Notorious Punks: Drummer Marky Ramone Talks History

Most of us would be intimidated by anyone brazen enough to scream “beat on the brat with a baseball bat” into a microphone. But most of us are not Marky Ramone. This is a man who says that “joining the Ramones wasn’t daunting at all” because he was already a pro. Marky told us about botching his first big audition, and holding his own with the rest of the Ramones.

What was it like to audition for the New York Dolls?
Their first drummer, Billy Murcia, died in 1972 and I went to the audition. They liked my drumming but were friendlier with Jerry Nolan and he was a better fit, so I didn’t get it.

Johnny Ramone shocked everyone by announcing he was Republican. Did you worry he was alienating fans?
Johnny was right-wing but he never mixed his politics with the music. And besides, Joey and Dee Dee were the songwriters.

The Ramones was blighted by infighting. Did you lose respect for Johnny when he refused to visit Joey in the hospital?
Johnny lived in L.A. and Joey was in the hospital in New York. It was Johnny’s choice.

What do you think of Joey Ramone’s latest posthumous release, Ya Know?
His brother asked me to play on it, but I didn’t want to. They are basically songs Joey rejected for his CD Don’t Worry About Me.

Who was the best guest that you ever invited on your Sirius XM radio show?
Billy Joe Armstrong from Green Day was one of the best guests. I love being a DJ , but sometimes it’s challenging to get guests to be themselves and not just promote their project of the moment.

What records do you like to spin on the show?
“Be My Baby,” by the Ronettes, because the production is perfection even though it was only done on two tracks. And I love playing our version of “What a Wonderful World.” It was one of the last times I recorded with Joey and we had a great time together.

Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg plays Yugong Yishan on Apr 20.

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Photo courtesy of the organizers