3 MORE Random Ramones Thoughts

I kept having them, even after purging a bunch.  And here they are…

1.) Tolerable Conservatism. A friend of mine recently discovered that Johnny Ramone was a card-carrying, big time Republican, and she was not only surprised by dismayed. And I guess when I found out, I was surprised, but I can let it go. First of all, people are all different and you can’t control everyone. Second of all, even when the Ramones record a far-right message song like “This Ain’t Havana” or even “Commando,” it’s easy to let the message go by without a thought. This is a band that sang equally about “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” Nazis and zombies. I already don’t take their lyrics seriously, so why would those be any different?

4 Random Thoughts on the Ramones

I’ve been in a Ramones mood lately. It comes on from time to time, as I listen to the same things over and over again but in new ways, different times, and so I find myself back in the good graces of these 4-plus idiot geniuses. Here are some random thoughts:

1.) The contribution of any active Ramone cannot be undervalued. With most bands, you can usually hang most of the work load on one or two members. For example, the Rolling Stones. People always seem to paint the side characters as having important parts in the band’s success, like how Brian Jones rooted the band in the blues and contributed vibes to “Under My Thumb.” But really, when push comes to shove, it’s Mick and Keith’s band. Jagger wrote a ton of songs, and there are some albums where Richards plays nearly every instrument. These two also ran with the whole “face of the group” angle, which isn’t something to be undervalued. This happens especially with American bands, where for some reason, the focus falls on one singular “genius” at the center. CCR had Fogerty, the Beach Boys had Wilson, Weezer has Cuomo.