While The Clash broke up in 1986, there were rumors of a possible reunion in the ’90s. But bassist Paul Simonon reveals in a new interview that it wasn’t something he really wanted to do. In fact, he could have made a lot of money if he just said yes, but he turned it down.
Simonon tells Mojo that he, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones and Mick’s manager had discussed a possible reunion, but says “it didn’t happen for a lot of reasons.” He admits he was “pissed off” at Mick, who couldn’t understand why he didn’t want to reunite. “Mick said, ‘Why not? You’ll get a million pounds,’” Simonon says. “That pissed me off even more. So I said, “I don’t want a f****** million pounds.”
Simonon says Mick was shocked that he passed on the reunion, but also says he believes Strummer “would not have wanted to do it either.” As for why he was against the reunion, Simonon says, “For me The Clash story was over.”
Fans were also hoping to see a reunion when the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, but Strummer passed away before that could happen. Simonon said he had no plans to perform anyway. He notes, “I had no interest in those kind of awards things. I don’t want a pat on the back.”
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