THE PUNKS...

There's a new Ramones DVD, called It's Alive 1974-1996, coming out October 2. It will have a bunch of rare footage. I think the definitive doc on the band is End Of The Century, which tells the kind of crazy story about, among other things, how Joey Ramone and Johnny Ramone just couldn't stand each other. It's sad that they died without making peace with each other. Then again, if you see the doc and/or you know the story, you know that their rift ran deep.

Forgetting all that for a second, it's amazing that this band isn't a staple of "classic rock" radio. I put it in quotes, because from listening to those stations, you'd barely know that The Ramones existed, or you'd think they were a one or two hit wonder. And you'd think that, like, Journey or Foreigner ruled the land. I'm not one to "hate" on bands, but that's ridiculous. History will tell a different story for sure.

Thank goodness for Little Steven. You should check out his Underground Garage thing. It's a channel on SIRIUS Satellite Radio, but it's also a syndicated radio show. Someone told me about it when it first launched on the FM airwaves - long after I thought it impossible for FM (at least commercial FM) to recapture my interest. I got hooked, and soon after subscribed to SIRIUS because he has a whole channel there. Anyway, the point is, the Underground Garage kind of centers on The Ramones, the way Steven explains it. It's about The Ramones, their peers, anyone who influenced them, and anyone who they influenced. You can listen to his show or the channel for a while and say "Hey... wait a minute, they probably weren't an influence on The Ramones!" But for the most part, the formula works, and it's probably the best radio you'll ever hear. I like to think that Little Steven would be cool with my blog - although I know he's not that into hip-hop or heavy metal (I'll be writing about the almighty Black Sabbath soon enough) and I'm sure he'd mock Rush and Genesis. That's OK: he plays Neil Sedaka, Neil Diamond and the strokes. But I like to think that No Expiration shares a spirit with what Silvio does.

Oh yeah: Long live The Ramones.