The first time I saw the Ramones they were not playing. It was 1975, and three Ramones, (not Johnny), sat at a front table at a club on 23rd Street, watching Johnny Thunders Heartbreakers with Richard Hell. The three Ramones, as always, were in their black leather jackets and jeans. Back then, youd see bands sometimes traveling together, each with their own identifiable image, like cool little gangs . There were no stage costumes. Band members reinvented themselves to fit the identity of their group. It was a fleeting fabulous moment. Of course, all bands generally end up with bad blood, and the Ramones were no exception. But in my perfect rock and roll fantasy world, band members would all be buried together, with equal size tombstones, one next to the other. In my minds eye, Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny and now Tommy, are all together again in a cemetery in Forest Hills. I wish life was more like this.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 14:46:40 +0000