The End Of The Century

several weeks back i watched a documentary about the Ramones entitled ' The End of the Century.' the film was an inside look into the lives of the band members and the rise and fall of one of the most underrated and underappreciated bands of the last several decades. chock full of interviews, live concert footage, and videos from recording sessions and world tours, it was hard not to be drawn to the Ramones as a simple punk band playing the constant underdog role in the big world of rock n' roll.

i personally came to know their music much too late into their tenure, during the late 90's when they seemed to have been reduced to some sort of novelty act, playing gigs such as the MTV movie awards , and Lollapolooza with much younger and more grungy slash alternative bands.

As most kids my age, I went through a punk phase where all i really listened to was punk and all i cared about was punk. i didnt get into the whole lifestyle thing and never sported a leather jacket, dog collar, or mohawk, but the music for a time really spoke to me. and one of the bands that i discovered, when i was exploring the earlier days of the genre, was the Ramones. and sadly they are one of the few punk bands that I still can stomach now.

'The End of the Century' reminded me that the Ramones, love them or hate them, love punk or hate it, inspired and influenced the punk movement. bands like the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and many more got their start after being turned onto the Ramones, not to mention countless others.
Sure I know the whole thing with all the band members using the name Ramones for their last name might seem silly. and i will acknowledge that a lot of their lyrics were less than stellar. and yeah the music was about as minimalistic as you can get. But man, i cannot help but really like this band. and to see and hear that their was a ton of drama by way of love-hate relationships and in-fighting amongst members, even to the point where Johnny and Joey didn't speak to each other for over a decade eventhough they were in the same band. I mean this is some pretty heavy and deeply interesting stuff.

Sadly though three of the original members have passed away. but they leave behind a legacy of music and style that will live on. It all just goes to show that the Ramones were way more than meets the eye or ear. I gotta go, I think i am gonna go listen to their greatest hits...