The Ramones

by James Bonisteel

The beginning and ending of a musical era: that's what it will be when this band is no longer around. A lot of people think that the Ramones music sounds the same. I wouldn't agree because they are an American original. This is the band that made "HEY HO LET'S GO" and "GABBA GABBA HEY" their trademarks. It was an honor to sit down with Joey Ramone and talk to him about the past and the future for this band.

RAD:: How are you doing?
Joey:: I'm doing fine. We have had sell outs, mayhem, and insanity everywhere. Just all the the good stuff, you know...all the proper elements.
RAD:: The album you just put out is called "Adios Amigos." What was the inspiration for this?
Joey:: Life...all kinds of situations. Dee Dee, our original bass player, co-wrote six of the songs with Daniel Rey, who produced the record and is a good friend of ours. I wrote two, CJ wrote two, Mark wrote one, and we did two cover songs.
RAD:: How long has CJ been in the band?
Joey:: Well over six years.
RAD:: So where did you meet him?
Joey:: We put the word out that we we're looking for a bass player, and he was the first one to come down to audition. He was perfect, had all the requirements. Let's just put it this way, he passed the initiation. I mean, it was like him out of 75 other bass players. He has the right attitude, he's a good guy, he's is really exciting on stage, he's just cool.
RAD:: After putting out this last album, have you been thinking about calling it quits?
Joey:: Well, this album has been out a month now in the U.S. It's getting great reviews and everyone loves it. Some people have been saying it's our best album since "Road To Ruin." We are thinking of retiring the band in March.
RAD:: You have been around for about 21 years now. Is knowing that pretty crazy?
Joey:: 21 years yep, it's been a real adventure.
RAD:: What made you want to stay in a band for this long?
Joey:: Well this band is totally unique. This band has laid down a lot of history from its inception. It did come about in a spontaneous way. We came about because we were friends from the neighborhood, and we all shared similar tastes in music. We all brought something special to the whole pie. It was one step at a time, but it really revolutionized music as we know it.
RAD:: I read an article that said you did your 2,000th show in Tokyo around last February. Did you do anything special for that show?
Joey:: It was great! The promoter and fans threw us a big party at the Hard Rock. In certain countries, there's a higher respect. People dig us in America, but overseas it's just a different kind of appreciation. A lot of people in this country just take us for granted.
RAD:: What inspires you spiritually and musically at this point?
Joey:: Motorhead inpsires me musically, and with Motorhead it's like a body-mind experience, so it's like an assault on the body, which is nice. You don't get that from everybody these days. It's very hard for me to find anything I like because a lot of these bands insult me mentally.
RAD:: So you think a lot of them just sound the same now?
Joey:: These days it's just a big business. It's politics and business, the music is almost a by-product of the whole thing. Back in the 50's and 60's, of course, it was always about the individual who was going to do something great or do something shitty. It's not about the music as a whole, because even in the 60's there was some shitty music, too. But people were more liberated and more opened-minded and were into experimentation more. We kind of emerged in '74 and then there wasn't really much else--it was the Ramones and disco and corporate rock like Boston, Toto, etc.
RAD:: What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
Joey:: The future looks bleak, but there seems to be this punk resurgence going on. In some ways, all these young (punk) kids are influenced by the Ramones. But that's the same for the likes of the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Damned, Jane's Adiction, and Nirvana. I mean, we've gone through a few decades with fans and a lot of the bands have been influenced by the Ramones. And it's wild when you hear about artists who are going about in a whole different genre and how you affected them. I think what's happening now, musically, is that things are at least open for people to be more self-expressive and individual. Most people are jumping on the bandwagon because now there is this formula sound that they play on alternative radio stations. It's kind of a mix of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Stone Temple Pilots.
RAD:: Do you still keep in contact with Dee Dee?
Joey:: We saw Dee Dee when we were in Amsterdam. We did a big European tour and Dee Dee came to the show. But talking about some of the newer bands, my favorite new band is Hole because Courtney Love is totally unpredictable, spontaneous, and primal. She's her own person and I like her music. It's genuine, that's the way I see it anyway. And I always did like Nirvana and Soundgarden. There are other bands that I do like but they are few and far between.
RAD:: After 21 years together, do you regret anything that you have done?
Joey:: No, you learn from everything. The idea of life is to learn from it, and if it wasn't right to repeat it.
RAD:: The name "The Ramones," where did that name come from?
Joey:: In the days of the "Silver Beatles," Paul McCartney would go to check into a hotel room, using the name Paul Ramone. Dee Dee was a big Paul McCartney fan, so he changed his name to Dee Dee Ramone. When I hooked up with Dee Dee, we decided to call the band The Ramones.

Whether you're a Ramones fan or not, get out there and see them. Since they will be retiring soon, you will miss a piece of musical history if you don't.