Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone

I was quite surprised to see that this autobiography had come out, and probably wouldn't have if I hadn't bought I Slept With Joey Ramone. I haven't read that book yet, but when I got this I started reading and couldn't stop. It is written simply but clearly, and fills in a lot of gaps -- a lot of questions I had about the Ramones after seeing the DVD documentary End Of The Century: The story of the Ramones. In the End Of The Century documentary, which I think is really well done, you see these people Johnny is mentioning in his narrative, but I was left with the impression that it was solely because Johnny "stole" Joey's girlfriend that they'd had issues. He and Linda were clearly a lot more careful with hurting Joey's feelings than comes across in the movie, because they didn't want the band to break up over it. It was more the bad experience of the Spector-produced album that he credits the bad blood to. Also he gives a lot of praise to C.J., and makes it pretty clear what happened when various people "left" or were let go. What really stands out in the book to me is how he was kind of aimless and randomly violent when he was young, and turned that energy into a discipline that could make the Ramones one of the -- if not the -- best bands in Rock and Roll. It is also sad that the radio never gave them any air time, because I actually thought the Ramones had broken up when I bought Pleasant Dreams around 1981 or so! I still could have seen them live, and only got into their music when it wasn't possible for me to go see them live, and I still kick myself for it. The mark of a great band is one that can get their act together for show after show, and really make a good time for the fans and even make amends if something happens to cause a show to be cancelled. Johnny was the glue that held them together for this, and it's enlightening to read this account, and a lot of fun to read about his interaction with other groups of the time, like Blondie, the Talking Heads, Iggy Pop, The Cramps, and many more. The book is short, but it makes up for it with really beautiful photos and nice thick heavy stock covers that make it look like pop art or something. Bottom line: all true Ramones fans should love this book. Five stars plus. End of the Century - The Story of the Ramones Ramones: It's Alive 1974-1996 The Ultimate Double Live DVD I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir

Cool book about the story of a real punker

This is a good quick read about the Ramones and the motivating factors and idiosyncrasies behind Johnny and his band. Johnny is pretty blunt about his recollections the rock scene, of other bands and even his own band members and music. If this book would have come out while he was alive, I'm sure he wouldn't have made many people very happy, but I don't think he would have cared. Overall, the tone of the book offers a straight forward view of how Johnny looked at life, music and the Ramones. Most of the pictures in the book are from the early days (pre Marky) and while interesting they don't really fit the later topics towards the end of the book when talking about the end of the band. I don't think there is more than 1 or 2 pictures of either Marky or CJ in the book other than album covers. I was also surprised how little detail or thoughts were offered on the deaths of Joey and Dee Dee. Details were also scarce about the illness that ultimately ended Johnny's life. But even with these shortcomings, I found myself enjoying the book. The biggest criticism of the book is its construction. I purchased the "hardback" book and found that it seems to be nothing more than the paperback version of the book with 2 pieces of cardboard glued to the front and back cover. These cardboard pieces have nice illustrations on the front and back, but the edges are not wrapped and have no protection. After 1 careful reading, some fraying is evident and I question the longevity of the book. There is an uploaded photo on the product page that shows some details of this construction.

If you are going so far as to look at this page and read the reviews, you know good and well you want to read the book. So go ahead - you'll like it. Even when you don't. Johnny Ramone was certainly not a shrinking violet and, while a man of few public words, he didn't mince any of them. This is his story - his life before, during and after the Ramones, and he tells it simply, directly, and with an artlessness that ironically elevates his prose. Much like the Ramones themselves, actually. Unimpressed with his own legend, JR makes no pretense of himself, while offering an honest opinion of his own place in rock 'n' roll. He viewed his job as, well, a JOB, and set out to do it well, give it his complete and unstinting effort and do his damnedest to make sure that his customers got their money's worth. Thanks to his vigilance and willingness to be a task-master, he made sure the other Ramones gave their all, too. This leads into the great ironies of Johnny Ramone: An unapologetic "punk," he was the one who cracked the whip and made sure everyone was professional, prepared and on time. An icon of iconoclasm, he was a proud social and political conservative who loved America and the Republican party, he influenced and inspired countless young liberals and "anarchists" to pick up their guitars and howl. All of which, and much more you'll read for yourself, make JR a fascinating individual. And if that isn't enough, there are scores of great photos, Johnny's own critique of the band's albums, and, perhaps most fun of all, a scattershot of lists of his favorite movies, ball players, etc. And while I am not sure how much I care for the cardboard covers, I AM fond of the sewn signatures, which bode well for at least part of its long term shelf life. If you are here looking at this, you know you want to read this. So go on and read it. It's a lot more fun than reviews of it.

Fantastic read fast delivery great price

My review may be a bit overwhelming for those who are still soundly asleep in a world of make-believe and television and who don't want to hear how Mr. Johnny Ramone wore his ignorance like a badge of honor on his sleeve. First, the misinformation: Johnny suggests that he's merely trying to make this world a better place in which to live. Where the heck did he come up with that? As you ponder the answer to that question, consider that his method (or school, or ideology—it is hard to know exactly what to call it) goes by the name of “Johnny-ism”. It is a vilipensive and avowedly frowsy philosophy that aims to demand special treatment that, in many cases, borders on the ridiculous. Johnny lived for one reason and for one reason only: to teach the next generation how to hate—and whom to hate. This is a fundamental and obvious truth that he thoroughly ignores. Sounds pretty tyrannous, doesn't it? But is it any more so than his abysmal, bestial put-downs? Given a choice of having Johnny give me reason to fall into the traps set for me by his confederates or having my bicuspids extracted sans Novocaine, I, for one, would embrace the pliers, purchase some Polident Partials, and call it a day. Now here is something that will stun and very likely outrage many who read this: His shills fight more for the negative destruction of opposing ideologies than for the positive promotion of their own. If you don't believe me then consider that the problem with Johnny is not that he's condescending. It's that he wants to use tammanyism as a more destructive form of Oblomovism. Here's some news for people who are surprised by sunrise: Even if one isn't completely conversant with current events, the evidence overwhelmingly indicates that it wasn't so long ago that people like you and me were free to transform our pending national elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. Recently, that's become a lot harder to do. What happened that changed things so much? To put it briefly, Johnny Ramone happened. By transforming our whole society to suit his own unenlightened interests, Johnny has managed to require schoolchildren to be taught that the Queen of England heads up the international drug cartel. Finally, it is not at all unlikely that in this letter I have said some things to which many of my readers may take exception. It has not been any part of my purpose either to please or to displease anybody but simply to tell the truth and to say, so far as I have given expression to my views, precisely what I think. And what I think is this: The rectitude of racialism has become a matter of theological conviction for Mr. Johnny Ramone.

Gran libro que descubre las entrañas de los ramones y quien movía los hilos...Recomendable tanto para fanáticos como para novatos en el mundo ramoniano

Got it as a christmas present for a friend and he loved it. Thank you!!!

Biografia postuma e molto corta, ma assolutamente gradevole da leggere e di fatto "completa". Si colgono bene l'umorismo laconico di Johnny e la sua personalità dominante. Bellissima la sezione fotografica, apprezzabile la copertina spessa, divertenti le classifiche finali. Non concordo con Johnny riguardo al suo giudizio molto critico degli LP tra "Too Tough To Die" e "Adios Amigos" esclusi. Ci sono molti brani spettacolari nei dischi minori. Ad esempio "Mental Hell" e "Death of Me", dove la paranoia di Joey e/o Dee Dee incontra arrangiamenti più quadrati, flirtando con l'heavy metal. Da amante del gruppo e delle autobiografie di musicisti, la considero indispensabile quanto quella di Lemmy.