From The Archives: Julien Temple – Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten0

by Ryan Stewart

What would early punk be without its incestuous bickering? It was the initial refusal of Joe Strummer to allow a young Julien Temple into his inner circle in the mid-70s that first pushed the budding filmmaker towards the other great punk originators of the day, The Sex Pistols. That led to the creation of Temple’s two seminal Pistols documentaries, The Great Rock and Roll Swindle (which John Lydon loudly denounced for getting everything wrong) and The Filth and the Fury (made with his involvement and blessing).

When a movie was to be made in the mid-80s about the doomed affair of Sid and Nancy, director Alex Cox chose Strummer to write the film’s theme, much to the shock and chagrin of Lydon. Temple would then go on to record a commentary track for that film, in which he points out everything Cox gets wrong about the Pistols.

That said, who knows how many feathers will be ruffled by Temple’s new film, Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten. Actually, truth be told, not many. There’s no territory-marking in this one. The film is not an attempt to write new pages in the book of punk, but a considerate elegy to a friend. Strummer, of course, passed away in 2002 at the relatively young age of 50, leaving generations of Clash fans in mourning, not to mention countless friends and collaborators. This film is where they’ve all gathered to share their memories.

Read our exclusive interview with Julien Temple on SuicideGirls.com.