May 5, 1997

Rock 'n' Roll and the Ramones

Chad Duerksen

ey ho, let's go.

When the Ramones performed their final concert on August 6, 1996, they left the wild world of rock 'n' roll for good. They left behind a 20-year legacy of a few ups, mostly downs and a legion of followers who recognize the band for what it had become: simply, one of the most influential rock bands of the last 25 years.

Not bad for four outcasts from Forest Hills, a middle-class suburb of Queens, New York, whose boyish influences ranged from The Beach Boys to WWII movies, from Murray the K to cruising for chicks, from Alice Cooper to the Beatles. Even their signature chant of "Gabba Gabba Hey" was a variation on the opening line from Tod Browning's 1932 horror film Freaks.

Never mind that the Ramones never had a number one hit; they barely even charted with most of their albums. They played the "world's greatest rock band" in the 1980 B-film Rock n' Roll High School (the producer's choice was between them and Cheap Trick). But somehow, through mishandled bookings and sloppy public relations hype, they never hit the big time.

But they can say, however, that they were the first to introduce "punk" rock music to a wide audience. (In their day, it wasn't even called "punk" rock; that moniker was added later. It was simply just plain old-fashioned rock n' roll.)

The group formed in 1974, and their self-titled debut album was released two years later, a full year ahead of the Sex Pistols popular Never Mind the Bullocks album. The Ramones, playing in their early years at the popular New York club CBGB's, gained a cult following, who returned week after week to see the band's energized "20 songs-in-40 minutes" concerts.

At a time when bands like Led Zeppelin and The Who relished in lengthy songs with extended solos, the Ramones kept it short. Their lyrics weren't pretentious or spiritualistic - they were about having fun, mental cases, doing drugs and getting girlfriends. Some were appalled at the songs' subject matter ("Beat on the brat with a baseball bat," "The KKK took my baby away"), but those people just didn't get it; they tried to take it seriously when it was never meant to be.

Modern alternative music owes almost everything to the Ramones. Look at Green Day. Or Bad Religion. Or Rancid. The Ramones made the fast, driving three-chord song their own. Classics like Blitzkrieg Bop, Psycho Therapy, Rockaway Beach and Sheena is a Punk Rocker, commencing with their trademark "1-2-3-4" count off, sum up everything the band had to say in around eight short minutes.

At least the Ramones had the opportunity to call it quits on their own. There have been too many good bands that broke up when an integral member lost his or her life:

• The Doors Ñ Jim Morrison, lead singer, died July 3, 1971 of a heart attack
• Led Zeppelin Ñ John Bonham, drummer, died Sept. 25, 1980 of alcohol-related complications
• Lynyrd Skynyrd Ñ Ronnie Van Zandt, lead singer, and Steve Gaines, guitarist, died Oct. 27, 1977 in a plane crash (the band has recently reformed with RonnieÕs brother Johnny singing lead vocals)
• Band of Gypsys Ñ Jimi Hendrix, lead vocals and guitar, died Sept. 18, 1970 of drug-related complications
• Full Tilt Boogie Band Ñ Janis Joplin, lead singer, died Oct. 4, 1970 of alcohol-related complications
• The Wailers Ñ Bob Marley, lead vocals and guitar, died May 11, 1981 of cancer
• T. Rex Ñ Marc Bolin, guitarist, died Sept. 16, 1977 in a car crash
• Grateful Dead Ñ Jerry Garcia, singer and lead guitarist, died August 9, 1995 of drug-related complications (side note: the Dead lost two keyboardists, Ron ÒPig PenÓ McKernan on May 8, 1973 to an illness and Keith Godchaux on July 23, 1980 in a car crash, but didnÕt disband until GarciaÕs death)
• Queen Ñ Freddie Mercury, lead singer, died Nov. 23, 1991 of an AIDS-related illness
• Sex Pistols Ñ Sid Vicious, bass, died Feb. 2, 1982 from drug-related complications
• Nirvana Ñ Kurt Cobain, singer and guitarist, committed suicide on April 8, 1994
• Mother Love Bone Ñ Andrew Wood, singer, died March 19, 1990 of a drug-related complications
• Traveling Wilburys Ñ Roy Orbison, singer and guitarist, died Dec. 7, 1988 of a heart attack Not to mention Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, who all died in plane crashes; Stevie Ray Vaughn and Ricky Nelson, in helicopter crashes. John Lennon was shot and killed by a crazed fan. And we lost Elvis Presley and Muddy Waters to heart failure. Who knows what all music we were deprived of due to the premature demise of such innovators. Thankfully, they leave their legacy behind in their music, something that can never be taken away from us. Many bands, however, continued after the loss of a major member:
• The Beach Boys Ñ Dennis Wilson, drummer, drowned on Dec. 28, 1983
• The Who Ñ Keith Moon, drummer, died Sept. 7, 1978 of drug related complications
• Def Leppard Ñ Steve Clarck, lead guitarist, died January 8, 1991 of alcohol and drug-related complications
• Metallica Ñ Cliff Burton, bassist, died Sept. 27, 1986 in a tour bus crash
• Allman Brothers Ñ Duane Allman, guitarist, died Oct. 29, 1971 in a motorcycle crash
• Kiss Ñ Eric Carr, drummer, died on Nov. 24, 1991 of cancer
• AC/DC Ñ Bon Scott, lead singer, died Feb. 20, 1980 from alcohol-related complications
• Ozzy Osbourne Ñ Randy Rhodes, lead guitarist, died March 19, 1982 in a plane crash

Rock 'n' roll, of late, has seen better days. The heavy sound of alternative has momentarily taken over, with its over-distorted guitars (more than likely to cover up for the guitarists' lack of talent) and whiny-voiced singers who believe that everyone, including themselves, is a loser.

Few bands still play the same rock music I grew up on. Bob Seger still does it. So do The Rolling Stones (and we all know by now that they will, I guess, never die). KISS. AC/DC. Maybe even Cheap Trick. But that's about it.

Other classic rockers, like Aerosmith, have simply conformed to the "popular" sound at the sacrifice of quality. In fact, if you ask most people about most bands, the general reply goes something like this: "They used to be good" or "Oh, yeah, I like their older stuff."

But a resurgence of reunion tours - the likes of Black Sabbath, The Who, KISS, Small Faces and Motley Crue - sheds some light on the end of the musical tunnel. Like all fads, the musical cycle is ongoing, and what was once popular and forgotten will more than likely be popular again.

As for the Ramones, they leave behind a growing string of followers that grows larger by the day. Recently, lead singer Joey Ramone said that the band will not jump on the bandwagon and stage a reunion some years down the line. With that, I bid them a final farewell, and thank them for all the fun and energetic music they produced over the years. But I'll wager, after following the band's tumultuous course for nearly half its lifespan, that a reunion is not entirely unlikely.

Because, according to songwriter David White's classic tune, "Rock n' roll is here to stay."

And rock never retires.

Chad Duerksen is a senior film major.

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