Joey Ramone

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

April 15, 2001

Punk Rocker Joey Ramone Is Dead at 49

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 11:31 p.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) -- Singer Joey Ramone, the punk rock icon whose signature
yelp melded with the Ramones' three-chord thrash to launch an explosion of
bands like the Clash and the Sex Pistols, died Sunday. He was 49.

Ramone, the gangly lead singer with the leather jacket, tinted glasses and
permanently-torn jeans, was hospitalized last month with lymphoma. His
death was confirmed Sunday by Arturo Vega, the Ramone's longtime artistic
director.

The Ramones -- its four members adopted the common last name after forming
the band in 1974 -- came out of Queens, a motley collection of local losers
with limited musical skills. Joey became the lead singer only after his
drumming proved too rudimentary to keep up with his bandmates' thunderous
riffs.

While British bands such as the Sex Pistols and Clash received the media
attention once punk rock exploded, both were schooled by the Ramones' tour
of England that began on the U.S. Bicentennial -- July 4, 1976.

``They changed the world of music. They rescued rock and roll from
pretentiousness and unnecessary adornments,'' said Vega.


IGNORANCE IS BLISS (Joey Ramone/Andy Schernoff)

Ignorance is bliss, ya know it's true Ignorance is bliss, just look at you

Is it goin' anywhere?

I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive, yeah!

What's happening to our society? Disintegration of humanity
Destruction of the environment Cram that cop donation in your ass

Is it goin' anywhere?

???? Politicians to confuse you
What's good for them, now it ain't good for you But there ain't nothing
that you can do

I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive, yeah!

Louis Proyect
Marxism mailing list: http://www.marxmail.org