Teenage Lobotomy
Ramones
I was very late into the Ramones and the details of how I got into them are covered in The Story of Rock and Roll. There was just something about them that was amazing. It wasn’t the musicianship, it wasn’t the lyrics, they just had a way of writing these buzz saw tunes that were irresistible. Bands like the Pistols and the Clash may never have got the confidence to play if they hadn’t seen the Ramones just show everyone that you don’t have to be Richie Blackmore to be in a band, you can just rip it out without solo’s in under 2 minutes and people will love it.
If any band personified dysfunction it was the Ramones. This is a classic video clip, Joey Ramone is like a car accident where you don’t really want to see it but you can’t look away. Joey started as the drummer but switched to lead vocals thereby becoming probably one of the most unlikely frontmen in rock. There is magic here, god knows why but it works. The Ramones influenced so many bands with their leather jacket and ripped jeans look, they are truly iconic. It is a bit like Che Guevara where people wear the shirt because it looks cool but don’t know who the fuck he is. Their influence on music is phenomenal given their lack of commercial success.
JAMES DAUBENEY