First off, I ended up seeing more than one local cover band (NJ and GA) do Ramones songs � with�.uh�varying success. Though it was cool someone else liked �em enough to whip out a cover, at least in one case I wanted to grab a wire coat hanger and get all �Mommie Dearest� on their asses.
I also realized how small a cult of fans the Ramones have when many people I told about our band had no idea who the Ramones were! All the more reason to preach the gospel of Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, Tommy, Marky, CJ, and even Richie.
The oddest moment came when my buddy Elvis (no, not Clem Burke � his name is really Elvis) took me to the equivalent of Mecca for a Ramones fan � CBGB. We just hung out in the gallery, where we met a guy named Huck, who was Joey�s hair stylist. Who knew Joey even had a hair stylist? But it was true, and he had the pictures to prove it. I had the privilege of seeing candid photos of one of my musical heroes taken by one of his friends, while he reminisced about back in the day. He said he could make my wig a bit more realistic and accurate. It was a trip to be hearing these stories and seeing these pics in a place that now seemed to be a shrine to Joey, complete with graven images in various media.
After all of this (and lots more) I�m ready to dive into the next smattering of shows with a vengeance.
Oh yeah � local NY interests are trying to close down CBGB. This place is beyond legendary, and needs to be preserved as a landmark. For more info, check their web site www.savecbgb.org
See ya soon�