Tuesday, July 15, 2014

What is a Ramone?


If you read Chuck Klosterman, like I read Chuck Klosterman, then you know that when you are talking about a band, you should ask yourself not just "What do they sound like?" but also, "What do they mean?"

So how about the The Ramones? They were a little gang. They all dressed the same - torn jeans, sneakers, leather jackets. They all had the same last name (even if this was a "put-on."). They were unified. A pack. A group of guys who all were on the same mission. And the mission was simple: They wanted to rock. They wanted to bop. They wanted to sniff glue. They wanted a girlfriend, they wanted to be sedated, they wanted the airwaves, they didn't want to go into the basement.

They were kind of innocent. Kind of stupid. Kind of street smart. Kind of likable. Not pretentious in the least. 3 or 4 chords at most. Played at a blazing, but musical, speed. Catchy. Trashy. Short. To the point.

You wanted to buy their T-shirt. It was a way to claim that you were in the gang too.