Dee Dee Ramone--Hey Is Dee Dee Home
MVD 2003
There are few characters in rock n' roll as beloved as Dee Dee Ramone. This is with good reason--as a member of the Ramones and as a solo artist, Dee Dee penned and performed countless songs that have touched and stayed with legions of people over the years. Unfortunately, on top of being a true rock n' roll hall of famer, Dee Dee was also an all-time legendary addict. Hey Is Dee Dee Home is a sad and sobering look at that addiction.
Originally filmed for the Johnny Thunders documentary Born to Lose, Dee Dee proved too compelling a subject to edit down. The focus of this hour long interview is Dee Dee's long battle with substance abuse. If you thought "the rock n' roll junkie" was something to aspire to, Dee Dee will wipe that foolish notion out of your head in far less than sixty minutes. The picture he paints is one of a life filled with despair, sadness, violence, and phony commeraderie. For fans who loved him or even casual observers, it's all pretty painful to hear laid out.
Within all the insanity being bandied about by Dee Dee, there's another revelation. In fact, it's a revelation that probably explains why Dee Dee outlived so many of his running buddies. You see, even more amazing than the fact he survived addiction for so long is the fact this man was able to hold onto some semblance of innocence in the face of it all. In the moments where Dee Dee is talking about his tattoos or playing guitar, he still has that sense of wide-eyed enthusiasm about music and life that's almost childlike. It serves as a reminder in the midst of all the ugliness being talked about why this man was always so endearing--the addiction may have finally caught up with him but you get the sense that in some ways he miraculously left us a survivor.
Ultimately, Hey Is Dee Dee Home might go down as the world's ultimate PSA to deter drug use. As hard as it is to digest at points, this DVD is an important and compelling view. As a bonus, the packaging is great--the wonderful digipak styled case houses not only the DVD but a poster and temporary tattoos based on Dee Dee's own. All is all, a brutally honest but fitting and well put together tribute.
Score this DVD directly from MVD
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