Editing Joe Strummer (section)

===Solo career and soundtrack work (1986–1999)===
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[[File:Joe-Strummer.jpg|thumb|right|230px|Strummer, backing with the Pogues in Japan]]
A year later, Strummer worked on several songs for the 1986 film ''[[Sid and Nancy]]'', including "Love Kills" and "Dum Dum Club". Strummer also later worked with Mick Jones and his band [[Big Audio Dynamite]], contributing to the band's second studio album, ''[[No. 10, Upping St.]]'' (1986), by co-writing most of the songs as well as producing the album along with Jones.

In 1987, he played a small part in the film ''[[Walker (film)|Walker]]'', directed by [[Alex Cox]], as a character named "Faucet" and wrote and performed on the film's [[Walker (album)|soundtrack]].  He starred in another Cox film that same year called ''[[Straight to Hell (film)|Straight to Hell]]'', as the character Simms. ''Straight to Hell'' also featured London-Irish folk/punk band [[the Pogues]], both as actors and contributors to the soundtrack. Strummer joined the Pogues for a tour in 1987/88, filling in for ailing guitarist [[Philip Chevron]], who wrote (in May 2008) on the band's online forum: "When I was sick in late 1987, I taught Joe all the guitar parts in an afternoon and he was on tour in the US as deputy guitarist the next day. Joe wrote all the tabs in his meticulously neat hand on a long piece of paper which he taped to the top of the guitar so he could glance down occasionally when he was onstage." This tour would be the first of several collaborations with the band.

In 1989, Strummer appeared in [[Jim Jarmusch]]'s film ''[[Mystery Train (film)|Mystery Train]]'' as a drunken, short-tempered drifter named Johnny (whom most characters refer to as Elvis, much to Johnny's dismay). He made a cameo appearance in [[Aki Kaurismäki]]'s 1990 film ''[[I Hired a Contract Killer]]'' as a guitarist in a pub, performing two songs ("Burning Lights" and "Afro-Cuban Bebop"). These were released as a promotional 7-inch single limited to a few hundred copies, credited to "Joe Strummer & the Astro Physicians". The "Astro Physicians" were in fact the Pogues ("Afro-Cuban Bebop" got a re-release on the Pogues' 2008 box set). During this time Strummer continued to act, write and produce soundtracks for various films, most notably the soundtrack for ''[[Grosse Pointe Blank]]'' (1997).

In 1989 Strummer produced a solo record with the band the Latino Rockabilly War. The album ''[[Earthquake Weather (album)|Earthquake Weather]]'' was a critical and commercial flop, and resulted in the loss of his contract with [[Sony Records]].  He also did the soundtrack to the movie ''[[Permanent Record (film)|Permanent Record]]'' with this band.

Strummer was asked by the Pogues, who were fracturing as a band, to help them produce their next album, released in 1990 as ''[[Hell's Ditch]]''. In 1991, he replaced [[Shane MacGowan]] as singer of the Pogues for a tour after MacGowan's departure from the band. One night of this tour was professionally recorded, and three tracks ("I Fought the Law", "London Calling", and "Turkish Song of the Damned") have seen release as b-sides and again on the Pogues' 2008 box set.

On 16 April 1994, Strummer joined Czech-American band Dirty Pictures on stage in Prague at the Repre Club in Obecni Dum at "Rock for Refugees", a benefit concert for people left displaced by the war in Bosnia. Although the set appeared impromptu, Strummer and the band had spent the days leading up to the event rehearsing and "hanging out" in Prague. The show began with "London Calling" and without pause went into "Brand New Cadillac". In the middle of the song, the power went out.  Once the power was back on, Strummer asked the audience whether or not they would mind if the band started over. They then began again with "London Calling" and continued on for another half-hour.

After these self-described "wilderness years", Strummer began working with other bands; he played piano on the 1995 UK hit of [[The Levellers (band)|the Levellers]], "Just the One" and appeared on the [[Black Grape]] single "England's Irie" in 1996. In 1997, while in New York City, he worked with noted producer and engineer [[Lee "Scratch" Perry]] on remixed Clash and 101ers reissue dub material. In collaboration with percussionist Pablo Cook, Strummer wrote and performed the soundtrack to ''Tunnel of Love'' (Robert Wallace 1997) that was featured in the Cannes Film Festival in the same year.

In 1997, Strummer played the character of "Brand New Cadillac" songwriter [[Vince Taylor]] in {{ill|F. J. Ossang|fr}}'s road movie {{ill|Doctor Chance|italic=yes|fr|Docteur Chance}}.

In 1998, he made a guest appearance on the animated television show, ''[[South Park]]'' and appeared on the album ''[[Chef Aid: The South Park Album]]'' featuring songs from and inspired by the series.

During this time, Strummer was engaged in a legal dispute with the Clash's record label, [[Epic Records]]. The disagreement lasted nearly eight years and ended with the label agreeing to let him record solo records with another label. If the Clash were to reunite though, they would have to record for Sony. During the nineties, Strummer was a DJ on the [[BBC World Service]] with his half-hour programme ''London Calling''. Samples from the series provide the vocals for "Midnight Jam" on Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros' final album ''[[Streetcore]]''.