In Memoriam: Clem Burke (1954-2025)
Briefly interrupting editing work on The Book to celebrate the greatest drummer out of all the early CBGB bands.
📷 Pic: Rick Mattingly
“Clem was not just a drummer; he was the heartbeat of Blondie,” Blondie’s official Instagram said this morning of Clem Burke, whose wildly Keith Moon-inflected sticksmanship drove the most poptastic of early CBGB bands their entire career. The native of Bayonne, New Jersey succumbed today to what his bandmates termed “a private battle with cancer.” He was 70.
Even a partial list of all the bands who employed Burke’s drumming would be overwhelming. Blondie’s IG post noted he’d slammed the skins for “Eurythmics, Ramones, Bob Dylan, Bob Geldof, Iggy Pop, Joan Jett, Nancy Sinatra, Chequered Past, The Fleshtones, The Romantics, Dramarama, The Adult Net, The Split Squad, The International Swingers, L.A.M.F., Empty Hearts, Slinky Vagabond, and even the Go-Go’s.”
Nowhere were his prodigious percussive gifts and infectious spirit more evident than in this clip from Blondie’s 1979 Midnight Special appearance. Playing their most punk rock track, “Dreaming,” Burke invents and embellishes all over his Premiere kit, immaculately turned out in the finest of latter day Mod wear. He looked like he was having the time of his life. (Hint: He probably was.)
As he told NME’s Roy Carr in 1979, “In 1976, I used to wear much the same clothes I’m wearing now. [Which Carr noted was a single-breasted green mohair suit.] People used to come up to me and ask why I dressed the way I did. I told them I was getting prepared for 1979. Well, here I am. And the fact that I was right has given me as much personal satisfaction as anything else Blondie has achieved.
“What happened in Britain a few years ago proves that music goes hand-in-hand with image,” concluded Burke. Two years earlier, in a New York Rocker piece by another writer named “Roy”---this time Roy Trakin—he mused, “I do what I do because I was always a big fan. The ultimate fan transcends fandom and does it himself.”
Not only was Burke a fan of the crucial mid-’60s pop/rock ‘n’ roll firmament—The British Invasion and homegrown garage and bubblegum sounds—but he was, alongside the rest of Blondie, swept up in the glittery storm the New York Dolls kicked up downtown. He once told Hit Parader magazine Jerry Nolan served as a shiny beacon to him, mostly because Nolan kept a steady, dynamic beat/groove while “dripping with badges and scarves and crap.”
This is not to say Burke sacrificed the music for the image. He was a lot more Nolan than Moon, his admitted overriding influence. For all Moon’s flash and brilliance, he couldn’t keep time to save his hide. Burke, meanwhile, syncopated and played rolls all over his kit constantly, like Moon. Except his time was impeccable. Just like Nolan, whose percussive North Star was Big Band monster Gene Krupa.
So, yeah. The music was everything to Burke. There’s a legendary anecdote about him heading directly from the airport to Debbie Harry and Chris Stein’s loft following a 1976 junket to England. He headed straight to the turntable, at this welcome home party in his honor, and dropped on the latest Dr. Feelgood album. That was the soundtrack the rest of the night, as the cream of the New York scene of the moment—including several Ramones and Heartbreakers—listened in awe.
As much as Burke admired Nolan, it’s surprising he was not contacted to deputize for the great man when the Dolls reformed in 2004. Fortunately, when Heartbreakers guitarist Walter Lure played a series of shows reviving their old repertoire with a loose cast called L.A.M.F., he had the good sense to call Nolan’s most logical successor. 21st century Austin punk specialists The Oxys’ leader Ginchy recalled at Facebook this morning witnessing an L.A.M.F. rehearsal.
“Clem was directing traffic and clearly knew the songs better than anyone, including Walter!” he wrote. “He was working the band hard and making all the calls. It was at this very moment [that] my eyebrows went up and I said to myself, ‘Wow, this guy really has his shit together!’” Which is why Ginchy concluded that Burke was “one of the most amazing drummers ever. A true professional and always in command of the situation.”
Which is why the world’s beat is a little less steady, explosive, and impeccable today. One of the greatest drummers and citizens of this planet is gone. His absence is immediately felt. “His talent, energy, and passion for music were unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable,” Blondie’s IG dispatch continued. “His vibrant spirit, infectious enthusiasm and rock solid work ethic touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.”
For my part, I just have to put on the scratchy 45 of “Dreaming” I purchased in 1979 and listen to the epic solo that is the song’s drum track. That solo drives the song, the band, the world. But it wasn’t actually a solo, was it? Not really. It was his part, and it fit the song. This was Clem Burke’s genius in a nutshell. He also may have been the coolest looking punk musician this side of Johnny Thunders or Paul Simonon.
R.I.P., sir. We salute you.
Sorry for the radio silence on The 'Stack these past two weeks. The Book has been relentless, and it’s been eating up all my time and energy. But the good news is we’re nearly there—about eight interviews left, and I’m two weeks out from finishing all the book work. Once it’s done, The ‘Stack’ll be back with a vengeance. Thanks for sticking with me!
#TimNapalmStegall #TimNapalmStegallSubstack #ClemBurke #Blondie #PunkRock #CBGB #DrummingLegends #RockAndRoll #RIP #Dreaming #KeithMoon #JerryNolan #NewYorkDolls #WalterLure #Ginchy #TheOxys #Heartbreakers #CBGBHistory #PunkJournalism #AnarchyInTheStudio #MusicTribute #PunkAndBeyond #SubscribeNow #ReaderSupportedMedia
This hits home. I only crossed paths with him once, but he was a total and complete gent....
Well Done Tim. I totally see the Nolan / Burke connection, but never thought of it til now. They were too flashy NY area drummers who could easily upstage the front line - and often did. But both had the chops to back up the looks. I love his playing and always will.