Interesting that Joey sort of considered the Clash to be commercial sellouts, and that as early as 1987 the Ramones were already "elder statesmen" of punk -- indeed, Joey's prediction that they wouldn't be around a decade later came true as they broke up in '96, and five years after that Joey was dead (I get that he didn't want to hang around long enough to become a parody of himself, but I really wish he had lived long enough to see the band inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). There was almost a naive innocence about Joey and he was clearly the band's biggest fan as well as lead singer, but he wasn't wrong about their influence. This was very wistful reading.
Interesting that Joey sort of considered the Clash to be commercial sellouts, and that as early as 1987 the Ramones were already "elder statesmen" of punk -- indeed, Joey's prediction that they wouldn't be around a decade later came true as they broke up in '96, and five years after that Joey was dead (I get that he didn't want to hang around long enough to become a parody of himself, but I really wish he had lived long enough to see the band inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). There was almost a naive innocence about Joey and he was clearly the band's biggest fan as well as lead singer, but he wasn't wrong about their influence. This was very wistful reading.
Now I need to go back and review all their albums. Great piece Wayne!