It appears that several very important decisions will have to be made very shortly. Life and death shit.
I don't want to deal with any of that right now. I want to listen to the Ramones. The Ramones saved my life. Probably saved your life too.
After all, they made it OK to be me... an untalented, awkward, semi-adolescent, rock n roll loving reject. No matter how low I used to get as a kid, I knew that the Ramones were out there... and if they could survive, so could I.
After all, Joey and I were both from Forest Hills, both goofy, with the same stupid long hair covering our faces, the same ratty jeans and even the same cheap sneakers. And this was before I even knew who the Ramones were!!!!!!!
There was nothing like a Ramones concert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The anticipation of them coming on...the martial drum beat (later it would be the theme for The Good The Bad and The Ugly)...the screams as they took the stage...early on Joey shouting "Yeaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh, We Are The Ra-Mones, and this one's calllllllllled the Blitzkrieg Bop take it Dee Dee" and Dee Dee yelling "1-2-3-4". And then of course...CHAOS. Sweet blissful chaos for 70 minutes or so. With maybe a quick 3 minute cool down for "Needles And Pins" and than back to CHAOS.
And then, a couple of encores and it was finished. And the eternal question Ramoned: "What do you do after a Ramones concert?"
I'm getting chills down my spine just typing this.
I really miss the Ramones.
Here's a bunch of tribute songs from some bands that undoubtedly feel the same way as I do.
Toonage:
Gigantor - Ramones Control
Mr. T. Experience - The End Of The Ramones
Body Jar - The Song Ramones The Same
Sloppy Seconds - You Can't Kill Joey Ramone
Parasites - I Wanna Be Like Dee Dee Ramone
Jello Biafra - Joey Ramone (spoken word)
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Now playing: Ramones - Beat On The Brat (live CBGB 1977)
via FoxyTunes
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14 comments:
I'm cool enough to admit I'm not cool. That is, my knowledge of the Ramones goes about as far as their few "hits"...my vibe in those days was pop (yes, I listened to disco) and jazz (Weather Report, et al.). But your missive on them goes deeper than who it was and what they played. I can feel the love, to used a hackneyed expression. And that's really what it's about (yes, even if your love is for disco). I really enjoyed this post. (I can say this about the Ramones: somewhere in my stash I have board-out Ramones bootlegs...passed on to me from someone who used to mix FOH for them...need to dig them up sometime and learn something...)
Namaste, Music Junkie @ Fusion 45 (PS: My word verification for this comment is "booditi". Is that a genre?)
One of the greatest rock bands of all time, period. Even my 13 year-old daughter loves them. She's been learning to play the guitar, and I was thrilled to see her watching the video for "I Want You Around" on Youtube and trying to play along. I wish they were still here so I could take her to a show.
A brilliant post Naz.I also loved The Ramones but no doubt if I was from across the pond,I'd loved em even more. Life isn't quite the same without them but their memory and legacy will forever live long.
Good luck with your important decisions.
thanks for the kind words, folks.
I Want You Around was actually one of our wedding songs.
And I heartily recommend the Ramones great film ROCK N ROLL HIGH SCHOOL for all the kids in your lives.
Jadine calls the Ramones "Surf music." I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about.
I caught The Ramones at Citi (disco balls!) on Lansdowne Street at the end of 1990.
The place was packed with B.U. fratboys trying to "mosh," my spectacles got smashed during the show, and I had to walk home a mile in the freezing cold from the train station afterward.
Totally worth it.
Here's hoping things level out for you soon, Nazz.
"totally worth it"
truer words were never spoken.
Never got to see the Ramones live, wish I had .. they just never seemed to hit Toronto when you wanted them to. Sounds like going to see a Ramones show was going to see Teenage Head or the Forgotten Rebels.
Great covers.
saw the ramones at the Reading festival (or the Reading ROCK festival as it was called in them days!) in the UK 21 years ago... seems like 21 weeks ago. Was an incredible gig...
there is a poster company doing a ramones print with a shot taken from that very gig.
http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/DMPOD/WA1915019~The-Ramones-Rock-Group-Playing-at-the-Reading-Rock-Festival-August-1988-Posters.jpg
That pic really should be up on my wall!! It will be one day, brings back happy memories!
Gawd Bless em!
P
You even got some Ramones tributes that I missed on my Ramones songs post!
Good work.
As I a tenegaer in a tiny tiny townmy love of my Ramones , Clash and Husker Du records was one of the many things that separated me from the other kids.
In college it was the same way. I convinced some of the people I hung with to go with me to the only Ramones show I ever saw - 60 minutes of pure joy and chaos. I loved it they hated it. Bunch of fucking Arlo Guthrie fans.
When I met Mrs. Infinite, her love of the Ramones was one of the ways I knew I should stick around.
Great post. Great band. Thanks.
Hi,
On http://www.parrygripp.com/ (Parry Grip is the singer/guitar player/songwriter from Nerf Herder), you can listen to a lot of songs (he puts one or two up every week).
Listen to 'Because It's Christmastime' (added December 16th, 2008); it starts as a funny rant about Christmas, but it ends as a genuinely moving (to my ears anyway) tribute to Joey Ramone.
a haiku:
Getting Through Life's Hard
But Not As Hard As Ramones
That Shit Fucking Rocks
hope all is ok or will be...
Matt
Haiku is genius!
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