Keith Levene

Julian Keith Levene (18 July 1957 – 11 November 2022) was an English musician who was a founding member of both the Clash and Public Image Ltd (PiL). While Levene was in PiL, their 1978 debut album '' Public Image: First Issue'' reached No 22 in the UK album charts, and its lead track " Public Image" broke the top 10 UK singles chart.

Levene was born and raised in London, and although initially influenced by progressive rock, his musical taste changed after meeting fellow Clash founder Mick Jones. His punk and post punk guitar sounds have been described as "both melodic and discordant, sonorous and violent".

Early years and success

Levene was born in Muswell Hill, London on 18 July 1957. His father was Jewish. He was an early fan of ska, The Beatles and progressive rock; at fifteen he worked as a roadie for Yes on their ''Close to the Edge'' tour, "cleaning Alan White's cymbals" amongst other mundane duties.Corcoran, Nina.
Keith Levene, the Clash and Public Image Ltd Guitarist, Dies at 65
. ''Pitchfork'', 12 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022

He became a founding member of the Flowers of Romance and notably the Clash, when in 1976, he helped persuade Joe Strummer to leave the pub rock band the 101ers and join the Clash. Although he left the band before their first studio recordings, he co-wrote "What's My Name", which appeared on their first album. Rob Lang of MusicRader reported that Levene wrote about his experiences about his time in the Clash in his autobiography "I Was a Teen Guitarist 4 the Clash!"

After the late 1970s British punk group the Sex Pistols disbanded, Levene and their lead singer John Lydon co-founded Public Image Ltd (PiL) in May 1978. He played on Travis Bean metal-neck guitars. He was involved in the writing, performing and producing of PiL's early albums: ''First Issue'', ''Metal Box'' and '' Flowers of Romance''. While playing with PiL, their 1978 debut album '' Public Image: First Issue'' reached No 22 in the UK album charts, while the lead track " Public Image", broke the top 10 single chart.

Levene left PiL in 1983 due to creative differences over what would eventually become the band's fourth album, '' This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get''. In 1984, he released the original versions of the songs on his own label under the title ''Commercial Zone''; the original working title of the album. In 1985 he moved to Los Angeles where he formed a company with his second wife, journalist Shelly da Cunha.

Later years

In mid-1986, Levene was asked to produce demos for the album ''The Uplift Mofo Party Plan'' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Master Control in Burbank with engineers Steve Catania and Dan Nebenzal. Also in 1986, Levene worked with DJ Matt Dike, experimenting with sampling techniques and hip-hop for Ice T and Tone Loc on their early recordings for Delicious. In 1989, he released his first solo release, ''Violent Opposition'', on which members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed.

At an impromptu appearance at the Musicport Festival in Bridlington Spa on 24 October 2010, where they were joined by vocalist Nathan Maverick, Levene returned with former PiL bassist Jah Wobble. In 2011 Levene contributed to three tracks on the album ''Psychic Life'', a collaboration between Wobble and Lonelady.

In early 2012, after some planned Japan gigs were cancelled because of visa issues, Levene and Wobble played various venues in England, Wales and Germany as ''Metal Box in Dub'', followed by the release of a four-song EP, ''Yin & Yang''. In 2014 Levene travelled to Prague to record the album ''Commercial Zone 2014'', funded by a crowdsourcing campaign at Indiegogo. Tim Peacock of ''Record Collector'' noted that it was "recorded in isolation at Prague's Faust Studios", and that the album is in actuality an offering of new material. Peacock stated: "It's primarily instrumental in design, veering from the chilled, scene-stealing Behind the Law to the synth-heavy Kraftwerk-ian noir of They Came to Dance."

Levene died from complications of liver cancer at his home in Norfolk on 11 November 2022, aged 65.

Personal life

Levene married his first wife, Lori Montana, an American musician. The two had a son named Kirk and later divorced. Keith's second marriage was to Shelly da Cunha, though it also ended in divorce. He later lived with his partner Kate Ransford.

Influences and style

He first listened to the Beatles a lot. He cited guitarist Steve Howe of Yes as one of his main influences and "the greatest fucking guitarist in the world", and prog rock as a genre he particularly liked.

Describing the evolution of his style, he said in a 2001 interview than "once I got good enough to know the rules, I didn't want to be like any other guitarist. I didn't go out of my way to be different. I just had an ear for what was wrong. So if I did something that was wrong, i.e. made a mistake or did something that wasn't in key, I was open-minded enough to listen to it again."

Legacy

According to John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Levene's style was "spectacular... nd he..explored the possibilities of what you can do with the guitar". Upon his passing, Massive Attack described Levene as an "artist, architect and re-inventor of punk rock".Keith Levene: The Clash guitarist and founding member dies age
. BBC
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