Once you listen to the Ramones you never go back. Johnny Ramone, the Ramones’ unheralded guitarist etched a place in the human collective for many years to come. The punk guitarist died too early. He left behind his life for all to read, exposed, commando for all to see. Punk music was always about the bareness of music, the pure essence of the root of rock and roll. Not over-produced mixes. England had the Sex Pistols, America had the Ramones. Everybody loved the Ramones, the Pistols were despised by many. The Ramones were the garage band from next door. The true blue collar band that toured city to city in the dingiest corners scrapping for their next meal. Punk died an early death, the Ramones carried that casket for many years to come. Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone is about not only about music, it’s the story of a great human being.
Raised in Queens, New York, Johnny Ramone founded one of the most influential rock bands of all time, but he never strayed from his blue-collar roots and attitude. He was truly imbued with the angry-young-man spirit that would characterize his persona both on and off stage. Through it all, Johnny kept the band focused and moving forward, ultimately securing their place in music history by inventing punk rock. The Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002—two years later, Johnny died of cancer, having outlived two other founding members. Revealing, inspiring, and told on his own terms, this highly designed memoir also features Johnny’s assessment of the Ramones’ albums; a number of eccentric Top Ten lists; rare historical artifacts; and scores of personal and professional photos, many of which have never before been published.