Book excerpt: Joe Strummer and the Legend of The Clash provides a personal insight into the life of Joe Strummer, lead singer of pivotal punk band The Clash. Since his untimely death in 2002 Joe Strummer has been mourned as a rock'n'roll icon. The enormous sense of loss felt at his death reinforced the importance of The Clash. As time goes by the band just seem to grow in terms of influence and impact; they changed the shape of music and established a benchmark for how exciting a rock band can be. In Joe Strummer and the Legend of The Clash, author and journalist Kris Needs tells the story of The Clash with a special focus on Joe Strummer - his life history, his personal passions and his politics. Kris Needs combines his own anecdotes and press reports, plus exclusive interviews with Joe's closest friends, who include Mick Jones, his songwriting partner in The Clash and Don Letts the punk filmmaker, to breathe life into the legend that was Joe Strummer and The Clash. As a young journalist on tour with all of punk's biggest names, Kris forged life-long friendships with all the scene's key figures, while witnessing their unbelievable exploits first-hand. One of the first journalists to see The Clash live, Kris championed the band from the start, becoming close friends with Joe Strummer and the rest of the group, accompanying them on many major tours, and being present at pivotal moments in their career. Weaving in his own material from the era, with a wealth of biographical detail, Needs illuminates Joe's story with accounts of life-changing gigs, on-the-road antics and the recording sessions that produced classic music. Needs looks at Joe's motivations and passions, by drawing on his own experiences with him throughout their friendship, providing an insight into the beliefs and ideals that resonate in The Clash's music. Joe Strummer and the Legend of The Clash conveys the white-hot excitement of their gigs and the intense emotions their music caused, while providing an account of the life and times of Joe Strummer, a true punk pioneer.