Clem Burke: the legacy of a drummer who defined New York new wave
Cultural revolution has always thrived on the streets of New York City, and the 1970s was a prime example of that fact. While Times Square was dominated by seedy strip joints and cigarette smoke, a musical revolution was bubbling away in the East Village. Centred around the CBGB club, a vast array of defiant young musicians defined the sounds of punk rock and new wave, rebelling against the complacency of the mainstream. At the heart of that scene was Blondie and their faithful drummer Clem Burke.
Burke, who has passed away at the age of 70, originally hailed from New Jersey but was quickly adopted by the outcasts and misfits of New York City by the mid-1970s. The budding young musician had cut his teeth drumming for a variety of New Jersey-based cover bands during the late 1960s and early 1970s before landing on the radar of Chris Stein and Debbie Harry after relocating to New York. By 1975, Burke was providing the rhythmic enchantment of Blondie, becoming a CBGB legend in the process.
Blondie witnessed a plethora of different musicians joining its ranks throughout the years as the grassroots punk band moved effortlessly into styles of new wave, disco, and even hip-hop. However, the core of the group always centred around Harry, Stein, and Burke: a formidable trilogy that came to define the new wave sound. In fact, it was Burke who often acted as the glue which held Blondie together after Harry and Stein both considered folding after a few years of being gobbed at within the sweat-stained walls of New York’s punk clubs.
His drumming had an instantly recognisable quality to it, which spurred Blondie on to explore a multitude of different sounds throughout the years. Although they were often branded as ‘sell-outs’ – an insult that cuts deep within the punk sphere – the group’s move into disco and early new wave was a visionary act which changed the pop landscape indefinitely. Blondie had come from the squats and junkie hangouts of a forgotten neighbourhood in New York, but by the early 1980s, they were topping the singles chart on both sides of the Atlantic.
Anthems like ‘Call Me’, ‘Heart of Glass’, and ‘Atomic’ paved the way for countless future new wave groups, influencing the pop sounds of the 1980s massively. While it was invariably Debbie Harry in the spotlight, the pioneering musicianship of both Chris Stein and Clem Burke was utterly essential for the success of this groundbreaking group.
Over the years, Burke played on 11 studio albums by Blondie, ranging from their eponymous debut album in 1976 to 2017’s underrated masterpiece Pollinator. His work typified the band’s most successful period during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and yet Blondie was only one – admittedly extensive – chapter within his life as a drummer and musician.
Blondie disbanded in 1982, allowing its individual members to embark upon side projects and solo careers of varying success. During that time, Burke spread his artistic wings, lending his legendary drumming style to a whole host of different artists.
His list of collaborators reads like a who’s-who of the biggest names in global rock and alternative music, including the likes of Iggy Pop, Pete Townshend, Joan Jett, Eurythmics, and even Bob Dylan. He was also a regular drummer for Detroit garage rockers The Romantics for a period.
Perhaps one of the most interesting chapters in Burke’s collaborative career came in 1987 when he was recruited by fellow New York icons and CBGB alumni the Ramones. The story goes that the leather-clad punks became embroiled in a financial dispute with their drummer, Richie Ramone, who had taken over from Marky Ramone some years earlier. So, the band recruited their friend and comrade Clem Burke, under the pseudonym Elvis Ramone, to stand in while they found a suitable long-term replacement.
Reportedly, Burke’s skilled playing style was not very well attuned to the abrasive, lightning-fast delivery of the punks, so he only lasted two gigs with the band. Still, he was among the very few musicians who could truthfully claim to have been a Ramone.
Some decades later, Burke once again reverted to the punk world, forming the punk supergroup the International Swingers alongside The Sex Pistols’ Glen Matlock, Generation X guitarist James Stevenson, and Supernaut’s Gary Twinn. At the same time, he continued to record and perform with the reformed Blondie, as well as lending his skills to a host of other musical projects.
To say that Clem Burke was tireless in his work would be a gross understatement. From his very early years, the drummer worked tirelessly, and his extensive discography serves to reflect that fact. From pop masterpieces like Blondie’s new wave hits to more subversive and anarchic offerings with punk pioneers like Iggy Pop or The Ramones, his skills were diverse, adaptable, but always captivating.
In the wake of Clem Burke’s tragic death following a private battle with cancer, the music world is rightfully mourning his loss. However, the drummer’s extensive discography will remain a staunch reminder of his tireless and compelling work within the music industry, and it is a discography that is well worth revisiting. If you dig a little deeper than Parallel Lines, there are a multitude of hidden gems and forgotten classics on which Burke’s playing shines through.
