuit: (I’m At all times Touched By Your) Presence Pricey. This was a good higher tune. I used to be in pure ‘new wave pop heaven’. And the drummer – Clem Burke – once more didn’t disappoint. In truth, he positively outshone the remainder of the group.

So inevitably Blondie grew to become my new pop obsession of types. At that age, I didn’t actually care a lot for punk to be trustworthy – it was just about every thing that adopted in its wake. An avalanche of nice bands of all completely different genres that got here alongside on the tail finish of the Nineteen Seventies that rescued the last decade from sliding right into a MOR-ass of soppy rock mundanity which it had threatened to do round 1976-77, when there was additionally merely far an excessive amount of bandwagon disco dross and iffy gorgonzola novelty acts for my liking. Satirically, it was the pub-rock bands, like Dr. Feelgood and Eddie & The Scorching Rods, that pre-empted the arrival of punk correct that proved to be the a lot wanted shot within the arm.

And instantly, seemingly out of nowhere, this unimaginable man referred to as Clem Burke from Blondie grew to become my new drum figurehead for just about the remainder of time and proper to the current, steamrollering over my 5 earlier early-’70s drum heroes with gusto.

A real maverick and ready-made rock star

Born Clement Anthony Bozewski in Bayonne, New Jersey on twenty fourth November 1954, the irrepressible Clem knew his stuff even earlier than he joined Blondie in 1975. He was a kind of who, at a younger age, already had his trajectory set on conquering his first and largest ardour – that of drumming for all times in rock bands – and had the suss and know-how, in addition to sure-shot confidence, to succeed. It’s thought that, even earlier than becoming a member of Blondie, he adopted the stage surname ‘Burke’ just because he felt it sounded sharper and extra succinct and in line with the rock’n’roll spirit on the time.

His influences had been proudly displayed for all to see within the method during which he not solely set his equipment up however how he performed it: the 4 most evident being Keith Moon (whom Clem was obsessive about and thus began his lifelong infatuation with all British beat teams of the period); Ringo Starr – the drummer from his all-time favorite band The Beatles; Hal Blaine (grasp sticksman who propelled Spector’s legendary Wrecking Crew together with his cavernous and inimitable powerhouse drumming type); and lastly, one of many earliest progenitors of the nascent rock’n’roll sound, Earl Palmer.

One solely needed to take heed to any Blondie observe with Clem in full circulation (or throttle) to totally respect the extremely deft method during which these 4 musicians’ influences weren’t solely current, however finally assimilated into his personal singularly distinctive and distinctive type. Clem took the brutality and bombast of Keith Moon’s unhinged and thunderous pummeling and harnessed the tough edges right into a extra tighter, disciplined assault (greatest instance of that is in fact the whole drum observe to Dreaming – 3.03 minutes of relentless full-on clattering frenzy like no different).

Within the case of Ringo Starr, Clem shared the identical curious attribute of enjoying left-handed on a right-handed equipment, which is what Mr. Starkey did all by means of his time with the fab 4. Much more astonishingly, Ringo Starr’s distinctive ‘backwards drum fills’ – the place he hits the toms first earlier than the snare (one of the best examples are heard on Rain and Strawberry Fields Perpetually) had been the template for a few of Clem’s most mind-boggling and creative breaks – significantly on the sooner Blondie tracks that featured on their first two albums. Take heed to his drumming within the bridge of Presence Pricey and people complicated fills between 1.36 – 1.49. They are surely fairly out of this world.

It’s additionally clearly evident that the spirit of Hal Blaine’s distinctive tumbling drum sound runs rampant all through numerous Clem’s drumming. Their first hit Denis options some gleefully manic somersaulting fills cribbed instantly from the Blaine college: in direction of the tip of the tune’s fade, Clem goes hell for leather-based and virtually all of these accents may be heard in lots of these basic Phil Spector hits – albeit Clem performs them at twice the velocity just because he can. This can be a measure of his talent and adeptness. He takes on the basic sixties woman teams’ sounds – be it Phil Spector’s Ronettes (or Shadow Morton’s Shangri-Las – one other of Burke’s large ’60s pop obsessions) – and applies his personal ‘none extra punk rock’ tackle their execution. It truly is an exhilarating factor to behold and that is the rationale why I discover his drumming type to be so thrilling and totally irresistible.

Lastly, the sooner rock’n’roll type of Earl Palmer may be clearly heard within the frantically-paced songs like 11.59, Will Something Occur, Assault Of The Large Ants, Kung Fu Ladies, and others. Clem’s virtually comically-accelerated type the place he performs these deliriously speedy machine gun fills are virtually tremendous human in tempo and it’s what makes him such an incredible showman and consummate performer who by no means comes throughout as something lower than totally thrilling to look at in motion, whichever band he occurs to guesting with.

Such was Clem’s bigger than life presence in Blondie that I can say with all honesty that the band had TWO foremost focal factors each time they appeared onstage anyplace. All eyes tended to dart like in a tennis match between the singer and the drummer. Each commanded a lot consideration (and adoration), it’s a sworn statement of how totally indispensible he actually was inside the group.

It’s additionally been typically stated that Clem was really the second pin-up within the band, after Debbie. Debbie had her legions of common admirers and devotees – each female and male, and Clem attracted the identical type of adulation from not simply the ladies for his good-looking poster boy seems to be, but in addition the fellows who wished to be similar to him (be it effortlessly cool in these Mod-ish tonic fits and immaculate barnet, or in fact enjoying the drums in precisely the identical manner as he did – barely breaking sweat and protecting his composure in such admirable type: physique posture sat bolt upright regardless of head nodding and his arms frantically flying throughout the equipment in a frenzied blur).

Irrepressible icon of cool and an unabashed Anglophile

Clem all the time made no secret of the actual fact as to how a lot he liked England (and the UK). A self-confessed Anglophile, he typically made journeys over to London on his personal, separate from the band, simply to purchase data and garments and to then work these cultural and sartorial influences into the band’s visible manifesto so to talk. In fact, in time he would find yourself enjoying with numerous bands on each side of the Atlantic, guesting, sessioneering and certainly gigging in good previous trusty ‘transit and truck cease’ type throughout the nation with easy no-nonsense rock’n’roll / punk outfits and sharing the limelight in collaboration with new rising skills simply because his ardour and urge for food for stay music was so insatiable and unquenchable.

He was the quintessential ‘hardest working drummer in rock’, as they are saying, however with good motive. It’s not recognized precisely what number of gigs he has clocked up now previously 20+ years since Blondie re-emerged triumphantly with their sixth no 1 hit Maria in early 1999, however I’m prepared to wager it’s someplace within the 1000’s. The man was merely tireless and perennially super-youthful and gave the impression to be possessed with a supernatural surfeit of boundless power and a voracious urge for food for simply jamming and enjoying with anyone. It’s the motive why he’s so universally adored and revered, even worshipped.

Going again to the early days once more, take into account how he was the one Blondie member chargeable for honing the band’s picture earlier than they broke large internationally. The picture which grew to become iconic and launched numerous copycat bands of their wake. In 1975, when Clem first connected with Debbie and Chris Stein after answering an advert the latter positioned for a ‘freak power drummer’ [sic], he additionally took alongside his greatest college mate on the time – Gary ‘Valentine’ Lachman – and launched him to the couple, recommending they recruit him too because the bass participant and one other songwriter. Thus was the primary incarnation of Blondie and certainly 4 fifths of the quintet which graces the quilt of their first self titled album (keyboardist Jimmy Destri would be a part of shortly after).

Gary – like Clem – was very into the UK music on the time and shared the same curiosity and enthusiasm for the beat pop and mod kinds of the mid to late Sixties, and thus they each steered the others within the band undertake the retro-’60s look with sharp fits and shirts as a distinction to the considerably shambling boho anti-styles that so lots of their contemporaries had been sporting.

On the time, mid-’70s, all of them had longish hair (Clem included, being as he was an enormous fan of trashy glam punks just like the New York Dolls), however with Clem’s ’60s Brit obsessions lastly taking up, he bought his personal hair trimmed and styled to duplicate these of the UK beat teams, even creating his personal particular person ‘male beehive’ look – an astonishing (and on the time audacious) stylistic sidestep. To realize his distinctive barnet which grew to become his trademark throughout these first business breakthrough years, he really went to the acute of baking his specifically sculpted haircut (formed utilizing a home-made combination of beer, sugar, hairspray, and no matter else he may improvise with) by mendacity prostrate together with his head partly inside a heat oven for a minimum of an hour or so till it was set.

Debbie Harry remembers one explicit event throughout these early years, once they hadn’t seen Clem for a couple of days, and it turned out he’d jetted over to the UK once more to buy groceries in London’s hipness epicentre of Soho for brand spanking new fits – one for every member of the band – and offered them on his return. He had additionally fallen in love with nascent r’n’b acts like Dr. Feelgood with their sharp fits, so determined that not simply their data, however the band’s look too, ought to inform his personal picture change. His meticulous consideration to element – doing every thing to make sure that the group’s picture was simply *so* – has earned him the unofficial mantle of the band’s unsung type guru – one thing which, in lots of different circumstances, could be virtually remarkable given how most bands’ drummers care little about such minutiae as presentation. However that is Clem we’re speaking about, and it’s these very foibles that make him so common and actually iconic.

This author has been so in awe of his look, his type and his irrepressible spirit and modus operandi all these years since that first TOTP look in February 1978, that, come the one fateful day once I lastly bought to fulfill him in particular person (of which extra later), I underwent what one can solely mildly name a ‘state of close to fan boy meltdown’ and had issues making an attempt to articulate myself.

A drummer at the beginning

Clem Burke by no means joined Blondie to be a songwriter. He was, in his personal phrases, a drummer at the beginning, and a drummer to the tip. And what an exemplary one at that. His imaginative and prescient for the band was determined: that he would merely be an integral contributor to securing success that he already (quietly) sensed would ultimately come. He lived the rock and roll dream 100%. Some would say that he most likely drummed in his sleep. He was exceptionally blessed with these game-changing attributes which have ensured his immortality even after his passing.

Blondie issued eleven albums between 1976 and 2017, and although all of them had varied members of the band penning the songs, in addition to – in later years post-2000s – many collaborative unions with outdoors songwriters in addition to visitor gamers, one notable absentee within the songwriting credit was, certainly, Clem Burke. Nevertheless, there’s one curious anomaly which can have been ignored by many. Though it’s extensively recognised that Clem performed little to no half in songwriting duties in any respect, he did partake in association and music of some tracks, and the one album the place his identify does seem within the credit as songwriter and arranger for the primary time is No Exit – the 1999 comeback album after 17 years hiatus.

Clem really co-wrote one observe on the album – Divine – with Kathy Valentine from the Go-Gos. He additionally options as music arranger on one other – Growth Growth In The Zoom Zoom Room – once more with Kathy. So in the end he seems to have damaged his duck and made his songwriting debut on a Blondie album. Nevertheless, that continues to be his sole cameo to the current day, nevertheless it’s nonetheless an fascinating little element to the touch upon nonetheless.

The Curse Of Mike Chapman

The primary two (decisively extra ‘avenue punk’ sounding) albums Blondie and Plastic Letters had been produced by Richard Gottehrer (with Craig Leon dealing with duties on two songs from the debut). Their third, breakthrough, mainstream-strafing monster Parallel Traces was the work of famend pop producer par excellence Mike Chapman. It went stratospheric, due to a mix of Chapman’s ruthless effectivity and strictness within the studio, and collective meltdowns from varied band members at having to do take after take after take to fulfill Chapman’s control-freak strategy to recording, bequeathing an ideal business pop document.

Understandably, Clem and different band members initially resented Chapman and his dictatorial methods, performing just like the over-officious college grasp berating his fees for not moving into line. To the band’s utter chagrin, the producer even had the nerve to criticise their enjoying throughout their many takes for the tracks on their third album, and deriding the band (initially) for being sloppy and never enjoying to their strengths.

In fact issues would quickly change over time, as little by little, after all of the squaring up and gnashing and wailing, the band admitted {that a} basic document was within the works because the preparations started to sound a lot tighter and extra concise – helmed by Chapman’s indeniable manufacturing nous. His legacy was plain: he was in spite of everything, the purveyor of the very most interesting of the early Nineteen Seventies glam pop acts of the UK just like the Candy, Mud and Suzi Quatro – collectively together with his writing associate Nicky Chinn scoring hit after hit for all three acts….and extra bands moreover. You merely don’t argue with that form of pedigree. However Clem initially wasn’t too pleased with Mike’s regimental boot camp manner. And one tune particularly actually bought up his again and – initially a minimum of – introduced on much more indignation than regular.

Right here’s Mike Chapman recounting (laughing) in an interview when speaking about Clem Burke: ‘Clem….. my god, Clem – he was uncontrolled! He was a massively gifted drummer for positive, however I needed to do one thing to rein that precociousness in!’
Even Chris Stein stated one thing comparable: ‘Clem had this angle that he was Keith Moon: eager to play each drum all the time!! It was a problem making an attempt to get him play less complicated and in time!’

And what Mike did was unprecedented in studio recording again then. He insisted Clem document every drum half individually – the kick, the snare, the hello hat, the cymbals and so forth….for the tune they had been engaged on at that juncture (Coronary heart Of Glass).  It was no manner for a maverick free-spirit like Clem to play any drum equipment, that was for sure. The explanation for this was that Mike wished to sync up a drum machine to offer the tune a extra consciously mechanical really feel – thus Clem must then play his half over it. The latter initially baulked at that concept, however Chapman insisted the equipment now be recorded in separate elements, thus started the painstaking process of doing a superbly easy drum half however in a really fragmented and time-consuming method. **

Apart from, Mike was additionally insistent that the tempo be completely exact and metronomic, and didn’t enable for any rushing up of the drum observe which he totally anticipated Clem would do because the tune progressed. Thus the drums had been ‘reduce and pasted’ right into a locked beat. That is what we hear on the primary observe – the 4-minute single edit, the prolonged 5.46 minutes 12-inch edit (which concludes with simply the wordless chorus merely looped for round 2 minutes to fade, with completely no variation in any respect).

Nevertheless, all will not be fairly what it appears. Regardless of Chapman avowing that this was how the drum observe was recorded and that he didn’t enable Clem any free rein on the drum equipment to play it naturally, the unique 3.54 album model of this tune (later CD variations changed it with the 12″ prolonged model) and particularly the particular remix (an extended 4.34 edit – video under) that graced 1981’s The Finest Of Blondie compilation suggests in any other case. Each these characteristic an instrumental outro whereby it’s clear that Clem has been granted the freedom of enjoying his drums as ‘regular’ …. Virtually as if the dam holding him again has been breached, he begins so as to add his signature accents and acrobatic fills on each bar, the type you hear him enjoying on different Blondie songs. Evidently he’s been allowed to go loopy and let rip on the drum equipment in spite of everything, because the observe fades.

Humorous what many years of hindsight does although, as a result of a lot later, reflecting again on the recording course of that birthed Parallel Traces, most of the band, Clem included, confirmed extra gratitude and humility by admitting how the expertise taught them rather a lot about self-discipline within the studio. Clem even retrospectively praised Chapman for exhibiting him that there was extra to recording the drums than simply bashing the fucking shit out of them – there was comparable to factor as subtlety and restraint – and it was a precious studying curve for him in his quest for self enchancment and adapting different completely different enjoying methods in step with varied new recording processes.

** Was Martin Hannett by any probability taking notes? Unlikely, however I ponder this as a result of this was virtually the very same course of (close to sufficient) he went by means of when recording one of many bands on Manufacturing facility throughout the very same time – particularly Unknown Pleasures by Pleasure Division (launched a yr later in 1979) whereby he instructed Steve Morris to have every drum and cymbal recorded individually in the identical manner by taking aside the drum equipment piece by piece. Uncanny coincidence certainly (though it must be stated Chapman didn’t go to the identical type of extremes by demanding Clem dismantle his equipment…).

Ever reliable perennial drummer for rent. 

The listing of bands and artists which have been blessed with Clem’s unimaginable stickwork is rattling close to exhaustive, studying like a veritable who’s who of recent rock and pop. Even earlier than Blondie’s first break up, he was contributing as visitor drummer with fellow ’80s duo the Eurythmics on their 1981 debut album In The Backyard, earlier than returning to the fold to finish his personal band’s (on the time) ultimate album The Hunter, which was launched in 1982, after which the group parted methods amid some appreciable inter-band tensions (crucially, Chris Stein was additionally fairly unwell by this level so the tip was inevitable). In fact, a couple of years later Clem was Eurythmics’ touring and studio drummer, that includes on the Revenge album and tour of 1986.

Following this stint, the stressed and ever-versatile Clem performed key roles in lots of different teams – notably enduring Detroit rockers The Romantics, fellow veteran CBGB storage act The Fleshtones, backing bands for Joan Jett, Pete Townshend, Iggy Pop, Johnny Thunders, Bob Dylan, and likewise a short stint with long-time contemporaries Ramones, deputising (for departed drummer Richie) on a few gigs beneath the alias Elvis Ramone. This seemingly tireless workaholic additionally then performed in several bands with former Intercourse Pistols members Steve Jones (Chequered Previous, between 1983-1985, which additionally featured former Blondie bandmate Nigel Harrison) and Glen Matlock (Worldwide Swingers, 2011-present), in addition to cameo stints with The Grownup Internet, and The Go-Gos.

As if that wasn’t sufficient, Clem additionally – extremely – starred because the token celeb drummer with Bootleg Blondie (self-declared ‘the world’s no. 1 Blondie tribute band’), enjoying and touring with them, even at one level reunited alongside his former colleague Gary Lachman, who additionally briefly had a stint with this London-based (and wonderful) tribute act which has gone from energy to energy over the past decade or so. In truth the core duo who initially conceived this band, married couple Andy and Debbie Harris (actual surname), struck up such a cordial working relationship with the ever reliable drum legend across the time of the pandemic in 2020-2021 that they’ve since been engaged on a rock opera about London, little question helped alongside immensely by Clem’s famend ardour for every thing to do with Britain’s music scenes.

Other than endorsing the sterling efforts of Bootleg Blondie, Clem stored busy enjoying and touring with one other lengthy established group of US rock veterans The Tearaways, returning to UK shores in 2023. It was solely after the band’s most up-to-date look on the Worldwide Beatles Competition in Liverpool, held throughout late August, that Clem joined ranks with them and performed on the hallowed Cavern Membership – who in fact host the annual shindig that unites Fab 4 followers worldwide – for the second time that yr (the primary event being in March 2023 at a present celebrating 45 years of Iggy Pop’s Lust For Life album, the place Clem shared star billing alongside luminaries Glen Matlock, Katie Puckrik and Kevin Armstrong).

A doctorate and UK ambassador for drumming too.

In 2011 Clem obtained a Honorary Doctorate from the College of Gloucestershire, UK, for his function in collaborating in a complete years-long research which he arrange in 2008 (named the Clem Burke Drumming Venture) together with two professors within the discipline of utilized sport science, Dr. Marcus Smith and Dr. Steve Draper, to research the therapeutic and bodily/psychological results and advantages of drumming on individuals of various ages and social backgrounds.

The conception of this mission arose after an preliminary analysis programme was began by Professor Smith in 1999, when Blondie first returned to nice public acclaim after 17 years absence within the wilderness. Clem was examined for his personal stamina ranges when drumming for a particular time frame and it was discovered that they had been similar to, and even surpassing, that of knowledgeable athlete or footballer. On condition that many concert events common round 90 minutes for a foremost set (the same size to the common soccer/soccer recreation), this was an enchanting perception into simply how strenuous on the physique’s metabolic price drumming may be.

Admirably, he really useful that instructional and well being organisations take into account reassessing bodily demanding musical actions – comparable to drumming – as a method of boosting the effectively being and confidence (in addition to health ranges) of its contributors, significantly within the circumstances of individuals throughout the autistic spectrum comparable to ADHD, but in addition equally relevant to anyone taking on drums as both a pastime or (skilled) profession.

Extra not too long ago, Clem was awarded an Honorary Physician of Music by Chichester College in 2022 for the above excellent achievements within the essential analysis they carried out over time into the correlation between drumming and human sciences, one thing which, up till that time, had by no means been correctly investigated or certainly understood. Consequently the college then established a ‘drumming lab’ – the primary of its form anyplace – to watch different drummers and the psychological/bodily results of their every day routines.

Weak In The Presence Of Godlike Greatness

It’s arduous for a shameless Clem-ophile like myself to not share my very own once-in-a-lifetime encounter with the legend himself once I was working at Liverpool’s Beatles Story customer attraction between 2007 – 2012. In August 2011, Blondie had been embarking on a (close to bought out) UK tour for the primary time in a number of years to advertise their latest album Panic Of Ladies – and had been enjoying the O2 Academy that first week, when Clem and a few his entourage paid their customary go to to the museum to purchase a couple of extra gadgets of Fab 4 merchandise. On condition that Clem is an obsessive Beatles fan, this was a given….however by no means in my wildest desires did I ever think about that sooner or later, while stood on the door welcoming guests from far and vast, that he would himself drop by.

I used to be advised by administration that we’d expect him to name in, and I used to be beside myself with pleasure and nervousness, having by no means seen them enjoying stay, not to mention meet them. Evidently, once I did come nose to nose with the legendary man, it was the same old fanboy gushing and awkward outpouring of garbled platitudes, thanking him and Blondie for being such an inspiration to my teenage years and galvanizing in me the will to start out enjoying drums similar to him.

He was so accommodating and by no means for one second behaved like a haughty rock star – pleased to talk and present a real curiosity in listening to about how I discovered to play all his drum licks on the singles and each observe on the album Parallel Traces. ‘Hey man, that’s so cool!’ he stated in return at one level and I virtually melted – a lot to the amusement of my youthful colleagues who had been stood by the admissions desk reeling off tickets to the queues of holiday makers.

I stated to him ruefully that I couldn’t make the Blondie present within the subsequent couple of days cos it was bought out. He then surprised me by asking if I wish to be placed on the visitor listing, as he could be very happy to get me and a buddy in to the gig if I left their administration with an electronic mail tackle. I used to be gobsmacked and completely elated, thanked him profusely, shook his hand, advised him how a lot I adored and worshipped the band all these years and that was it. I had this insane grin on my face for the remainder of the day. My colleagues most likely thought I’d swallowed some pleased biscuits.

True to his phrase, they did electronic mail me two days later and, together with my workmate Neringa, we took ourselves off to the O2 Academy that Tuesday night time, and to our disbelief and delight got AAA laminates. Entry All Areas! Wow! The venue was heaving, the temperature was sauna-like, however hell, I used to be excited as fuck, and so was my buddy Neringa as she had by no means seen the band earlier than both.

The band had been tighter than a gnat’s chuff and belted out all these evergreen hits I went doolally over all these teenage years again. Debbie was simply impeccable and in positive voice, Chris to her proper was his regular studied cool however in fact who was the opposite star of the present?! We had been as close to to seventh heaven because it was potential to be – 33 years it has taken me to lastly see Blondie in motion (what with being too younger in 1978 to catch them you perceive). Some bizarre serendipity to narrate: 33 years was additionally the age of Debbie Harry in 1978. She was twice that age at 66 now – right here standing on stage proper in entrance of us. However her look and voice was ageless. As for Clem – effectively, Clem additionally appeared perennially youthful and did every thing we anticipated him to do and for the encore he confirmed his loyalty to the truthful metropolis of Liverpool by sauntering again onto the drum riser sporting one of many 4 Beatles T-shirts he purchased at my office. Now that’s real love and dedication for you!

Following the set, we had been on the backstage after-show gathering the place Clem was already chatting to everyone as was his regular genial self. Debbie didn’t present up till some time later however when she did it was heart-a-flutter time another time. Like with Clem, I made some fast hushed complimentary small discuss and thanked her graciously, telling her how a lot I loved their present and what an absolute honour it was to fulfill all of them. Listening to her say the phrases ‘thanks’ in return was similar to…. oh my! Gently kissing her hand, I then backed off into the room and shortly caught up with Clem once more. I bought my buddy to pose with him for one solitary photograph, and when Neringa supplied to take one in every of me in return with my idol, I faltered, then – foolishly – declined. I couldn’t bear the considered him wanting so cool standing subsequent to a dork like me so I’ll now rue this misplaced alternative for the remainder of my life.

Because it transpired, I’ve solely had ONE photograph taken of me with a legendary rock drummer idol within the latest previous: Don Powell from Slade. That was in December 2019 at one other of my former workplaces: the British Music Expertise. I didn’t look too nice in that image both, all saggy jowls and untimely man-boobs poking by means of my t-shirt. However then that’s simply me, probably not the kind to get pleasure from seeing myself in photographs, I suppose.

A very singular expertise: liked, adored and now mourned by hundreds of thousands.

The information of his premature loss of life from most cancers (what a bastard that’s) despatched shockwaves all through the music world. I used to be totally surprised when my greatest buddy (like me, a lifelong Blondie and Clem fan) texted me with the three easy phrases on Monday afternoon: Clem Burke RIP. I used to be incredulous at first, pondering he was winding me up, however then as soon as it sank in, my head was in items. The shock was like a brick wall slamming into me. By no means earlier than has the passing of a well-known rock drummer affected me on this devastating, crushing method. Charlie Watts was most likely the closest – in August 2021. I adored Charlie too – he was a real class act for positive and, regardless of by no means being a Stones fan, I had numerous love, respect and admiration for the nice man, his cool persona and his debonair type. When he handed, I used to be fairly damned upset. A lot in order that I didn’t communicate to anyone for 3 days – completely consumed by my grief and mourning for the legendary determine.

However with Clem’s passing, it was way more profound and a hell of much more painful. Just because I appeared as much as him as my all time drummer hero in some ways, for the explanations outlined earlier, and for the easy proven fact that I additionally met him nose to nose again then in 2011 – in order that makes an enormous distinction and throws every thing into higher, starker significance. It appears unreal that he’s gone, as so many fellow musicians and legions of followers everywhere in the world (articulating their collective devastation and sharing their tributes and condolences on-line) have equally expressed.

The outpouring of grief has been phenomenal : it’s truthful to say that I don’t assume now we have ever seen such a colossal tsunami of united love and collective disappointment/shock for the lack of a contemporary modern drummer as now we have achieved for Clem. It actually does carry a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes each time I see these tributes on-line and all these pics being shared throughout the many years of this unimaginable drumming legend and figurehead to so many followers younger and previous. And nonetheless the tributes have been pouring in on-line, per week on from the day he left this planet rock. And nonetheless I’ve these tearful moments in reflection.

He simply appeared so boundlessly energetic, versatile, enthusiastic and totally indefatigable, residing his musical life to the total, to succumb to one thing as terrible as this. Perpetually youthful too, belying his 70 years by a ways, however as ever, the dreaded C-word doesn’t discriminate. It’s merciless and cruel. Too lots of our nice heroes in music, movie, artwork and literature have already been taken from us on this manner.

All of us genuinely believed that anyone as passionate, super-fit, ebullient, amiable and outgoing as Clem would by no means age, and thus be immortal. It’s subsequently a seismic shock to see that he’s now the primary of the basic Blondie line as much as have left us. Generally I ask that query: why is it all the time the drummer in a basic band that all the time goes first (on condition that solely weeks earlier we additionally misplaced Rick Buckler from The Jam; the nice John Bradbury from The Specials passing in December 2015 floored me too)?

Followers in every single place will in fact be remembering him by whacking on these basic timeless tunes and blasting them out at full quantity, and enjoying actual, or air, drums in respect of the nice man little question…… while Clem himself, now inducted into the nice drumming supergroup within the sky, might be hooking up with one of the best of the remainder of them: these equally liked and revered legends whose time was sadly up earlier than they even knew it. Of these, he can be particularly ecstatic to see Keith, Earl and Hal, however he might have to carry out a short while longer earlier than the equally irrepressible Ringo (85 this summer time) is able to be a part of him.

On the time of his loss of life two main undertakings have remained partly incomplete: his London Rock Opera with Debbie and Alan from Bootleg Blondie, and likewise the memoirs he was engaged on that he introduced to the world solely a few years in the past. Hopefully they are going to be realised and consummated ultimately and that followers in every single place will get to share in that ultimate couple of chapters of his already large legacy.

Godspeed and RIP Clem Burke – drumming celebrity and a a lot revered buddy to virtually everyone in rock. Perpetually additionally in my head, coronary heart and ears.

Clem’s formidable powerhouse drumming type and explosive punk rock power may be totally appreciated in his performances as seen within the ground-breaking Eat To The Beat video album:

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All phrases written by Martin Grey.  For different articles and critiques, test Martin’s profile right here