So a few years ago I went to Joey Ramone's birthday party and saw the great
Ronnie Spector and BLONDIE GOT BACK TOGETHER. That was at a little place
called Tramps. Saturday night would have been Joey's fiftieth birthday and
this time the party was at the Manhattan Center (formerly the Hammerstein).
Joey is of course, the tall and pasty shy dude from Queens who led the
Ramones through the uncharted region of punk rock becoming the "President of
Punk" (as he was dubbed this night). The President sadly passed away last
month, but this bash was a glorious send-off. For starters, acting like I
owned the place, I walked into the gig and went upstairs and got a seat
(away from the sweaty, standing throng on the floor) because I had to see my
beloved Cheap Trick. The show was sold-out instantly so getting in for free
would have made Joey proud (not as great as a kid I saw arrested for stealing
Ramones records, but I'm a bit of a wuss). Anyway, Bellvue (with the leader
of D Generation) was the first band and they did "Heartbreaker" by the
Stones. Speakers like Legs McNeil, who started "Punk" magazine, and family
members came out and spoke between bands. Also video clips ran with Sabastian
Bach, who got booed, and a shorn Joan Jett paying homage to a true rock
original. Rick Nielson of the Trick came out for a song I don't know ("I Want
You Around"?) with an all-star band of folks I didn't know (Daniel Rey and
Mickey Ramone were two). Then Blondie, one of my faves and Ramones CBGB
peers, brought the house down with "Dreaming", "Hanging on the Telephone",
"Maria" (this is a great song), "Rip Her to Shreds", "One Way or Another",
and a great run through "I Wanna be Your Boyfriend". Little Steven was the
master of ceremonies by this point and introduced the "pride of Rockford,
Illinois" Cheap Trick. Bun E. Carlos was at a drum clinic so somebody else
was on skins (?) but Trick blazed through "Hello There", "Hot Love", "ELO
Kiddies", "Hešs a Whore", "Clock Strikes Ten" and "Surrender" (which Joey sang
on stage with them at Lollapoolooza). Rick said these were songs Joey wanted
to hear when he came to Trick shows, but I wanted "I'll Be with You Tonight"
which Joey once covered. Plus they could have changed the "Kiss records" line
in "Surrender" to "Ramones records" but everybody, like Joey, loves Cheap
Trick anyway. A big surprise finished out the evening as all the way from
London came goth-punks the Damned. Quite a treat, with Elvis-like smoothie
Dave Vanian on vocals, Captain Sensible on guitar, and (maybe) Rat Scabies on
skins, doing songs nobody knew. I interviewed Rat on the phone once and after
the label called and asked if I said anything to upset him. How sensitive is
a cat named RAT SCABIES? At any rate, the band ruled. The Cult and Danzig got
a lot from these veterans. They finished with "Smash It Up" and destroyed all
their instruments, a fitting epitaph to a New York legend. Gabby came out of
a cake at the end and Ring Dings snack cakes were thrown into the audience.
God bless Joey Ramone. -STONE
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