The Ramonesworld now crosses all boundaries, connecting fans across generations and nations like a world religion. Over forty years after the release of Ramones, from Japan to Argentina, Idaho to Russia, Berlin to Texas, the band's impact reverberates like they just broke yesterday, inspiring skate punks, riot grrrls, rude boys, queer kids and Afropunks. Following the publication of Why The Ramones Matter, several fans have started posted reviews----on Ramones fan pages, and websites from around the world. I'll be posting a few of them here. If you'd like to post a review, please contact donna@donnagaines.com.
Gabba Gabba Hey!
Review by Julia Green* (Russia):
*Admin: Facebook Fan Page, Ramones Tribute "Too Tough To Die", Editor at Rolling Stone, Russia.
“The American Dream is sustained by optimism, even when nihilism
is trendy.” (DG) Every book tells the
story… Now, you have a lot more than this. WTRM is offering you the
lost pieces of a puzzle you were probably searching for and collecting all
these years, if you crave for this sort of information about the band we’re all
affected by. As it’s known, amongst all the music bands, Ramones have one of
the most strong and devoted followers. And with Donna Gaines book, it feels
like talking to a friend. Much more safe than just talking to a sociologist she
really is.
“The work is part encomium, part eulogy, and I’m completely
biased and prone to hyperbole. Like any diehard fan, I’m in an ongoing relationship
with the Ramones’ material, inclined to “creative readings” of their text, ever
wondering, What do they really mean? I’m here to testify that the
Ramones’ music matters — culturally, historically, sociologically, creatively,
and profoundly.” — Donna Gaines.
“As soon as you
start analyzing something, it stops”, — according to Johnny Ramone. One of my
favorite quotes I basically agree with. Notwithstanding, we have a right to
analyze, reflect and be crazy about what we have deep affection for, even if Jonhhy
wouldn’t have wanted it. We can play with it and heck around, and then get back
to the purest source — band’s music.
“The Ramones are my
band.” From the first lines, this just buys you, and you feel like you’re
instantly connected with the author… What’s new can be said about this, you may
ask, however?
You might sort of
expect what’s behind the title — but in reality, it’s much more than this. Why The Ramones
Matter
covers and observes the wider spectrum of subjects than one would think of. The
author’s personality is also the answer on this question, too! This is a
returned gratitude.
This book is written
by the Ramones enthusiast — which means more than just being a fan, it means
living the Ramones. Donna Gaines is not only a sociologist and acknowledged
writer — she’s a bright ambassador out of Ramones target audience camp, which
is most precious, and only this makes, in this sense, the book very unique. New
York native, who could tell it the best?.. But, within sociology, we have also
a fascinating journey. A fan, and also a close friend of the band, Donna has it
both to offer at best: stories to tell and insights you’ll be willing to sink
in.
While answering the
aforementioned question, the book captures surprisingly wide variety of
subjects — from post-war teenage generation’s alienation to Jewish sardonic
response to fascism (highly interesting topic), from Afropunk all-access
facility to women rights problems — and festives true open-mindness.
In the eye of this
storm, Donna masterfully operates with this rich material, unveiling surprising
links in those places where you probably wouldn’t expect them to be found,
skillfully connects subjects and helps to determine reasons, showing the roots,
sometimes not quite mercifully — but all because of unconditional love. This is
what good doctors do.
You need this book,
not only because you don’t need to be fooled again: it clearly shows you, where
you can be fooled and how to get away from it. It legitimizes, again, that
simple idea that, being a Ramones fan aka “major outcast”, you can grow
yourself into anything — to any level of success in life. If you were waiting
for this sort of direction — here is it.
Ramones rebellion-spirited
music was the uplifting force of nature, instinctive answer to the American
downward spiral of 70s economics, in an artistic way, it was protesting the end
of American Dream in particular as an idea. (This was new to me, because of me being
foreign; moreover, — being from Russia, by this representing a very special
marginal category: being “an enemy” in 70s, which then echoed in the newfound
modern world rhetoric, too. For a rock’n’roll fan, however, the best idea is
just to “fuck it”, though.) Ramones have idolized 50-60s — not only musically,
but socially too. The best rock’n’rolls were written in 50-60s, of course, and
it was a great time to be around, great time to be a kid. Seems, that, however,
the 70s have triggered them, in the other way… It was awakening kick up.
That’s why the
Ramones have rocketed in popularity and succeeded fantastically in South
America, because those kids can relate! (Mystery solved!) Ramones loved America
and NYC. Now the whole world loves them.
(They never really
made it in Russia for another reason — but we won’t go there, because it’s
another tragic history lesson...)
When you can’t fit
in — even among your peers and like-minded — Ramones make it okay for you just
being who you are, being alone and being yourself. Looks like they attract and
summon all the misfits — especially those who aren’t seem “cool”; they give
them a community to belong to, but without a rotten sense of elitism. Though
the Ramones t-shirts are widely spotted now, and even in my village, without
many people still having a clue, being a Ramones fan nowadays still means to be
a warrior, a trooper: it means having some good level of resistance in your
blood and your life on a daily basis, and requires, may I say, balls, — but
sometimes the way of a lone samurai seems okay too.
Ramones owns the
(magic) key to the souls of those who are otherwise absolutely closed to any
kind of invasion from the gaudy popular culture of so-called “modern world”,
thus naturally resistant to brainwashing. As Donna wisely notices, “Young
people have built-in bullshit detectors.” She also provides us the background
of this situation, which was quite surprising for me. Through her friendship
and personal encounters with the band’s members, she exposes you the whole
picture, avere una visione completa.
“America’s outsiders
are now an American institution, an integral part of mass culture”, states
Donna, — the institution, instead of reservation, which, from the start, it has
“meant to be”. Ramones has broken through their reservation’s borders, and
their fans followed them, like they were breaking through the steel fences on
their shows — the kids seeking freedom, but still needing the leader. Too late
— it can’t be ignored anymore. While, somehow, we may protest against “the
institution” term itself, it’s time to think about those who can’t be supported
the other way than having strong authority and brotherly shoulder. And this is
the institution you’d like to be in. Ramones now are a great modeling force —
not just the band.
“We begin to comprehend both their artistic brilliance and their
cultural importance.”(DG)
Being #2 after none
others than Beatles means you’re #1 for the rest of the bands, who have earned
“the institution” status. This niche seems pretty comfortable, however, Ramones
still can never be tamed.
A natural
phenomenon, they still “have it”, they still inspire, without being dated or
getting boring — and it’s very well seen today on countless message boards, in
forums posts, in social networks and Facebook fan groups, gathering not only
hopping cretins but sometimes very life-wise adepts and even original punks,
which are not many of left. Old generations meet new, and they still have
something to talk about, besides mutual appreciation. The problems remain the
same, after all. We’re growing on the solutions.
For me, first it was
the music, the feeling, anyway — the sense of a theory came later. Talking
about Ramones’ songs, Donna seems becoming that teenager again, when she first
heard the band. What is interesting about all Ramones “adepts” that they’re
able to carry on the same youthful spirit (Looks like I’m talking like an old
man here, lol.) And it’s not something you can really “incorporate”, you should
be born with it. But, the Fountain is still open for everyone, 24/7, and you
only need to try to find it.
“Lost in adulthood
responsibilities and obligations, we are welcomed back to ourselves by the
Ramones’ music, reminding us who we really are. The ultimate teenage music
becomes a lifelong scriptural reference for the scamp in each of us.” (DG)
Not in particular a
“Ramones manual”, this book still can be suggested to those who aren’t familiar
with the band yet — because it brilliantly explains its core, and you can trust
the fellow outsider here. Once you’re hooked on the whole plot, to broaden your
knowledge, getting other Donna’s books seems a must — they are Teenage Wasteland: Suburbia's Dead End Kids (1997) and A Misfit's Manifesto: The Sociological Memoir of a Rock &
Roll Heart (2007).
Any way you want it
— Ramones can be your band, ideology, religion, father figures, home,
sanctuary, Buddhas, bruddars, mentors, best friends you never had, your shining
guiding stars, your saints, demons and loved ones. They’re here for you, and
for everyone, one only needs to listen… and learn. It’s very possible. It
doesn’t really matter, how they get to your heart — but once they did, you know
it anyway. You are already here.
WTRM’s goal is not to fix up damaged souls, and minds — though, why
not to? — but to help them to fit in better to the reality of modern world *
wink*, using your props and advantages as a Ramones fan. Deepening total
alienation from society can ruin one’s life — and so, Donna as a sociologist
has a nice solution for you, proving that there’s nothing wrong with being who
and what you are, and giving you some important tips how to go on (More tips in
her other books, if you are interested enough in the topic), also warning us
about the floating sharks. Now you won’t get fooled again.
This is the kind of
book that, after finishing, you’ll be still dwelling on — just like it happens
with any decent book you feel special connection to. Just like with Ramones
music.
And it matters, too.
Review by ROCKY THE RAMONE (Texas):
The Ramone- A One Man Tribute Band
Spoiler alert !!! This book is not about The Ramones. This book is about YOU.
There are
plenty of books out there from all different points of view and perspectives
that tell the story of The Ramones but this is the only book I have read so far
that places the emphasis on how they relate to so many different people on a
personal level. No matter what your ethnicity, education, sexual orientation,
nationality etc... there is something in this book that is going to resonate
with you and your own struggles to find an identity.
Since this book is about ME, I will explain how The Ramones had an effect on my development.
On page 33 Donna says "The Ramones' music itself was a miracle of originality and innovation-something we discover seredipitously when we can't do what we were told we should do"
I was very smart growing up and was constantly told that I should be doing so much better at school. In reality, I was bored with being subjected to dumbed down rhetoric and sanitized versions of what the world was supposed to be. I was also very good at playing music very early in my life. People tried to force me to excel on their terms and I was having none of it.
In the Ramones case, I was being told that their
music was dumb and was devoid of quality. Just like the world in general, they
couldn't see that it took a great deal of intelligence to produce art that is
so simple and direct. I could play a million notes but they didn't mean as
much. I could write lofty and poetic lyrics but they didn't mean as much as the
direct statements made by The Ramones. There are so many examples of people
identifying with The Ramones because their music was so simple. They professed
to not being very intelligent or enlightened and they were not made to feel
welcomed by pretentious and overblown posturing. I would contend that there
were an equal number of highly intellectual people who saw the parts of the
Ramones iceberg that were below the waterline. I'll never forget my metal head
friends in high school circa 1986 who ridiculed me for liking the Ramones. I'll
never forget shutting their mouths by showing them interviews with Metallica,
Slayer and Anthrax citing the Ramones as a crucial influence.
Donna uses the word "Anomie" and the definition states "Social instability resulting from a breakdown of standards and values -also- personal unrest, alienation, and uncertainty that comes from a lack of purpose or ideals" which perfectly describes what I went through
The second part that really hit home was the
early punk fascination with Nazi imagery and the use of the swastika.
Donna examines how a movement with a large Jewish population can write songs about Nazis and swastikas etc... The fact that the word "Punk" was considered to be fighting words in the 70's makes it akin to any other word or term that is used to dehumanize a person. Rappers appropriated the "N" word just like the punks did. When you play with an idea like a toy, you diminish the power of the message. It's like taking a gun out of someone's hands and returning it to them without the bullets. This is what I did as a metal head kid in the 80's, only it was pentagrams and upside down crosses instead of swastikas. Punk kids in the 70's felt stifled by the pressures of the WW2 generation and I personally felt stifled by the pressures of the newly empowered "Faith Based Voter".
Every satanic symbol on
my notebook might as well have been a middle finger to people who pretended to
be on a higher moral plane. The kids of the WW2 generation had Hitler, I had
Reagan and the God Squad.
In my personal opinion, the reason that the Ramones were so successful is that
they were about acceptance on your terms. You didn't have to be a virtuoso or a
poet or a genius or even attractive. But the thing that is often overlooked is
that you can be a genius or a poet or even attractive but on your terms and not
theirs. Too many subcultures fall prey to the same elitism that alienated them
but The Ramones have proven to strike a chord with just about every type of
human being.
I guess you could say that The Ramones made things simple because they wanted to provide extra room for you to fill in the blanks.
Please go out and buy a copy of Why The Ramones Matter" by Donna Gaines because this book about you.
I guess you could say that The Ramones made things simple because they wanted to provide extra room for you to fill in the blanks.
Please go out and buy a copy of Why The Ramones Matter" by Donna Gaines because this book about you.
According to Donna Gaines, you cannot ask a Ramones fan why
the group matters. “The Ramones matter because they are the fucking Ramones,”
she writes in the voice of an imaginary fan. “If I have to explain . . . duh.”
This book, then, is not for the Ramonistas of the world, although fans will
appreciate the sympathetic kaleidoscopic level of detail that Gaines brings to
the history of the group.
The group wore its lack of musical talent and limited range
as a badge of pride, as a way of sticking it to those in mainstream society who
still cared about musical conventions, who held on to some level of rules and
norms. The Ramones gave rapid mumbled voice to the inarticulate hopelessness
and rage of a generation’s disenfranchised fragments, those inevitable slices
of any generation for whom there seems to be no place and few socially-accepted
goals that are actually worth the effort. The Ramones matter, to those for whom
they matter, because the group gave them a place with which they could
identify.
To ask why the Ramones matter – why, that is, they are
socially, culturally, historically important – seems to require that we move
beyond the identification of the followers. Asking why the Ramones matter to
Ramones’ fans does not take us much beyond “Duh.”
Donna Gaines creates a bridge between the fans’ view and
something bigger. Gaines is both a fan and, more importantly for outsiders, a
sociologist. The ultimate sociological questions address why something happens
in a particular time and place and to specific people. To understand why the
Ramones matter necessitates understanding why the group’s supporters needed to
hear their particular message and why that message resonated in the time it
did. And this is why Donna Gaines’ book matters; she has a deep understanding of
the world inhabited by the Ramones and also why that world came about when and
where it did.
The first half of the book is a thick description (to use the
anthropologist Clifford Geertz’s term) of the chaotic rise, fall, and
resurrection of a musical group. The second half of the book provides the
context for understanding the Ramones not as a musical group, but as a social
phenomenon. She writes with depth, grace, and sympathy of the ways American
youth are alienated socially, politically, existentially, and spiritually. She
traces the increasing meaninglessness of social norms and conventions that
results in a widespread state of what Emile Durkheim called anomie – the loss of a sense of purpose,
identity, and values in an ever-commercialized world.
Another sociologist, Anthony Giddens, writes that the very
idea of who we are becomes a problem because of the choices we have to make:
What should I to do? How should I act? Who should I be? When the conventional
answers to those questions begin to ring hollow, someone needs to answer them.
In Why the Ramones Matter, Donna
Gaines shows us how the Ramones stepped into the vacuum and why their message
resonated.
In March 2018, I got permission to tell Ramones' fans about a Ramones related book written by well-respected writer, journalist and sociologist Dr. Donna Gaines. Now it is published: release date was October 2, 2018. Title of her book is Why the Ramones Matter
. Book has 150 pages and publisher is University of Texas Press (series: Music Matters).
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