Joe Strummer quote - Gramercy Park Hotel

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MaxWeissberg
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Joe Strummer quote - Gramercy Park Hotel

Post by MaxWeissberg »

I'm looking for the source of two Joe Strummer quotes. Can anyone help? This is for a magazine article:

"We like this place, the Gramercy Park Hotel. It’s economically viable to stay here, not like uptown somewhere. That means five nights of hotel rooms ain’t no problem. And we like to get some vibe of New York, you know, because we’ll put that information onto a record.

And

“We always stay in the same joint -- the Gramercy Park Hotel,” Joe Strummer of the Clash explained. “Talk about faded grandeur. We stayed here in the heyday and I don't think one fitting in the whole hotel has changed since '78. I just love that. You would've thought some yuppie developer would've swept through and changed it. The fronts fall off the AC units and the plastic bits fall off the phone. I'm more at home in a situation like that.”

Both of these came from interviews. I've searched databases but no luck. Thanks!!!

Low Down Low
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Re: Joe Strummer quote - Gramercy Park Hotel

Post by Low Down Low »

Sorry can’t help on that but I had always associated the group with either the Algonquin or Iroquois in midtown. Pretty sure that’s where they were based for the Bonds gigs anyway.

WestwayKid
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Re: Joe Strummer quote - Gramercy Park Hotel

Post by WestwayKid »

I did a quick look around and there is a video on YouTube from early 2002 of Joe being interviewed at the Gramercy. I wonder if the quotes were late period Joe quotes and maybe pertain to the Meskies and not the Clash?
"They don't think it be like it is, but it do." - Oscar Gamble

WestwayKid
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Re: Joe Strummer quote - Gramercy Park Hotel

Post by WestwayKid »

Just the way he refers to it in the second quote would indicate something more current? He refers to staying there in 1978 and expresses surprise that some yuppie developer hadn’t gentrified the place.
"They don't think it be like it is, but it do." - Oscar Gamble

MaxWeissberg
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Re: Joe Strummer quote - Gramercy Park Hotel

Post by MaxWeissberg »

Thanks! I think this might be from an online interview in 2001 for VH1 actually during the Mescaleros period. Looking through some of my old notes, the faded grandeur quote is from 2001, so I wrote. Still not sure to whom he said it. In searching I found another Gramercy reference by Strummer, though not as juicy.

The Clash stayed in the Iroquois early on but moved to the Gramercy, according to several books (though there are some inconsistencies). They met U2 in the Gramercy around the time they came up with "This is Radio Clash" and there are plenty of pictures to confirm this, plus a Bono interview. But it does seem inconsistent. Perhaps they moved their location during the Bond gigs.

I really appreciate the help and please let me know if there are other sources anyone knows!

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