Dee Dee Ramone
Encyclopedia
Dee Dee Ramone (September 18, 1951 – June 5, 2002) was an American songwriter
and musician
, best known as founding member, bassist
and main songwriter of the punk rock
band the Ramones
.
Though nearly all of the Ramones' songs were credited equally to all the band members, Dee Dee was the band's most prolific lyricist and songwriter, writing many of the band's most well-known songs, such as "53rd & 3rd
", "Commando", "Rockaway Beach", and "Poison Heart" (Joey Ramone wrote songs like "I Wanna Be Sedated", "Sheena is a Punk Rocker", or "Rock'n'Roll High School", so the two of them wrote the majority of the Ramones' material). He was initially the band's lead vocalist, though his (then) inability to sing and play bass at the same time resulted in original drummer Joey Ramone
taking over the lead vocalist duties. Dee Dee would serve as the band's bassist and songwriter from 1974 through 1989, when he left to pursue a short-lived career in hip hop music
under the name Dee Dee King. He soon returned to his punk roots and released three solo albums featuring brand new songs, many of which were later recorded by the Ramones. He toured the world playing his new songs, Ramones songs and some old favorites in small clubs, and continued to write songs for the Ramones until 1996, when the band officially retired.
Dee Dee struggled with drug addiction for much of his life, particularly heroin. He began using drugs as a teenager, and continued to use for the majority of his adult life. He appeared to clean up his act in the early 1990s but began using heroin again some time later. He died from a heroin overdose in 2002.
and a German woman. As an infant, his family relocated to Berlin
, Germany
, due to his father's military service. His father's military career also required the family to relocate frequently. These frequent moves caused Dee Dee to have a lonely childhood with few real friends. His parents separated during his early teens, and he remained in Berlin until the age of 15, when he, along with his mother and sister Beverley, moved to the Forest Hills
section of New York City
's borough of Queens
, in order to escape Dee Dee's alcoholic
father. There he met John Cummings
and Thomas Erdelyi
(later dubbed Johnny and Tommy "Ramone"), then playing in a band called The Tangerine Puppets, named after a Donovan
song.
neighborhood. After an unsuccessful guitar audition for Television
, Johnny convinced Dee Dee to form their own band with then-drummer Jeffry Hyman, later Joey Ramone
, in 1974. Joey took over vocal duties after Dee Dee decided that he could not sing lead vocals for longer than a few songs as his voice shredded. Dee Dee would continue, however, to count off each song's tempo with his signature rapid-fire shout of "1-2-3-4!"
It was Dee Dee who first suggested naming the band the Ramones, after reading that Paul McCartney
often signed into hotels under the alias
"Paul Ramon". He added an 'e' to the end of that surname and the band members all agreed to adopt the surname "Ramone" as a means of conveying their unity.
Dee Dee wrote or co-wrote much of the Ramones' repertoire, such as "53rd and 3rd" (a song about male prostitution
at 53rd Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan
, allegedly based on personal experience), "Glad to See You Go" (written about his then-girlfriend, a stripper
and fellow drug user with a volatile personality), "It's a Long Way Back to Germany", "Chinese Rock
" (originally recorded by Johnny Thunders
and The Heartbreakers
, as guitarist Johnny Ramone was not enthusiastic about the Ramones doing songs about drugs) and "Wart Hog" (a song Dee Dee wrote in rehab). After he quit the Ramones, Dee Dee continued to write songs for them, contributing at least three songs to each of their albums.
According to Mondo Bizarro
's liner notes, for example, the Ramones once bail
ed Dee Dee out of jail in exchange for the rights to his songs "Main Man", "Strength to Endure" and "Poison Heart", which would become a minor hit for the band. The band's final studio album, 1995's Adios Amigos, consists of several of Dee Dee's solo songs, such as "I'm Makin' Monsters for My Friends" and "It's Not for Me to Know" from his album I Hate Freaks Like You
.
career as rapper "Dee Dee King" with the album Standing in the Spotlight. Dee Dee had recorded "Funky Man
" as Dee Dee King in 1987, while still a member of the Ramones. Music critic Matt Carlson wrote that the album "will go down in the annals of pop culture as one of the worst recordings of all time. After the album failed, he returned to punk rock with various short-lived projects such as Sprokkett (which also featured Richard 'The Atomic Elf' Bacchus) of D Generation
and later, The Spikey Tops.
In 1991, Dee Dee was briefly involved with transgressive punk rock singer-songwriter
GG Allin
, playing guitar with Allin's backup band The Murder Junkies
. His involvement lasted approximately one week, enough for him to be briefly interviewed during the filming of Todd Phillips
' Allin documentary
Hated: GG Allin And The Murder Junkies
. In the film, Dee Dee reveals that he was unaware of the band's name, even after joining. Rehearsal recordings of him with Allin and The Murder Junkies appears on the Hated soundtrack, as well as on the posthumous live Allin compilation Res-Erected. Video footage of the rehearsals is available on DVD
through Allin's estate's website
. Dee Dee never actually played a live gig with the band.
In 1992, Dee Dee formed another short lived project named The Chinese Dragons, which was followed by the most successful of his post-Ramones projects, a group named Dee Dee Ramone I.C.L.C.
(Inter-Celestial Light Commune), which lasted from 1994 to 1996. The group featured New York City bassist John Carco (formerly of Queens
' hardcore
group Misguided) who befriended Dee Dee when the two attended Alcoholics Anonymous
meetings together during the summer of 1992. After writing more than a dozen songs and recording several demos for an upcoming Ramones album with producer Daniel Rey
, Dee Dee decided to keep the material for his new band. After working with several drummers and playing several live shows in the New York City area, Dee Dee and Carco moved to Amsterdam
to record a four song EP
and fourteen track album for Rough Trade Records
. I Hate Freaks Like You
was released on April 17, 1994, featuring Nina Hagen
on two of the album's fourteen tracks. The three-piece line up now consisted of Dee Dee (vocals, guitar), Carco (bass, vocals), and Dutch
drummer Danny Arnold Lommen.
I.C.L.C. would go on to promote the I Hate Freaks Like You album by touring 22 countries over a 10-month period. During this tour, in November 1994, Dee Dee met 16-year-old Barbara Zampini while searching for his lost guitar outside his hotel in Argentina
. Zampini was a big fan of the Ramones and had been playing bass for two years, heavily influenced by Dee Dee's early work. They later married, and remained together until his death.
In January, 1995, the group had completed their 10-month tour and returned to their headquarters in Amsterdam
to begin recording a second album. The group was soon dropped, however, by their record label, Rough Trade World Service. With this development, bassist John Carco left the group and moved to Los Angeles
where he began playing with Frankie O. and Pete Stahl. Carco would later pursue an acting career. Songs written by Dee Dee and Carco for the never released second I.C.L.C. album would eventually be recorded by the Ramones on their final album Adios Amigos. One of these songs, Born to Die in Berlin, would ultimately be the final song on the final Ramones' album, and featured Dee Dee singing in German
on the bridge of the song.
Dee Dee was also a special guest at the final Ramones' show at The Palace
in Los Angeles
on August 6, 1996, performing the lead vocals on the song "Love Kills
".
Dee Dee formed a Ramones' tribute band called The Ramainz
with his wife Barbara ("Barbara Ramone", bass) and former Ramones' member Marky (drums). They recorded an album, Live in NYC, released in Argentina, and played a couple of times with C.J. Ramone.
Dee Dee also recorded several solo albums under his old name Dee Dee Ramone.
"Zonked!", the first album release under the Dee Dee Ramone moniker was re-titled "Ain't It Fun?" for the European release, but other than the addition of the bonus track "Please Kill Me", the music is identical. The line up for this album was Dee Dee Ramone on guitars and lead vocals, Marky Ramone on drums, longtime partner Daniel Ray producing and on guitars, and Barbara "Ramone" / Zimpani on bass and lead vocals. Guests included Joey Ramone singing lead on "I am seeing UFOs", and The Cramps
' vocalist Lux Interior doing the same on "Bad Horoscope".
The second solo-album was called Hop Around; the line-up consisted of Dee Dee Ramone, Barbara Ramone / Zimpani, Chris Spedding
on guitars and Billy Rogers on drums. Dee Dee also released Greatest and Latest, with Barbara, Spedding and Chase Manhattan on drums. This album consisted of re-recording of Ramones songs, a re-recorded solo song ("Fix Yourself Up", originally from Zonked! / Ain't It Fun?), cover-songs and an unreleased new solo-song ("Sidewalk Surfin'").
In the 21st century, Dee Dee teamed up with Paul Kostabi
, leader of the hardcore punk
band Youth Gone Mad
and former guitarist for White Zombie
. An established artist, Kostabi was instrumental in getting Dee Dee's new career as a painter off the ground. Together with Barbara, the trio collaborated on several hundred works that sold quickly for a few hundred dollars each.
On Halloween
, 1998, while staying at the Hotel Chelsea
, Dee Dee and Zampini met the Hollywood band SEXYCHRIST, which featured adult film star Kurt Lockwood
. Lockwood encouraged them to move to Hollywood, and together the two bands shared a successful tour of the U.S. in early 1999. Afterwards, Dee Dee formed The Dee Dee Ramone Band, with members including Christian Martucci
(vocals and guitar), Anthony Smedile (drums), Chase Manhattan (drums), and Stefan Adika
(bass). With the exception of one show at the Spa Club in NYC and a Club Makeup performance, this would be his last touring band. Dee Dee would release a book, entitled Legend of a Rock Star, A Memoir: The Last Testament of Dee Dee Ramone, written while on tour in Europe
in 2001.
Dee Dee later moved to California
where he continued to make music and pursued an acting career. Though largely unsuccessful as an actor, he landed a major role in the 2002 low budget film Bikini Bandits. He also contributed the song, "In a Movie", to the film's soundtrack, which features his wife Barbara on lead vocals.
His next album—a live album produced by Gilby Clarke
(ex-Guns N' Roses
), recorded on June 12, 2002, at Hollywood's Key Club—never materialized. Several bootleg
s of The Dee Dee Ramone Band exist, including, Live in Milan, Italy. Dee Dee's final studio recordings were released by tREND iS dEAD! records
as the 2002 album, Youth Gone Mad featuring Dee Dee Ramone
. He also worked with the band Terrorgruppe.
established heroin overdose as the official cause of death. He had been booked to play a show at the Ventura Theatre, which ended up being a memorial show in his honor.
Dee Dee Ramone is buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
in Hollywood, California, not far from the cenotaph
of his former Ramones' bandmate, Johnny Ramone
. His headstone features the Ramones seal with the line "I feel so safe flying on a ray on the highest trails above" taken from his song, "Highest Trails Above", from the Ramones' Subterranean Jungle
album. At the stone's base is the line "O.K...I gotta go now."
amplification during his entire career with the Ramones. His preferred bass guitars included:
He also penned a novel, Chelsea Horror Hotel
, in which he and his wife move into New York City's famous Hotel Chelsea
and believe they are staying in the same room where Sid Vicious
allegedly killed his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen
. In the book, Ramone is visited by Vicious himself, as well as other dead punk rock friends such as Johnny Thunders
, Stiv Bators
, and Jerry Nolan
.
Memorial book "Rock In Peace: Dee Dee And Joey Ramone" (2004) is composed by Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone - (2004)
Solo
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, best known as founding member, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
and main songwriter of the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
.
Though nearly all of the Ramones' songs were credited equally to all the band members, Dee Dee was the band's most prolific lyricist and songwriter, writing many of the band's most well-known songs, such as "53rd & 3rd
53rd & 3rd
"53rd & 3rd" is a song by the American punk rock band the Ramones. It was released as the band's second single and the final released from their debut album, Ramones.-Lyrics:...
", "Commando", "Rockaway Beach", and "Poison Heart" (Joey Ramone wrote songs like "I Wanna Be Sedated", "Sheena is a Punk Rocker", or "Rock'n'Roll High School", so the two of them wrote the majority of the Ramones' material). He was initially the band's lead vocalist, though his (then) inability to sing and play bass at the same time resulted in original drummer Joey Ramone
Joey Ramone
Joey Ramone was an American vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist in the punk rock band the Ramones. Joey Ramone's image, voice and tenure as frontman of the Ramones made him a countercultural icon.-Early life:Joey Ramone was born Jeffry Hyman to parents Noel and Charlotte Hyman...
taking over the lead vocalist duties. Dee Dee would serve as the band's bassist and songwriter from 1974 through 1989, when he left to pursue a short-lived career in hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
under the name Dee Dee King. He soon returned to his punk roots and released three solo albums featuring brand new songs, many of which were later recorded by the Ramones. He toured the world playing his new songs, Ramones songs and some old favorites in small clubs, and continued to write songs for the Ramones until 1996, when the band officially retired.
Dee Dee struggled with drug addiction for much of his life, particularly heroin. He began using drugs as a teenager, and continued to use for the majority of his adult life. He appeared to clean up his act in the early 1990s but began using heroin again some time later. He died from a heroin overdose in 2002.
Childhood
Born Douglas Colvin in Fort Lee (Virginia)Fort Lee, Virginia, he was the son of an American soldierSoldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and a German woman. As an infant, his family relocated to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, due to his father's military service. His father's military career also required the family to relocate frequently. These frequent moves caused Dee Dee to have a lonely childhood with few real friends. His parents separated during his early teens, and he remained in Berlin until the age of 15, when he, along with his mother and sister Beverley, moved to the Forest Hills
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
section of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's borough of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, in order to escape Dee Dee's alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
father. There he met John Cummings
Johnny Ramone
John William Cummings , better known by his stage name Johnny Ramone, was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being the guitarist for the punk rock band the Ramones. He was a founding member of the band, and remained a member throughout the band's entire career...
and Thomas Erdelyi
Tommy Ramone
Tommy Ramone, also known as Thomas Erdelyi , is a Hungarian American record producer and musician...
(later dubbed Johnny and Tommy "Ramone"), then playing in a band called The Tangerine Puppets, named after a Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
song.
Ramones
Colvin, later Dee Dee, and Cummings, later Johnny, quickly became friends, as they were both social outcasts in their heavily middle classMiddle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
neighborhood. After an unsuccessful guitar audition for Television
Television (band)
Television was an American rock band, formed in New York City in 1973. They are best known for the album Marquee Moon and widely regarded as one of the founders of "punk" and New Wave music. Television was part of the early 1970s New York underground rock scene, along with bands like the Patti...
, Johnny convinced Dee Dee to form their own band with then-drummer Jeffry Hyman, later Joey Ramone
Joey Ramone
Joey Ramone was an American vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist in the punk rock band the Ramones. Joey Ramone's image, voice and tenure as frontman of the Ramones made him a countercultural icon.-Early life:Joey Ramone was born Jeffry Hyman to parents Noel and Charlotte Hyman...
, in 1974. Joey took over vocal duties after Dee Dee decided that he could not sing lead vocals for longer than a few songs as his voice shredded. Dee Dee would continue, however, to count off each song's tempo with his signature rapid-fire shout of "1-2-3-4!"
It was Dee Dee who first suggested naming the band the Ramones, after reading that Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
often signed into hotels under the alias
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Paul Ramon". He added an 'e' to the end of that surname and the band members all agreed to adopt the surname "Ramone" as a means of conveying their unity.
Dee Dee wrote or co-wrote much of the Ramones' repertoire, such as "53rd and 3rd" (a song about male prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
at 53rd Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, allegedly based on personal experience), "Glad to See You Go" (written about his then-girlfriend, a stripper
Stripper
A stripper is a professional erotic dancer who performs a contemporary form of striptease at strip club establishments, public exhibitions, and private engagements. Unlike in burlesque, the performer in the modern Americanized form of stripping minimizes the interaction of customer and dancer,...
and fellow drug user with a volatile personality), "It's a Long Way Back to Germany", "Chinese Rock
Chinese Rock
"Chinese Rocks" or "Chinese Rock" is a song written in 1976 by New York City punk legends Dee Dee Ramone and Richard Hell.Openly discussing heroin addiction, "Chinese Rock" was first recorded by Hell's former band, The Heartbreakers, and later by Dee Dee's band The Ramones.-Origin:Hell and Dee Dee...
" (originally recorded by Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...
and The Heartbreakers
The Heartbreakers
Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, also known as The Heartbreakers, were an American rock & roll band formed in New York in May 1975. The band was part of the first wave of punk rock.-History:...
, as guitarist Johnny Ramone was not enthusiastic about the Ramones doing songs about drugs) and "Wart Hog" (a song Dee Dee wrote in rehab). After he quit the Ramones, Dee Dee continued to write songs for them, contributing at least three songs to each of their albums.
According to Mondo Bizarro
Mondo Bizarro
Mondo Bizarro is the twelfth studio album by the American punk band the Ramones, released in 1992 . It featured their new bassist, Christopher Joseph Ward , who replaced departed member Dee Dee Ramone. Mondo Bizarro was the group’s first studio album in three years...
's liner notes, for example, the Ramones once bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
ed Dee Dee out of jail in exchange for the rights to his songs "Main Man", "Strength to Endure" and "Poison Heart", which would become a minor hit for the band. The band's final studio album, 1995's Adios Amigos, consists of several of Dee Dee's solo songs, such as "I'm Makin' Monsters for My Friends" and "It's Not for Me to Know" from his album I Hate Freaks Like You
I Hate Freaks Like You
- Track listing:All tracks composed by Dee Dee Ramone and Daniel Rey; except where indicated#"I'm Making Monsters For My Friends" #"Don't Look In My Window" #"Chinese Bitch" #"It's Not For Me To Know"...
.
Later projects
In 1989, before leaving the Ramones, Dee Dee embarked on a brief hip hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
career as rapper "Dee Dee King" with the album Standing in the Spotlight. Dee Dee had recorded "Funky Man
Funky Man
Funky Man is a song written and performed by Douglas Colvin under the alias "Dee Dee King". Colvin is best known as Dee Dee Ramone, bassist for the punk rock band the Ramones between 1974 and 1989....
" as Dee Dee King in 1987, while still a member of the Ramones. Music critic Matt Carlson wrote that the album "will go down in the annals of pop culture as one of the worst recordings of all time. After the album failed, he returned to punk rock with various short-lived projects such as Sprokkett (which also featured Richard 'The Atomic Elf' Bacchus) of D Generation
D Generation
D Generation are an American glam punk band formed in 1991 in New York City. The band broke up in 1999, but will reunite in 2011 for shows. During its history the band released three albums, to much critical acclaim...
and later, The Spikey Tops.
In 1991, Dee Dee was briefly involved with transgressive punk rock singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
GG Allin
GG Allin
Kevin Michael "GG" Allin was an American punk rock singer-songwriter, who performed and recorded with many groups during his career. GG Allin is perhaps best remembered for his notorious live performances, which often featured transgressive acts, including coprophagia, self-mutilation, and...
, playing guitar with Allin's backup band The Murder Junkies
The Murder Junkies
The Murder Junkies are a GG Allin tribute band, most known for being the actual backing band of deceased punk rock performer GG Allin. They are the third GG Allin backing band to bear the name....
. His involvement lasted approximately one week, enough for him to be briefly interviewed during the filming of Todd Phillips
Todd Phillips
Todd Phillips is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known for directing the comedy films Road Trip, Old School, The Hangover, and Due Date.-Early life:...
' Allin documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Hated: GG Allin And The Murder Junkies
Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies
Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies is a 1994 documentary directed by Todd Phillips about the life of GG Allin, a punk rock musician who died from a heroin overdose in 1993...
. In the film, Dee Dee reveals that he was unaware of the band's name, even after joining. Rehearsal recordings of him with Allin and The Murder Junkies appears on the Hated soundtrack, as well as on the posthumous live Allin compilation Res-Erected. Video footage of the rehearsals is available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
through Allin's estate's website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
. Dee Dee never actually played a live gig with the band.
In 1992, Dee Dee formed another short lived project named The Chinese Dragons, which was followed by the most successful of his post-Ramones projects, a group named Dee Dee Ramone I.C.L.C.
Dee Dee Ramone I.C.L.C.
Dee Dee Ramone I.C.L.C. was a solo project by Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone.-History:The group were formed by Dee Dee Ramone and New York City bassist John Carco in the spring of 1992 in New York City...
(Inter-Celestial Light Commune), which lasted from 1994 to 1996. The group featured New York City bassist John Carco (formerly of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
' hardcore
New York hardcore
New York hardcore refers to hardcore punk and metalcore music created in New York City and to the subculture associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C., by bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat. Hardcore '81 is an album by the...
group Misguided) who befriended Dee Dee when the two attended Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
meetings together during the summer of 1992. After writing more than a dozen songs and recording several demos for an upcoming Ramones album with producer Daniel Rey
Daniel Rey
Daniel Rey is an American musician, music producer and songwriter from New York City best known for his work with the Ramones....
, Dee Dee decided to keep the material for his new band. After working with several drummers and playing several live shows in the New York City area, Dee Dee and Carco moved to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
to record a four song EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and fourteen track album for Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
. I Hate Freaks Like You
I Hate Freaks Like You
- Track listing:All tracks composed by Dee Dee Ramone and Daniel Rey; except where indicated#"I'm Making Monsters For My Friends" #"Don't Look In My Window" #"Chinese Bitch" #"It's Not For Me To Know"...
was released on April 17, 1994, featuring Nina Hagen
Nina Hagen
Nina Hagen is a German singer and actress.-Early years:Hagen was born as Catharina Hagen in the former East Berlin, East Germany, the daughter of Hans Hagen , a scriptwriter, and Eva-Maria Hagen, an actress and singer...
on two of the album's fourteen tracks. The three-piece line up now consisted of Dee Dee (vocals, guitar), Carco (bass, vocals), and Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
drummer Danny Arnold Lommen.
I.C.L.C. would go on to promote the I Hate Freaks Like You album by touring 22 countries over a 10-month period. During this tour, in November 1994, Dee Dee met 16-year-old Barbara Zampini while searching for his lost guitar outside his hotel in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Zampini was a big fan of the Ramones and had been playing bass for two years, heavily influenced by Dee Dee's early work. They later married, and remained together until his death.
In January, 1995, the group had completed their 10-month tour and returned to their headquarters in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
to begin recording a second album. The group was soon dropped, however, by their record label, Rough Trade World Service. With this development, bassist John Carco left the group and moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where he began playing with Frankie O. and Pete Stahl. Carco would later pursue an acting career. Songs written by Dee Dee and Carco for the never released second I.C.L.C. album would eventually be recorded by the Ramones on their final album Adios Amigos. One of these songs, Born to Die in Berlin, would ultimately be the final song on the final Ramones' album, and featured Dee Dee singing in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
on the bridge of the song.
Dee Dee was also a special guest at the final Ramones' show at The Palace
The Palace
The Palace is a British drama television series that aired on ITV in 2008. Produced by Company Pictures for the ITV network, it was created by Tom Grieves and follows a fictional British Royal Family in the aftermath of the death of King James III and the succession of his 24-year-old son, Richard...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on August 6, 1996, performing the lead vocals on the song "Love Kills
Animal Boy
Animal Boy is the ninth studio album by the American punk band the Ramones. It featured the songs "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down ", written as a protest of President Ronald Reagan's visit to the Bitburg cemetery in West Germany; "Somebody Put Something in My Drink", written by Richie Ramone, the...
".
Dee Dee formed a Ramones' tribute band called The Ramainz
The Ramainz
The Ramainz were a U.S. tribute band to The Ramones. Its members included Dee Dee Ramone, Marky Ramone, and Dee Dee's wife Barbara Zampini . They were known as The Remains until 1999 but had to change due to another band already using the name...
with his wife Barbara ("Barbara Ramone", bass) and former Ramones' member Marky (drums). They recorded an album, Live in NYC, released in Argentina, and played a couple of times with C.J. Ramone.
Dee Dee also recorded several solo albums under his old name Dee Dee Ramone.
"Zonked!", the first album release under the Dee Dee Ramone moniker was re-titled "Ain't It Fun?" for the European release, but other than the addition of the bonus track "Please Kill Me", the music is identical. The line up for this album was Dee Dee Ramone on guitars and lead vocals, Marky Ramone on drums, longtime partner Daniel Ray producing and on guitars, and Barbara "Ramone" / Zimpani on bass and lead vocals. Guests included Joey Ramone singing lead on "I am seeing UFOs", and The Cramps
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...
' vocalist Lux Interior doing the same on "Bad Horoscope".
The second solo-album was called Hop Around; the line-up consisted of Dee Dee Ramone, Barbara Ramone / Zimpani, Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding is an English rock and roll and jazz guitarist, best known for his session work. Allmusic states - "Spedding is one of the UK's most versatile session guitarists, and has had a long career on two continents that saw him tackle nearly every style of rock and roll, as well as...
on guitars and Billy Rogers on drums. Dee Dee also released Greatest and Latest, with Barbara, Spedding and Chase Manhattan on drums. This album consisted of re-recording of Ramones songs, a re-recorded solo song ("Fix Yourself Up", originally from Zonked! / Ain't It Fun?), cover-songs and an unreleased new solo-song ("Sidewalk Surfin'").
In the 21st century, Dee Dee teamed up with Paul Kostabi
Paul Kostabi
Paul Indrek Kostabi is an American artist, musician, music producer and audio engineer. He is the brother of artist Mark Kostabi....
, leader of the hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band Youth Gone Mad
Youth Gone Mad
Youth Gone Mad is a punk rock band founded in California in 1980 by Paul "ENA" Kostabi . Youth Gone Mad signed onto the Posh Boy Records roster, scored a minor radio hit with "Oki Dogs" in 1981, and played with bands such as Black Flag, Caustic Cause, The Mentors, The Stains, Fear, and others.The...
and former guitarist for White Zombie
White Zombie
White Zombie was a Grammy Award-nominated American heavy metal band. Based in New York City, White Zombie was originally a noise rock band. White Zombie are better-known for their later heavy metal-oriented sound...
. An established artist, Kostabi was instrumental in getting Dee Dee's new career as a painter off the ground. Together with Barbara, the trio collaborated on several hundred works that sold quickly for a few hundred dollars each.
On Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
, 1998, while staying at the Hotel Chelsea
Hotel Chelsea
The Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
, Dee Dee and Zampini met the Hollywood band SEXYCHRIST, which featured adult film star Kurt Lockwood
Kurt Lockwood
Kurt Lockwood is an American pornographic actor, model, and musician.-Biography:Lockwood graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1992 with a B.A. in Theatre. There, he was a member of the improvisational theatre group Erasable Inc.. He relocated to San Francisco from Baltimore...
. Lockwood encouraged them to move to Hollywood, and together the two bands shared a successful tour of the U.S. in early 1999. Afterwards, Dee Dee formed The Dee Dee Ramone Band, with members including Christian Martucci
Christian Martucci
Christian Martucci is an American guitarist, bassist, vocalist and songwriter. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is a founding member of Thousand Watt Stare, Black President, The Strychnine Babies and The Chelsea Smiles...
(vocals and guitar), Anthony Smedile (drums), Chase Manhattan (drums), and Stefan Adika
Stefan Adika
Stefan Adika is a bass guitarist who has played in the bands Dad's Porno Mag and L.A. Guns. He has also played with former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke and was a member of the Dee Dee Ramone Band. Adika has also performed live with Alice Cooper, and Edward Van Halen.In L.A...
(bass). With the exception of one show at the Spa Club in NYC and a Club Makeup performance, this would be his last touring band. Dee Dee would release a book, entitled Legend of a Rock Star, A Memoir: The Last Testament of Dee Dee Ramone, written while on tour in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in 2001.
Dee Dee later moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where he continued to make music and pursued an acting career. Though largely unsuccessful as an actor, he landed a major role in the 2002 low budget film Bikini Bandits. He also contributed the song, "In a Movie", to the film's soundtrack, which features his wife Barbara on lead vocals.
His next album—a live album produced by Gilby Clarke
Gilby Clarke
Gilbert "Gilby" Clarke is an American guitarist and record producer best known for a 3-year tenure as the rhythm guitarist of Guns N' Roses, replacing Izzy Stradlin in 1991 during the Use Your Illusion Tour...
(ex-Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
), recorded on June 12, 2002, at Hollywood's Key Club—never materialized. Several bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
s of The Dee Dee Ramone Band exist, including, Live in Milan, Italy. Dee Dee's final studio recordings were released by tREND iS dEAD! records
Trend is dead! records
tREND iS dEAD! records is an independent record label based out of Normal, Illinois, United States. The label was founded in 1995, initially releasing cassette and vinyl titles, before switching to more modern compact discs....
as the 2002 album, Youth Gone Mad featuring Dee Dee Ramone
Youth Gone Mad Featuring Dee Dee Ramone
Youth Gone Mad featuring Dee Dee Ramone is a collaboration studio album by the American punk band the Youth Gone Mad and former Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone, released in 2002 . This is known to contain Dee Dee's final studio recordings before his death in 2002...
. He also worked with the band Terrorgruppe.
Death
Dee Dee Ramone was found dead on the evening of June 5, 2002, by his wife Barbara at his Hollywood, California apartment. An autopsyAutopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
established heroin overdose as the official cause of death. He had been booked to play a show at the Ventura Theatre, which ended up being a memorial show in his honor.
Dee Dee Ramone is buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
in Hollywood, California, not far from the cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
of his former Ramones' bandmate, Johnny Ramone
Johnny Ramone
John William Cummings , better known by his stage name Johnny Ramone, was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being the guitarist for the punk rock band the Ramones. He was a founding member of the band, and remained a member throughout the band's entire career...
. His headstone features the Ramones seal with the line "I feel so safe flying on a ray on the highest trails above" taken from his song, "Highest Trails Above", from the Ramones' Subterranean Jungle
Subterranean Jungle
Subterranean Jungle is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band the Ramones. It was released in February 1983 and peaked at position eighty-three on the Billboard album music chart. It was re-released on August 20th, 2002 on CD by Rhino Records."Time Bomb" featured Dee Dee's first...
album. At the stone's base is the line "O.K...I gotta go now."
Equipment
Dee Dee Ramone used AmpegAmpeg
Ampeg is primarily a musical instrument amplifier manufacturer headquartered in Woodinville, Washington, though they also manufacture guitars to a small extent...
amplification during his entire career with the Ramones. His preferred bass guitars included:
- DanelectroDanelectroDanelectro is an American manufacturer of musical instruments and accessories, specializing in rock instruments such as guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers and effects units.-History:...
Bass: Natural, White pickguard, Rosewood fretboard (1974–1975) - Fender musicmaster bass: red, white pickguard, rosewood fretboard ( 1974–1975 )
- Fender '62 Precision BassFender Precision BassThe Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
: White, Tortoise pickguard, Rosewood fretboard (1975–1977) - Fender '75 Precision Bass: Black, Black pickguard, Maple neck (1975–1977)
- Fender '76 Precision Bass: White, Black pickguard (changed to Red), Maple neck (1977–1983) (He used at least 3 such basses).
- Fender '78 Precision Bass: Sunburst, Black pickguard, Maple neck (1982–1983) (He used at least 2 such basses).
- Fender '79 Precision Bass: Black, White pickguard, Maple neck (1983–1988)
- Fender '83 Precision Bass: White, White pickguard, Maple neck (1983–1988)
- ESP CustomESP Guitars, located in North Hollywood, California, is an American-based, Japanese-owned manufacturer of electric guitars and basses.- History :In 1975, Hisatake Shibuya opened a shop called Electric Sound Products in Tokyo. It provided custom replacement parts for guitars. In 1976, ESP gained a reputation...
Precision Bass: Cream, White pickguard, Rosewood fretboard (1986–1988) - ESP Custom P-style Bass: Orange w. Spider Graphic, Rosewood fretboard (1986–1989)
- ESP Custom Thunderbird Bass: Yellow w. Chinese Dragon Graphic and "Ramones" lettering, Rosewood fretboard (1988–1989)
Author
Dee Dee Ramone wrote two books: Poison Heart: Surviving the Ramones (aka Lobotomy) and Legend of a Rock Star, a daily journal of commentary on his last, hectic European tour in the spring of 2001.He also penned a novel, Chelsea Horror Hotel
Chelsea Horror Hotel
Chelsea Horror Hotel: A Novel is a 2001 novel by Dee Dee Ramone, a member of the punk band The Ramones. The book follows Dee Dee as he moves into the Chelsea Hotel in New York City with his wife Barbra and dog Banfield. Dee Dee becomes convinced that the room he is staying in is the one where his...
, in which he and his wife move into New York City's famous Hotel Chelsea
Hotel Chelsea
The Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
and believe they are staying in the same room where Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
allegedly killed his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen
Nancy Spungen
Nancy Laura Spungen was the American girlfriend of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious. Spungen has been the subject of controversy among music historians and fans of the Sex Pistols.-Early life:...
. In the book, Ramone is visited by Vicious himself, as well as other dead punk rock friends such as Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...
, Stiv Bators
Stiv Bators
Stiv Bators , was an American punk rockvocalist and guitarist from Youngstown, Ohio. He is best remembered for his bands, The Dead Boys and The Lords of the New Church.- Music and film career :...
, and Jerry Nolan
Jerry Nolan
Jerry Nolan was an American rock drummer, best known for his work with The New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers.-Career:...
.
Memorial book "Rock In Peace: Dee Dee And Joey Ramone" (2004) is composed by Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone - (2004)
Discography
Ramones- Ramones (1976)
- Leave HomeLeave HomeLeave Home is the second studio album by American punk rock band The Ramones. It was released on January 10, 1977 through Sire Records. The album features the classic Ramones songs "Pinhead" and "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment"...
(1977) - Rocket to RussiaRocket to RussiaRocket to Russia is the third studio album by the American punk rock band The Ramones. It was released on November 4, 1977 through Sire Records. It was their last with original drummer Tommy Ramone. The album incorporates surf rock and other influences. It includes some of the Ramones' best-known...
(1977) - Road to RuinRoad to Ruin (Ramones album)Road to Ruin is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band The Ramones. It was released on September 22, 1978 through Sire Records...
(1978) - End of the CenturyEnd of the CenturyT. Donald Guarisco of Allmusic notes that the "entire album is pretty controversial in the world of Ramones fandom".Dee Dee recalled hearing a song from the album on the radio, perhaps "I'm Affected": "I couldn't believe how awful it sounded. It was horrible. I hated "Baby, I Love You"...
(1980) - Pleasant DreamsPleasant DreamsPleasant Dreams is the sixth studio album by the American punk rock band the Ramones. It was released on July 20, 1981 through Sire Records. Pleasant Dreams reached #58 on the US Billboard album charts. It was frowned upon by guitarist Johnny Ramone because to him it sounded "too slick" and is...
(1981) - Subterranean JungleSubterranean JungleSubterranean Jungle is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band the Ramones. It was released in February 1983 and peaked at position eighty-three on the Billboard album music chart. It was re-released on August 20th, 2002 on CD by Rhino Records."Time Bomb" featured Dee Dee's first...
(1983) - Too Tough to DieToo Tough to DieToo Tough to Die is the eighth studio album by the American punk rock band The Ramones. It was released on October 1,1984. It is the first Ramones album to feature new drummer Richie Ramone...
(1984) - Animal BoyAnimal BoyAnimal Boy is the ninth studio album by the American punk band the Ramones. It featured the songs "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down ", written as a protest of President Ronald Reagan's visit to the Bitburg cemetery in West Germany; "Somebody Put Something in My Drink", written by Richie Ramone, the...
(1986) - Halfway to SanityHalfway to SanityHalfway to Sanity is the tenth studio album by American punk band the Ramones. It was released on September 15, 1987, and the last album to feature Richie Ramone...
(1987) - Brain DrainBrain Drain (album)- Personnel :* Joey Ramone - lead vocals* Johnny Ramone - guitar* Dee Dee Ramone - bass, backing vocals* Marky Ramone - drums- Production :* Jean Beauvoir - producer* Bill Laswell - producer* Daniel Rey - producer, musical coordinator...
(1989)
Solo
- Standing in the Spotlight (1989) (used the name Dee Dee King)
- Chinese BitchChinese Bitch-Track listing:#"Chinese Bitch" #"I Don't Wanna Get Involved with You" #"That's What Everybody Else Does" #"We're a Creepy Family"...
four-song CD EP (1994) - I Hate Freaks Like YouI Hate Freaks Like You- Track listing:All tracks composed by Dee Dee Ramone and Daniel Rey; except where indicated#"I'm Making Monsters For My Friends" #"Don't Look In My Window" #"Chinese Bitch" #"It's Not For Me To Know"...
(1994) - Zonked!ZonkedZonked! is an album by Dee Dee Ramone released in 1997 on Other Peoples Music.The import version of features "Please Kill Me", a bonus track.- Track listing :All tracks composed by Dee Dee Ramone; except where indicated...
(1997) - Hop AroundHop AroundHop Around is an album by Dee Dee Ramone.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Dee Dee Ramone; except where indicated# "I Don't Wanna Die in the Basement" # "Mental Patient"# "Now I Wanna Be Sedated"# "Rock & Roll Vacation in L.A."...
(2000) - Greatest & Latest (2000)
- Youth Gone Mad featuring Dee Dee RamoneYouth Gone Mad Featuring Dee Dee RamoneYouth Gone Mad featuring Dee Dee Ramone is a collaboration studio album by the American punk band the Youth Gone Mad and former Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone, released in 2002 . This is known to contain Dee Dee's final studio recordings before his death in 2002...
(2002) - Too Tough To Die Live in NYCToo Tough to Die Live in NYCToo Tough To Die Live in NYC is an album by Dee Dee Ramone released in 2003 on Artmonkey Records / Wanker Records.The US version released by Artmonkey Records contains selections taken from Dee Dee Ramone's last advertised New York City show at the Spa Club June 2001...
(2003)