I started something like this back when Joey died almost two years ago. The thread got eaten in the BIG CRASH. Here it is again. My favorite punk band of all time was the Ramones. I've seen them at least a dozen times (probably closer to 20, but I was usually pretty well lit at their shows so some aren't as clear in my mind as others). I usually saw them at Hammerjacks, in Baltimore, which was pretty much a heavy metal haven. It was kind of weird going there dressed in all my punk regalia, and seeing all the guys who worked there dressed like they were roadies for Twisted Sister and all the chicks dressed like they were ready to clean off the hood of David Coverdale's car. I remember one time, probably in '87, I went there with some friends, and before the show started, the DJ was playing some total crap to get us "warmed up." So I stared a chant of "Hey, ho, let's go, hey ho, let's go" which got picked up by the crowd. The DJ stopped the music, and for about 10 minutes before the band came on, the punkers in the pit were all doing it over and over, singing Blitzkreig Bop. When the Ramones came on stage, we went absolutely nuts. That was a lot of fun. Blitzkrieg Bop Hey ho, let's go Hey ho, let's go They're forming in a straight line They're going through a tight wind The kids are losing their minds The Blitzkrieg Bop They're piling in the back seat They're generating steam heat Pulsating to the back beat The Blitzkrieg Bop. Hey ho, let's go Shoot'em in the back now What they want, I don't know They're all reved up and ready to go
Went to my ticket stub collection, and the last Ramones show I went was Friday, October 16, 1992 at the Hollywood Palladium. What was interesting about this show was that House Of Pain was supposed to open the show-which they did on Thursday, but got booed off the stage. I was at the show early, and overheard a guy in the john note that Body Count would open instead. Turned out to be a tremendous show. Ice-T fronting his band was tremndous, and it took the Ramones about 1/2 of their set to regain the crowd fully.
Mike, I happen to have a copy of the Clash playing "Police & Thieves" live which segues into "Bliztkrieg Bop" with Joey singing. Have you heard this one. I have it on "Rockers Galore", which was a promo thing that came out around the "Westway the World" push. I actually got it as part of Dobey's Clash contest!
I saw them twice. The first time I saw them the blew out the PA system at the Newport in Columbus. Don't forget their guest apperence on The Simpsons.
Teenage Lobotomy Lobotomy, lobotomy, lobotomy, lobotomy! DDT did a job on me Now I am a real sickie Guess I'll have to break the news That I got no mind to lose All the girls are in love with me I'm a teenage lobotomy Slugs and snails are after me DDT keeps me happy Now I guess I'll have to tell 'em That I got no cerebellum Gonna get my Ph.D. I'm a teenage lobotomy
My favorite Ramones memory was at a 1978 VCU halloween concert in Richmond. I had just joined the school concert committee, and was assigned to dressing room security. Basically, the job entailed hanging out with the Moans before and after the show and attending to their simple needs. I remember running back to my dorm room to get my crappy b/w TV so the boys could watch the KISS movie before their turn on stage. I also did a horrible poster for the show with a silhouette of the band from their first album cover. Tommy had left by then, so when I got the band to autograph it, Marky Xed out Tommy's head before he signed. Other fond recollections include watching Dee Dee use his switchblade to carve the lining out of Joey's new leather jacket 'cause it was "too hooooot." Sitting in and asking a question or two during the prequisite backstage interview. Joey whining cause he couldn't find his mineral water. Johnny being quiet and sweet. Marky acting dumb and silent. And Dee Dee drawing vaguely fascist grafitti on the chalkboard. Oh yeah, one more. Getting to use one of those cool little flashlights to escort them back to the dressing room after the show. Ah, youth...
Did any of you go to the show at Hammerjacks - in about 1992 I wanna say - where Social Distortion opened for the Ramones? That show is in my top 2 all-time favorites along with Nine Inch Nails at the 9:30 Club in April of 1990.
Believe it or not Barb, I was at both of those shows.. Ramones at Hammerjacks was just a sublime experience.. My top ten Ramones tunes of all time: 1. Garden of Serenity 2. I Just Wanna Have Something To Do 3. She's The One 4. Life's A Gas 5. Somebody Put Something In My Drink 5. She Talks to Rainbows 6. I Wanna Live 7. Mental Hell 8. Tomorrow She Goes Away 9. I Don't Want You 10. I Believe In Miracles Most of the above tunes are all 90's stuff but the 70/80's stuff is awesome as well.. I think as time went by, they actually learned a few more chords (that would bring the total to about 6 or 7) and their collective sound was much richer and harder than the early stuff. In other words, they simply took advantage of the improved studio equipment over the years and their sound improved commeasurately...
the ramones were obviously one of the greatest bands of the past 25 years. favorite song? Sheila is a punk rocker is good, but I don't know the names of some of thier really good album tracks. I like how the first ten songs on any given Ramones album sound pretty much the same then all the sudden out of nowhere comes a 50's style pop ballad.
my favorite has to be "i wanna be sedated." i know that's a pretty vanilla choice, but some of my brother's college friends were in a ska band that covered it. they snuck me (underage) into the bar to see their set, when i was but a 16 year old. one other random (funny/terrifying) memory: i was on my way, by car, to a work related conference with some colleagues, and we all brought CD's along. after the usual round of dreck like the eagles, firehose, and whatever other mind-numbing crap that passed for music in their minds, it was my turn. i gave them a ramones CD. this is 100% true: a woman in the car thought the lyric "blitzkrieg bop" was "let's drink pop." nevermind the fact that pretty much ONLY minnesotans like me call it "pop," it still depressed me no end....