Marky Ramone

Last updated

Marky Ramone
Marky Ramone by foto-di-matti 0083.jpg
Ramone in 2009
Background information
Birth nameMarc Steven Bell
Born (1952-07-15) July 15, 1952 (age 72)
New York City, U.S.
Genres Punk rock, heavy metal, hard rock
Occupation(s)Musician, actor
Instrument(s)Drums, percussion
Years active1971–present
Website markyramone.com

Marc Steven Bell (born July 15, 1952) is an American drummer. He began playing in hard rock bands in the New York City area, notably Dust and Estus. He was asked to drum for punk rock band Richard Hell and the Voidoids. He replaced drummer Tommy Ramone in the Ramones in 1978, and went by the stage name Marky Ramone from then on. He has also played drums for other punk rock and heavy metal bands, including his own band Marky Ramone and the Intruders. He continues to keep the Ramones legacy alive around the world with his band Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg.

Contents

Ramone lives in Brooklyn Heights with his wife, Marion Flynn. [1] In 2015, he released his autobiography Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life as a Ramone.

Early life

According to his autobiography, he and his twin brother Fred were born at New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children on July 15, 1952, and is of Dutch ancestry on his father's side and French and Boyan on his mother's side. [2]

Music career

Bell began playing drums in 1971 with the hard rock band Dust, featuring Kenny Aaronson on bass and Richie Wise on guitar, and produced by Kenny Kerner. Bell recorded two albums with the band, before getting into the punk scene. In late 1972, following the death of the New York Dolls' original drummer Billy Murcia, Bell was the only seriously considered alternative to the eventually chosen Jerry Nolan. [3] [4] "Jerry and I knew each other," he said. "When Billy died, I went down to the loft where the Dolls were auditioning… I could do different time signatures, different accents, and I basically overplayed it – put in all these drum fills that weren't necessary. And Jerry just kept the beat straight. So Jerry got it and I didn't." [5]

In 1973, Marky joined Estus and recorded an album of the same name, produced by the Rolling Stones' first producer, Andrew Loog Oldham. Bandmates for Estus included Harry Rumpf and Tom and John Nicholas. In the mid-1970s, Bell joined Wayne County & The Backstreet Boys, then moved onto Richard Hell and the Voidoids and played on their first album, Blank Generation . In May 1978, Tommy Ramone asked Bell to join the Ramones; he accepted and was renamed Marky Ramone.

Marky was with the Ramones for the next five years. He starred in the movie Rock 'n' Roll High School , recorded the anthem, "I Wanna be Sedated", and worked with producer Phil Spector. After five albums with Dee Dee, Joey, and Johnny Ramone, Marky was asked to leave the band in February 1983 because of a drinking problem. He was replaced by Richie Ramone who was himself replaced four years later by Clem Burke of Blondie (under the name Elvis Ramone), who was asked to leave after only two shows. Marky returned clean and sober in August 1987, and in total, he played 1,700 shows and recorded ten studio albums with the band (the most records amongst the band's drummers) until their retirement in August 1996. [6]

Ramone and Ken Stringfellow, 2016 Marky Ramone and Ken Stringfellow, 2016.jpg
Ramone and Ken Stringfellow, 2016

In 1996, Marky joined Dee Dee Ramone to form the Ramainz, performing Ramones songs.

In 2000, Marky joined Joey to record Joey's solo album, entitled Don't Worry About Me . Joey told talk show host Joe Franklin that Marky was his favorite drummer along with Keith Moon.

In 1997 and 1999, Marky recorded two albums with his solo band Marky Ramone and the Intruders. In 2001, he was presented with a lifetime achievement award from MTV by U2 singer Bono. In September 2004, Ramone served as executive producer and released a Ramones DVD entitled Ramones: Raw , which featured footage of the band while on tour all over the world along with other various rare, vintage footage. Much of the candid footage is courtesy of Marky Ramone's personal video library. Ramones: Raw is the only certified gold-selling Ramones DVD and one of only two US gold selling releases in the Ramone entire catalog, the other being the greatest hits double LP Ramones Mania . Ramones: Raw is also the highest charting release in Ramones history.

On April 22, 2008, Marky Ramone appeared on a new CD in Canada playing drums with the Canadian punk band called Teenage Head. [7] The CD was called Teenage Head with Marky Ramone and was released in the USA on June 10, 2008.

Other work

Radio

Since 2005, he has hosted the show Punk Rock Blitzkrieg on Sirius XM. The show was originally aired on Faction (formerly Channel 41), but has since been moved to 1st Wave (Channel 33) following the launch of Turbo on Channel 41 and the relocation of Faction to Channel 314 as an Xtra Channel. The show has been renamed to Marky Ramone's 1st Wave Blitzkrieg. [8] [9] In April 2018, Marky Ramone's Punk Rock Blitzkrieg launched as a 24/7 channel (Channel 712) available online only for Sirius XM subscribers. The channel features previously aired recordings of Marky Ramone's 1st Wave Blitzkrieg.

Television

Business

Books

In 2015, Ramone released his autobiography Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life as a Ramone. [12]

Discography

Solo

With Marky Ramone and the Intruders

With Mark Ramone and the Speed Kings

Compilation

Band work

With Dust

With Estus

With The Voidoids

With the Ramones

With The Ramainz:

With Misfits:

With Osaka Popstar:

With Teenage Head:

Session work

With Dee Dee Ramone:

With Joey Ramone:

With Cherie Currie:

With Bluesman:

With Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg:

Music videos

Ramone produced, with Callicore Studio, two animated videos illustrating two songs from the Marky Ramone and the Intruders albums.

Filmography

Awards

Footnotes

  1. The South American version of The Answer to Your Problems? was titled Don't Blame Me.
  2. Legends Bleed is the United States expanded reissue of No If's, And's or But's.
  3. The United States version of Zonked was titled Ain't It Fun.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Ramone</span> American punk rock singer (1951–2001)

Jeffrey Ross Hyman, known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist and founding member of the punk rock band Ramones, along Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone. His image, voice, and tenure with the Ramones made him a countercultural icon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Hell and the Voidoids</span> American punk rock band

Richard Hell and the Voidoids were an American punk rock band, formed in New York City in 1976 and fronted by Richard Hell, a former member of the Neon Boys, Television and the Heartbreakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dee Dee Ramone</span> American musician (1951–2002)

Douglas Glenn Colvin, better known by his stage name Dee Dee Ramone, was an American musician. He was the bassist and a founding member of the punk rock band the Ramones. Throughout the band's existence, he was the most prolific lyricist and composer, writing many of their best-known songs, such as "53rd & 3rd", "Chinese Rock", "Commando", "Wart Hog", "Rockaway Beach", "Poison Heart" and "Bonzo Goes To Bitburg". The latter won the New York Music Award for best independent single of the year in 1986, while Animal Boy, which the song is from, won for best album.

<i>End of the Century</i> 1980 studio album by the Ramones

End of the Century is the fifth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on February 4, 1980, through Sire Records. The album was the band's first to be produced by Phil Spector, though he had offered the band his assistance earlier in their career. With Spector fully producing the album, it was the first release that excluded original member Tommy Ramone, who had left the band in 1978 but had produced their previous album Road to Ruin. Spector used more advanced standards of engineering, such as high-quality overdubbing and echo chambers. These painstaking methods caused conflict between the band and Spector since the Ramones were accustomed to a quicker recording process. Spector emphasized the production value as well, working with a budget of around $200,000, far exceeding their earlier album sessions.

<i>Road to Ruin</i> (Ramones album) 1978 studio album by the Ramones

Road to Ruin is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on September 22, 1978, through Sire Records as LP record, 8 track cartridge & audio cassette. It was the first Ramones album to feature new drummer Marky Ramone, who replaced Tommy Ramone. Tommy left the band due to low sales of previous albums as well as stress he experienced while touring; however, he stayed with the band to produce the album with Ed Stasium. The artwork's concept was designed by Ramones fan Gus MacDonald and later modified by John Holmstrom to include Marky instead of Tommy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Ramone</span> Hungarian-American drummer (1949–2014)

Thomas Erdelyi, known professionally as Tommy Ramone, was a Hungarian-American musician. He was the drummer for the influential punk rock band the Ramones from its debut in 1974 to 1978, later serving as its producer, and was the longest-surviving original member of the Ramones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. J. Ramone</span> American musician (born 1965)

Christopher Joseph Ward, better known as C. J. Ramone, is an American musician. He is best known for performing from 1989 to 1996 as the bassist, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of the punk rock group the Ramones after replacing original bassist Dee Dee Ramone, a role that lasted until the band's retirement.

<i>Halfway to Sanity</i> 1987 studio album by the Ramones

Halfway to Sanity is the 10th studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, and their last album to feature drummer Richie Ramone. It was produced by Daniel Rey and released on September 15, 1987, by Sire Records. Recording sessions began that April at Intergalactic Studios in New York City, with the band recording instruments before vocals in order to learn songs more quickly. It fared well on charts outside the United States, but peaked at No. 172 on the Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richie Ramone</span> American drummer (born 1957)

Richard Reinhardt is an American drummer best known by his stage name Richie Ramone, and for being the drummer for the punk band the Ramones from February 1983 until August 1987. As of 2024, he is one of four surviving members of the band, the others being Marky Ramone, Elvis Ramone, and C.J. Ramone. Richie appeared on three studio albums with the Ramones and played on Joey Ramone's second solo album ...Ya Know? He has later released three solo albums and currently fronts his own solo band.

<i>Subterranean Jungle</i> 1983 studio album by the Ramones

Subterranean Jungle is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released by Sire Records on February 23, 1983. Overall, the album featured a return to a somewhat more hard punk rock style compared to the band's previous two albums End of the Century in 1980, and Pleasant Dreams in 1981, which were the most pop-focused of the band's career. This direction was encouraged by guitarist Johnny Ramone. The recording sessions saw disputes between band members, mainly due to struggles with alcohol addiction by Joey Ramone and Marky Ramone, and the drug addiction of Dee Dee Ramone.

<i>Brain Drain</i> (album) 1989 studio album by the Ramones

Brain Drain is the eleventh studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on May 23, 1989. It is the last Ramones release to feature bassist/songwriter/vocalist Dee Dee Ramone, the first to feature Marky Ramone since his initial firing from the band after 1983's Subterranean Jungle and the band's last studio album on Sire Records. This was also the last Ramones album to be produced by Daniel Rey, until 1995's ¡Adios Amigos!. The album ends with their unlikely seasonal song "Merry Christmas ".

<i>Weird Tales of the Ramones</i> 2005 compilation album by The Ramones

Weird Tales of the Ramones is a box set compilation by American punk band the Ramones, released on August 16, 2005 by Rhino Records. The set was compiled by Johnny Ramone and contains 85 songs on 3 CDs, plus a DVD containing the 1990 documentary Lifestyles of the Ramones. The latter features the Ramones' music videos up to 1990, interspersed with interview clips with the band members and other pop culture figures, and the DVD adds the band's post-1990 videos, including the MTV-banned version of "Substitute". The box set also contains a special oversize comic book, focusing on the legend of the band, written and illustrated by multiple contributors, a 3D pair of glasses and a postcard to dedicated to Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pet Sematary (song)</span> 1989 single by Ramones

"Pet Sematary" is a single by American punk rock band Ramones, from their 1989 album Brain Drain. The song, originally written for the Stephen King 1989 film adaptation of the same name, became one of the Ramones' biggest radio hits and was a staple of their concerts during the 1990s. The song plays over the film’s credits.

<i>Standing in the Spotlight</i> 1989 studio album by Dee Dee King

Standing in the Spotlight is the first solo studio album by Dee Dee Ramone, released in 1989 under the rap moniker Dee Dee King. The album is sometimes considered to be one of the biggest failures in recording history.

<i>Best of the Chrysalis Years</i> 2002 greatest hits album by The Ramones

Best of the Chrysalis Years is a compilation album made up of tracks from the Ramones' five albums on Chrysalis Records (UK): Brain Drain, Mondo Bizarro, Acid Eaters, ¡Adios Amigos!, and Loco Live. It was released on May 28, 2002, by EMI International. The album was re-released in 2004 with a new track listing as The Best of The Ramones.

Dee Dee Ramone I.C.L.C. was an American punk rock group featuring Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock 'n' Roll High School (song)</span> 1979 single by the Ramones

"Rock 'n' Roll High School" is a song by American punk rock band Ramones, from the soundtrack album Rock 'n' Roll High School. The single did not chart in the U.S. but peaked at number 67 on the UK Singles Chart.

Dust was an American hard rock band active in the early 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramones</span> American punk rock band

The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often cited as the first true punk rock band. Although they had never achieved significant commercial success, the band is seen today as highly influential in punk culture.

<i>Morrissey Curates The Ramones</i> 2014 greatest hits album by The Ramones

Morrissey Curates The Ramones is a compilation album by the American punk rock band the Ramones, compiled by British musician Morrissey. It consists primarily of songs from their first four albums, Ramones, Leave Home, Rocket to Russia, and Road to Ruin. While Morrissey initially wrote a negative review of the Ramones 1976 debut album in Melody Maker, he was invited by the band's management to pick the tracks for the compilation. The album was released on vinyl on November 28, 2014, and limited to 9,000 copies.

References

  1. La Gorce, Tammy (December 14, 2019). "How Marky Ramone, Punk Rocker, Spends His Sundays". The New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  2. Ramone, Marky (January 13, 2015). "Chapter 1". Punk Rock Blitzkrieg. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-1451687750.
  3. Antonia, Nina (2003) [1998]. The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon. Omnibus Press. p. 69.
  4. "Cast and Crew: Marky Ramone". IFC.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  5. Fortnam, Ian (November 2015). "Heavy Load". Classic Rock . No. 216. p. 138.
  6. "Marky Ramone". Ramones.com. Retrieved September 1, 2006.
  7. Heisel, Scott (June 3, 2008). "Web Exclusive: A conversation with Marky Ramone". Alternative Press . Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  8. "Marky Ramone hosts punk show on Sirius Radio". Paste . April 9, 2009. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  9. "SiriusXM Faction". Facebook.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022.
  10. Santos, Albert (April 9, 2009). "Marky Ramone". Faster Louder. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  11. "Marky Ramone". Marky Ramone. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  12. "Marky Ramone Exclusive: Read an Excerpt From 'Punk Rock Blitzkrieg'". Rolling Stone. January 7, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.