Topper Headon

Last updated

Topper Headon
Topper2018.jpg
Headon in 2018
Background information
Birth nameNicholas Bowen Headon
Also known asTopper
Born (1955-05-30) 30 May 1955 (age 69)[ citation needed ]
Bromley, Kent, England
Genres Jazz, soul, R&B, rock, punk rock, reggae, rock and roll
Occupation(s)Drummer
Years active1973–present

Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon (born 30 May 1955)[ citation needed ] is an English drummer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer of punk rock band The Clash. Known for his contributions to the drumming world, Headon was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of The Clash in 2003.

Contents

He joined The Clash in 1977 and became famed for his drumming skills. He received his nickname owing to his resemblance to Mickey the Monkey from the Topper comic.

Early life

Headon spent his early childhood in Crockenhill, northwest Kent, before attending Dover Grammar School for Boys. [1] He started playing drums at an early age and was a jazz fan, citing Billy Cobham as a strong influence. In 1973, he joined the cult progressive rock outfit Mirkwood. He appeared with them for a year and a half, and they supported major acts such as Supertramp. He later played with a band that opened for American R&B legends the Temptations [2] and admits to falsely claiming that he played with the Temptations. [3]

The Clash

I knew Mick [Jones] a year and half ago. For a week I played with the London SS. I really wanted to join the Clash. I want to give them even more energy than they've got – if that's possible.

—Topper Headon [4]

Originally Headon had joined the Clash in 1977 with the intention of establishing a reputation as a drummer before moving on to other projects, [2] but he soon realised their full potential and remained with them for four-and-a-half years. His first live performance was at Le Chartreux Cinema, Rouen, France on April 26, 1977. Headon appeared on the albums Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978), The Clash (1979 US version), London Calling (1979), Sandinista! (1980) and Combat Rock (1982), as well as several landmark singles the Clash recorded during their early period. He performed lead vocal on "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe" from Sandinista! and composed most of the music and played drums, piano and bass guitar on the hit single "Rock the Casbah" from Combat Rock. He also appeared on Super Black Market Clash (1993), which included B-sides from the band's single releases.

Clash singer/guitarist Joe Strummer said Headon's drumming skills were a vital part of the band. [3] Tensions rose between Headon and his fellow band members due to his addiction, and he left the band on 10 May 1982, at the beginning of the Combat Rock tour. The band covered up the real reason for Headon's departure, the apparent growing use of heroin, claiming Headon's exit was due to exhaustion. [2] Strummer had even asked Headon once: "How can I be singing anti-drug songs with you sitting behind me?" [5]

In a later interview for the rockumentary The Clash: Westway to the World , he apologised for his addiction and speculated that, had he not been asked to leave the Clash, the band might have lasted longer and might possibly still be together. [3] He also lamented that the best known Clash line-up had been considering a reunion at the time of Strummer's death, after the positive reunion during the Westway to the World rockumentary. [3]

After the Clash

After leaving the Clash, he was considered as drummer in Mick Jones's post-Clash band Big Audio Dynamite [2] and played in a short-lived group called Samurai, with bassist Pete Farndon, guitarist Henry Padovani, organist Mick Gallagher, and vocalist Steve Allen (formerly of Deaf School). [6] Headon subsequently focused on recording a solo album, Waking Up (1986), [7] which featured Mick Gallagher, Bobby Tench and Jimmy Helms. [8] He also released a cover version of the Gene Krupa instrumental "Drumming Man" as a single, which featured Headon's "DuKane Road" on the B-side. His own composition "Hope for Donna" was included on the Mercury Records sampler Beat Runs Wild, in the same year. [9] During the 1980s Headon produced albums for New York band Bush Tetras. In 1989 he contributed drums to the punk rock band Chelsea's Underwraps (1989).

During the late 1980s Headon drove mini-cabs to finance his heroin addiction, and later busked on the London Underground with bongo drums. [10]

After a live show in 2002, he was informed of the death of Clash frontman Joe Strummer. An emotional Headon stated:

It's taken Joe's death to make me realise just how big the Clash were. We were a political band and Joe was the one who wrote the lyrics. Joe was one of the truest guys you could ever meet. If he said 'I am behind you', then you knew he meant it 100 percent. [11]

Headon was extensively interviewed for the Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten documentary film about the late Clash frontman, which was released in 2007. Headon related his experiences during this period, how he became addicted to heroin and how there were problems before his dismissal. Headon also stated that seeing the video of "Rock the Casbah" with "someone else (Terry Chimes) in my place playing my song" caused him to fall in even greater depression and heavier drug addiction.[ citation needed ]

On 11 January 2008, he performed with Carbon/Silicon at the Carbon Casino Club in Portobello London, being included with the line-up of Mick Jones, Tony James, Leo Williams and Dominic Greensmith. Headon joined the band on stage during the Clash's "Train in Vain (Stand by Me)". An encore followed with Headon playing drums on "Should I Stay or Should I Go". This performance marked the first time since 1982 that Headon and Jones had performed together on stage. [12] [13] [14]

In a February 2008 newspaper article Headon revealed that in 2003 he started to experience serious back pain, a frequent complaint of ageing rock drummers. Diagnosed with hyperkyphosis, a forward curvature of the back, he underwent intense posture adjustment treatment and continues to exercise daily. He notes that, on his recent appearance with Jones, he exhibited his new upright stance.

At some point in the 1980s, Headon contracted Hepatitis C, which, along with his alcohol intake, led to severe liver problems. Headon successfully underwent interferon treatment for his hepatitis in 2007 and became a spokesman for the Hepatitis C Trust. [10]

The BBC featured Headon in a February 2009 feature on drumming as therapy. He shares some of his story in a brief video interview. [15] In 2012 Headon was interviewed by fellow drummer Spike Webb, sharing stories from his years drumming for The Clash and his experience writing 'Rock The Casbah'. [16]

Actor Alex Gold portrayed Headon in the 2016 film London Town , which tells the story of a Clash-obsessed teenager who crosses paths with Joe Strummer by happenstance in 1979 and finds his life changing as a result. [17] Reviews were mostly negative.

Drumming style

As a drummer, Headon often employed a distinctive style which emphasised a simple bass-snare up-down beat, accentuated with closed hi-hat flourishes. Such a method can be found in the songs "Clash City Rockers", "Clampdown", "Train in Vain", and "Lost in the Supermarket". His drumming on "Train in Vain" has been characterised as one of the most important and distinctive beats in rock music. [18] Scott Kenemore of PopMatters writes, "his contribution to the music was tremendous, and his drumming remains an undiscovered treasure for too many." [18]

Discography

With the Clash

Solo discography

Topper Headon has released one studio album, one EP, and three singles as a solo artist and featured on several other artists' albums.

Studio albums

YearTitle Record labelNotes
1986 Waking Up Mercury 826 779-1with guitarist Bobby Tench [19]
1986Beat Runs Wild Mercury Mercury Records sampler. Topper Headon features on track B5. "Hope for Donna"

EPs

YearTitle LabelNotes
1985Leave It To Luck / East Versus West / Got To Get Out of This Heat S.O.S / Casablanca Mercury with guitarist Bobby Tench

Singles

YearTitleAlbum AUS [20] Label
1985"Drumming Man"97 Mercury
1986"Leave It To Luck" Waking Up -
1986"I'll Give You Everything" Waking Up - Mercury

Notes

  1. ↑ Finlay, Simon (25 August 2013). "Topper Headon: why the Clash has reunited". Folkestone Herald. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Prato, Greg. "Topper Headon > Biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved 12 December 2007. a) Sandy Pearlman dubbed Headon "The Human Drum Machine," due to his impeccable timing and skills.
    b) Headon grew up a soul and jazz fan (an early influence was ace fusion drummer Billy Cobham), and he was once a member of a local group that opened a show for The Temptations.
    c) Headon's original plan was to stay with the Clash for only a year – which he figured would give enough time to get his name known so he could move on to another more "suitable" group. Headon quickly realised that the group was not just a one-dimensional punk band, as they branched out and touched upon a wide variety of styles – all the while never losing sight of their original punk ideals.
    d) a heroin addiction had drawn a wedge between Headon and the rest of his bandmates.
    e) After a planned reunion with Jones (who was expelled from the Clash himself a year after Headon's dismissal) in the group Big Audio Dynamite failed to work out, Headon focused on recording a solo album.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Letts, Don; Rick Elgood, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon, Terry Chimes, The Clash (2001). The Clash: Westway to the World (Documentary). New York, NY: Sony Music Entertainment; Dorismo; Uptown Films. Event occurs at 37:00–39:00. ISBN   0-7389-0082-6. OCLC   49798077.
  4. ↑ Coon 1977.
  5. ↑ Wyman, Bill (11 October 2017). "All 139 the Clash Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best". Vulture. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  6. ↑ Padovani, Henry (2009). Secret Police Man. Pen Press. pp. 6–8. ISBN   978-1-907172-83-0.
  7. ↑ Robbins, Ira. The Trouser Press record guide. Collier Books. p. 135.
  8. ↑ Heibutzki, Ralph. "Topper Headon/Waking up". allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 April 2009.
  9. ↑ Cooke, Brandon; Pete Shelley, Tom Verlaine, Topper Headon, Hipsway, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Wet Wet Wet, Love and Money, Swing Out Sister, Zerra One (1986). Beat Runs Wild (LP recording). London: Mercury. OCLC   51782857.
  10. 1 2 Lucas, Mark (28 June 2009). "'I forgive you': The Clash's drummer Topper Headon makes peace with the man who sacked him". The Independent. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  11. ↑ "Celebrity Tributes to Joe Strummer". strummernews.com. Archived from the original on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2007. It's taken Joe's death to make me realise just how big the Clash were. We were a political band and Joe was the one who wrote the lyrics. Joe was one of the truest guys you could ever meet. If he said 'I am behind you', then you knew he meant it 100 percent.
  12. ↑ Harper, Simon (12 January 2008). "The Carbon Casino – The Clash reunited! Pair jam after 25 years". Clash Music. Retrieved 15 January 2008. For the first night of their six-week residency in West London's Inn on the Green, Carbon/Silicon had promised surprises, but few had realised that meant the reunion of Mick Jones and the powerhouse drummer of The Clash, Topper Headon.
  13. ↑ "Clash members Topper Headon and Mick Jones reunite on stage". Punknews.org. 13 January 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2008. For the first time in 25 years, former Clash members Mick Jones and Topper Headon have shared the stage together. The reunion took place at Carbon/Silicon's "Carbon Casino" residency, and comes five years after Mick joined Joe Strummer on stage at the Brixton Academy.
  14. ↑ "The Clash's Mick Jones and Topper Headon reunite after 25 years". NME. UK. 14 January 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2008. Clash drummer joins Carbon/Silicon at London show
  15. ↑ "Can our natural rhythm heal us?". BBC. 10 February 2000. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  16. ↑ "Topper Headon (The Clash) talks about 'Mad, Bad and Dangerous'". YouTube. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  17. ↑ "See Jonathan Rhys Meyers Play Joe Strummer in 'London Town' Trailer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  18. 1 2 Kenemore, Scott (21 March 2007). "All Talk and No Stick". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 25 March 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2007. a) Rock fans everywhere recognise his opening beat to the Mick Jones song "Train in Vain". A typical example of Topper's excellent work, the beat is both catchy and deceptively complicated.
    b) Despite his personal failings, his contribution to the music was tremendous, and his drumming remains an undiscovered treasure for too many.
  19. ↑ "Bob Tench at Allmusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  20. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 136. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Audio Dynamite</span> British musical group formed in 1984

Big Audio Dynamite were an English band, formed in London in 1984 by Mick Jones, former lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the Clash. The band mixed various musical styles, incorporating elements of punk rock, dance music, hip hop, reggae, and funk. After releasing a number of well-received studio albums and touring extensively throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Big Audio Dynamite broke up in 1997. In 2011, the band embarked on a reunion tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Clash</span> English punk rock band

The Clash were an English rock band that formed in London in 1976 and were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they used elements of reggae, dub, funk, ska, and rockabilly, and they contributed to the post-punk and new wave movements that followed punk. For most of their recording career, the Clash consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Joe Strummer, lead guitarist and vocalist Mick Jones, bassist Paul Simonon, and drummer Nicky "Topper" Headon.

Terence Chimes is an English musician, best known as the original drummer of punk rock group The Clash. He played with them from July 1976 to November 1976, January 1977 to April 1977, and again from May 1982 to February 1983 both preceding and succeeding his replacement Topper Headon. Chimes also drummed for Generation X from 1980 to 1981, Hanoi Rocks in 1985, and Black Sabbath from 1987 to 1988. In 2003, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Clash.

<i>The Clash</i> (album) 1977 studio album by The Clash

The Clash is the debut studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash, released on 8 April 1977 through CBS Records. Recorded and mixed over three weeks in February 1977 for £4,000, it would go on to reach No. 12 on the UK charts, and has been included on many retrospective rankings as one of the greatest punk albums of all time.

<i>Give Em Enough Rope</i> 1978 studio album by the Clash

Give 'Em Enough Rope is the second studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash, released on 10 November 1978 through CBS Records. It was their first album released in the United States, preceding the US version of the self-titled studio album. The album was well received by critics and fans, peaking at number two in the United Kingdom Albums Chart, and number 128 in the Billboard 200. The album is tied with Combat Rock (1982) for being the highest-charting album for the Clash in their native United Kingdom.

<i>Sandinista!</i> 1980 studio album by the Clash

Sandinista! is the fourth studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side. It crosses various genres including funk, reggae, jazz, gospel, rockabilly, folk, dub, rhythm and blues, calypso, disco, and rap. For the first time, the band's songs were credited to the Clash as a group, rather than to Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. The band agreed to a decrease in album royalties in order to release the 3-LP at a low price.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Simonon</span> English musician and artist (born 1955)

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.

The 101ers were a pub rock band from the 1970s playing mostly in a rockabilly style, notable as being the band that Joe Strummer left to join The Clash. Formed in London in May 1974, the 101ers made their performing debut on 7 September at the Telegraph pub in Brixton, under the name 'El Huaso and the 101 All Stars'. The name would later be shortened to the '101 All Stars' and finally just the '101ers'. The group played at free festivals such as Stonehenge, and established themselves on the London pub rock circuit prior to the advent of punk.

<i>Combat Rock</i> 1982 studio album by the Clash

Combat Rock is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Clash, released on 14 May 1982 through CBS Records. In the United Kingdom, the album charted at number 2, spending 23 weeks in the UK charts and peaked at number 7 in the United States, spending 61 weeks on the chart. The album was propelled by drummer Topper Headon's "Rock the Casbah" which became a staple on the newly launched MTV. Combat Rock continued the influence of funk and reggae like previous Clash albums, but also featured a more radio-friendly sound which alienated Clash fans. While the recording process went smoothly, the producing process of the album was tiring and full of infighting between Mick Jones and Joe Strummer. Headon's heroin addiction grew worse and he slowly became distant from the band while Strummer and bassist Paul Simonon reinstated Bernie Rhodes as manager, a move unwelcomed by Jones. The band had disagreed on the creative process of the album and called in Glyn Johns to produce the more radio-friendly sound of Combat Rock. Lyrically, Combat Rock focuses on the Vietnam War, postcolonialism, the decline of American society, and authoritarianism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock the Casbah</span> 1982 single by The Clash

"Rock the Casbah" is a song by the English punk rock band The Clash, released in 1982 as the second single from their fifth album, Combat Rock. It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and, along with the track "Mustapha Dance", it also reached number eight on the dance chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist)</span> British musician and singer (born 1955)

Michael Geoffrey Jones is a British musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer best known as co-founder and lead guitarist of punk rock band the Clash, until his dismissal by frontman Joe Strummer in 1983. In 1984, he formed Big Audio Dynamite with Don Letts. Jones has played with the band Carbon/Silicon along with Tony James since 2002 and was part of the Gorillaz live band for a world tour in 2010–2011. In late 2011, Jones collaborated with Pete Wylie and members of the Farm to form the Justice Tonight Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais</span> 1978 single by The Clash

"(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a 7-inch single, with the b-side "The Prisoner", on 16 June 1978 through CBS Records.

<i>The Clash: Westway to the World</i> 2000 British film

The Clash: Westway to the World is a 2000 documentary film about the British punk rock band The Clash. In 2003 it won the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Clash discography</span>

The discography of the British punk rock band the Clash consists of six studio albums, two extended plays, two live albums and 31 singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Complete Control</span> 1977 single by The Clash

"Complete Control" is a song by The Clash, released as a 7" single and featured on the U.S. release of their debut album.

"I'm So Bored with the U.S.A." is a song by British punk rock band the Clash, featured on their critically acclaimed 1977 debut album, which was released in the United States in July 1979 as their second album after Give 'Em Enough Rope. It was the album's third track in the original version and second in the US version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Gun (song)</span> 1978 single by The Clash

"Tommy Gun" is a song by the British punk rock band The Clash, released as the first single from their second album Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Magnificent Seven (song)</span> 1981 single by the Clash

"The Magnificent Seven" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash. Released in 1981, it was the third single from the Clash's fourth album, Sandinista!. It reached number 34 on the UK Singles Chart.

The Clash were an English rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk rock, they experimented with reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap and rockabilly. For most of their recording career, The Clash consisted of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, and Paul Simonon, with Terry Chimes or Nicky "Topper" Headon on drums and percussion. The band features in several documentaries and other films.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.