By Danny Coleman
originally published: 05/08/2015
"CBGB? No, I don't miss it at all," says music legend, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and Ramones drummer Marky Ramone. "The club had its run; there is a time and place for everything and it served its purpose well."
Ironically enough, it was at that famed New York City Club where Marky encountered Dee Dee Ramone and was asked to join the line up which would occupy fifteen years of his life, break new ground, create legions of still faithful fans and allow him the continued success which he enjoys today.
Recently, I caught up with Marky in advance of his upcoming 7 p.m. May 9 show in Asbury Park, NJ at the "Legendary Stone Pony." We discussed the Ramones Rock and roll Hall of Fame induction, his past, his influences and his new book "Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My life as a Ramone."
Rock On: A new book? Why now and whose idea was it to write it; were you approached by someone?
Ramone: "It was my idea. Now? Now was five years ago; it took a lot of time out of my life to do this. I was with the Ramones for fifteen years. I went back over videos, visuals and all of the funny stories that I could recall; it was time, it was just time."
Rock On: Along those lines, remembering all of those stories and times; what were your thoughts and feelings while composing the book?
Ramone: "I, just the truth about our personalities. We had some really different personalities. I remembered meeting Phil Spector and filming "Rock 'n' Roll High School," his influence and our influence on other bands. The Ramones were very unusual people; I just wanted to convey a realistic view of us and the band."
Rock On: While composing the book; was their a favorite ramone or rock 'n' roll m oment that stood out from the rest?
Ramone: "Well, I liked when Tommy asked about joining the band, the Hall of Fame, working with Phil Spector and travelling around the world. I met so many great fans, many I still see today; of course they're much older now. They're bringing their husbands and wives and kids; it's an ever changing group of fans."
Rock On: How does that feel knowing that you and the band have influenced generations of musicians and fans?
Ramone: "Flattering. Grateful that they see something in me, in our music; they really bridge the generation gap. The Ramones were a very American band; we were lucky that other countries took a liking to us and helped in our success. We built a following all over the world at a time when we were in competition with soft rock, stadium rock and all kinds of other forms of music. We were different from all those other forms and people took a liking to us."
Rock On: In the early 1980's, you were asked to leave the band; care to elaborate on that or is that taboo?
Ramone: "I drank a lot of beer. I never drank before shows so that wasn't an issue but in the recording studio; that was what led to that. There was this one time that I was disappointed in the drum sound and I started drinking and things got out of hand. The band told me that I needed to get right, get clean; it was the right thing to do. I'm glad they did because otherwise I'm not sure what may have happened. You can read it in the book; it's all in there."
Rock On: Many a great musician has suffered a similar fate, or worse; who were some of your influences?
Ramone: "Ringo, Mitch Mitchell of Jimi Hendrix's band, Buddy Rich, Ginger Baker, Joe Morello, there are so many more but those were my main influences."
Rock On: You are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; can you describe the feeling when you were told that the band had made it?
Ramone: "Well, we were among our peers; I was honored. We got in the first year that we were eligible and we were now sharing it with the bands we loved to listen to. We were in there with The Kinks, The who, The Beach Boys and we were the first punk band to get in; it all evolved so we were very happy."
Rock On: So you're on tour and you've enlisted Andrew W.K.; how's that going?
Ramone: "Yeah, Andrew is my singer. He handles the material so well. there are thirty five classic Ramones songs; they're too good not to be played. I finally decided that it was time because I kept getting so many e-mails, and texts from friends and fans who wanted to hear the material and who wanted to hear me play. I asked Andrew and now we're out on the road having a lot of fun."
Rock On: When not on the road, I see you've delved into various other projects like a pasta sauce?
Ramone: "Yeah, I have my own beer and hot sauce too to go along with the pasta sauce. I do it for the various charities that I support.
Rock On: What charities are they? May I ask?
Ramone: "Yeah, yeah; I support "Autism Speaks" and "Musicians Without Borders," i like their work.
Rock On: What about your show on Sirius XM?
Ramone: "I've been doing it for ten years already. It's really cool, I get to play what I want so there's a mix of old and new punk; plus I get to help new bands get heard. I like that bands send me their music; send me music and if I like it I'll play it on air. I do this because I am in fifty states. Who knows? Maybe a producer or a record company will hear it and want to sign them to a contract or a deal; that'd be something and great for them."
Rock On: You have a show coming up at the Stone Pony on May 9; what can we expect and what do you think of the venue?
Ramone: "The home of the Ramones! We loved playing there; we used to be somewhat of a regular or so it seemed. This show is going to be a barrage of thirty five Ramones songs; no talking. May 9 is Andrew W.K.'s birthday so we'll be celebrating that with a punk birthday thing and who knows; maybe even a cake fight (laughs)."
Rock On: Being a Trenton guy; can you give me your thoughts on the infamous club City Gardens? The Ramones played there twenty five times or more.
Ramone: "Oh yeah, that place was great; we really liked it there. The good thing about playing there was that it was so close to home that we actually got to go home and sleep in our own beds; that was nice. We liked it, they always treated us very well there."
Marky Ramone has a new book, a new singer and the same approach and that's to rock and roll to the best of his ability; leaving an already rabid fan base yearning for more.
To learn more about this Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, please go to www.markyramone.com .
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS
Amalfi's Restaurant
146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd. Lawrenceville
(609) 912-1599
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Hard 2 Explain
(609) 448-7144
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. "Country" Ron Crites
Fri. 8 p.m. Robert Bruce
Sat. 8 p.m. Meg Hanson Band feat. Billy Hill
Tues. 8 p.m. Amviance the Duo
Wed. 7:30 p.m. Robert Bruce
Blend Bar & Bistro
911 Highway 33, Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Thurs. 7 p.m. Pennsylvania Beer Night
Fri. 8 p.m. Jim Gaven
Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam
The Backstage at Championship Bar
931 Chambers St. Trenton
Fri. 7 p.m. Suspect, The Garbage State, Before The End, The Choices, Angels 8 Riot. All ages, $10
Sat. 5 p.m. Blue Son, Ashes To Oranges, The American Standard, Between The Vertebrae, A Crucifying Feeling, Gastonia. All ages, $10
Wed. 5 p.m. 36 Crazyfists, Toothgrinder, Cranely Gardens, Common Wealth, Earthbound Immortal, Dreadful Recognition, The Greatest Virtue. All ages, $12/$15
Candlelight Lounge
24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Sat. 3 p.m. Lynn Riley Alto Sax Quartet. (No cover-$10 minimum)
Chickie's & Pete's
183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs
Dog & Bull Brew House810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Thurs. 8 p.m. Dane Rosenfeld
Fri. (4 p.m.) "Happy Hour Jam" w/ Visoon (9 p.m.) Joe Robinson
Sat. (11 a.m.) "Saturday Brunch Jam" feat. Michael Leggerie (9 p.m.) The Conshohocken Curve
Sun. (11 a.m.) "Sunday Brunch" feat. Keli Vale Jazz Duo (3 p.m.) Soul Custody Trio
Mon. 8 p.m. Perry Wolf
Tues. 8 p.m. Nytrous
Wed. 8 p.m. Rivers
Dubh Linn Square
167 Rte. 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-7100
Thurs. Ladies Night
Sun. 4 p.m. Irish Sessions
Mon. Military Day
Fran's Pub
116 S. Main St. New Hope, PA.
(215)862-5539
Thurs. 9 p.m. Curtain Call
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Blues Jam
All shows 21+
Freddie's Tavern
12 Railroad Avenue Ewing
(609) 882-9845
Fri. 9 p.m. Paul Plumeri & Jerry Monk
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main Street. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. 10 p.m. "Beat The Clock" College Night DJ Dance Party
Fri. 8 p.m. Blind Boys of Alabama. Doors at 6 p.m., $50
Sat. 9 p.m. David Uosikkinen's "In The Pocket" fest. members of The Hooters, The A's, Tommy Conwell, Soul Survivors. Hosted by Pierre Robert. Doors and VIP at 7 p.m., order tickets on line at comcastTIX
Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Wed. 8 p.m. Todd Rundgren. Doors at 6 p.m., $50 (advance), Ages 21+
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Fri. 10 p.m. The Ernie White Band
Sat. 10 p.m. El Ka Bong
John & Peter's
96 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Thurs. 9 p.m. Cassidy Catanzaro
Fri. 9 p.m. Honey Spot Blvd.
Sat. (3 p.m.) Desoto Rust (9 p.m.) The Paul Gargiulo Band
Sun. (3 p.m.) Jamie Salvatore (9 p.m.) Matt Setzer
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Chris
Wed. 9:30 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Paint the Roses Tea and Café
37 West Broad Street Hopewell
(609) 466-8200
Sat. 11 a.m. Bryan Hill
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 9 p.m. Radio Fiction
All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing
1339 River Rd. Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Fri. 7:30 p.m. Steve Bross
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Soul Kitchen
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Beetle Pie
Plumstead Grill
457 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 758-5552
Sat. 10 p.m. The Aldrich Brothers Band
Randy Now's Man Cave
134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
Check Web Site for Upcoming Events
RHO Waterfront
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 10 p.m. "College Night" w/ DJ Paul Desisto
Fri. (4 p.m.) Happy Hour Buffet. $10 (8:30 p.m.) The Once Again Band
Sun. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Mother's Day Brunch. $21.95 per person adults/$11.95 kids
All Shows 21+
Tavern On The Lake101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. 9 p.m. Drew's farm
Sat. 9 p.m. (TBA)
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The HOB Tavern
146 Second Street
(609) 291-7020
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau St. Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Fri. 10 p.m. DJ Darius
Sat. 10 p.m. Milan and The Sour Goat
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 8:30 p.m. Tune Trivia (10:30 p.m.) DJ Rockn Ron
The Millhill Basement
300 South Broad St Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Mon. 7 p.m. Drag The River, The Cryptkeeper Five, Brian McGee, Sammy Kay, GB. $12
The Record Collector
358 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Fri. 8 p.m. Jack Grace Band / Buffalo Stack. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance)
Sat. 8 p.m. Bill Kirchen Band. All ages, doors at 7:30, $25 (advance)
The Roost
181 Route 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-2500
Sat. 9 p.m. Kindred Spirit
The Sun National Bank Center
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check web site for upcoming events
The Yardley Inn
82 E. Afton Avenue Yardley
(215) 493-3800
Sat. 9 p.m. Paul Plumeri & Jerry Monk
Tir Na Nog
1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. 9 p.m. Moot Davis
Sat. 9 p.m. Oliver McElhone
Tues. 9 p.m. Taylor Reed
All shows 21+
Trenton Buzz702 Pine St. Trenton
(609) 392-6000
Thurs. 8 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Hek Cat
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 8:30 p.m. Cinema Thursday Presents: "Electric Boogaloo"
Fri. 7 p.m. First Friday
Mon. 10 p.m. Service Industry Night w/ DJ-Jay Kountree
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic.
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Fri. 10 p.m. Davina & The Vagabonds ($5 cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. AfroZep ($5 cover charge)
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night
Tues. 9 p.m. Looseleaf Trio
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Crazy Ivan
