Immortality is so much better when you can stay around long
enough to realize it ...
In that respect, the Ramones endured to at least have a hint
it was being bestowed upon them.
Once again, you've got a chance to see why. If you were among
the many who missed them in their heyday, you can now relish
their legend --- in sound and sight --- with a cleverly-packaged
collection entitled 'Weird Tales of the Ramones.' If you have
any favorable inclinations toward rock music or pop culture,
this is an essential item for your edification and enjoyment.
Not only does the set contain 85 Ramones songs and 18 videos,
it features an impressive array of works from top pop comic
artists, such as 'Simpsons' creator Matt Groening and 'Mad'
magazine's Sergio Aragones (there's even a 3D comic, glasses
included).
The band probably had an inkling of their icon status in
the late 1970s when Rolling Stone magazine named them as one
of the seven most important groups in Rock-&-Roll history.
However, even then, the relative squalor of their daily existence
was threatening to put them in the ironic company of Mozart
and van Gogh, two titans of their art whose earthly rewards
fell far short of their legacies.
Actually, all the Ramones ever wanted was a hit. They were
New York misfits who grew up humming to the Top-40 charts,
so perhaps that yearning was understandable. It was yet another
irony of their careers, as their ultimate impact on rock music
was that of being iconoclasts. They ultimately didn't need
the Top-40 to make their presence felt.
A recent movie scene hit this nail right on the head. When
Jack Black's faux-teacher character in the wonderful 'School
of Rock' diagrammed the influences of virtually every esteemed
band of this era on a blackboard for his elementary-school
students, the name at the center of that chalked universe
was, rightfully, etched in all capital letters: RAMONES. Another
indicator of their impact is the lineup of artists who covered
their tunes on a 'tribute' album compiled by the late Johnny
Ramone and Rob Zombie (if your musical tastes are merely mainstream,
he contributed 'Dragula' to the 'Matrix' soundtrack). The
album was produced to generate proceeds for lymphoma research,
which claimed the life of Joey Ramone. Those who paid homage
with their performances were a veritable Who's Who of today's
rock industry:
- Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder (who was a close friend of
Johnny Ramone),
- U2
- Metallica
- Marilyn Manson
- Tom Waits
- The Pretenders
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Offspring
- Garbage
Even glam-rockers Kiss made an appearance, perhaps as a subtle
acknowledgement that their own style-over-substance circus
act has been well and truly outlasted by the stripped-down
sound of the Ramones. Kiss' contribution to the cause, though,
may have been to first establish that a group didn't really
need a Top-40 hit --- their only noodling of note that made
the hit list was a ballad, 'Beth' --- to become financially
independent. Merchandising was their meal ticket and years
later, that was the route that finally served the Ramones
so well. Their first roadie, Arturo Veja, designed a distinct
logo and hawked it on clothing and posters at their concerts.
The logo imitates the seal of the USA's Defense Department,
which in a sense, embodied the essence of the group:
- They were proudly American,
- Their sound was aggressive, and
- Their compact compositions seemed to defend the roots
of Rock-&-Roll.
To this day, items adorned with the Ramones logo can be found
everywhere in the world. A further show of the band's ever-growing
effect on current consciousness is seen in sports, as hockey
arenas all over North America have turned the seminal 'Blitzkrieg
Bop' ('Hey, ho, let's go!') into an anthem that raised the
song's mainsteam familiarity to such an extent that it now
provides the 'zeitgeist' attitude portrayed in Pepsi-Cola
commercials and elsewhere.
In a way, the Ramones finally have their hit. With the third
passing of the original four band members --- bassist DeeDee
Ramone --- only drummer-cum-producer Tommy Ramone has survived
to completely bask in the belated glory.
Besides the release of the boxed anthology, the other reason
to wax poetic about the Ramones right now is the announcement
that the Sex Pistols have finally been accepted into the Rock-&-Roll
Hall of Fame. To many, they were the clarions of punk rock,
but both the Pistols and The Clash owe their origins to the
Ramones, who were inducted in 2002, when all but lead-singer
Joey were still alive.
The Pistols and Clash were in attendance for the first Ramones
concert to rock the UK. Both met the group, who encouraged
them to forsake perfection and embrace energy and get their
sounds recorded as they were. Even the term 'punk rock' was
created in New York by underground diarist Legs McNeil to
describe the Ramones (and Iggy Pop's Stooges) as well as the
genre that was emerging from the dark shadows of disco, appealing
to the disaffected and disenchanted who clung to the late-60s
ideal that music still mattered.
One pleasant surprise on the boxed set is the inclusion of
a song the Ramones only released in the UK, 'I Don't Want
to Live This Life Anymore.' It's DeeDee's melodic projection
of the last moments in the drug-engulfed murder-suicide of
Sex Pistol bassist Sid Vicious and girlfriend Nancy Spungen.
This concise, haunting opus, composed late in the group's
career, served to further illuminate the torch being passed,
from the influence the Beatles' early songs had on the Ramones
--- the band took their name from an alias Paul McCartney
commonly used when registering at hotels --- to their own
influence on the British scene that grew from their presence.
The Pistols substituted anger for the Ramones' wit, but they
still had the artistic 'edge' that all great rock acts possess.
They, and so many groups after them --- including Nirvana
and Green Day --- took their cue from the Ramones that the
music was more than just a catchy tune. Much more. The Ramones
returned the music to its adulators by making it accessible
again. They hit the raw sensations that powered Rock-&-Roll
in the first place.
And that may have been the Ramones' greatest 'hit' of all.
About The Author
J Square Humboldt is the featured columnist at the Longer
Life website, which is dedicated to providing information,
strategies, analysis and commentary designed to improve the
quality of living. His page can be found at http://longerlifegroup.com/cyberiter.html
and his observations are published three times per week.
