joey

Joey Ramone, born Jeffrey Hyman from New York City, New York lived and died living the American Tale that never gets told. He lived a life of humour, disappointment, happiness, and sadness, and more than his share of fun. He lived and died through his music. He was one of the Fathers of Punk music, and helped influence more bands than he ever could have known. His music and dream made bands like Nirvana, White Zombie, Sex Pistols, Rancid, Green Day, Offspring, and many, many others. Without The Ramones, our musical world would be a very different place indeed. Their up-beat sometimes poppy, sometimes odd, but always Punk sound was one of often ridicule, and was never fully embraced by MTV, VH1, or any of the other so-called musical personifications of what the listeners think. Had MTV gotten off their asses and actually took a shot on the small Punk band from New York, with no solos, a fake British accent, and enough additude to piss of an entire crowd of Blink 182 fans, The Ramones may have reached higher in the analogs of what most would consider to be the big-time bands. But instead, Joey and the rest of the Ramones took the road less-traveled, touring relentlessly, making album after album, and never getting on the charts, they lived the true American tale. They tried their collective hearts out to one-day get the success they deserved, but were only seen as wierdos with jet-black hair and leather jackets. While they may never fully get the recognition they deserve, they will always have a place in the minds and hearts of music fans world-wide. The Ramones stopped their long and strange journy sometime in 1995. In the time after that, they were best remembered as having a song of theirs ("I Wanna Be Sedated") covered by the Offspring in "Idle Hands". Joey Ramone, age 49 died on Saturday April 14th, 2001 after a long bout with cancer.
-Cary Funk of On@N

                             R.I.P.
    Joey Ramone
(a.k.a.
Jeffrey Hyman)
      1951-2001