Keith Levene, founding member of the Clash, dies at 65



Innovative publish-punk instrumentalist became an authentic subordinate of the Clash earlier than founding PiL with John Lydon and Jah Wobble

Keith Levene, left, with John Lydon successful 1981. Photograph: Mirrorpix/Getty ImagesKeith Levene, left, with John Lydon successful 1981. Photograph: Mirrorpix/Getty ImagesVanessa Thorpe and Dave SimpsonSat 12 Nov 2022 thirteen.14 EST

Keith Levene, the modern guitarist who go a laminitis subordinate of some the Clash and Public Image Ltd, has died connected the property of sixty five.

Levene, who had liver cancer, died astatine his home successful Norfolk , leaving a long-lasting bequest of person an effect connected on British stone track.

His person an effect connected on the submit-punk tune country was hailed by mode of musicians arsenic accusation of his demise broke. Among his lovers is Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, who erstwhile defined his benignant arsenic “magnificent”, announcing “he explored the opportunities of what you tin bash with the guitar”.

Forming the Clash with guitarist Mick Jones and bassist Paul Simonon whilst helium go champion 18, it turned into Levene, alongside the band’s manager, Bernard Rhodes, who requested Joe Strummer, frontman with the 101ers astatine the time, to enroll successful them. Luckily for the Clash, Strummer had simply seen the Sex Pistols play astatine the Nashville Rooms successful London and had turn to beryllium convinced that punk changed into the mode ahead.

Levene, who changed into calved Julian Levene successful Muswell Hill, northbound London, remained successful the Clash lengthy capable to look successful aboriginal gigs and to marque contributions to songs, on with What’s My Name connected their 1977 debut album. But helium grew different than the Clash’s progressively much governmental absorption and went straight to greater accomplishment with PiL.

When the Sex Pistols disbanded successful January 1978, vocalist John Lydon (previously called Johnny Rotten) and Levene fashioned the caller set with bass subordinate John Wardle (known arsenic Jah Wobble). “John made a sensible penchant getting Keith,” Wobble stated successful 2012.

Their archetypal album, Public Image: First Issue, reached No 22 successful 1978 and changed into preceded by the accepted azygous Public Image, which reached the Top 10. Their 2d album, 1979’s Metal Box, is seemed arsenic a publish-punk traditional. With assorted drummers, the lineup took innovative caller sorts of publish-punk, dub, freeform jazz and classical opus into the Top 20.

Levene stated successful 2012: “People thought I became classically trained, which became bollocks. I knew the E chord, and ventured into E minor. We laid the tune retired connected a sheet for Lydon. He was precise hep astatine the clip and did honestly due paintings.” He played synthesiser connected 1981’s The Flowers Of Romance, which go his closing launched paintings with PiL, but helium played with Wobble erstwhile much successful adjacent years.

In 2021, the website the Quietus described him arsenic “one of the architects of the publish-punk sound, his guitar manner occupying a abstraction among angular abrasion and pa opulence”.

Levene loved gathering guitars and person been moving connected a ebook astir PiL with writer Adam Hammond. His companion, Kate Ransford, who, with his sister, Jill Bennett, and her hubby person been with him successful his last hours, stated helium had died “peacefully, settled, snug and cherished”. The ellipse of relatives person asked for privacy.

The dying is the 2nd 1 precocious illustration nonaccomplishment to stone tune to were announced successful 24 hours. A spokesperson revealed connected Friday that Nik Turner, the co-founder of the British area-rock set Hawkwind, had died astatine 82.

Announcing the nonaccomplishment of beingness of the Oxford-born multi-instrumentalist, a announcement released connected societal media said that “the Mighty Thunder Rider” had “passed distant peacefully astatine home,” including: “He has moved onto the consequent signifier of his cosmic adventure, guided by mode of the emotion of his ain family, pals, and lovers.”

When Turner was 13, his household moved to Margate, Kent, the municipality wherever helium go archetypal exposed to stone track. After a duration wrong the merchant army, helium travelled and worked astir Europe, studying the saxophone successful his aboriginal 20s.

In Berlin, helium was delivered to escaped jazz and, person go convinced that self-expression successful opus became other captious than method. “I determined that what I desired to bash changed into play escaped jazz successful a stone band. What I was looking to bash successful Hawkwind, essentially,” helium told Mojo magazine successful 1999.