The Drummer Who Made Punk Strut

A tribute to Clem Burke (1954–2025) didn’t just keep time—he bent it, broke it, and made it iconic. A tribute to the beat that never quit.

I don’t usually get to write stories about lives well lived. So this time, I want to slow down and do it right. I also want to share a little window into the world I grew up in—and where Clem Burke fit into it.

I found out two days ago that Clem had passed away from cancer. We hadn’t talked in a while, but we’d exchanged messages here and there over the years. I’ve been a lifelong Blondie fan. Their influence in music is deep—stretching from Green Day all the way to today’s pop charts.

I didn’t really get into punk rock until I was about 12, but Blondie was on my radar long before that. Aside from The Beatles, they were the first “real” band I ever heard of. And sure, Debbie Harry was magnetic. But man—that drum intro on “Hangin’ On The Telephone”? Pure adrenaline. (Shoutout to Jack Lee from The Nerves for writing it.)

There was a girl in my neighborhood who was obsessed with Blondie. Totally understandable if you were five years old and living in suburban Long Island in 1982. Maybe she …