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Clem Burke Never Stopped Drumming
When I heard of the untimely death of Clem Burke, the versatile drummer from Blondie, I asked my Alexa to play “Dreaming,” the band’s hit from 1979. This track is one of Burke’s quintessential performances: a machine-like thunder of rolls and crashes that takes the simple song to a higher sonic level. From the opening count to the end of the tune, he doesn’t stop. And throughout his career, he never did.
Clement Anthony Bozweski, raised in the Jersey town of Bayonne directly across the river from New York City, was born to drum. The son of a professional drummer, he was seemingly always part of the music scene in his hometown, a member of the St. Andrew’s Bridgeman Drum and Bugle Corps at a young age. He often said he played “the streets of New York before I ever got to high school.”
Like many of the mid-late 70’s New York musicians, Clem fell in with the post-punk band scene coming out of the NYC clubs like CBGBs and Max’s Kansas City. Answering an advert in the Village Voice for a drummer placed by two relentless musicians, Debbie Harry (a Jersey girl herself) and Brooklynite guitarist Chris Stein, he knew he’d met the right people. “I was on a quest to find the perfect lead singer. I always say that when I met Debbie, I sort of found my Mick Jagger.”
The three bonded over their mutual admiration for Bowie, Iggy Pop, the Velvet Underground, and his biggest hero, Keith Moon of the Who. While on stage in 1978, he learned of Moon’s untimely passing that day. Burke ended Blondie’s set by kicking his drums into the crowd and shouting, “That’s for Keith Moon- the greatest drummer in the world!”
There was a period between 1977 through 1982 when Blondie was a hit factory. They delivered iconic songs like “One Way or Another,” “Rapture,” and “The Tide Is High.” A lesser drummer would not have had the beat dexterity that Clem possessed. “Our records were always all over the place,” he told reporters in 2004. “I always admired bands that didn’t stick to one particular style.”
There’s some historic legacy with his work on “Heart of Glass,” as he was asked to consider playing along with a drum machine. “I was comfortable with growing around recording my drums over a drum machine to get that disco feel in a track. But I was a bit uncomfortable playing along with a machine when we did HOG live. I got used to it, you know, whatever works! It went on to be a classic. It’s kind of Kraftwerk meets Donna Summer.”
Appearing on all of Blondie’s 11 studio albums, Burke also did an impressive amount of session work, some that were just as diverse as his drumming styles. Beyond Joan Jett’s 1987 monster “I Love Rock n Roll,” we can hear his work with A-list artists, including David Bowie, Eurythmics, Bob Dylan, and Pete Townsend. He was a substitute member of the Ramones for two shows in 1987, taking on the name of “Elvis” Ramone.
Thanks for the beats, Clem.
-Steve Valvano
Photo: Blondie in 1977 (l-r, Gary Valentine, Clem Burke, Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, and Jimmy Destri) (Public domain)
And what about the Empty Hearts? RIP Clem.
Yes! Any classic rock fan should definitely check out The Empty Hearts. In addition to Clem’s solid, energetic and inspired drumming, the band included Elliot Easton of The Cars on guitar, Andy Babiuk of The Chesterfield Kings on bass and a roster of founding members and The Romantics guitarist and vocalist Wally Palmar.
They have great songs and are well worth your time.
“Dreaming” is such a cool tune, mostly thanks to Clem’s playing.
“Heart Of Glass” has a great, moody intro, with the (seemingly detached) drum machine running before the rest of the band kicks in.
And I’m not sure if you’re referring to another version of the song, but Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock and Roll” was released in 1982, not 1987. Did Clem play on that? I thought it was one of the Blackhearts.
Steve