For some, like myself, we grow up watching and wanting to be the charismatic and God-like rock stars we have seen and herd. Front men like Mick and Keith, Lennon and McCartney, Bono, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, the Gallagher Brothers, the list can go on forever. These guys embodied everything it means to be cool and what it is to fit in. When you look at a guy like Joey Ramone, at first glance and first listen, he doesn't sound cool, in fact he sound's like one of us. A regular guy that is clutching onto all the true values of life and wanting to be accepted. However, Joey may not have been the guy we all wanted to be, it was because Joey was the misfit we already were. He symbolized everything what it was to be far from normal and he made it cool, he made it OK to be a little odd and off, at the end of the day, Joey made gave the rest of us a reason to go out and be ourselves.
The history of The Ramones and the story of Joey Ramone is one of the most fascinating stories of rock and roll. This was a band that was born in Queens, raised in the Bowery and created a genre we now know as Punk. Without The Ramones and their drive, who knows where we would be today. During their prime, they were the most unlistened band but one of the most respected on the globe. As the band played on with different line up changes, what most do not know is how bad it was on the inside. How much Joey hated Johnny and how Johnny hated everyone. This is all displayed in the new book, I Slept with Joey Ramone, written by a man who saw the rise, fall and break up of this iconic band, Joey's blood brother Mickey Leigh. Leigh, who fronted his own band's The Rattlers and Birdland, got his start being The Ramone's manager, road crew and is the catalyst for the band forming. I Slept with Joey Ramone is one of the most fascinating and interesting accounts and an eyewitness story to one of the most treasured bands of all time. In this exclusive interview, Mickey and I go in depth to the history of The Ramones, Joey's OCD, the fights between each member, the evolution of songs and Joey's final days. Take a listen to my interview with the legendary Mickey Leigh below...
Special thanks to Mickey, Jessica Roth for the interview. Extra special thanks to Rich D Smoov, Eric Seiden and Jenna Campagna for their technical assistance and of course, The Ramones for an anthology of amazing music.