The Ramones

‘MY RAMONES” REVEALS THE BAND BEFORE THEY HIT IT BIG

The original manager of The Ramones, Danny Fields, has a new book, ”My Ramones” featuring hundreds of unseen photos of the beloved punk band from 1972 to 1974. Those were the very early years, before the band achieved fame and success. Fields’ book has photos of the Ramones luxuriating at the Sunset Marquis hotel on an early visit to LA – they felt like celebrities because there was a pool right outside their doors. Joey Ramone, (the “godfather of punk”) who had Marfan Syndrome, was self conscious about his 6’6” height and tried to minimize it, as can be seen in the photo above, taken in Washington DC.

JOHNNY AND JOEY RAMONE AT THE TROPICANA MOTOR HOTEL

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Photo Credit: Buzz Foto
Flashback: We just LOVE this 1976 photo by Brad Elterman of The Ramones in front of what used to be the Tropicana Motor Hotel in West Hollywood. In the photo you can see Joey and Johnny at their rockstar peak. The Tropicana was rock n roll central in those days. Everybody stayed there and the management seemed to turn a blind eye to noise, drugs, booze, groupies, and loud music. Also Duke’s Coffee Shop was connected to the hotel and somebody famous – like Tom Waits – was always there recovering from a hangover.