![]() The Ramones’ self-titled debut was released in 1976, kicking off with the anthem everybody knows, “Blitzkrieg Bop.” It was recorded in just seven days at Radio City Music Hall for $6,400 and remains one of the best and most influential albums of that era. Thanks to a steadfast fanbase, there are countless album reissues, DVDs and books that help me imagine what it was like being stuffed into a sweaty, cramped room at CBGB in 1970s New York, watching a punk rock revolution come and go in what seemed like a blink of an eye. Everything about rock n roll is in their songs, and if they’re gone, it’s a damned shame.” They teach you everything about rock n roll. They’re one of the best bands that you have ever seen and you neglect them at your peril. The late Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead described their final performance as “An insult to the intelligence of the world and a shame for rock n roll. 6, 1996 in Los Angeles, The Ramones toured constantly for more than 20 years in a van, playing more than 2,000 shows and have been a major influence in just about every genre of music. It was quite devastating when I found out they had been broken up for a few years and I had come in late to the party, but there was still such a massive catalog of music waiting to be discovered. Their lyrics were even weird and provocative, with songs about boredom (“Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue”), prostitution (“53rd and 3rd”), horror movies (“Chainsaw”) and Nazism (“Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World”). The songs were short, fast and to the point, a far cry from what I was raised to believe was a proper rock n roll song, and the catchiness was infectious. It was a freak show I knew I could be a part of and they became a favorite of mine almost instantaneously. I saw four scrawny lads in leather jackets, ripped jeans and a mass of black hair and sunglasses which made the singer more akin to Cousin Itt from the Addams Family than the typical rock frontman. At the time, I was struggling with the usual adolescent drama of growing up - the awkwardness, the growth spurts, if talking to girls successfully would always be a mystery. I discovered The Ramones a few years after their demise when VH1 was playing one of its long-forgotten “100 Greatest” marathons that actually focused on music. The last remaining member, drummer Tommy Ramone, died in 2014, also from cancer. I was sitting in my parents’ room watching MTV when a breaking news bulletin came across the screen, “Ramones singer, punk godfather dead at 49.” Although I knew with the breakup of the band in 1996 that the chances of me ever seeing the four leather jacket-clad boys from Queens on stage was a moot point, it was still a big shock that the leader of one of my favorite bands had just died.Īll four members of the original lineup have since passed on, bassist Dee Dee Ramone from a drug overdose in 2002, guitarist and mastermind Johnny Ramone from cancer in 2004. Observing his musical career, his $10 million net worth seems to result from his being a long-time member of The Ramones.I still remember the day news broke of Joey Ramone passing away after a long bout with lymphoma in 2001. On September 14, 2014, Johnny Ramone has passed away on after he lost the battle against prostate cancer. ![]() Mostly known for being the guitarist for The Ramones, he was ranked at number 16 on Rolling Stones’ list Greatest Guitarists Of All The Time in 2003 and ranked 28 later on the same list in 2011. Johnny Ramone, on the other hand, was a founding member of The Ramones and stayed in the band as an original member for the band’s entire career. In 2009, he collaborated with Tommy Hilfiger for the release of his own line of clothing which includes leather jackets, t-shirts, and jeans, also launching a pasta sauce called ‘Marky Ramone’s Brooklyn’s Own Pasta Sauce.’ Besides his endeavors outside of the music industry, he seems to have gained his $12 million net worth mostly from his career with The Ramones and his being a successful drummer. Apart from that, Marky Ramone is known to have starred in an episode of the Simpsons and is also the DJ of his own show titled The Punk Rock Blitzkrieg. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |