On This Day, June 5th, in 2002: Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone (born Douglas Colvin) was found dead by his wife Barbara in his Hollywood, CA home. An autopsy would reveal the cause of death to be a heroin overdose. It’s sort of interesting timing that Poisoned Heart, a very gritty but also very loving biography written by DeeDee’s first wife, Vera, will be in stores next week.
Continue reading Remembering Dee Dee Ramone
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Joey Ramone’s Birthday Bash, Tonight!
This is where I’ll be tonight! “Celebrating what would have been the 58th birthday of punk icon Joey Ramone, the annual JOEY RAMONE BIRTHDAY BASH will take place Tuesday, May 19th at The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza. Mickey Leigh, event organizer and brother of Joey Ramone, has announced that, as part of the 9th annual Bash, fans will be treated to a special advance sneak peek listen to rough mixes of never- before-heard Joey Ramone solo recordings. Various producers, including long-time Ramones producer Ed Stasium, are currently preparing tracks for a full album worth of material, slated for posthumous release at the end of the year.
Must Read Rock Book: Poisoned Heart By Vera Ramone King
Despite the fact that it has possibly the longest title of any book ever written, I was able to read Poisoned Heart: I Married Dee Dee Ramone (The Ramones Years). A Punk Love Story – the gritty new biography by Dee Dee Ramone’s long-suffering ex-wife Vera Ramone King – in the 3 hours it took me to fly from Chicago to Newark. Let me tell you, I loved this book!
Continue reading Must Read Rock Book: Poisoned Heart By Vera Ramone King
Rock Lives at NYC’s R&R Hall of Fame Annex
The Beatles!
It has been pretty freezing ass cold in NYC these past few weeks. But I don’t think you could have asked for a more beautiful mid-winter day on Sunday, and it certainly was perfect weather to uncover your head, strip down to maybe one or two layers and make the trip down to Soho to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex. Because it is no secret that I like to Rock. Geoffrey snagged a few discount tickets on Goldstar, so I met him and his friend Susie outside the Annex and we got ready to rock like nobody’s business.
Our visit began in a small theater with a fifteen minute film featuring live performances and notable quotes from many of the artists ensconced in the HOF. My favorite clips were The Beatles, The Who and The Doors. They did show a live clip of Queen (I saw them five times back in the 70s), but it was from after Freddie Mercury cut his hair off and started looking like one of the Village People. So it did not yank my chain quite as hard as it would had it been one of those satin-jumpsuit-wearing Freddie clips. Anyway, when I saw Jim Morrison in his leather pants singing, “Come on baby, light my fire,” like the immortal Sex God that he is, well, I got a little teardrop.
Mickey Leigh, Brother of Joey Ramone, Speaks Out On Where The Ramones Stand Politically
STATEMENT FROM MICKEY LEIGH:
(November 2, 2008) “It has been brought to my attention that Linda Cummings (Johnny Ramone’s widow), using the name “Ramone,” has recently been in the media joining with the Palin family and the McCains to attempt to aid their campaign for the Presidency. As a President of Ramones Productions, and brother of Joey Ramone, I just want it to be clear that Linda Cummings does not represent the political views of the Ramones. Surely, as for Joey Ramone, the only Ramones song he would sing at a Republican campaign event would be ‘Glad To See You Go!’
“I should add that when Johnny stated ‘God Bless George Bush’ at the 2002 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame awards, I realize now that he was on to something. Because if it were not for George Bush and his handling of our country the past 8 years, I doubt so many Americans, including so many highly regarded Republicans, would now be getting behind Barack Obama. So, yes, God bless George Bush for paving the way to Obama.”
~ Mickey Leigh