Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Marky Ramone At Motor City Comic Con 2017

I have been hooked on The Ramones from the first time I heard Sheena Is A Punk Rocker way back in 1975 (thank you Steve Marino).  They were unlike anything I had ever heard.
Some called their music punk rock.  I'm not quite sure what they played, but if it was punk rock, it didn't stay punk rock forever.
One such example was their End of the Century album.  This was one of my favorite albums.  Under the direction of the legendary Phil Spector and his "wall of sound," the album had a 1960's Motown song, a ballad, a rocker and more, all under the driving powerful sound expected from Spector.
Ironically, the Ramones didn't care much for the end product.  This was a "rumor" that I had to address when I met drummer Marky Ramone at the Motor City Comic Con 2017.
Marky basically said that it wasn't so much as they hated the product as they didn't feel it was really "Ramones."  It might have been popular.  It might have been a solid album.  It just wasn't typical Ramones.  Is that such a bad thing though>
I'm not a musician, but The Ramones were not conformists.  Would doing a different type of album be the perfect Ramones?  Why not embrace the different approach?
I didn't get to ask how it all came to be, if they ended up not lovibg the final product.  There is only so much time and Marky was on his way to a photo shoot when I had the chance to chat with him.
By the way, that chance was truly made possible by Marky.  He was literally heading out, when I approached him.  His handler wanted him to continue going, but he insisted on giving me a couple minutes of his time.  How cool is that?  Marky Ramone held up his schedule to talk for a bit with me.
I want to thank Marky for his time and consideration.  I also want to thank the fine folks at the Motor City Comic Con.
It's not too early to start making plans for the 2020 MCCC. Check MotorCityComicCon.com for news and updates.
Marky Ramone and me in Novi, MI-May 2017.

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