Paul Simonon
Articles that feature Paul Simonon
Interview with Paul Simonon discussing the Clash's finances
Rolling Stone, April 16, 1981
Interview with Paul Simonon
Bassist Magazine, October 1999
A Classic Revisted
Written by Gregory Isola
"Just Call Me Pablo"
Written by Pat Gilbert
After The Clash disbanded, Paul went back to his original love: art. To check out some of his work, go here. He also briefly performed with Havana 3am, who released one self-titled album.
"Paul Simonon--well, he'd have to be the driveshaft, because it was his aesthetic sense, his knowledge of painting, his use of sculpture (especially the slabs of Carreran marble that characterized his bass playing) and pliocene sensuality--that visualized the band's look and touch." --- Lenny Kaye, Americlash, Fall 1991
"At Mick's Nan's council flat, Mick was trying to show me an E cord that changed into an A cord. I didn't have a clue and he didn't have a clue how to teach me. So after a few hours of complete frustration, we decided we should get hold of a bass, because it was only four strings and it was easier." ---Paul Simonon
Paul starts living at Rehearsals/So does his friend Sid Vicious...for a while/When no one else is around Paul practises his bass by playing along to the old reggae tunes on the jukebox like "Israelites" and "Wrong Em Boyo."
"I used to go over to Joe's squat and look at these great albums of Bo Diddley and Ronnie Hawkin's, but they never had the records in them...Years later when I had the money, I actually went out and bought them." ---Paul Simonon
"Paul Simonon plays bass, smiles a lot, lopes around like a grossly underfed gorilla on a vitamin B and methedrine cure for malnutrition and catches the fancy of more women than the rest of the band put together - Patti Smith, for example." ---Pete Silverton, The Clash: Greatness From Garageland
"When people say that we're a political band, what they usually mean, I gather, is that we're political in the way of, like, left and right - politics with a capital 'P,' right? But really, it's politics with a small 'p,' like personal politics. When somebody says, 'You can't do that,' we think you should stand up and ask why, and not go, 'Well, all right.'" ---Paul Simonon