Topper Headon: the hidden “genius” in The Clash
As much as people will try to tell you that punk was all about having rebellious anti-establishment attitudes and less about musical proficiency, it’s hard to argue with the notion that The Clash, one of the acts at the forefront of the original punk explosion in the UK, were incredibly musically astute.
The band still very much aligned themselves with the ethos of punk, holding the same values as many of their contemporaries, focusing on authenticity as a major tenet of their identity, and possessing an angst-driven sound that demanded punchy delivery from all of their members. There’s no denying that The Clash had earned their punk credentials, but beneath these arguably superficial components were many things that set them apart from the crowd.
What made them stand head and shoulders above their competition was their acceptance of other movements that were happening at the same time, with the band developing a love of genres that were prominent within Black British culture, such as dub and reggae and fusing it with the guitar-heavy sound they’d established for themselves. There’s a reason why their third album, London Calling, is regarded not only as one of the finest punk albums of the era, but as a genuinely adventurous record that flirted with far more than what was expected of them.
This desire for greater musical exploration didn’t necessarily require the band to have a stronger sense of musicality, but it certainly helped them take this beyond a simple curiosity and develop it into a far more encompassing sound that transcended the realms of punk.
However, despite the majority of their material having been written by frontman Joe Strummer, the band had one secret weapon in their ranks, who was there to offer the killer touch to much of their material, especially on one song that has become one of their most enduring hits.
Though many people like to unfairly crack jokes about how drummers are ‘tone-deaf’ or ‘not real musicians’, it was Topper Headon who was responsible for bringing ‘Rock The Casbah’ to life in 1982 through his ingenious contributions, not just from behind the kit, but on other instruments.
“The real genius of ‘Rock The Casbah’ is Topper,” Strummer later proclaimed, praising the contribution of his bandmate, adding: “He banged down the drum track, then ran over to the piano and then the bass.” It wasn’t just these musical elements that he donated to the track, but Headon was also responsible for providing the lyrics to the song, with the themes covering the idea of musical freedom and liberation.
Despite his brilliance on this track and many others in the band’s repertoire, it would end up being one of Headon’s final contributions to the band, with him departing from the group shortly after due to his battles against drug addiction. For their subsequent tour in support of the Combat Rock album, he found himself being replaced by none other than his predecessor, Terry Chimes, who ironically appeared in the music video instead of him.
It’s probably fair to say that The Clash lost a real creative flair when they fired Headon, but then again, they pretty much lost everything else they had soon after, releasing Cut the Crap and subsequently calling it a day as a result of its appalling reception.
