Now I wanna sniff some glue

Well not really. I've been having Ramones songs bouncing around in my skull for the last month or so. Nothing unusual there - It's just once they are in they are hard to get out.

This latest attack started when I finally got round to watching Rock 'n' Roll High School. Then I had that tour in NYC's East Village featuring old haunts of the band. On the same day I bought their remastered no-nonsense first album. '1, 2, 3, 4'.

Today I've just rewatched the excellent documentary End of the Century - The Story of the Ramones (95% Fresh). Made in 2003, it tells the tale of the band from day one until their demise. Sickly, geeky Joey was the heart of the Ramones music and stern Johnny was the committed driving force. As the band struggled for success, level-headed drummer Tommy tried to keep things on track... but Dee Dee, well he was mostly on another planet.

It's a very entertaining and funny film. It's also quite moving.
Thank you Joey (R.I.P.), Johnny (R.I.P.), Dee Dee (R.I.P.) and Tommy for messing with my brain.

Now I guess I'll have to tell 'em
That I got no cerebellum
(Teenage Lobotomy)

Hey Ho Let's Go

A Friday in Coney Island. The end of the season. The midday sun was blazing down, no shade to retreat to. A mostly deserted smelly boardwalk. People crab fishing on the pier. A handful of swimmers braving the brown water. Sadly not the funland it once was. Ahh, to be beside the seaside...


One Nathan's famous hotdog later and the rides slowly began to open up. The freaks started turning up for work. The Tattooed Lady walked her small dog.


11AM Saturday morning and it was time for Bobby Pinn's Rock Junket Tour of NYC's East Village. See where the Ramones hung out, Joey's apartment, the location of Andy Warhol's drug and pastry parties, where GG Allin shat on his audience, Iggy Pop's residence on Avenue B, the Joe Strummer memorial mural and much much more!


Bobby Pinn certainly knows his stuff and he told many interesting tales of the characters and events that contributed to this area's local rock 'n' roll history. Highly recommended.


The tour finished with us entering the darkness of CBGB's and soaking in its punk history. A guy let us look at the 'dressing rooms' behind the stage but we weren't able to get a view of the legendary toilets! Sadly it looks like CBGB's is closing within the next few weeks and allegedly being shipped off to Vegas!

I am a Mole and I live in a hole

Puffy AmiYumi have their new album Splurge released on July 25th. Expect it to feature more infectious power pop songs that will stick in your brain for weeks.


Puffy take countless influences from the wide spectrum of pop music including J-Pop, The Beatles, Beach Boys, ELO, Green Day, Jellyfish and the Ramones and then add their own Tokyo twist. Pop, Punk, Ska, Rumba, Boogie - a clever and exciting mix.

Where should a novice start with Ami and Yumi? Well, it's probably best to seek out Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi - a great collection that spans 10 years worth of hits and ties in with their show on the Cartoon Network. After that I'd recommend getting hold of a copy of the wonderful Spike and then Nice.

If like me you then start to suffer from Puffy addiction things can become a bit confusing. Some Japanese versions of their albums have slightly different track listings to their western counterparts. Sometimes you also want to get the same song that you've heard sung in English but sung in Japanese. There is no cure other than to buy everything! Wait a minute... that's a symptom not a cure.

I was hoping to post an old video here but it looks like there's been a bit of a Puffy purge on YouTube. So anyway here's a single from the new album. It's called Mogura Raiku - Mole-Like. I guess it's about a Mole! It took me a while to get into this one but everytime I hear it now I do the silly mole dance!

'Fast, camp and energetic'

Gabba Gabba Hey!, "the world’s first punk rock musical" is coming soon to London. Starring Angie Bowie(!) and featuring Tony James, Hugh Cornwall and Tommy Ramone. Music by The Ramones. Sounds like it could be fun. Given the choice of seeing this or 'We Will Rock You' I know which one I'd prefer.

More info @ ramonesmusical.com

(Isn't it annoying that most kids today think The Ramones is a T-Shirt?)

Not the last Word?

So what do you think about WORD Magazine? A bit dull? Yawn inducing? A not very inspiring read for 40+ Somethings? Written by old music journos for their mates to read? All of the above?

Well bugger me! I do believe the latest edition (November 2005) is actually very good. The first thing that is noticeable is that it is now called The WORD. So it's no longer any old WORD, it's The WORD.

A great cover (for a change) opens to reveal a comprehensive interview of Mick Jones by writer/broadcaster/professional Spurs fan Danny Kelly. This is not just a short, 'yeah, Joe Strummer was great' piece. It deals with Jones' time in The Clash and his relationship with Joe but also covers Big Audio Dynamite, his involvement with The Libertines and Babyshambles and his new project with Tony James, Carbon/Silicon.

Add to this a fun round-the-table chat about John Peel, a bit of Louis Theroux and an interview with Alan (Thunder Road on his iPod) Bennett, and it's value for money this month.

The latest issues of UNCUT and MOJO are also worth checking out:
UNCUT details the creation of Springsteen's Born To Run Album (with some cool pictures) and MOJO features the fabulous RAMONES plus a free New York Punk CD.

The question is what do the Kids have to read these days?

Underground Garage

I listen to very little broadcast music radio these days. I'm too old for BBC Radio 1, Radio 2 is yawn inducing and Capital is Crapital. It's hard to find a station that plays music I like.

Praise be then to internet radio as there's always somewhere out there to cater for my tastes. On Sunday's I listen (and sing along to) Little Steven's Underground Garage. Sopranos star, musician and E Street Band member Little Steven presents themed shows featuring great 'Garage' tracks from the 50's to the present day. The coolest DJ in the U.S.A. Check out the archived shows. Ramones guaranteed.

80's Videos Vault

Just stumbled across a page on the Rhino Records website containing a whole bunch of old videos. Some of which still look pretty good - Ah the memories come flooding back...

My picks:

Laurie Anderson - Language Is A Virus
Los Lobos - Kiko And The Lavender Moon
Ramones - Psychotherapy
Violent Femmes - American Music