THEY’RE PASSE

It is sad to hear that former Clash singer Joe Strummer’s favorite band is Rancid (“They’re Rancid, Not Spoiled,” by Steve Hochman, Sept. 3).

I would refer Mr. Strummer to a lyric that he penned in 1979: “. . . this phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust. . . .” It sounds as if old punks are just as likely as old hippies were, to feel nostalgia for a time that has already past.

I guess I can understand the frustration that he might feel having been part of one of the greatest rock bands of its time that never really got the mainstream success it deserved. Nevertheless, I’ve always interpreted that line of his to mean that you can create your own vital music scene no matter what great music came before your time. I would rather see Joe encouraging kids to try to take music in a new direction, rather than hear him endorse a group that is merely recycling the past.

MIKE BAKER

Woodland Hills