End of the Century: The Story of the
Ramones
With
arguably the three most important members of the band dying in the past few
years (Joey in 2001 of cancer, Dee Dee in 2002 of a heroin overdose and
Johnny in 2004, also of cancer) it is probably long overdue to look at the
historical importance of the Ramones.
After all, for a band that never had a hit record or made much money, they
were extraordinarily influential. In fact, not to put too fine a point
on it, the Ramones invented punk rock. Sure, there were bands that led
up to it; Iggy & the Stooges, the MC5, the New York Dolls, The Standells and
others may have showed the way, but it was the Ramones who blew open the
door.
The
bands that came in their wake, the Clash (whose late lead singer Joe
Strummer is interviewed extensively here) and the Sex Pistols may have
tweaked the fashions and the attitude. However, their sound is pure
Ramones.
The
Ramones were a bunch of funny-looking losers (none of them related and none
actually named Ramone) who couldn't really play that well. But, they
knew three chords and they played them hard and fast (almost none of their
songs clocked in at as much as three minutes long); creating oddly raw,
tough pop songs about drugs, Nazis, pinheads and murder. Their lyrics
were purposely a little dumb, however, as the old saying goes, it takes a
pretty smart band to look so stupid.
End of the Century takes you on a guided tour of the highs and the lows
of the band. The most interesting stuff looks at the early days of the
band's influence, the legendary shows at CBGBs, the first London tour, the
early almost-hits ("Blitzkrieg Bop," "Sheena Was A Punk Rocker" and "I Wanna
Be Sedated.")
By
the late 70s, they were already drifting a bit, with the B-movie Rock 'N'
Roll High School and the "sell-out" album with Phil Spector (during the
recording of which, in a famous rock and roll anecdote that turned out to be
prophetic, the tiny producer pulled a gun on the band). As more
releases got ignored by the world at large, the band became somewhat
frustrated and tense. Johnny and Joey reached an eternal impasse when
Johnny stole Joey's girlfriend. They worked together for fourteen
years afterwards, but the rift was never completely healed.
Through the years, members came and went, but the three members stayed pat.
The beginning of the end was when Dee Dee decided to leave the band to
make a hip-hop album (under the name Dee Dee King). They tried
soldiering on, but it was time to see the writing on the wall.
By
the end of their career, the Ramones were as big as the Beatles around the
world, but playing tiny clubs like the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ in
their homeland. Then-huge bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili
Peppers, Green Day and others were singing their praises, but the guys
couldn't give away their albums. Finally, after a wild and crazy
touring career, the band fizzled out. Their last album, ˇAdios
Amigos! was their best in years, but it did not sell well, so the band
took an easy paycheck to perform in the 1996 Lollapalooza tour and then just
broke up.
The
story of the band is fascinating. It has all the music biz
touchstones, sex, drugs, rock, puking, in-fighting and shitty vans.
However, what makes the band most fascinating is the difference in the
personalities that created this potent mix.
Obviously, because the film was made after his death, lead singer Joey
Ramone is the member that we get the least chance to get a handle on.
Even the archival footage is a bit inscrutable; with his shy, awkward
speaking tone, his inevitable dark glasses and his bangs almost always
covering most of his face, you almost never know what is going on in there.
Dee
Dee did some extensive interviews for the film (his overdose came two months
after the talks) and is very open about his talents and his vices. Dee
Dee comes off as a likable and just slightly goofy junkie; a man whose
demons are so immense, but who seems so good-natured, that he is hard to find
objectionable.
Johnny's death came after the film came out, so, obviously, his passing is
not mentioned. He did a lot of interviews and tells his story in
great detail, and you quickly learn listening to him talking that he is sort
of an odd combination of den leader and pariah for the band. He was
everything the rest of the band wasn't; adult, completely sober,
controlling, rather unlikable, a very savvy businessman, a harsh task
master, unemotional and a registered Republican.
Johnny put the band ahead of everything else in the world and would not
allow any other band member not to do the same. Honestly, he comes off
as a bit of an asshole. However, it is this very quality that probably
was able to keep this volatile group together for so many years.
(8/04)
Jay S.
Jacobs
