Paul Simonon (b. 1955)

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Biography

Paul Gustave Simonon is an English musician and artist best known as the bassist for the Clash. More recent work includes his involvement in the supergroup the Good, the Bad & the Queen and playing on the Gorillaz album Plastic Beach in 2010, which saw Simonon reunite with the Clash guitarist Mick Jones and Blur frontman Damon Albarn – and which also led to Simonon becoming the live band's touring bassist for Gorillaz's Escape to Plastic Beach Tour. Simonon is also an established visual artist.

In Their Own Words (2)

I've got one thing to say about being the bass player … I didn't want the role of being Entwhistle or Bill Wyman, stuck in the background. That's too depressing and if that was what I'd been offered with The Clash I would've turned it down. Maybe that's the nature of the job, or has been in the past; the bass player as the one that held the fort, so to speak, along with the drummer, letting every body else go lunatic. But, y'know — why can't we all be lunatics?

As quoted in Bassist magazine (October 1999) , 1999

What made a big difference was the open door policy we had. Anyone who wanted to come backstage could, and it was never a problem. I don't know whether other bands did that. It was good for us to meet people who had come to see the group and converse with them, ask them 'What's it like in your town? What, there are no clubs here? So what do you do?' It was about sharing information and it was good to know what was going on out there, and how people were dealing with their lives. And that spread right across the world.

As quoted in 3:AM magazine (1994) , 1994

Timeline

The story of Paul Simonon, told in moments.

1976 Event

Joined the Clash as bassist even though he couldn't play. Joe Strummer taught him. He learned by playing along to reggae records.

How do you join a band when you can't play bass? What was Joe Strummer like as a teacher? Why reggae records as your learning tool?

1979 Event

Smashed his Fender Precision Bass on stage at the Palladium in New York. Pennie Smith photographed the moment. That photo became the cover of London Calling.

What made you smash that bass at the Palladium? Did you know Pennie Smith was photographing it? How does it feel to be on the most famous punk album cover?

1986 Life

The Clash disbanded. Simonon returned to painting. He later played with the Gorillaz on Plastic Beach and formed the Good, the Bad & the Queen with Damon Albarn.

Was leaving the Clash a relief or a loss? Did painting feel like coming home? How was working with Damon Albarn different from Strummer?