Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life as a Ramone

It’s a great story, but there seems to be some editing mistake. Some of the words are randomly missing the last letter. For example, the sentence will read “all over the floo .”I came to the reviews to see if anyone had this issue with their book and it doesn’t seem to be mentioned, so it might just be my copy. It’s not awful or anything, it’s definitely readable, but it pulls you out of the story for sure, though.

When I first found out that Marky Ramone was going to be a guest at the 2016 Albuquerque Comic Con, where I would also be as a comic book co-creator, I immediately ordered this book from Amazon. It would arrive just in time, right before the trip there from El Paso, TX. With no time to read it, I figured I'd just get it signed and read it some time in the future (after I finished half a dozen other books I started). I was introduced to Marky by his convention handler, a mutual friend from the convention circuit, and I was quickly taken with Marky's smooth, cool charm and immediately understood the "Ramonesmania" I'd heard about. I've always loved their music, but they have always been "Legendary Status" to me, and I never saw them live or knew much about them or their history. "Pet Sematary" was MY Ramones song as it was my first Stephen King book read, leading me to the film and then the song. As Marky signed my book, he asked where I purchased it, and when I said Amazon, he asked kindly if I would leave review. I told him of course but I wanted to give him something in return. I noticed the silver rings he wore and knew right away what to give him - a stainless steel ring of the comic book hero I co-created. He tried a couple and found the size that fit him best and then he put it on. And kept it on. The whole weekend! I sat in to listen to his panel the next day, he was still wearing the ring. Here was this rock and roll "Living Legend", Marky "EFFIN" Ramone telling life stories to a room full of true Ramones fans, and he was still wearing the ring! I was humbled and honored beyond belief! I barely noticed Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), and Ron Pearlman (Hell Boy etc), this comic con, it was Ramones Mania for me!Once back home, I did not hesitate to begin reading the book, if nothing more than to honor my word to Marky's request of leaving a review. What I didn't count on was getting so sucked into the narrative that I could not stop reading. It was as if I was reading a biography, rock/punk rock history, regular history, New York history, music theory and application, band management, a do it yourself guide, and a movie script all seamlessly woven together in a cohesive, enthralling, funny, and at times emotional, story, told by the person who had lived it and seen it all. It gave me an insight and humanity to a band that had always been at legendary status since I was a kid. These were just guys who loved music, classic monster movies, sports, comics, cars, who happened to be in the business of rocking! Even though I knew the outcome of the Ramones in the later years, I was still glued to this book like I was reading it for the first time, and in a way I was. I was hearing it from a guy who was there, a guy who knew the subtle nuances of his longtime band mates, friends, and brothers in this dysfunctional, yet functioning, musical family.For 388 pages you are dropped into this world and taken on Marky's journey with him. The church rec centers, the slimy New York basement apartments, the clubs/bars/CBGB's, the Ramones van, the courier bike, the Cracker Barrels, the parties, the AA meetings, the plane trips, the Berlin Wall, packed stadiums with 40,000 screaming fans...and that's not the half of it. It's a journey you don't want to see end, not even in a book. And in some weird way, after meeting Marky Ramone in person and having the geeky comic book fan boy exchange with him, I feel like I am part of this journey now, if not in the comic con experience itself, then as a small token of gratitude in the form of a stainless steel character ring on the middle finger of MARKY RAMONE...now THAT'S PUNK ROCK!

“Ramones" is a name applied to a Rock ’n’ Roll band of four guys from the Forest Hills Section of Queens in New York City. It was a name originally coined by Paul McCartney and used by this group as if it was a last name of a group of brothers. In fact, none of them were related, but it gave them a feeling of unity. They also dressed in costumes, both on stage and off, and all had long dark hair. The costumes were black leather jackets of various types, tattered jeans and sneakers. Indeed, they looked like a tough set of NYC Punks and the music they played became known as Punk Rock. Ramones got their start by playing at a Bowrey dive known as CBGB. They quickly gathered a following and a record contract and the word spread, particularly to Great Britain and Europe.The original Ramones were Tommy (drums), Johnny (guitar), Dee Dee (bass guitar) and Joey (singer). Their stage presence was typically with Joey front and center and the two guitars to either side with the drums in the back. Their music was a loud, fast, in-your-face wall of sound and their songs were short, catchy and quite humorous, in a droll, understated way. In short, it was fun listening and audiences responded enthusiastically. It was the birth of “Punk Rock” and quickly became a major cultural revolution. Ramones will probably go down as America’s most influential Rock “n' Roll band of all time, although their records were never particularly well selling. Alas, all original Ramones are now dead, but Marky Ramone, a first replacement for drummer Tommy, lives on to tell the story “Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life As A Ramone.”“Blitzkrieg” is an interesting book, particularly if you know a lot of 60s and later music. If you don’t, it’s difficult, but a good way to get started. The book is co-authored with Marky and Rich Herschlag. The pasting together strikes me as rather uneven. I’d guess that Herschag wrote at least 75 % of it. I’d imagine that Marky gave him the info and Herschlag put it together in his own writing. He’s a good writer. His parts of the book are interesting and informative, but somewhat ho-hum. On the other hand, here and there are parts that are written in an eastern accent by someone with an imperfect command of English and they’re funny, really funny. I’d guess that those parts were written by Marky and little modified. They’re truly funny and, trust me, the book would have been much better, although much harder to read, if Marky would have done more of the writing. On top of these two styles are little segments here and there which seem to fit neither style. My guess would be that others collaborated, but are not listed as co-authors. In any case, the reading is rather uneven, although I’m not complaining about it. In another way, the book seems more to be a book about Marky. It’s subtitled “My Life as a Ramone” and I would have preferred it to be less about his life and more about the other Ramones. Well, that’s all right too. It’s Marky’s book and he can do as he likes. I’m just offering my opinion. It’s a fascinating book. It tok me about three days to read it. I cringed at some of the personal details such as Joey's hygeine problems or Dee Dee’s substance abuse problems, but I guess those would have to be voiced to have a complete understanding of the group’s dynamics.If you get interested in Ramones' music, you should also view the “End of The Century” and “Rock and Roll High School” DVDs. View them either before or after reading the book. You’ll enjoy them either way. Gabba Gabba, Hey!Gary Peterson

To be read by any Ramones fan…

Great insight into the life of a Ramone ! A thoroughly enjoyable read about life inside and outside the world of Ramones.

I always find the "I grew up in Resume Speed, Idaho" bit of any auto-bio tiresome Marc Bell get through fairly concisely and quickly.I was fascinated and looked into the previous bands he'd been in, and saw it was obvious that he should be a Ramone!Well written by a kind soul and a nice man. No punches are delivered in a nasty way, just stated factually.Good reading for punk fans, music history buffs and Ramones Lovers!

Interesting book for Ramones fan.

Best book ever. Great insight of the origin of punk rock music. Highly recommended for everybody who loves music and a lot of curiosities