Summer of Strummer

Anyone who is from the Philadelphia area or has at one time or another found themselves scanning the radio dial while driving through its clutches can tell you one thing for sure: XPN rules. XPN is a local member-supported radio station affiliated with UPenn. NPR enthusiasts will know it as the place where they record World Cafe with David Dye. The good folks at XPN always seem to be cooking up some exciting special program, and this summer has proven no exception. On the ride home from the train station yesterday, I heard that XPN is doing a series called Summer of Strummer, where they are broadcasting hour-long segements of Joe Strummer's radio shows that he did for the BBC in the late 90s.

This is huge. These shows have never before been broadcast in America, but Julien Temple provided some memorable excerpts from them in his fantastic 2007 documentary Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten. I've been itching to find some recording of them since seeing the film (which, if you're keeping score, is so much better than Westway to the World), so I can't wait for next week's broadcast. They'll be airing them every Monday afternoon at 3 for the rest of the summer. If you're not in the area, you can listen live online.