About Me
The Ramones were an American band widely considered to be the first punk rock group. While acknowledged as defining the sound and attitude of mid-1970s punk, they never really achieved the commercial success of their contemporaries The Clash or the notoriety of the Sex Pistols, but still had an immense impact on the punk and alternative rock scenes. They are considered the "Godfathers of Punk."After forming in Forest Hills, Queens, New York in 1974, they performed virtually non-stop for 22 years until disbanding in 1996 after a final tour with the Lollapalooza music festival. Three of the original band members—Joey, Johnny, and Dee Dee Ramone—died within a few years of the break up. While they were always regarded as influential, the band’s fame is now arguably greater than while they were actively performing and recording.
The Ramones never achieved much commercial success in the United States during the time they were touring, but they were extremely popular in Europe and especially South America, where their records often topped the charts. Their only album to reach certified gold status in the U.S. was the 1988 best-of album, RamonesMania; 1992's Mondo Bizarro went gold in Brazil. Ironically, the band has seen somewhat of a renaissance during the early and mid-2000's, with their songs being used in soft drink, car, athletic wear, and cellular phone commercials. The band and their albums now regularly appear on "all-time greatest" lists in various rock magazines, such as Spin, Rolling Stone, and Mojo--an honor not often bestowed upon them during their career. Their famous "presidential seal" logo is often seen as being trendy (to the ire of some fans), pictures of Paris Hilton wearing a pink tee-shirt featuring the seal have been printed and it is frequently parodied. Sales of Ramones merchandise are apparently growing every year.The Ramones 30th Anniversary Tribute concert occurred on September 12, 2004. The event was at Los Angeles' Avalon and hosted by Rob Zombie. The performers demonstrate the breadth of the Ramones' influence: Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Dickies and X played sets and then C.J. Ramone, Marky Ramone and long time producer Daniel Rey took the stage and played while different guitar and vocal teams, including longtime Ramones fan Henry Rollins, performed various Ramones songs.Three days later, on September 15, 2004, the world's first and only Ramones Museum opened its doors for the public. Located in Berlin, Germany, the Ramones Museum Berlin features more than 300 original memorabilia items from The Ramones, including a stage-worn jeans from Johnny Ramone, a stage-worn glove from Joey Ramone, Marky Ramone's sneakers or CJ Ramone's stage-worn bass strap. Ramones Museum Berlin is a place by fans - for fans. A place where experiences can be shared and stories can be told.Some bands are so taken by the Ramones as a whole that a subgenre dubbed "Ramones-core" has appeared. These bands often dress up like the Ramones, and play instruments like theirs. The music is generally a little faster and heavier on the guitars with (often) tongue in cheek lyrics about girls and similar fare. Notable bands include Screeching Weasel, Teenage Bottlerocket, The Spazzys, The Vindictives, The Queers, The Mr. T Experience, and the Beatnik Termites who recorded covers of the Ramones albums Ramones, Leave Home, and Rocket to Russia, and Road to Ruin, and Pleasant Dreams, respectively. There are also bands heavily influenced by the Ramones such as The Lillingtons. This type of music can also be considered Cartoon Punk. In 1992 Canadian punkrock band NoMeansNo created a side-project called the Hanson Brothers; adopting Ramones-esque alter-egos, Ramoneslike graphics and stage monikers, and releasing three successful albums in Ramones three-chord style. While sometimes panned as a Ramones parody; the Hanson Brothers, all longtime Ramones fans, conceived the project as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to their heroes.In 2002, the Ramones were voted the second greatest rock and roll band ever in Rolling Stone and Spin magazines, trailing only in both polls to the Beatles.
After a spot in the 1996 Lollapalooza festival, The Ramones disbanded, reportedly due to ongoing personality clashes and frustration at not achieving success commensurate with their influence. Joey was also reported to have drug problems, and later admitted drinking heavily for much of the '80s. Joey achieved sobriety in 1990, but was diagnosed with lymphoma in 1995. In his later years he became an avid follower of yoga and health food. During the late 1990s, Joey started day trading NYSE stocks. Joey actually wrote a song about CNBC financial news reporter Maria 'Money Honey' Bartiromo, entitled "Maria Bartiromo", which is included on his 2002 solo album Don't Worry About Me.Their final show was on August 6th, 1996 at the Palace in Hollywood. The show was recorded, and later released on video and CD as We're Outta Here. The show featured several special guests such as Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead, Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam, Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen of Rancid, and Chris Cornell (then in Soundgarden).
In 2002, the band was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. At the ceremony, Johnny, Tommy, Marky and Dee Dee spoke on behalf of the band. Johnny blessed George Bush and his presidency. Dee Dee congratulated and thanked himself. Sadly, this would be one of his last public appearances as he died two months later of a heroin overdose. Also at the ceremony, Green Day played Teenage Lobotomy and Blitzkrieg Bop as a tribute to the Ramones, showing the influence that the Ramones had on later rock bands. In the summer of 2004, the Ramones documentary End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones was released in theaters. Its release was treated as an event by Ramones fans and former members, and it received rave reviews. Coincidentally, however, Johnny Ramone—who had been privately battling prostate cancer—died almost exactly as the film was released, on September 15, 2004. .. FOR JOEY, JOHNNY, DEE DEE, CJ & MARKY. GABBA GABBA HEY
