Stories that could form the basis of the film: true facts about the group "Ramones"

Even if you have not listened to the songs of this group, you have probably heard its name at least once. Today about Ramones speak of as the first real punk rock team! The team from New York had a tremendous impact on the development of the genre and on generations of followers, leaving a deep mark on the history of music. At first, the success of the band was modest, but over time Ramones gained greatness: the project's career includes more than two thousand concerts, almost 20 years of active touring, 14 studio records and a sea of scandals fueled by illegal substances and a lack of mutual understanding.

In 1996 the band played farewell concert and broke up, and after 20 years, four of the original members of the Ramones died. But the memory of them, as well as their crazy antics, lives on. On stage, this team demonstrated unity and a strong spirit of friendship, but outside of it, the abyss actively grew, which ultimately swallowed up the pioneers of punk rock.

Dee Dee Ramon was lonely and seriously addicted

On first listening "53rd and 3rd" you can decide that this is a very cheerful and energetic track that makes you stamp your foot once again! But it's not. This is a rather sad story about a man, disguised as an invigorating melody.

Dee Dee Ramon known as the bassist and writer of many Ramones songs, including "53rd and 3rd". At first glance, it may seem that this is a cute positive guy! However, throughout his life, Dee Dee struggled with inner loneliness and a serious addiction to illegal substances. When the group was enjoying popularity, Dee Dee had every opportunity to finance his bad habit. Prior to this, he had resorted to an easier but dirty way to get the required amount: he hung around at the scandalous Manhattan intersection, which is discussed in "53rd and 3rd". You could say it's pretty autobiographical.

"Then I took out the blade,
Then I did what God forbade
Now they're haunting me
But I proved that I am not a sissy ... "

Once a music journalist Legs McNeil said:

“Dee Dee was not a nice guy. His life has become a living disaster. But, despite all his sins, he was a brilliant poet!”

He was also a tough teenager

Not only adults, but also teenage years Dee Dee were filled with robbery and scandals. From a young age, the guy was dependent on substances, and his love for German paraphernalia actively flared up in Germany 60s where his father served.

For days, Dee Dee roamed unsupervised, looking for the wreckage of World War II. So, he discovered helmets, bayonets and various paraphernalia, which he considered very beautiful. The guy also talked a lot with the soldiers, and it was they who introduced the young man to illegal drugs: the addiction developed when the boy was 12 years old!

When his parents' marriage fell apart, Dee Dee moved to USA and eventually set out to hitchhike around the country. He soon became involved in bad company, with which he participated in an armed robbery. As a result of this incident, he spent several weeks in an Indiana prison. Dee Dee asked his father for help, but in response he heard the following:

“Yes, you went! May you rot there! You deserve it!"

Johnny Ramon stole Joey's girlfriend

By all accounts, soloist "Ramones" Joey Ramone was the romantic and kindest member of the group. But guitarist Johnny was his complete opposite: rude and cruel, he repeatedly beat Dee Dee and incited scandal within the team. But one day he crossed all the boundaries of what is permitted.

Johnny and Joey did not get along with each other from the very beginning of the group's existence. The first was a staunch conservative, while the second was a liberal. At the same time, Joey had a difficult obsessive-compulsive disorder, because of which he was often late and could let the whole group down at the most important moment.

The great love in the life of gentle Joey was the charming Linda Daniel. The couple met at one of the Ramones concerts in 1977 year, and soon they started dating. As a result, Joey invited Linda to tour with the band, and that was his mistake. During the tour, Johnny began to show signs of attention to Linda, and the girl went to him. The couple later married and Joey wallowed in alcohol and drugs. He flatly refused to communicate with Johnny - a few words at most, and then in case of emergency. Rumor has it that written by Joey "The KKK Took My Baby Away" dedicated to this betrayal.

Joey's illness played a role in his early demise

All life Joey struggled with his health. He was born with spinal teratoma, which left him with poor circulation and an increased vulnerability to infections as a child. Subsequently, he began to suffer from mental health problems. At first he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, but later changed the diagnosis to obsessive-compulsive disorder. One day, doctors told his mother that over the years, the boy's condition would deteriorate so much that he would never be able to function in society and would inevitably become a "living vegetable."

However, Joey found a place where he could be calm and in control. And that was the music scene. His tall stature, broken vocals and lush hair, covering almost the entire face, created an otherworldly image. But when he left the stage, his frustration took over.

"Those voices in his head were saying, 'You closed that door wrong, you have to do it again.' He did the same thing 20 times until it was “right,” recalled his younger brother Mickey Lee.

Sometimes Joey wandered the streets for hours, resulting in frequent lateness to rehearsals, shows, and events, which exacerbated tensions in his already rocky relationship with Johnny. One day when the band returned from a tour of England, Joey insisted on going back to the airport just to take one step back.

In April 2001 year he died from lymphatic cancer. His early death was precipitated on New Year's Eve 2000 when he decided to return to his chiropractor's office to see if he closed the door correctly. As a result, Joey slipped and required hip surgery, which put his cancer treatment on hold, leading to his death a few months later.

Johnny was the most aggressive member of the group

Johnny Ramon was an authoritarian member of the group. He used fear and intimidation to remain the leader of the group. In one of the interviews, Joey's brother, Mickey Lee, recalled:

“He verbally abused Tommy, beat Dee Dee regularly for the slightest infraction, and had little time for Joey's obsessive-compulsive disorder. He either didn’t want to accept it, or he really didn’t understand the seriousness…”

Johnny himself admitted to autobiographies:

“For two years I had a streak of bad and violent behavior. I was just bad every minute of the day."

Johnny has been known to carry old TVs on the rooftops and threw them when he saw people walking downstairs to scare them. He also threw bricks into windows and used physical and verbal abuse to control those around him.

They worked with infamous producer Phil Spector

For the recording of the fifth studio album "End of the Century" the group hired a future criminal and now infamous producer Phil Spector. It is worth emphasizing that Spector has had great success with "The Ronettes"and also with the Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison. Spector also had a reputation for being controlling and cruel, and an odd habit of wearing a raincoat and dark glasses while drinking wine from a goblet.

One day, as the recording session ran into the early hours of the morning, the band told Spector it was time to head home. According to Johnny, in response to this statement, Phil pulled out a gun and said: "No one goes anywhere". Nevertheless, Johnny had an uncontrollable character, and therefore, having thrown a couple of obscene phrases at Spector, he left the studio.