top of page

Ramone's Final Riff

Writer: OurStudioOurStudio

Commando (Abrams Image), the posthumously published autobiography of punk pioneer Johnny Ramone, is not a typical rock 'n' roll confessional. Better, it is a collection of defiantly grouchy anecdotes from an iconoclast in business as well as music.

A lifelong conservative, Ramone delighted in torturing his band mates by listening to Rush Limbaugh in the tour van. Obsessed with saving for retirement and dismissive of artistic pretensions, he unapologetically sold Ramones songs for commercials. Always the contrarian, Johnny gave up drugs after becoming a professional musician, preferring to spend his down time watching baseball and horror movies.

Johnny realized early that the Ramones would never be pop superstars. As de facto manager, he kept band members on a strict weekly salary and made sure they reaped the lion's share of profits from T-shirt sales. His insistence on relentless touring—to keep the Ramones brand in the Zeitgeist—paid off in an astonishingly long run as cultural icons. —Anthony Fisher

 
 
 

Comments


NEWSLETTERS

Get Reason In Your Inbox.

Thanks for submitting!

Join the

LIBERTARIAN PARTY

We are funded entirely by Americans who want to help give liberty a voice. By joining the Libertarian Party as a dues-paying member, you are investing in this critical work.

Thanks for submitting!

ADDRESS

1444 Duke St.

Alexandria, VA 22314-3403

PHONE

(800) ELECT-US

(800) 353-2887

EMAIL

bottom of page