No , I don't think it's too intellectual. I think you're right on the money. Dee Dee said , when he left , "Your fantasy of The Ramones is four Brothers , but , we were really more like four ANGRY Brothers". Dee Dee admitted , as a teen in Germany, it was very easy to score Morphine and buy a syringe in a drug store without a prescription. He said he got into different drugs , sometimes only smoking pot , but developing a full blown Heroin habit in New York . This was'nt a nice foil for Johnny's anti - semitic baiting of Joey. If he'd known Tommy was also Jewish , and that most of his family died in the Holocaust , he would have had a field day . But , Joey's personal , physical and psychological problems made him an easy target , and , things like his (Then Little - known) O.C.D. made just getting out of the house and into the van increasingly difficult for all concerned. It seems like Tommy kept it low - key , and handled the interviews , because he could articulate better than the others. Tommy needed a change . He still only knew , like , three beats. It's easy to take pot - shots at Marky , and , later , Richie , because they could actually PLAY, but , Johnny just wanted to play faster , on stage. Tommy was born to produce. When he ceased to be their Producer , yes , THAT is where the trouble started. Not every hotshot drummer could hack it with The Ramones - look at Clem Burke /"Elvis Ramone"....Monster drummer , but I heard a recording of one of the shows they did together , did'nt work.
I remember reading that Culture Club's future Drummer was being considered for The Ramones. No one in the band(Except Johnny.) may have had a problem with a Gay drummer, but an English one ? I think not. Their self - image WAS THAT OF the ALL - AMERICAN BOYS WHO TOOK ENGLAND ON , IN A BLOODLESS COUP , AND WON.......
Manu said:
Best album: "Rocket to Russia"
Best analysis: a friend of mine told me (and I found it true) that the 20-year fight between Joey and Johnny helped to keep the spirit. Johnny obvisouly acted as a conservative asshole (not all conservatives are, though) BUT thanks to him, they kept the sound, they kept the look. I love Joey but he was attracted by diversity, which is great in general but could have dispersed them. In fact, the magics comes from the balance between the pop and humanist attitude of Joey, the cool and crazy Jewish boy from Queens and the punk and autoritarian attitude of Johnny, the white trash side of the band.
All those fights may have affected their health. Maybe. But a creative tension was there. You could probably touch it. And it gave great songs, like the KKK took my baby away.
Is my analysis too intellectual? Ok sorry. So... now... 1.2.3.4!!!!!!!!!!