The various members of The Clash did not sit still after the dissolution of the punk trailblazers in the mid-80s. Joe Strummer embarked on a career that took in solo material, collaborations and soundtrack work, Mick Jones formed Big Audio Dynamite, Paul Simonon formed Havana3am and made an album with Bob Dylan, whilst Topper Headon played in various groups, eventually overcoming the heroin addiction that got him fired from The Clash in the first place.
Despite the fallings out that brought the band to a close, though, The Clash members would often cross paths in the years after their split, working together, recording together, hanging out. But there was never a Clash reunion, something that was forever put to rest with the death of Strummer in 2002. In an interview last year, Simonon said it never really came up between them and he had no regrets that The Clash had never played together one more time. “I felt we’d done our job in a way,” he said. “B.A.D. were so groundbreaking I didn’t feel there was any need for Mick to do it and I don’t think Joe would have been happy retreading steps that he’d made already. I didn’t really see much point. Obviously, it meant a lot to so many people and it meant a lot to us, but I think we were always more concerned with protecting The Clash’s legacy rather than squandering it. Move on, make something new. It’s healthy to do that.”
