Johnny Ramone, Republican, NRA Member, Dies

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I know this has already been reported, but I wanted to add links to some movie reviews and the obit.

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I read of his political leaning in the Washington Post obit this a.m. I've seen the Ramones, and they certainly didn't strike me as appealing to the NRA set. I saw them once in Baltimore, at the long-gone Hammerjack's. I believe it was torn down to make room for a stadium of some sort. Something to do with birds....

There were several articles about the Ramones in this morning's Post. Most were movie reviews, and the other was an obit.

The Ramones' Hey (Ho!) Day

'End of the Century': Let's Go!

Apparently, depending on which edition of the paper you got, you saw one or the other obit.

Johnny Ramone, Rock-and-Roll Innovator, Dies

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By Matt Schudel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 17, 2004; Page B06

....
For all his posing as an aging teenager rebel, Johnny Ramone was a lifelong Republican who belonged to the National Rifle Association. When the Ramones were named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he said, "God bless President Bush, and God bless America."

He called Ronald Reagan "the greatest president of my lifetime," but in a classic exercise of democracy, he was outvoted by other members of the band when they recorded "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg," a satirical slam at Reagan's visit to a German cemetery in which Nazi troops were buried.

Mr. Ramone had battled prostate cancer for five years. Unlike the lyrics of one of the band's most famous songs, "I Wanna Be Sedated," he faced his ordeal without painkillers. He refused a morphine drip because, C.J. Ramone said, "he didn't want to lose control of his mind."
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Johnny Ramone, Member of Punk Legends 'The Ramones,' Dies at 55

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Chris T. Nguyen
The Associated Press
Friday, September 17, 2004; Page B06

LOS ANGELES - Johnny Ramone, guitarist and co-founder of the seminal punk band "The Ramones" that influenced a generation of rockers, has died. He was 55.

Ramone, who had been fighting a five-year battle with prostate cancer, died in his sleep Wednesday afternoon at his Los Angeles home surrounded by friends and family, said the band's longtime artistic director Arturo Vega.
....

In addition to his financial conservatism, the guitarist was politically conservative - the late Ronald Reagan was Ramone's favorite president, Vega said.
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[Rick Myers]

1. My condolences to Arturo

He was a great friend to the band, and watched over them like they were his kids. In a way, they were...

I worked with them many years ago, and stayed in touch until the demise of the band. The Ramones crew still are some of my closest friends.

Godspeed, Johnny!!!

[mitchum]

2. Johnny was a longtime republican (and asshole to his fellow band members)

[Rick Myers]

3. That's true.

Still sucks.