Topper Headon

Topper Headon is the Human Drum Machine, the man behind the kit for most of the Clash’s recordings. Without him, it is hard to imagine the Clash would have been as influential as they were. Joe Strummer said “We would have been absolutely lost if it wasn’t for Topper Headon”. He brought in soul and jazz influences, along with impeccable timing and songwriting skills.

Joining The Clash

Headon joined the Clash in between the recording and release of their first album. He was known as one of the best drummers in London, but had not yet had commercial success. He told everyone he drummed for the Temptations, but he really drummed for a band that opened for them. Regardless, he was invited by Mick Jones, with whom he was acquainted with. He figured to join for one year, “get me name known, and then move onto something good”.

The Human Drum Machine

During the recording of “Give ‘Em Enough Rope”, Sandy Pearlman gave Headon the nickname “The Human Drum Machine”, because he never made mistakes. In many gig reviews, the phrase “Headon’s drumming carried them through”, or something like it, will appear. The Clash recorded an amazing first album with Terry Chimes, but without Headon, the band would have been lost. Headon’s drumming continued onto London Calling, where he was more than a match for the numerous genres the Clash took on. Soul, jazz, reggae, ska, none of it was a problem for him. On Sandinista!, it was more of the same, only with more styles of music. Sandinista! also has the distinction of being the only Clash album on which all four members sing lead vocals. Headon wrote and sang “Ivan meets G.I. Joe”, which was very popular in dance clubs, and can still occasionally be heard today. This, however, is not his most famous song.

Rock The Casbah

On Combat Rock, it’s credited to “The Clash”, but Headon was responsible for most of “Rock The Casbah”. He wrote and recorded the drums, piano, and bass. Mick Jones came up with a guitar part that fit, and Joe Strummer had some lyrics that made the song complete. The whole band admits that Headon wrote the song, but not many people are aware of it. Rock the Casbah is the Clash’s most popular and well-known song, except for perhaps “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”.

Things Fall Apart

During his tenure with the Clash, Headon got addicted to heroin, and it proved to be a habit he couldn’t kick. After the recording of Combat Rock, Headon was given an ultimatum: Kick the habit, or leave the band. He tried, but could not escape the grip heroin had on him. He left the band, under cover of “political differences”. This was really the beginning of the end for the Clash, because Headon’s drumming had been the cohesive force holding the band together. Later, in the documentary “Westway to the World”, Headon admitted that if he had been able to kick heroin, he could still see the band being together. The band may have still broken up, but perhaps not. Still, Headon admits that even knowing what would have happened to the band, he probably would not have been able to kick the habit.

After The Clash

After he was booted out of the band, he was hoping to join up with Mick Jones in Big Audio Dynamite, however, his heroin problem was so severe that this never happened. Instead, he recorded a solo album, Waking Up, which was released in 1986. After the release of this album, he went to jail, for supplying drugs to a user who later died of an overdose. After his release from prison, he has mostly stayed out of the public eye, although he continues to play gigs.

Related Music Artists

• Joe Strummer
  
• Mick Jones
  
• Paul Simonon
  
• Terry Chimes
  
• The Clash
  
• The Sex Pistols
  
• The Damned