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Johnny viewed being a rock star as a means of employment, recording an
album every couple of years and touring constantly. After Tommy’s
departure, Johnny and Joey butted heads over the direction of the band.
Johnny wanted to make the same music in the familiar Ramones mode, while
Joey fought for creative change. A full-blown power struggle ensued and
the aggression intensified when Joey’s long-term girlfriend left him for
Johnny. Joey was heartbroken and the relationship between the two band
mates was fractured for good. Though they continued to tour in a small van
together for years, they never spoke to each other again. |
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As the 1980s moved forward, the touring continued to be the only source of
income. Marky Ramone (who replaced Tommy) succumbed to alcoholism and was
kicked out of the band, only to return to the group a number of drummers
later. Dee Dee decided to experiment with rap music and released an album,
much to Johnny’s embarrassment. Shortly thereafter, Dee Dee, overcome with
exhaustion and bloated by antidepressants, left the band, his wife and his
psychiatrist. In the face of all this, Johnny refused to give up. He found
CJ, a younger, cheaper version of Dee Dee, and continued the never-ending
tour for another eight years. |
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With Dee Dee’s replacement, CJ Ramone, the band entered a new decade with
a renewed influence on the bands that would become the grunge movement. CJ, who
was a lifelong fan of the band, found that the “united” front he’d admired was
anything but. Their relationships were splintering even further, but the band
found acceptance in some inexplicable Beatle-like way in South America where
screaming fans filled 30,000-seat arenas shouting “Hey, Ho, Let’s Go!” Much of
this late career success was mitigated by the deteriorated relationships and
constant feuding. The premature deaths of Joey and Dee Dee a year apart
and then Johnny in 2004 were sad
punctuations to the legacy. In the end, the music industry recognized the huge
influence the band has had over two generations of rock music. As Legs McNeil says
in the film, “The Ramones saved rock and roll.”
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'Adios Amigos' and it was
adios from The Ramones |
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