IN-PERSON AUTHOR APPEARANCE, plus praise for my books THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (VOLUME 1) and GABBA GABBA HEY! A CONVERSATION WITH THE RAMONES, and DAVE MURRAY's novel A BREATH OF FRESH AIR (A TRANSPLANT TALE)

This Tuesday November 4th, I have an in-person author talk scheduled alongside my pal Dave Murray. We'll be appearing at Northern Onondaga Public Library's Brewerton branch, the event runs from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. We'll be discussing our books (Dave's novel A Breath Of Fresh Air [A Transplant Tale], my rock 'n' roll rants The Greatest Record Ever Made! [Volume 1] and Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones), and we hope to see someone--anyone!--present and accounted for so we don't have to just talk to each other. Attendees can preregister here. We'll even have some books on hand, and we'll be happy to sell 'em to you.

To get you all hyped up, here are some snippets of media quotes and giddy appreciation regarding the beauty, the splendor, and the wonder of all three books:

Praise for THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (VOLUME 1)

"Former Goldmine freelancer Cafarelli pens a series of well-crafted essays covering 145 records, but which will be crowned The Greatest Record Ever Made? The answer is all of them, the author postulating an infinite number of tracks can be the GREM, as long as they take turns. Objectivity is out, as is demarcation. Rock, punk, soul, country, disco, rap, show tunes – if it’s pop, it’s in. Some are here because they should be, some because of the memories they evoke for the author. The result is a love letter to the songs in question. All that’s missing is a spray of vinyl- scented perfume...[Cafarelli] writes with such passion he transforms the seemingly disposable into something profound. Just like the records he so loves."

--Peter Gallagher, Shindig! magazine [UK]

"The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is basically an up-close visit with Cafarelli’s record collection, under the premise that on any given day, any of the 150 songs that he writes about here could be considered the greatest. And what songs they are! They run the gamut from well-known, acknowledged classics ('Heartbreak Hotel,' 'Get Off of My Cloud,' 'Be My Baby,' 'Yesterday') to relative obscurities (Television’s 'Elevation,' Suzi Quatro’s 'I May Be Too Young') and tunes from indie pop faves (The Spongetones, Eytan Mirsky) to stone soul grooves (Arthur Conley, Otis Redding, James Brown) and more. Cafarelli’s writing style is conversational and breezy, and the book is a hell of a lot of fun. Weaving bits of his personal experiences with the songs is another nice touch, even when he takes on darker topics; the chapter on Illinois power poppers Material Issue’s /Kim the Waitress' broaches the topic of suicide, with Cafarelli discussing a friend taking their life as well as the suicide of M.I. leader Jim Ellison. A worthy addition to any music fan’s library, The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is one of those books that’s difficult to put down. Grade: A"

--John M. Borack, Goldmine magazine

"With The Greatest Record Ever Made (Volume 1), Cafarelli channels the energy of his Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) blog into a compelling narrative encompassing a range of music styles from AM radio pop, bubblegum and punk to soul, hip hop, R&B and beyond. Each chapter offers a short blast of insightful prose that explores his own relationship with the featured artist/track along with the kind of historical facts that fans like us find addictive."

--S. W. Lauden, Remember The Lightning

"Carl's new book is an incredible collection of some of the greatest moments ever recorded. As you go through the book, it's one 'Oh WOW!' moment after another with rock, soul, folk, pop, country, and hip hop included."

--Jim Monaghan, WDHA 105.5 The Rock Of New Jersey

"Carl is also an incredibly gifted music scribe, writing the must-read daily music blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) and in many fine publications. Relevant to today's topic, he has also published Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation with the Ramones, culled from his interviews with the band. His latest book, The Greatest Record Ever Made (Volume 1), features insightful, passionate, humorous essays on 145 of his favorite songs across all genres."

--Only Three Lads podcast

"Carl is a terrific and stylish writer who brings all 150-odd essays to life. He makes you want to search for these songs, to hear them again, or maybe hear them for the first time. You won't agree with many of his choices; I certainly don't. My version of this book would have very little overlap, and maybe yours, too. But that doesn't matter. He has the courage of his convictions and makes compelling cases for each song, and he is certain to change your mind about a few."

--Dave Murray, The Ego Has Landed

"Cafarelli shares his personal recollections, observations and circumstances that warrant the title of “Greatest Record Ever Made”. Interwoven within the dates and labels, there’s a bigger story being told – one that resonates with those of us who remember listening to live, Saturday night performances on WMMS or weekly broadcasts of the King Biscuit Flower Hour . It’s the story of the last generation of pop music lovers raised on radio."

--Richard Rossi, Power Pop News

"Carl Cafarelli should have his head examined!"

--disgruntled Goldmine readers

Praise for A BREATH OF FRESH AIR (A TRANSPLANT TALE)

Critical Praise

Moving and Inspiring: Many reviewers highlight the book's ability to weave hope and resilience into a story grounded in medical reality. Readers find themselves rooting for the protagonist and appreciating the honest depiction of life after a transplant.

Educational Value: Healthcare professionals commend the book for providing insight into the transplant process. It’s often recommended as a resource for families navigating similar medical challenges.

Engaging Narrative: Literary critics have praised the author's storytelling style, noting how the blend of personal anecdotes and factual information keeps readers engaged from start to finish.

 

Reader Testimonials

“This book changed my perspective on organ donation. It’s both heartbreaking and uplifting.”

“A beautiful story of second chances and the power of community.”

“I couldn’t put it down. The characters felt real, and their struggles resonated with my own experiences.”

“Emotional, comical and inspiring”

“A Breath of Fresh Air quickly becomes a page-turner that you do not want to put down.”

“I (almost) literally couldn’t put it down. I’d recommend this book for anyone who likes David Sedaris!”

“…And really, this book is about victory: the victory of modern medicine but more so the victory of the human spirit.”

“His writing is deliberate, razor sharp, witty, and insightful, with some unexpected surprises.”

“I laughed, I cried, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.” 

·         “The novel crafts a compelling story, a story told with humor, passion, emotion, and determination, with elements of tragedy and despair, but ultimately awash in the delight of living to tell the tale. I loved it. This is very good work, and I hope it finds the audience it deserves.”

“I read the entire book in two sittings. It was hard to put down.”

“Thank you for writing this wonderful book.”

Praise for GABBA GABBA HEY! A CONVERSATION WITH THE RAMONES

"When I first heard the Ramones’ debut album sometime in late 1976, I thought it was the worst music I’d ever heard. I made a point of playing it for all my friends so they too could hear the worst band ever. But each time I played it, I found that I liked it a little more. I was starting to get it. And then I loved it, so much so that I went on to see the Ramones live at least 25 times. They totally rearranged my ideas about music. Reading Carl Cafarelli’s Gabba Gabba Hey, I’m reminded of the excitement and uniqueness of this band that saved rock ’n’ roll. There was never anyone else like them, and all of the joy and bedlam and fire and dedication that fueled the Ramones can be found in these pages. All that’s missing is a Dee Dee-shouted '1-2-3-4' intro."


—Jeff Tamarkin, Editor, BestClassicBands.com 

"Ramones books? I've just about read them all. If there's one I've been waiting for, it's Carl Cafarelli's ode to the band he calls 'the American Beatles.' These four 1994 interviews with Joey, Johnny, Marky and C.J. were conducted separately, but Cafarelli pieces them together as only a lifelong fan could to create an intimate oral history of the legendary Queens quartet up to that point. Gabba Gabba Hey!  is as short and sharp as any of the band's best songs. A must read for Ramones fans."

—S.W. Lauden, Remember The Lightning

"A veritable treasure trove of valuable information and first-person reminiscences from America's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band, Carl Cafarelli's Gabba Gabba Hey is an engaging, fascinating and often humorous look at what made the Ramones tick, as recalled by the ones who made the magic happen."

 —John M. Borack, Contributing Editor, Goldmine Magazine

"Gabba Gabba Hey and tell Tchaikovsky the news, Carl Cafarelli’s new book on The Ramones is an insightful, intelligent and most of all rip roaring fun read as it beautifully chronicles the exploits of one of music’s most groundbreaking bands through an exhaustive series of candid conversations. Don’t be a cretin, give it a read. You’d have to have had a lobotomy not to love it!"

—Ken Sharp, author and musician

"A comprehensive and insightful look at one of the most important bands ever - from the Ramones themselves. Gabba Gabba Hey feels like sitting down with old friends. Comfortable, engaging, and hard to forget."

—Alex Segura, bestselling author of Archie Meets Ramones

"ANOTHER BOOK and this one is about...THE RAMONES and is written by one of power pop's top shelf thought-leaders, Carl Cafarelli."

Bruce Brodeen, Pop Geek Heaven

"While conducted separately with each member by phone, Cafarelli creates the illusion that they’re all in the same room. By presenting it to us in this fashion, we get a sense of the competing forces within the band as well as the unique qualities each member possessed – what made the whole so much more than simply the sum of its parts.

"All these years later, this book represents an opportunity to relive the adventures of a most unlikely band of heroes. One cannot place a price on that."

Richard Rossi, Power Pop News

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.

GABBA GABBA HEY! My Ramones book's second birthday

It's been two years since the publication of my first book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones. The official street date was around May 8th or 9th of 2023, though a number of folks already had physical copies in hand by the end of April. My first book! It was a great, great feeling.

I remain very proud of the book, and appreciative of all that my friends at Rare Bird Books did to design it, assemble it, edit it, publish it, and get it into stores. While I wish the book had found a larger audience, I look back on the experience with delight and wonder. I summarized that experience here. 

You can still purchase your very own copy of Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones directly from Rare Bird. It's also available from the usual online resources, your local bookstore can order it with ease, and you can even get autographed copies directly from me, though my own supply's getting pretty light; email ccdatsme@aol.com with inquiries in that regard. I also have copies of my latest book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), collectively serving up more CC than most could tolerate.

Today, I celebrate my first book's second birthday with a look back at my May 8th, 2023 in-studio appearance on Syracuse TV talk show Bridge Street, discussing the Gabba, the Gabba, and the Hey! with NewsChannel 9's Erik Columbia and Steve Infanti:

You can also access the video at this link.

And now, welcome back to my ongoing Church of Ramones. Time for a reading from this good book.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

GOLDMINE Recommends My RAMONES and GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! Books

A big tip of the Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) bonnet to my old pal John M. Borack, whose latest Power Pop Plus column online at Goldmine includes thumbs-ups for my books Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones and The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Thanks, John!

I find this especially cool because Goldmine magazine is my alma mater. I was a very frequent freelance contributor to Goldmine for twenty years, 1986-2006. Goldmine wasn't my first freelancing gig, but it was my first professional opportunity to write about music, and the experience remains a large part of what still moves me as a rockin' pop pundit today. In 2016, I marked the 30th anniversary of my first Goldmine sales with a lengthy reminiscence of my path to getting there (The Road To GOLDMINE), and it's one of my favorites among everything I've ever written. Goldmine has meant a great deal to me, and I'm grateful to John for extending Goldmine validation to my current work.

But that ain't all! John's current Power Pop Plus also includes huzzahs in favor of my own power pop heroes the Flashcubes and the great Cubic tangent the Half/Cubes, as well as This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio Fave Raves Paul Collins, Mark Bacino, Dave Edmunds, Joe Giddings, 20/20, Dennis Schocket and Cliff Hillis, and Wesley Fuller, David Bash's latest International Pop Overthrow compilation, and Richard Campbell's book Gettin' Kinda Itchie: The Groups That Made The Mamas & The Papas. That's pretty good company for my own ramblings to keep, and I'm delighted to be part of this party.

GO! Read John M. Borack's new Power Pop Plus column right here and right now. And with apologies to Stan Lee: Make mine Goldmine!

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

GABBA GABBA HEY! A CONVERSATION WITH THE RAMONES Coda: Chewin' Out A Rhythm On My Bubblegum

We're coming up on the two-year anniversary of the publication of my first book, Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones. The book's official publication date was May 9th of 2023, but it was already out and about by late April of that year. The book is still available from publisher Rare Bird Books, and you can still purchase autographed copies directly from me.

The book collected my 1994 interviews with Joey, Johnny, Marky, and C.J., the four headbangers that represented the Ramones' final line-up. A condensed version of these interviews was published in Goldmine in 1994, and later cited as "essential reading" by The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame when the Ramones were indicted in 2002. I am very proud of this work, and I'm grateful to Rare Bird Books for allowing me to preserve and expand upon it.

Two years on, let's look back at how the book ends. This is the book's coda, my closing arguments after Joey, Johnny, Marky, and C.J. have had their say and we have bid them all a fond ¡Adios Amigos!

CODA:

Chewin' Out A Rhythm On My Bubblegum

Joey Ramone did not live to see the Ramones become icons of pop culture. Today, the music of the Ramones is routinely heard in TV commercials and sitcom soundtracks. There was at one point plans for Martin Scorcese to direct a Ramones biopic, and at this writing Netflix is developing a 2022 movie based on Joey's brother Mickey Leigh's autobiography I Slept With Joey Ramone, with Pete Davidson as Joey.  The world has changed since the end of the '70s and the end of the century. 

Although Joey passed before the Ramones' popular ascension, he was able to see the trend in that direction; he saw the magazine articles, the comments from other artists acknowledging a debt to the Ramones, and he was aware of the demand for more Ramones shows. He was too sick to consider a Ramones reunion for one more tour, or even just one more show.

Joey may have...strike that, he probably expected his group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he certainly believed they were worthy. The Ramones were first eligible for induction in 2001, the year Joey died. He passed in the spring, and the Ramones were among the winners when the Hall announced its honorees later in the year. 

The induction ceremony was in 2002, as the Ramones were celebrated alongside fellow new inductees Gene Pitney, Isaac Hayes, Brenda Lee, Chet Atkins, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Talking Heads, and Stax Records visionary Jim Stewart. In his speech inducting the Ramones, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder said, "the Ramones were our Beatles."

The Hall officially inducted Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, Tommy, and Marky; latter-day Ramones Richie and C.J. were snubbed, in spite of Johnny's righteous insistence that they were Ramones, too. They should have been recognized as such.

In accepting the induction, Tommy said, "This means a lot to us. It meant everything to Joey." Dee Dee thanked himself. Johnny said "God bless President Bush." A dysfunctional family to the end. Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz was asked if the Ramones would join the Hall of Fame's traditional jam session after the awards. Frantz chuckled, and said, "The Ramones don't jam...!"

Dee Dee succumbed to a heroin overdose in 2002, less than three months after thanking himself at the Hall of Fame. Prostate cancer claimed Johnny in 2004. Tommy died in 2014, also taken by cancer. The four original members of the Ramones are gone, and many have joked that they're together now in the hereafter, still fighting and squabbling as they did in life.

The Ramones battled each other like brudders. But they were indeed brudders, united not by blood but by a bond unique to their experience. Some of them may have denied it, but the bond was there. 

In the course of our discussion, Joey made a point of complimenting Johnny's distinctive guitar style, and he made a favorable comparison of Marky to the likes of Ginger Baker. Marky was pleasantly surprised--flabbergasted, really--to hear that Joey had said that. 

When Joey died, Johnny said something to the effect that he didn't like Joey, and that he couldn't understand why Joey's death depressed him. After Joey was gone, Johnny told Ramones tour manager Monte Melnick, "I'm not doing anything without him. I felt that was it. He was my partner. Me and him. I miss that."

In my interviews with the Ramones, Joey, Johnny, Marky, and C.J. spoke on the record. The sole instance where I was asked to take something off the record was one moment--one--when a member of the Ramones made a relatively innocuous personal observation about a bandmate. The remark was factual, and in fact it was discussed openly and on the record by two other Ramones. Nonetheless, the Ramone making the comment thought the comment could seem hurtful, and requested that it be deleted from the transcript. That request stands.

Brudders. Hell, brothers. We will never see their like again. 

The few, the proud.

Semper Fi.

Gabba gabba hey. 

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

THE RAMONES: Start Of The Century

This piece appeared in the Remember The Lightning Vol. 3, which was cover-dated Spring/Summer 2024 and is still available for you to purchase here.

The article was commissioned by RTL's S.W. Lauden, aka Steve Coulter. Steve lost his home in the L.A. fires, and he writes movingly about the numbing ache of that loss here.

A GoFundMe was set up to help Steve and his family rebuild their lives. That effort met its goal, but remains in place to try to help other affected families. If you're looking for a way to help, this a good option. Please give what you can.

THE RAMONES: Start Of The Century

by Carl Cafarelli

It's the end, the end of the '70s

It's the end, the end of the century

And only the Ramones could save us.

2024 marks the Ramones' 50th anniversary, five decades since that introductory 1-2-3-4!, that first whiff of Carbona, that initial beat on the brat with a baseball bat. They were misfits, outside of everything. Over the course of the ensuing half a century, the Ramones somehow become icons.

Yeah, we overuse words like "icon." But I tell ya, if we can't call the Ramones iconic, there ain't no such thing as "iconic." 

Do you remember rock 'n' roll radio? Howzabout alternative radio? Alternative radio was built upon the basement blueprint etched by Forest Hills' finest. The very idea of alternative as pop music was all but invented outright by the Ramones. As I've written elsewhere: If you doubt the pervasiveness of the Ramones’ influence on pop music, look at the top of the pops. Sure, you’ve never seen “I Wanna Be Sedated” or “Judy Is a Punk” in the Top 40 listings, but consider the differences between some of the chart-toppers of 1974 and the popular music of the end of one century and the start of another. Some things may have remained unchanged, but there’s simply no way to get from “(You’re) Having My Baby” and “I Honestly Love You” to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and—God knows!—Green Day without at least considering the Ramones as a significant contributing factor. 

And now? It wouldn’t surprise me if you saw some random kid today, someone far too young to remember the Ramones first-hand, nonetheless sporting a Ramones T-shirt. It doesn’t even matter if such kids really know the Ramones or if they just think the damned shirt looks cool. It’s evidence of the Ramones’ assimilation into the greater pop culture. In the seventies, they were outsiders, square pegs. Today, the Ramones are the Beatles, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, AC/DC, Nirvana, Batman. The Ramones are everywhere.

It sure is a long way from the Ramones’ secret origin in 1974. What, fifty years ago? Man, it was a million years ago.

Do you have any recollection of how goddamned blah 1974 was? Rock 'n' roll, once a vital explosion of vibrance and energy, had become bloated; it had even shortened its name to something called "Rock," as if "rock 'n' roll" were too long, man, and saying it in full would distract its self-consciously progressive practitioners from their instrumental wanking. Such verbal economy stood in stark contrast to rock stars' inability to be succinct in any other regard: eight-minute songs, endless solos, double-albums, triple-albums...brevity had become a lost art in the seventies. If you went to see, say, Yes in concert circa 1974, and you left early during a keyboard solo, you may believe that same interminable solo is still going on right now.

If rock had become dull and complacent, Top 40 pop was no better, embracing an increasingly mellow, whitebread vibe devoid of passion and excitement. And things were only gonna get worse. 

In retrospect, we can see all sorts of cool things happening at the fringes, under cover, out of sight, out of mind. At the time, it felt like all the oomph in the world was smothered, a crib death perpetrated by the laid-back and the shallow. Welcome back, my friends, to a show that never ends.

Until:

HEY!WE'RETHERAMONES!THISONE'SCALLED"ROCKAWAY BEACH!"

According to On The Road With The Ramones by Monte A. Melnick and Frank Meyer, the Ramones played their first-ever gig (at NYC's Performance Studio) on March 30th, 1974. They were a trio at first--Johnny on guitar, Dee Dee on bass and lead vocals, Joey on drums, their legal surnames surrendered to group identity--but expanded to a fully fab four when Tommy became their drummer and Joey found a microphone tall enough for him at the front spot. New York's phenomenal pop combo. The American Beatles. Meet the Ramones.

The 3/30/74 show was for friends. The Ramones debuted at CBGB's a few months later, August 16th. And if it's fair to presume audience members had no friggin' clue what the hell they were witnessing, hindsight allows us to provide the answer:

They were witnessing history. The end of the century, decades ahead of schedule.

Forming in a straight line: The Ramones signed to Sire Records in 1976. The group's first four albums--Ramones, Leave Home, Rocket To Russia, and Road To Ruin, let slip like dogs of war in a rapid-fire span from 1976-1978--are classics. Rocket To Russia and Road To Ruin are masterpieces, AM Top 40 pop music disguised as (and filtered through) DIY punk. The LPs are stuffed with imaginary hit singles, the cartoon depravity of songs about pinheads, teenage lobotomies, murder, commandos, and sniffin' glue delivered like the sweet-n-sassy sound of an amphetamine-fueled Shangri-Las. 

It was obvious that the Ramones inspired the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and others. The Ramones were inspired by the Bay City Rollers, the Rollers' S! A! T-U-R! D-A-Y! NIGHT! spawning the Ramones' Hey-ho, let's go! The Ramones drew from the Who, Herman's Hermits, the New York Dolls, girl groups, bubblegum, and everything that was ever great about rock 'n' roll. Their allegiance and devotion to pure rockin' pop is plain...now. In the moment, though, in that 1970s milieu and malaise, it was revolutionary.

The Ramones never made a bad album, but some Ramones records weren't as great as others. Those first four LPs are nonpareil, with not even a beat missed when Tommy left and Marky joined in between Rocket To Russia and Road To Ruin. It's Alive (with Tommy) is an incredibly exciting in-concert document, and their 1979 jukebox flick Rock 'n' Roll High School is a B-movie triumph. The Phil Spector-produced End Of The Century is a mismatch that transcends most of its own flaws, and both Pleasant Dreams and Subterranean Jungle are seriously underrated.

Things got heavier as the '80s wore on. Too Tough To Die. Animal Boy. Halfway To Sanity. Brain Drain. An awful live album called Loco Live. Hey, let's amend that "Ramones never made a bad album" statement above to "Ramones never made a bad studio album." Each of these had its moments, even Loco Live. But the unique purity of the Ramones' pop felt at risk of succumbing to a bludgeoning anonymity. It did succumb occasionally...but not completely. 

Not ever completely.

And there were revolving Ramones. Marky was fired, Richie came in. Richie split, Marky came back. Dee Dee--one of the band's principal songwriters--quit, but continued to write for the Ramones. A young bass player dubbed C.J. enlisted as a brand-new brudder, ready and willing to count off to four from Day One.

In the nineties, I do think C.J. (and a switch from Sire to manager Gary Kurfirst's Radioactive label) revitalized the Ramones to some degree. I'm not saying their nineties work was on the level of "Rockaway Beach" or "I Wanna Be Sedated," but there was a renewed sense of zip. 1992's Mondo Bizarro and 1993's all-covers Acid Eaters were solid, and their farewell album, 1995's ¡Adios Amigos!, opened with a supercharged cover of Tom Waits' "I Don't Want To Grow Up" that is among the Ramones' best-ever tracks. And the title "I Don't Want To Grow Up" further served as one last blitzkrieg manifesto on behalf of the Ramones. 

Grow up...?! 

Don't wanna. Won't need to. Ain't gonna.

As a band, the Ramones did not survive into the brave new world of this newfangled 21st century they helped build. Their last show was in 1996; other than an autograph session in 1999, they never regrouped. Joey died in 2001. Dee Dee checked into that great methadone clinic in the sky in 2002, mere months after the Ramones were inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Johnny passed in 2004. Tommy left us in 2014.

Our heroes are just as mortal as we are. But if the flesh is weak, the legend remains too tough to die. The HEY-HO, LET'S GO!! of the Ramones' signature tune "Blitzkrieg Bop" will echo in stadiums and movie soundtracks for as near to eternity as our finite souls can comprehend. "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" will always be the one record that changed my life, the 45 rpm revelation that demonstrated that my love of 1960s British Invasion rock 'n' roll was destined to be joined in hot connubial bliss with the forceful approach of punk rock. Pop with power. Equal emphasis on POP and POWER. 

On a road to ruin, your mileage may vary. For me? The Ramones. Again: The American Beatles. The greatest American rock 'n' roll group of all time. This rockin' pop century would be poorer, slower, quieter, and just plain duller without the Carbona-huffing impact of the Ramones. Fifty years on, our Century of the Ramones is just getting started.

Gabba Gabba Hey? Yes. Absolutely yes.

A writer because he's not much good at anything else, CARL CAFARELLI is also the co-host (with Dana Bonn) of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl, Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern at sparksyracuse.org. Carl's book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones was published by Rare Bird Books in 2023. You can follow Carl's daily blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) at carlcafarelli.blogspot.com

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

TONIGHT (Saturday, January 18th, 2025) on the radio in Maui: Join me as I talk about my RAMONES and GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! books on THE TIME MACHINE with MICHAEL McCARTNEY

 

Man, I've been wanting to do this for a very, very long time. Tonight, radio superstar MICHAEL MCCARTNEY welcomes me to his long-running rockin' pop juggernaut THE TIME MACHINE on MANA'O RADIO 91.7 FM in Maui. We'll play a few irresistible tunes and chat about my books GABBA GABBA HEY! A CONVERSATION WITH THE RAMONES and THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (VOLUME 1). Michael's show is an institution, some say I belong in an institution, so this is a perfect match. It's also an honor and a thrill, and I can't thank Michael enough.

THE TIME MACHINE airs Saturdays from 2 to 5 pm Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time, which is 7 to 10 pm Eastern. You can stream the show on Mana'o Radio here:  

https://manaoradio.com/streaming-player/?fbclid=IwY2xjawH4tONleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHUe-qgqMEt4uzPlFGUZypGh5iMUsYI0APIxU4lCfYOlztm_3f5yIoOZyMg_aem_-e01OmbiswlPweDg57hm4Q

Here's Michael's own hype for this shindig. Join us!

Singer-songwriters Steve Grimes, Fernando Perdomo, Aaron David Gleason and author Carl Cafarelli are our guests today on The Time Machine Radio Show.  Radio co-hosts Tanya Teal, Summer Blue, Curt Vance and Rich Firestone join me on KMNO FM for the next three hours with a wide variety of music.  Steve Grimes is both a gifted musician and a master luthier craftsman who musicians are proud to play his guitars.  Steve will share the story behind his song "Lāhainā Town" featuring John Cruz, Moana Beamer, Lukas Nelson, Patrick Simmons of The Doobie Brothers, Andrew Fowler and Garrett Probst.  Rocker and producer Fernando Perdomo will join us to discuss his fundraising single for the Los Angeles wildfire survivors.  Aaron David Gleason of Pleasantville will share the duo's latest song.  Author, THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO co-hostand birthday boy Carl Cafarelli will also join us to discuss both of his latest books "Gabba Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones" and "The Greatest Record Ever Made!" which should be a treat.  We'll also feature brand new music from Sorrows, Kate Hudson and Wyatt Funderburk.  Feel free to listen to the FM audio streaming online for the next three hours at the link below:

https://manaoradio.com/streaming-player/

Meet Your Blogger at BOOKS END in Syracuse

If you happen to be in the Syracuse area on Saturday, January 11th 2025, I invite you to stop in and say hello at BOOKS END, 2443 James Street in Syracuse. I'll be there for an informal meet-n-greet from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm. You want details? You've GOT details! Here's the authorized blurb:

I will be at Syracuse's oldest bookstore BOOKS END, chatting with random customers and selling and signing copies of my books GABBA GABBA HEY! A CONVERSATION WITH THE RAMONES and THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (VOLUME 1). I will also have some of the THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO compilation CDs. Stop by and say HEY-HO, LET'S GO!

Syracuse's own Carl Cafarelli has been a freelance writer and music journalist for more than forty years. He is the author of the books GABBA GABBA HEY! A CONVERSATION WITH THE RAMONES (Rare Bird Books, 2023) and THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (VOLUME 1) (Syracuse Noise LLC, 2024). He has written for Goldmine, DISCoveries, The Syracuse New Times, Feral House, Routledge, Visible Ink Press, AHOY Comics, Fantagraphics, and Rhino Records. Since 1998, he has been the co-host (with Dana Bonn) of the internationally-renowned weekly broadcast and internet radio show THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO WITH DANA AND CARL. You can follow Carl at his blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), carlcafarelli.blogspot.com

Hope to see you there!

"Greatest Recod Ever Made?" See, that's why we need editors

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

GABBA GABBA HEY! My Q & A about JOHNNY RAMONE for EL PAÍS

Have you seen journalist Jaime Lorite's recent article celebrating the legacy of Johnny Ramone? It appeared in the 15 Septiembre issue of ICON in the Spanish newspaper El País; if you missed it, you can read an English translation here. As part of his research for the article, Jaime contacted Rare Bird Books--publisher of my 2023 book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones--and the good folks at Rare Bird put Jaime in touch with me to answer a few short questions about Johnny. I was delighted to comply, and honored to be included. 

As a supplement to the published article, here is the text of Jaime's brief  Q & A with me. Jaime asks, and I answer:

1. Many assume that the creative part of the Ramones corresponded, mainly, to Joey and Dee Dee. How crucial was Johnny's role for the Ramones to exist as we know them?

Each of the four founding Ramones--Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy--played an important role in creating and establishing the group's approach. Joey and Dee Dee were the most prolific songwriters (though Tommy co-wrote "Blitzkrieg Bop" with Dee Dee), but we can hear the sound of the Ramones in all of their early recordings, regardless of whether the song was an original or a cover. A large part of that sound is defined by Johnny's guitar.

I don't think Johnny's guitar sound, that relentless--but still pop--rhythmic assault, had any real antecedent. The Stooges? The MC5? The New York Dolls? Hell, the Ohio Express? No, nothing predating the Ramones sounds like the Ramones. The minimalism was a group effort, facilitated by Tommy (and later intensified by Marky). The passion was Joey. The ragged, strung-out urban poetry was Dee Dee. The fast-and-loud presence was Johnny.

2. To what extent do you think there is truth to the belief about Johnny's limitations as a “three-chord” guitarist, despite his later great influence?

I have no reason to believe that Johnny Ramone was ever any more of a virtuoso than he appeared to be. I don't remember if it was Johnny or Dee Dee who told a journalist that the Ramones play to their level of ability. Eventually other guitarists supplemented or subbed for Johnny in the studio on the fancier licks...well, the fancier licks by Ramones standards. But this ain't jazz. We know of the long-standing conflict between Joey and Johnny, but it was Joey himself who stressed to me how important Johnny's guitar playing was to THAT sound, the Ramones sound. 

(Nor should Johnny's technical achievement be dismissed too quickly. I can't remember who said it or where I saw it, but a journalist once wrote in response to punters who believed any decent guitarist could play like Johnny Ramone: Oh yeah? YOU try it. Most guitarists would break a freaking hand trying to match what Johnny Ramone pounded out on his Mosrite guitar in the course of any Ramones live set, kind of like when Blondie's Clem Burke--an excellent drummer in his own right--tried and failed to keep up as a Ramones drummer. The Ramones played to their level of ability. That was not as easy a feat as it seemed.)

3. Beyond his tensions with Joey and the military discipline he imposed on the band, given that you dealt with him, what was Johnny Ramone like in short distances? Was he as surly as people said or was it more of an attitude? 

I never met Johnny--our interview was by telephone--so I can't comment on what he was like face-to-face. I've seen credible accounts of how...well, let's just say how difficult Johnny could be. Politically, we were polar opposites, and the tension between Johnny and Joey was evident in my conversations with both of them. But I tell you, Johnny could not have been nicer to me. Throughout our discussion, he frequently asked me what I thought of each individual Ramones record. He was taken aback when I said I liked the track "Something To Believe In" (his response was "You LIKE that...?!"), but he seemed genuinely curious and surprisingly pleasant. He was nice to me. My experience with him doesn't jibe with his public image nor with others' reliable accounts of how prickly (or worse) he could be. But yeah, Johnny Ramone was nice to me.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available; you can see details here. My 2023 book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is also still available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. 

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.