11.04.2007

On the Road with the Ramones

On a much lighter note....found this cool myspace page online from Monte Melnick, Ramones tour manager from their entire career (2,263 live shows).
This book has got to be one amazing read for Ramones fans.

Release date of Spring 2008 according to the site.

Says "The book is packed with interviews from the Ramones and many many more people who where very close to the band". Not only does this book sound way cool, this myspace page is a treasure trove of links to other Ramones myspace pages. Tributes to the band and band members. Marky, CJ, and Richie are all there too.


Several hours worth of visiting his "friends" myspace pages. Saving the best for last, the photo slideshow is pretty awesome too. Photos of Monte Melnick with various well known people you are sure to recognize. Check it out!

On the Road with the Ramones

A Sad Tragedy

Linda Stein was found dead this week in her NYC apartment.
In the 70's she was instrumental in helping launch the Ramones.
Police are treating her death as a homicide. Investigation is continuing.
Some snippets from news reports:

Stein was born in Manhattan and was working as a teacher when she met Seymour Stein, co-founder of Sire Records, Gaines said. During their marriage in the 1970s, the company helped launch the careers of the Ramones, Talking Heads and Madonna, among others.

After the couple divorced, Stein managed the seminal punk rock group The Ramones and other bands before turning to real estate, where she turned her celebrity connections into clients and thrived in the competitive sales culture.

Linda Stein, center, with Joey Ramone, David Bowie and Dee Dee Ramone at the Mudd Club after a Ramones show in 1979.

Stein was formerly married to Seymour Stein, ex-president of Sire Records. It was the Sire label that released records that vaulted the Ramones, Talking Heads and Madonna to fame in the 1970s and '80s.

Stein, a former schoolteacher, co-managed the Ramones with Danny Fields during the band's heyday. Many credit her with bringing the Ramones to England for a concert on July 4, 1976, that contributed to the popularity of the punk scene in the UK.

She was among those at the epicenter of punk rock, becoming a fixture at the legendary CBGB and co-managing the influential punk band the Ramones.

Stein's body was discovered by her daughter Mandy, a documentary filmmaker who did the film "Too Tough to Die" last year about the late guitarist Johnny Ramone. She had another daughter, Samantha, and a 3-year-old granddaughter.

UPDATE: 2/23/10 - NEW YORK — The personal assistant of a punk-rock pioneer and celebrity real estate broker was convicted Tuesday of bludgeoning her boss to death with a piece of exercise equipment.

Jurors spent less than a day reaching a second-degree murder verdict in the Manhattan trial against Natavia Lowery, the personal assistant to Linda Stein, who managed the Ramones before becoming a real estate agent with celebrity clients including Madonna and Sting. Lowery showed no reaction when the verdict was read.

Prosecutors said Lowery stole more than $30,000 from Stein, then clubbed her to death to try and hide the theft.

10.20.2007

The Ramones in GQ Magazine

Probably the least likely place you would find the Ramones. In the current issue of GQ Magazine, The Ramones are named as the #39 most stylish men of the past 50 years.

The article reads:
"It’s not just that the Ramones made their awkward geekiness look cool; it’s when they did it. In April 1976—as the Bee Gees climbed the Billboard charts—Sire Records released Ramones, fourteen fast tracks of three-chord noise carried by the incomparable voice of Joey Ramone. He stood on the cover in what would become punk’s immortal uniform: filthy Keds, torn jeans, and a black leather biker jacket. Fifty-two blocks down from Studio 54, a tiny club called CBGB was giving the unknown band gigs. The block has been renamed Joey Ramone Place. The Bee Gees have been given no such honor."

10.01.2007

It's Alive DVD


A new DVD with rare Ramones footage has been released. It's Alive DVD has over 4 hours of material. Available October 2, 2007.
Link to official site:
ramonesitsalivedvd.com

8.30.2007

CBGB's founder passes away at 74

Hilly Kristal the founder of the famous NY club CBGB's that launched the Ramones passes away on August 29th 2007 from cancer. He gave many bands like the Ramones a place to play their music. The only requirement was you had to play your own original music.
A history of the club written by Hilly Kristal can be found at the club's website:
CBGB.com.
Time magazine interview from last November after the club had closed down:
Hilly Kristal Interview

7.29.2007

Marky Ramone on Sirius 29

Marky Ramone is hosting a weekly show on Sirius Satellite Radio's new Channel 29 - the punk channel.
Marky Ramone's Punk Rock Blitzkrieg airs from 5-8 pm Pacific time on Tuesday nights. According to the Sirius website: "long-time drummer Marky Ramone plays live, rare and archival Ramones material, plus music that influenced the band, and classic and contemporary punk."

Sirius Radio Channel 29 - The Punk Channel

6.11.2007

Ramones AT&T Wireless Ad

This is a post I made on my family blog back in May 2003. Talking about hearing the Ramones song Blitzkrieg Bop used in AT&T GO Wireless ad. Still not sure about it.
I hear it on the radio and see it on tv. I'm happy to hear the Ramones instead of Journey or REO Speedwagon, but is it okay to sell products with their music?
I just despise AT&T so maybe that's it. They bastardized Oasis too.
Anyway here's the post:

Friday, May 09, 2003

I was about to get on I-580 in Livermore this afternoon as the Giants-Marlins game played on KNBR radio. Suddenly I hear a familiar chant, "Hey ho, let's go..." followed by that familiar 3 chord intro to the "Blitzkrieg Bop". Then it happened. Yes, AT&T's GO Wireless has managed to take the punk anthem of my generation and reduce it to a commercial for their service. "Good grief" I thought, "is nothing sacred anymore?" What is worse is that I'm not sure who to be angry at. Or if I should be angry at all. On one hand it is nice that the Ramones have attained the mass popularity that they never really had (albeit many years after their heyday). I see lots of young teenagers wearing Ramones t-shirts lately. On the other hand AT&T has managed to bastardize the Blitzkrieg Bop into an advertisement for their crappy wireless service. People were up in arms when Cadillac used Led Zep in it's ad a few months ago. I never thought I'd see this day. You don't do this. Was this created by a Ramones fan? Or some corporate dote who thought the words fit in with their ad campaign? Are they targeting these teens and their renewed interest in the Ramones? Obviously somebody made some $$$$ here. The world has changed since 1978, it's all about the Benjamin's. Listen in to the Giant's games and I'm sure you will hear it yourself.

Ramones Giant Mosrite Guitar

The Ramones giant Mosrite guitar at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland was featured in this year's SI swimsuit issue. Model Anne V was photographed in front of the giant Mosrite. It was certainly a surprise to see the Ramones guitar featured in the swimsuit issue. Not typically where you would expect to see the Ramones.
The photos are below:


Ramones Kid Records

2 Ramones records that may appeal to the very young.
First there is Brats on the Beat, a Kidz Bop version of Ramones songs.
With some help from real rockers these songs kick Kidz Bop right in the ass.
Personal favorite is California Sun w/ Brett Anderson from the Donnas.

Second there is Lullaby renditions of Ramones songs.
Dreamily put your little newborn to sleep with these versions of Ramones classics.
A bit more difficult to ID these songs but a cool concept anyhow.
You can check them out and hear song clips at the two sites below:

Ramones Lullaby Songs
Brats on the Beat

Joey Ramone in Unauthorized Doc Martens ad

Doc Martens had some ads created for a British magazine that feature 4 alternative rock icons as angels wearing Doc Martens boots in heaven. Joey Ramone, Joe Strummer, Sid Vicious, and Kurt Cobain were the 4 deceased punk rockers used in the ad. Aside from being in very poor taste, not obtaining permission to use any of these people's images, and making a good attempt to alienate a huge base of fans, Joey was Jewish and according to his brother never wore Doc Martens.
Converse sneakers were usually what I saw him wearing. Anyway Courtney Love got the campaign shot down quickly as it should be. The estates of the other deceased punk rockers joined her in that. Now Doc Martens is blaming the ad agency and they are blaming Doc Martens. Can't imagine any of these 4 guys would have agreed to this if they were still alive. Many fans are simply asking why??????

If you really want to see the photos click here

After Hours - repost



The Ramones song Blitzkrieg Bop (which seems to be advertisers favorite lately) was featured in a Diet Pepsi ad called "After Hours". We hear the Ramones song playing on a boom box as Diet Coke cans complain "that kid left the music on again". Some French water bottles also complain about it, as do some Sporty Ade drinks on the shelves below. We then see all the Diet Pepsi cans rocking out to the Blitzkrieg Bop as one smashes through the cooler window glass and lands on the floor below. The music stops momentarily and the can begins dancing again as the music resumes...hey ho let's go...
This has to be one of the coolest ads ever made.
You can download it here.

Shrek 3 Trailer / Soundtrack

The Ramones song "Do You Remember Rock & Roll Radio" from End of the Century appears on the Shrek 3 movie soundtrack, and is played as background music in the trailer and the film. In the film Shrek & Co. arrive at a high school looking for a new king to be and the song plays in the background. Cuts out before the words begin, so only the intro music is played.

Joey Ramone Still Idolized

Was working at a high school recently, and while strolling the halls I noticed many posters for the Student Activities Club. One of the posters had a picture of Joey Ramone and it said "Joey Ramone wants you to join the Student Activities Club".
Thought it was cool. Didn't get to meet the student who created it to tell them it was cool though.

2.18.2007

Three Founding Members

The Ramones lost three founding members in the span of three years.
Joey Ramone 1953-2001
Dee Dee Ramone 1951-2002
Johnny Ramone 1948-2004
Thanks for the fun times you gave us!
We miss all three of you!

Crummy Stuff Webpage

Welcome to my Ramones crummy stuff webpage. See if you agree with my picks for favorite records & songs. I have included links to places on the Internet you can find other Ramones sites as well as books and their music. I hope that you are "Somebody Like Me" and enjoy Ramones music as much as I do. I now present my Ramones crummy stuff..........

My favorite Ramones records in order
1. Subterranean Jungle
2. Ramones
3. Road to Ruin
4. Too Tough to Die
5. It's Alive
6. Rocket to Russia
7. Leave Home
8. Loco Live
9. Greatest Hits Live
10. End of the Century
11. Acid Eaters
12. Halfway to Sanity
13. Adios Amigos
14. Pleasant Dreams
15. Mondo Bizarro
16. Animal Boy
17. Brain Drain

Long live the Ramones! Gabba Gabba Hey!

My Personal Favorite Ramones Original Songs in no particular order
2. Go Little Camaro-with Deborah Harry! Ooma mow mow
3. I'm Against It - Me too!
4. Pinhead-Gabba Gabba Hey!
5. Wart Hog-Whatever DeeDee is saying..great song.
6. Babysitter-That little creep ruining our fun on the couch.
7. I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You
8. I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement -- Were you ever scared to go down in your basement when you were a kid because you thought there was a monster or something down there? I was.
9. Glad to See You Go
10. Bad Brain
11. Somebody Like Me
12. Cretin Hop
13. Rockaway Beach
14. Commando
16. Crummy Stuff
17. Durango95-killer instrumental
18. Everytime I eat Vegetables
19. The Blitzkrieg Bop
20. Havana Affair
21. Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World-Cool lyrics--Shocktrooper in a Stupor
22. Carbona Not Glue-A pretty good song, too bad it got cut
23. Bop til You Drop
24. Too Tough to Die
25. Chinese Rock - Hey is Dee Dee home?
26. Danny Says-One of their best songs.
27. It's Not My Place (in the 9 to 5 world)-I can relate to this song!
28. I Want You Around-from Rock and Roll High School Soundtrack

Well this list could just go on endlessly as I really like all of the Ramones songs and on different days I may have a different favorite. Today these are some of my favorites.

My Personal Favorite Ramones Cover Songs in no particular order
1. Time Has Come Today-You gotta love how Joey sings "Psychedelicised!"
2. Little Bit O' Soul
3. Spiderman Theme
4. Surfin Bird-Nobody could papa oom mow mow like Joey!
5. Do You Wanna Dance
6. Needles and Pins
7. Palisades Park
8. Let's Dance
9. California Sun
10. Indian Giver-Great b-side song
11. Most of the Acid Eaters CD
12. R.A.M.O.N.E.S.

Links to other Ramones sites
The Ramones Official Site -The "official" Ramones website is run by the band's long time manager Arturo Vega, Artie. Includes merchandise, photos, audio, and links.

Who out there remembers Trouser Press? This cool early eighties magazine was all about the alternative music scene (mostly from a British perspective). It folded in 1984. Editor Ira Robbins has brought it back to the web. Find reviews from the Trouser Press Record Guides to the 80's and 90's.
Bonus: check out the cover archive from the home page. The last issue featured Joey Ramone on the cover. I had a copy of this issue once upon a time.

Good books about the Ramones
"The Ramones: An American Band" by Jim Bessman.

"Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones" by Dee Dee Ramone.

"Poison Heart: Surviving the Ramones" also by Dee Dee Ramone.

Trivia Question
A famous song from the 1960's was recorded by both The Ramones and The Sex Pistols.
Can you name this link between the two founding punk bands?
Answer is below.

Ramones shows I attended:
It has been almost 20 years since I first saw the Ramones play live. It was an experience like no other. A neverending sonic assault, songs played fast and with nothing more than DeeDee's intro of 1234. There was never anything like a Ramones show, and there probably never will be again. These are the shows I can remember being at. I still have the ticket stubs from a few of them. I'd like to get a scan of them to post here. Wolfgang's was destroyed in the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, the I-Beam closed up in the early 90's, and the historic Fillmore still reigns today as a top venue in SF to see concerts.
"Too Tough to Die" Tour- 1984 Cleveland, Ohio
"Animal Boy" Tour - Sept. 15th 1986, Wolfgang's San Francisco, CA
"unknown Tour" - July 11th 1988, The Fillmore San Francisco, CA
"Halfway to Sanity" Tour - 1987, The I-Beam San Francisco, CA

Trivia Question Answer
The Who's song "Substitute". Appears on the Ramones "Acid Eaters" CD and the Sex Pistols' "Great Rock & Roll Swindle". The Sex Pistols recorded it first, many years before the Ramones did.

Original Ramones Website

Welcome to my Ramones fansite. Who are the Ramones you ask? They were four bored teenagers from New York City who formed a band all using Ramone as their last name.
They began playing short simple 3 chord songs played loud and at full speed. They played a small club in New York called CBGB's for several years where they
attracted a cult fan following and the notice of a small record label. They were signed to their first record deal and with the release of their record, "Ramones" launched what has become the foundations of
punk rock, influencing many more bands to come.

The Ramones released 14 studio records between 1977 and their demise in 1995 as well as several live albums. They attracted a huge international fan following of which I am proudly a member.
Although their music and lineup changed over time, they always made great music, and gave terrific live shows. If you ever saw them live, you know what I am talking about.

I have currently divided my site into two pages, this one which describes why I like the Ramones and how I
started listening to them, and my second Ramones page which is a
collection of my personal reviews of my favorite Ramones records, a list of my favorite songs, and links to all things Ramones. I hope you enjoy my fansite.

Norwalk, Ohio-1979
I began listening to the Ramones back in my sophmore year of
high school, when my best buddy "EF" introduced our
French class to the Blitzkrieg Bop, Beat on the Brat and Cretin
Hop. Well hey ho I've never been the same since. Just what was
this strange music coming from records with pictures of four guys
wearing leather jackets and ripped jeans? It was the coolest
music I ever had heard. Unfortunately most of our classmates,
teachers, and principal didn't agree with us. A small group of us
were big fans of the Ramones from then on. EF always liked Dee
Dee best. We danced and sang the songs from the first four albums
(Ramones, Leave Home, Rocket to Russia, and Road to Ruin)over and
over all through high school, at school dances, sports practice
and in the hallways after school.

When we graduated in 1981, End of the Century was the newest
Ramones record and we all loved Do You Remember Rock & Roll
Radio? As we spent the next few years deciding what the heck to
do with the rest of our lives, we still remained Ramones fans. I
remember hearing Subterranean Jungle for the first time in 1983
and was just mesmerized by it. EF really liked the Too Tough To
Die album, he said the Ramones invented hardcore punk back in
1977 and with this album they were back to claim it.
In my humble opinion this and "Road to Ruin" are their best overall records.

EF liked to collect rare Ramones recordings, and I must thank
him for that. I have numerous rarities on tape thanks to his
effort. He really liked S.L.U.G if I remember correctly. We sat
upstairs in his bedroom many nights listening to stacks of vinyl
records, many nights it was Ramones records. I graduated from
college in 1984 and would soon head west to California where I
would find a new friend who was a Ramones fan.

Dublin, CA-1985

I had come to California on a temporary basis to assist in the
building of a new Domino's Pizza Restaurant. I ended up staying
in California indefinitely, spending my days making pizza and
riding motorcycles. One busy Friday night I was making pizza's as
quickly as possible and started singing Ramones songs. One of our
new drivers picked up on this and started singing with me. It
turns out he is a huge Ramones fan too. We sang our favorite
songs all night long, and became good friends after that. We saw
the Ramones play live in San Francisco at the now defunct
Wolfgang's Nightclub. At the concert there was quite a rowdy
crowd, and the mosh pit was going full throttle. I decided to
join in the fun. I got as close to the stage as I possibly could
and climbed up on stage with the Ramones. It would only last a
few moments as I was pushed back off by the security force. I
remained down front slam dancing my way to a great night!

We saw the Ramones play in San Francisco two more times, in
1988 at The Fillmore auditorium and again in 1989 at the I-Beam
Nightclub which was a way cool show because of the club's small
size. We found out that the Ramones were going to be on the
morning show on KITS Live 105 Radio a few days before the I-Beam
show. The host Alex Bennet always invited a "live"
studio audience to come down and be part of the show. When we
found out the Ramones would be there we knew we had to make the
trek.

Marc and I left very early to be in San Francisco at 5:00 A.M.
for the start of the show. It was a chilly San Francisco morning,
and we were the first two to show up at the studio. We waited out
in the cold foggy air until 05:45 A.M. when we were let in to the
studio. The morning show began at 06:00 A.M. and before long the
studio was filled. Shortly after 07:00 the Ramones arrived, or at
least some of them. Joey, Johnny and Richie all showed and got a
warm reception from the audience. They talked about the Halfway
to Sanity album and tour, and what was coming in the future. They
thanked us all for coming so early to see them, and some of us
got to talk to them briefly. It was a great experience to meet
them in person. We met the late filmmaker Russ Meyer that day
too.

Northern California, USA-1999
Fifteen years later, I still am here in California. The
Ramones have long since disbanded, and I am creating this tribute
to them on the web. I really enjoy calling myself a Ramones fan,
their music has given me many good times in my life. Meeting them
in person was a big thrill, but the concerts were the greatest! I
was very sad when they announced the end, but with all things the
end must come. I heard Joey talking on the Howard Stern Show one
morning in 1999 telling about how there was alot of
disagreement in the band up until the end, and they basically had
different viewpoints and this was inevitible.

Three founding members are gone:
Joey Ramone passed away on April 15th, 2001 at the age of 49 after a long fight with lymphoma. He apparently was originally diagnosed with the disease in 1995 and was able to fight it until a fall in the snow caused a broken hip and replacement surgery in early 2001. He was said to be listening to U2's song "In a Little While" in his hospital bed at the time of his death with friends and family members by his side. His first solo album "Don't Worry About Me" was released shortly after his death. The corner of Bowery and Second Street in New York City was renamed Joey Ramone Place on November 30th, 2003 in his honor. Sadly Joey did not live to see the Ramones inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Dee Dee Ramone passed away on June 5th, 2002 at the age of 50 in his Los Angeles home apparently of a drug overdose. He had a long history battling the demons of drug addiction. In addition to being a founding member of the Ramones, he was an author, poet, and painter. Several of his paintings were displayed in galleries.

Johnny Ramone passed away on September 15, 2004 at the age of 55 in his Los Angeles home after a 5 year battle with prostate cancer.

Many fans visit the burial sites of the Ramones each year. Johnny has an elaborate memorial in the Hollywood Forever Cemetary in Los Angeles. Dee Dee is also buried there with a less elaborate headstone. Joey was buried in a Lyndhurst, NJ cemetary alongside other family members.
Graves of the Ramones

Most of the Ramones records in my collection are on vinyl records (we didn't have cd's in those days!). I was elated to locate the very hard to find copy of Leave Home with Carbona not Glue on it in a used record bin at Rasputin's. I have most of the newer stuff on CD and one cassette of All the Stuff and More Vol. 1. I
also have a few of their videos and a copy of the Rock and Roll
High School movie(although it has commercials and edited footage)
which I taped from VH1. I have lots of rare stuff, and b-sides on
tape thanks to EF who bought anything Ramones related. Again
thanks EF! I hope you still have all those records. Thanks to several sites on the Internet, I have some of those rare recordings in mp3 format also. On my Ramones
Crummy Stuff page I share my favorite Ramones records and songs. I
hope you as a Ramones fan will keep the flame, and maybe we'll be slamming and hey ho-ing once again. I have included links to the Ramones Official Website and a great fan site called Ramonesonline.com(no longer online-ed.), You can catch up on all the latest news and find more Ramones links at these two sites.
Gabba Gabba Hey!