Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone

by Johnny Ramone

Raised in Queens, New York, Johnny Ramone founded one of the most influential rock bands of all time, but he never strayed from his blue-collar roots and attitude. He was truly imbued with the angry-young-man spirit that would characterize his persona both on and off stage. Through it all, Johnny kept the band focused and moving forward, ultimately securing their place in music history by inventing punk rock. The Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002—two years later, Johnny died of cancer, having outlived two other founding members. Revealing, inspiring, and told on his own terms, this highly designed memoir also features Johnny’s assessment of the Ramones’ albums; a number of eccentric Top Ten lists; rare historical artifacts; and scores of personal and professional photos, many of which have never before been published.

Praise for
“Amazing book . . . dense and throbbing with character—enough to bring this departed New York icon barking back to life.” — New York Daily News

"Johnny's delightful, sadly posthumous autobiography, Commando , is just like its author—as punk as it gets." — Wall Street Journal
“Ramone memoir reveals charming, grumpy punk icon.” —Reuters
“There's no grand confessional to end Commando , just a nod of gratitude toward family, friends, and fans. Its characteristic succinctness rings genuine.” — Austin Chronicle

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Memoir, Punk, History

176 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2012

About the author

Guitarist for the punk rock band the Ramones

Reviews

[Jason McNamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right away Johnny Ramone wants you to be aware of an important fact about him. He's a fucking asshole. He makes a great point to detail why he's such a bastard and by the end of the book I'm ready to be one too. He talks about beating people up, throwing televisions off of roofs at people, robbing stores and reports with glee that a person who once ratted him out was hit and killed by a car. He also talks about beating up joey ramone because he was late to a movie. Johnny stresses punctuality a lot.

Written with the knowledge he's going to die, Johnny zips through a Ramones history we've yet to hear. Yes, he stole Joey's girlfriend. But that's life, they wanted to be together. Yes, he had to yell at everybody and make them go to work, but without him the Ramones would have caved early and not had the career they had. Yes, he's a capitalist who curses out punks who give him shit about driving a cadillac, his response is "fuck you, I wrote the book on being punk. If I say cadillac is punk, its punk. No, he wasn't Joey's friend but he didn't want to hurt him or see him in pain. And yes, he's a republican.

The strangest part of the book may be the inclusion of a christmas card Joey sent Johnny in 1990.

An interesting insight to a man I've never seen smile. The last chapter has a picture with him cuddling a kitten. Still not smiling.

[Scarlet Cameo · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Cuando leas este libro es posible que yo ya no esté, pero he tenido una magnífica vida con independencia de cómo se haya torcido ahora."



Quiero agradecer a Johnny Ramone por crear una autobiografia que esta primordialmente centrada en la música. No me malentiendan, me encanta saber acerca de la vida, problemas y sentimientos de los artistas que me gustan, pero hace algún tiempo casi todas las autobiografías que me encontraba eran un gran "me drogaba, entraba a rehabilitación, salía de rehabilitación, y volvemos a empezar", pero con poco contenido respecto a la música, a la banda o a quienes son en la realidad los autores. Aquí Johnny es directo respecto a quien era él, su papel dentro de los Ramones, sus metas, sus procedimientos y sus problemas.

"Nuestras canciones venían del espacio puro del rock. Tenían que ser simples, estábamos forzados a que lo fueran debido a nuestras limitadas aptitudes musicales."

Él era la mente de la banda, incluso se puede decir que era el papá, para el The Ramones era una empresa, su trabajo a tiempo completo y, por tanto, para aplicar el "Sexo, Drogas y Rock & Roll" tenía sus propias reglas: nada de drogas antes de un concierto para ninguno de los miembros por que los hacía inservibles en el escenario; Sexo mientras evitara los problemas entre los miembros; y Rock & Roll sin influencias del blues ni largos solos de guitarra, también se buscaba excluir política y drogas de las canciones. Durante todo el transcurso del libro terminamos descubriendo una excepción para cada una de esas reglas, pero que no por ello la banda dejo de crecer.

"Como no queríamos aparecer como una pandilla de retrasados, tratábamos de alejar a la prensa de Joey y Dee Dee y le dejábamos a Tommy las entrevistas."

Algo que queda muy claro es que Johnny era una persona de opuestos: buena persona, pero un cabrón, con conocidos y desconocidos, teniendo como única excepción al público. Odiaba muchísimas bandas de la escena punk, americana y europea, aun cuando amaba la música que creaban; sus ídolos eran Elvis y Reagan (seguido de Nixon); arrojaba televisores por la azotea sólo para ver si golpeaban a alguien; tenía un gran ego y aún así para cuando alcanzo la fama seguía viviendo como en los comienzos de su carrera; no quería que la banda tuviera conflictos pero terminó casándose con la ex-novia de Joey. Y podría seguir así, por que al final lo que nos muestra este libro es quien fue realmente Johnny, no lo glorifica ni lo aplasta,simplemente lo muestra como una persona más que trabajo duro para alcanzar el éxito, aun cuando su trabajo lo llevo a estar con personas con las que no se llevaba para nada bien (y por tanto odiaba que la gente pensara que eran hermanos), que se equivoco en muchas cosas pero hizo amigos de verdad.

"El legado más importante de los Ramones fue que, cuando subíamos al escenario, éramos los mejores. Y de lejos."

Hacia el final de su vida el cáncer lo había dejado sin la ira que lo caracterizo, pero no sin el talento y sin la actitud. Johnny sera siempre recordado tanto por ser un fantástico guitarrista como por ser un maldito maniático del control, pero un artista con la sinceridad que ya casi no existe en el medio. No es un erudito en la escritura, pero la manera en que describe todo lo relacionado con la banda para mi posiciona alto esta biografía, no vine a ella para deleitarme como lo haría con los grandes escritores de la literatura universal, sino para saber que quería compartir una persona que cuya obra admiro profundamente.



Playlist de los Ramones:

Blitzkrieg Bop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1BOs...

Sheena is a Punk Rocker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vNrZ...

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkpys...

I Don't Care: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QveJv...

I Wanna Be Sedated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBN1C...

I Wanted Everything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHlsr...

Bad Brain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmsYq...

The KKK Took My Baby Away : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT1OK...

Wart Hog : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofoX2...

Como regalo para los fans de King, Pet sematary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3J0i...

La edición que leí incluye notas y fotografías de los llamados "Libros negros de Johnny" que son los 'diarios' de los conciertos a los que asistió, sus películas favorita, canciones favoritas, políticos republicanos predilectos, ranking de los discos de "The Ramones", etc.

"Los excéntricos han sido siempre más divertidos que la gente corriente [...] Nadie más quiere ser amigo de esos frikis"

[Caryn Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hated it, and then I liked it, and then I loved it. I have read pretty much everything that has been written by or about the Ramones, and was dreading this book. It's not pretty and it's not polished and there are times the writing is just so unbelievably dry I regretted even starting the book. But over time I grew to both like and respect Johnny a lot more than I ever did. I am sure every member of the band had their own take on who did what, but this actually ended up feeling more even-handed than anything else. He gave credit to Dee Dee and Joey while at the same time admitting that they drove him crazy and that they both made him angry. He's also pretty damn honest about his own asshole qualities (of which there are MANY). I think this is mandatory reading if you care about the history of NYC punk rock, or hell, music history in general.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I considered it an act of Divine Providence that propped up on a shelf for the entire world and I to see “Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone”.

The Ramones: Rock n’ Roll’s fast and furious for twenty years. Sure they were in a movie, sure they had an album produced by Phil Spector, sure they were the front men for “punk”, but they never had a #1 hit. Personally, I thought they were great, and as Johnny says in this memoir, they only got bigger after retirement.

Every Ramones song was played fast. Even covers were pumped out at 78 RPM (now, that’s a dated reference). Personally, I adore their version of “Needles and Pins” (co-written by, none other than Sonny Bono!) In my mind, “I Wanna Be Sedated” probably edges out other great songs like “The KKK Took My Baby Away”, but there are so many good ones to choose from.

But back to the book. Whether you are/were or never would be a fan of the band, this is an interesting gem. Like their songs, it is fast-paced and seems short. Let’s be honest - at 170+ pages (and many of them occupied with photos) it is short. The last ten or twenty are appendices, too.

Johnny Ramone had an interesting life.

(For those of you who don’t know, Joey Ramone died first in 2001, then DeeDee in 2003, then Johnny in 2004. Once Joey died, in Johnny’s own words, there was no chance at any kind of a reunion tour.)

He had trouble growing up, a couple of wives, and had to swap around band mates a few times. As this is a retrospective written (dictated) shortly before he died, Johnny talks from a perspective of time, reflection, and illness (he had been battling cancer on and off for about 4 years). As such, he is honest about what he was like during his past. Did he “edit” his memories? Probably, but I got the sense that it was the redundant minutiae of life that may have been omitted. He talks about important events in his personal and professional live as much as he talks about the people that were part of “The Ramones” on- and off-stage teams.

Was the band rock-solid consistent over the 22 years they performed? No, but as Johnny points out, no band is – and anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional. From this book one would get they sense that Johnny was the mastermind of the band and its career. Is that true?

I have not read anything else about The Ramones, but it seems pretty clear that he had a sense of what was good and bad for them. He doesn’t try to claim that he was omniscient or alone (he credits Tommy Ramone with a lot of the band’s early rise and success), but he gives a consistent view of how he kept the band focused on its core values and ability to earn a living.

In one of the more interesting aspects of the book, he writes about how the band was a job, a profession, and required commitment and responsibility just like when he worked in construction for the five years before forming up. That plus his emphasis on making sure the band was paid and controlling the payment of the crew and band were not what I expected to see from Johnny Ramone. Here’s a man who would take new employees down to Fidelity Investments to open up a retirement account. It’s the kind of thing that I can see other musicians doing, but somehow seems out of place for the “Hey Ho, Let’s Go” crowd.

Even though I am sure that the editors and contributors (co-authors) helped with the material, this is a refreshing first-person tale that sounds like it cam out of Johnny’s mouth. The foreword by Tommy Ramone says that it is really his “voice” and even though we all know he would say it anyway, I believe that this captures the spirit and style of the man who was ranked #16 in Rolling Stones best guitarists of all time.

As noted above, the last 20-odd pages are taken up by extra material. Pages from Johnny’s notebooks (he was somewhat compulsive about such things), his own assessment of each an every one of their albums (their only US-certified gold was a compilation record, “Ramones Mania”), his own top-ten lists in a several fields, and some final photos and an afterword.

Even today, bands will cite “The Ramones’ as one of their inspirations or influences. Their music is still with us even though the three founders are gone. (Tommy was not a “founder” as he replaced the bands first attempt at a drummer.) I did not listen to any of it while reading this book. In a way I did not want to be distracted, but now I think it’s time for a tune or two.

I know that a lot of celebrity biographies (auto- or manual-) have hundreds of pages. This book is short, but it captures the man, his life, and your heart. I’m sure there are plenty of other books about the band, music, and members. Perhaps I will read one someday. But if you read nothing else, try this one.

[Brendan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conventional wisdom on the Ramones is that Johnny was an asshole, a heartless fascist who kept the trains running on time. Johnny's autobiography pretty much confirms this.

So: Johnny established the Ramones' look and ensured that a certain level of professionalism always attended their concerts. And he was disdainful of Joey's mental illness and Dee Dee's addiction, as well as contemptuous of...well, most people on earth, actually. He has no shame about mocking "fags" and "dykes" and was the kind of American who gives Americans abroad a bad name. (He goes on about how shitty Europe is because there weren't English shows on TV, American food he liked, or enough ice.)

A couple of valuable insights for artists: the idea that the whole package matters. Not just the music, but the presentation, and the professionalism. Drink and drug after the show as much as you like, but you miss a show due to being drunk (lookin' at you, Mark) and you get fired. Also: according to Johnny, he figured out after End of the Century that the Ramones were never going to have a big hit, and he just focused on making enough money so he wouldn't have to get a real job. Great advice for artists of all stripes.

The design of the book is cool--which probably obscures the fact that it's really badly written and short.

Is an autobiography of someone who apparently has no capacity for introspection worth reading? In this case, yes if you're a Ramones fan, no if you're not.

[Tamelyn Feinstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to laugh at the media reviews above which speak of Ramone's book as being "delightful" and "charming". Um, no.

It's a fast-paced, energetic read, but there is nothing here that changed my previous impression of Johnny Ramone as being an arrogant and heartless control freak. There were times his sheer unlikeability made me want to throw the book across the room, but I can't say I wasn't entertained.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Johnny Ramone doesn't like Europe and lots of other things. How can one of the most influential sound-makers in punk rock be such a republican dick-wad? Find out in this book how everything you thought was punk is not at all what this guy is about. Also he is a pretty bad writer which is even worse than his political leanings and his continual use of the word 'faggot.'

[Anna Blackburn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not very interesting, factual or punk. Johnny Ramone comes off as a grumpy old man who doesn't have any regrets to his frugal, narcissistic, uncultured life. His writing is boring, flat and misleading. He contradicts himself throughout the book and tries to come off as a god. Maybe for an existing fan this would have been an interesting insight to his thoughts, but for average Joe this was just annoying to read. Our book club has diagnosed him as being autistic.

[Alan Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic book!

Just like a Ramones song, it is fast, no nonsense and brutally blunt.
Johnny described himself as unique, a legend and always right and the latter characteristic comes through loud and clear in the book.

Basically, Johnny was the Ramones. He was the angry, dour, control freak who held the band together and controlled everything band-related (the songs, the look, the gig deals, etc). For example, the 'new' drummer wasn't allowed to vote on band matters like wherher the band should wear leather jackets on the new album cover!

It's also very sad read as it is clear that the band didn't get on and actually didn't speak (Johnny and Joey didn't speak at all on tour!). There is also no reference to Joey or Dee Dee's deaths, which is a bit depressing, especially as the band played over 2,300 gigs together.

Johnny's states that, in the mid to later stages of the bands history, his sole motivation was his pension fund which he pursued at all costs. First and foremost, Johnny viewed the Ramones as a business.

Overall, he comes across as really tough, resentful and mean. He only seemed to be vaguely happy when playing in the band or when mixing with a very select group of friends.

Every rock fan should read this book if only to dispel the rock star myth.

[Dee Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a legend. He's sorely missed!

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ramones had a drill sergeant and very possibly owe their longevity and hence their ongoing influence to him. Actually, Johnny Ramone is a pretty extraordinary figure when you come down to it - a mythmaker revelling in his perceived toughness, a "clean-living" convert to rock as salvation from crime and drugs the way so many other people use religion, a lifelong conservative in a nominally creative and progressive field, a xenophobic (although not apparently racist) working-class man who hated to travel, a helluva rhythm guitar player (there's only one guitar on most of what these guys recorded, especially the classic stuff) and a fan's dream (chatting, signing autographs). Oh, and a grouch (in the words of his friends) and a skinflint (in his own).
This book is pretty well what you would expect: the drill sergeant's story in staccato, unfiltered, practically unedited salvoes. He begins with different examples of beating people up. Whether it's from the publisher, the editor, his shrink or his own ego, it sets him up as an anti-hero so that later we can warm to him as a true straight shooter with a fuzzy interior.
There is tragedy here. This book was written as he was staring death in the face, this clean liver who practically never got sick. The others did drugs and were gone. He did not, and was gone too. Mega ironic.
Basically, it seems the word on the street was pretty true: Johnny was a thug and a (bit of) a Nazi. He loved Reagan and Bush. He hated France and foreign languages. He was American through and through. He never tires of saying it. He had a short fuse ("driven by anger"), he didn't suffer fools gladly. He gleefully walked out on people who were a few minutes late.
As with all people who "tell it like it is", it's usually the things that are left unsaid that are most telling - like why from Pleasant Dreams onwards the band songwriting credit was changed to individual members and why Johnny had so few of the resulting songs. That might partly explain why he is so scathing about these albums, but then you consider the fact that he states so many times that the others are so afraid of him... But then they vote him down. And he accepts it... Ends up in a T-shirt on the cover of End of the Century instead of the de rigeur jacket... What gives? Which one is it? It seems that while his rhythm guitar playing is extraordinary, he is not a songwriter (which fits in with his reductive worldview) and hence he needs Joey and Dee Dee badly. That makes sense, but he never really gets around to saying it. He is big on playing up his timekeeping and budgetary skills and only lets out a couple of asides regarding the creative skills of his "pain in the ass" erstwhile bandmates.
Also unexplored is the father fixation that seems to have been his real driving force. His father was a tough guy and Johnny wanted to be a tough guy. Indeed, he found a way (after a rather corny Voice-from-somewhere scene in which he is told to give up his errant ways) to be a famous tough guy that didn't involve acting. He loved lists and statistics (and baseball). He obsessed about his savings. He avoided every temptation set before him. He idolised hyper-Establishment figures. He was, in fact, a living embodiment of practically everything the whole rock world seemed to be rebelling against, and yet any list of Top 100 Rock Albums will feature The Ramones or Rocket To Russia, and he will forever be at least a part of an iconic quartet that we will be describing to our grandchildren.
That is definitely success, gained in "enemy territory" and worthy of taking our hats off for.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Ramones are in my top five favorite bands. What I loved about them the most was their consistency. Their sound never changed; their uniform never changed. They stayed true to themselves in white sneakers, blue jeans, t-shirts and black leather jackets, the perfect punk ensemble. They never tried to keep up with the ever-changing music scene, I found this to be a comfort. I respected the fact that they did not sell their musical souls to the corporate cockroaches. They were a band that would not compromise their art or themselves. The music they produced is timeless.

They started their humble beginnings in the early '70s playing on the infamous CBGB's stage and in 1996 the band put on their last show in Hollywood at The Palace venue. They all went their separate ways, it was a sad day for music.

Something happened shortly after the split, "tell-all" books were being written by people in the band's inner circle. Dirty laundry was being aired out and scores were being settled by bitter ex-girlfriends, wives, employees and even some band members. I have read just about every Ramone memoir that got published and noticed a reoccurring theme in every book, that Johnny Ramone was an insufferable asshole. I did not know what to expect from this book, was he going to explain why he was such a unbearable twat? Accuse the other band mates of being overly sensitive?

This is what I discovered after reading Commando: That Johnny Ramone was a racist, he was homophobic and he treated women and people with disabilities like shit. He was terribly insecure and just not a good human being. But, as I said, I sort of already knew this about him in the previous books that were published before. Johnny, takes full responsibility, he did not blame others or give reasons why he was such an asshole, he just sort of agrees with everybody that labeled him as such. He is very unapologetic for his repulsive personality trait. So, I guess, props to you JR for being honest and self-aware? The one thing I will give him credit for is that he was the glue that kept the band together. They never should have lasted as long as they did. He seemed to bully everyone into staying, go figure?

Also, I have this unshakable feeling that Linda Cummings (Johnny’s ex-wife) was responsible for most of this book. This woman loves attention, I find her just as repulsive as Johnny.

In my opinion, Johnny never represented the spirit of the Ramones. Joey was what made the band great, he was the true founder of punk rock music and one of the greatest front man of all time. RIP Joey Ramone, you are missed. When you passed you took a piece of the sun with you, the world is not as bright without you in it.

[Nestor Rychtyckyj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've pretty much read all of the books on the Ramones and this, along with "I Slept with Joey Ramone" are the essential cornerstones of any Ramones library. Johnny died in 2004 and this book is based on his writings and notes. This book is most like the Ramones - blunt and to the point - no filler, no guitar solos. Johnny was with the Ramones from start to finish and he ran the band like any CEO would run his company. It started as a passion for him, but he realized quickly that the Ramones were not going to be gigantic stars and he made sure that they would be as successful as he could make them. Everything is covered in this book in that same straighforward style: the changes in the Ramones limeup, the oft-discussed rift with Joey over Linda and his never-ending battle to keep the Ramones on top as long as he could. Even as cancer is killing him (as it had done to Joey) - Johhny has no regrests about his life and career. Things had to be done to run a band and Johnny (like him or not) had to make those decisions.
Obe thing that I love about this book is Johnny's owen critiques and grading of every Ramones album. This should be a requirement for every rock start who writes a book. If he doesn't like a Ramones album - He will tell you.
I do wish that the book was longer, but Johnny didn't want to waste paper anymore than he liked long songs. It's funny that the Ramones are now held in such high regard - years after they broke up and with 3 of the original 4 members having passed away. The Ramones never sold that many records, but they were more imfluential than almost any other band since the Beatles. Their story has been told many times, but the Johnny Ramone version tell it like it really was.
Gabba Gabba Hey!
RIP Johnny

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Joey's, I've read all of Dee Dee's now Johnny sheds light on his life and his time in the business. I've always been a fan and they will always be my favorite group of all time! Thanks for being there in my life when I needed you.

[Jesús Santana · Rating 5 out of 5]

1… 2… 3… 4…

No hay discusión en algo, uno de los mejores guitarristas (considerado el número 16 de los “100 mejores de todos los tiempos por la Revista Rolling Stone”) del género musical conocido como Punk Rock se llamó John William Cummings un nombre bastante desconocido para muchos a menos que se diga mejor Johnny Ramone, principal exponente y co fundador de la banda llamada Ramones, una banda que tienen mucha historia y que ha influenciado a millones de músicos alrededor del mundo no solo dentro del Punk. “Commando – Autobiografía de Johnny Ramone” es el libro del cual hablaré a continuación editado por Malpaso Ediciones en una genial edición tapa dura llena de fotografías y repleta de mucha información que hará delirar a cada uno de los que hemos sido fanáticos de Ramones desde la primera vez que los escuchamos.

Johnny Ramone nació en 1948 en el Bronx y como todo joven enérgico se inclino hacia la violencia durante su adolescencia, intentó ser militar y como era de esperarse lo rechazaron y él a ellos, también pensaba en llegar a ser un pelotero de las grandes ligas donde tampoco logró quedar enganchado por el deporte como una posible forma de vida, gustaba buscar peleas y ser un experto picapleitos sin muchas razones mas que solo divertirse, experiencias con drogas como la marihuana y la pega de las que afortunadamente no se volvería adicto tuvo bastantes, musicalmente siempre estuvo influenciado por los que rompían los típicos parámetros sociales o eran políticamente incorrectos, fan de Elvis Presley quien lo marcaría de sobremanera al ver su estilo explosivo en vivo como también un personaje tan complejo como Little Richard un gay y negro en una Norteamérica de los años ’50 serían quienes lo influenciarían dentro del camino de la música, poco tiempo después vendrían los Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Iggy Pop & the Stooges y unos poderosos MC5 todos estos también rodeados de mucha polémica que les ayudaría a crecer su fama, son los New York Dolls los que lo hacen tomar la decisión de reunir una banda para los que ya tenía en mente hacer el grupo mas completo y perfecto de la historia del rock, un intento de banda de garaje llamada Tangerine Puppets fue el inicio de tantos años que vendrían por delante, todo en esta banda que soñaba todos los días tenía que estar planificado casi a modo de coreografía, tendrían que ser una bomba explosiva e imparable mientras se encontraran sobre la tarima. Poco tiempo después y con algunos cambios de formación los Tangerine Puppets deciden cambiar el nombre inspirado esta vez en el apellido que utilizaba siempre en los hoteles donde se hospedaba Paul McCartney mientras estaba de gira con The Beatles, el nombre era Paul Ramon y es con ese apellido que deciden rebautizarse con el nombre que sería y es un símbolo y una marca dentro de la historia de la música, Ramones.

“Commando – Autobiografía de Johnny Ramone” es un libro escrito con un corazón totalmente abierto y co-escrito por nada mas y nada menos que el gran Henry Rollins a quien reclutó la viuda de Johnny Linda Cummings para que escribiera y diera forma a estas memorias contadas por su esposo. No calla nada, todo lo cuenta sin medias tintas, desde sus inicios y como iba tratando de engranar los miembros unos con otros, cuan dura fue la lucha en un mundo donde ser hippie era lo mas importante con el tema de la paz y el amor que se encontraba en boca de una gran cantidad de jóvenes mientras que un Johnny Ramone totalmente republicano, muy conservador y a favor de la pena de muerte la cual en mas de una oportunidad expresó que debería presentarse como espectáculos pay per view para que los ciudadanos disfrutaran viendo como se hace justicia. Este era el líder de una banda que no expresaba esos mensajes de solidaridad ni de anti guerra de los que todos hablaban y era la moda del Peace & Love en sus letras, esta tendencia política y manera de pensar de Johnny con el tiempo traería fuertes desacuerdos y mucha polémica dentro de la banda.

Sus duros inicios dentro del local clásico llamado CBGB y su veloz crecimiento en las giras que lograron dar alrededor del mundo los hicieron agigantarse de una manera vertiginosa, pero siempre luego de grandes espectáculos alrededor del planeta curiosamente siempre regresaban al mismo local que los vio crecer con pocos asistentes. Todo este éxito los llevaría a la cima fuera de Norteamérica, participaron en películas, se convirtieron en una marca, Johnny fue alguien muy importante para la hija del Rey Elvis Presley y como era de esperarse comenzaron las luchas de poder y diferencias dentro de la banda, las adicciones de muchos de sus miembros a las drogas y el alcohol, las rivalidades entre Johnny y Joey crecieron cada vez mas y mas por visiones muy separadas de la política, disputas por dinero, relaciones amorosas que terminaron rompiendo corazones entre miembros de la banda y que el matrimonio entre Linda Cummings y Johnny Ramone luego de que ella estuviese saliendo mucho tiempo con Joey pudo ser lo que significó el punto final de la banda. Todo esto terminó en dejarse de hablar por mucho tiempo llegando al punto de que en su Gira de despedida y último CD “Adiós Amigos!” no existiese comunicación alguna entre ellos –al menos entre los miembros principales–, poco años después comenzarían a fallecer los Ramones y esto hundió a casi todos ellos los que quedaban vivos en depresiones y en despedidas que jamás se pudieron dar.

Casi 2300 conciertos o mas, 14 discos en estudio, 7 en vivo, 14 recopilatorios, incontables singles y otros tantos videos es el legado de una de las bandas mas importantes del Punk Rock muchos aseguran que ellos son los creadores de este sonido y que Johnny era quien decía que era y que no era Punk en la escena, un nombre sinónimo de música rápida y directa “Ramones”. Si hay algo que deja claro esta discografía y la historia como la cuenta Johnny Ramone es la importancia de tener en una banda siempre un miembro con la visión bien puesta en lo que se quiere hacer y hacia qué lugar hay que llevar la banda, los miembros y el sonido, el respeto a los fans es la prioridad, leer como para Johnny es tan pero tan importante firmar un autógrafo a un fan muestra que a pesar de todos los errores que pudo cometer como ser un humano también demuestra que para un músico lo principal es la humildad que debe tener para con su público, como también que todo músico debe de tener un plan de retiro y que su posición es que debería existir una edad en los músicos del Rock que deban jubilarse y no terminar dando pena sobre una tarima.

Guitarristas como él, muy pero muy pocos, la manera violenta en que atacaba las cuerdas y ese estilo rápido con downstrokes muy pocos pueden comparársele. Un cáncer muy agresivo se lo llevó pero muchos lo recuerdan como uno de los más importantes exponentes de la historia de la música y su influencia siempre se escuchará en cualquier canción que tenga tres acordes rápidos y dos minutos de duración.

[Carolina Morales · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought I would say this but Johnny Ramone was a huge loss to the Rock'n'Roll World. The man was just a piece of work indeed... However, he was straight foward, racional and labour oriented, three factors the Musical Universe can really learn from. Also, he set a standard of profilatic guitar playing many would follow down the 90's. Huge respect to John Cummings and all love and support to his soulmate Linda.

[Stefan · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I like the Ramones and their music, and respect the influence they had on the music industry and a number of bands and performers that I really like and listen to today, Johnny Ramone just comes off as an angry, resentful, insensitive, xenophobic, grade-A braggadocious jackass in this book. Right from the get-go, it is filled with a whole lot of bitching and moaning.

In one chapter, he starts off by talking about the fight he had that landed him in the ICU. That wasn't a fight, he was jumped. Big difference! In other chapters, he complains about Marc Bolan sitting beside him and always talking about himself and saying how good of a guitar player he was. Hello, Pot? Meet Kettle! Johnny even makes such bold statements in this book about how nobody could play bar chords like he could, or he could fix problems that other bands were having (including Johnny Thunders), or that newer bands could never do what he did, or even that there were no bands in most small cities and towns until after the Ramones played there.

I have to agree with one of the other reviewers here on Good Reads, that said in this book, Johnny Ramone echoed the voice of Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye. My thoughts exactly! He comes off sounding more like a whiny brat then a punk rock legend most of the time. Pissed off at the world.

The coolness factor that Johnny Ramone had in my eyes before I started reading this book diminished significantly once I finished the book. But, with all that said, the book is, if nothing else, blunt and to the point. Even if it is riddled with contradictions.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ramones' songs were written as if timed to a machine gun: short, fast, to the point, and--in particular--loud. That was the beauty of their music. Johnny's autobiography is written in likewise fashion. Yes, you even get the feeling as you read it that it's loud. The Ramones were the greatest rock n' roll band the world had ever known and Johnny just wants to remind us of this. Typical of anything dealing with the Ramones you most likely have to be a fan to appreciate it, but if you are a fan, you will love it. Like his music, his book is good, simple, and a lot of fun.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't say this is actually a well written book, but I really enjoyed reading it. It reads like a transcription of Johnny talking--lots of asides and digressions. It's really well put together, though, with lots of great photographs. He even throws in a couple of solid right-wing ideas, too: we should have bombed Vietnam into oblivian, and executions should be televised. Hey-ho, let's dont.

[Jeff Ford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Incredibly egotistical, but still a quick and easy read. Really nothing new, just reaffirms how loathsome he was.

[Court · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly dumb book by an incredibly dumb guy. 5/5 stars.

[Tracey E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start this by saying that I have been a huge fan of the Ramones since the early 80s. Like many fans, I was team Joey not team Johnny, and this book conforms to me that the latter was a major asshole. Setting this bias aside, this autobiography provides a thorough account of the band’s arc with surprising detail, which I enjoyed, though it is dry and poorly written. The penultimate chapter, focusing on Johnny’s relationship with fans and fame, was less annoying, mostly because it was the first where he didn’t seem to hate everyone and everything except the girlfriend he stole from Joey. The last chapter elicits sympathy, but I my final takeaway was that I liked the author even less after learning his life story. Some might appreciate the “tells it like he sees it” approach, but it was disappointing to read a reflection on his life and work that is so self-centered and lacking grace towards the many individuals who helped with his success.

[Lloyd Kerns · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short read, even a fast read—perfect for the Ramones. What surprised me most about this legendary figure is his right-wing stance; the conservative viewpoint doesn’t usually fit the punk scene, but then again what could be more different than being just that in said scene. Most of the bands that spawned from the Ramones and nearly worship Johnny Ramone did not care for Raegan and this dude says Raegan was the best president in his lifetime.

I enjoyed the whole book but the difference in my expectation of his political preference is what will stick with me. Probably has something to do with the times we are living in.

[Robert Giesenhagen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Johnny is very blunt and to the point. That’s refreshing but also kind of off putting as he just comes off as jaded old dick a lot of the time.

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ramones are one of my favorite bands. Johnny does a great job in this book of showing how big of an asshole he truly is. If you don't agree with me you are wrong and I will hate you forever.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johnny was my favorite Ramone, so his book gets five stars. I don't need any other reason; he wrote the book, end of discussion.

[Steven Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

1-2-3-4!

Like a good Ramones song , Commando is short, to the point and a fast read. Johnny pulls no punches here and says bluntly how he felt on everything and everyone, calling it as he saw it. Noone was spared, not even his musical peers in the CBGB days, fellow band members,as well as bagging on Rock Stars that surpassed the Ramones. He was a very proud man and that came thru in his writing. I've read quite a few Ramones biographies and books, as well as seen the movies. So it was finally good to hear Johnny's voice tell the story of the Ramones as he saw it.

He was the boss, kept the band running like a machine. He brought a blue collar mentality to the forefront of driving the Ramones career, working always as they never did get that elusive airplay until later after the had called it a day, always on the road. His father was from the military and the author brought that asset to the Ramones table as well. I am pretty sure that if Johnny hadn't been driving the Ramones vehicle they would have been over and done with much sooner and the world would be a lesser and quieter place. Look at the cast of characters that were members and that he held stage with and you'll see what I mean. He was a task master and even the "uniforms" the Ramones wore were his doings. He was in control, as much as he could be. His approach to the band was that it was his J-O-B, his Mosrite was his lunch bucket.

Personally, it was for me who is such a HUGE Ramones fan, a shot in the arm. They've been with me thru my whole life. It was a treat to see Johnny's archives of personal photos. And the meticulous notes he took on how the Ramones world was running as it occured, always making adjustments and improvements along the way, fine tuning the Ramones operation are presented in Commando. Handwritten copies of how much they made at certain gigs and attendance were recorded and published for our pleasure as well. The black book that contained his yearly daily calenders, with all the scratched notes and scribbles he made of events taking place in his life, significant moments. Not to be forgotten are his Top Ten Lists. His grading and critiques of the Ramones albums, album by album is not to be missed.

No, I dont see myself joining the JRA (Johnny Ramone Army) anytime soon. but I've softened up my view a little of Johnny being a complete asshole from reading all the other stories I have of him and the Ramones. Just by right of his being the authoritarian of the band, running it with an Iron Clad black leathered fist and in light of his firmness, that's how he's gonna be viewed. His anger is what drove the Fast Four as well as his Mosrite that he gunslingered played , nearly exclusively thruout his career. He couldn't have done it without Joey, Dee Dee and Tommy tho, no way Gabba Hey.

Johnny is very forthright and honest in his sharing of his battle with cancer that took his life at the end. Some really personal thoughts and feelings are shared in his disclosure of his battle.

Thanks Johnny, and to all the others who played key roles in Commando coming to life.

RIP Johnny Ramone forever


SD

[Chris Moen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’d like to start out by saying I’m a diehard ramones fan. They are my favorite band next to the misfits. Reading this memoir felt rushed. I understand that Johnny was passing from cancer at the time but this book was written more like a series of interview questions and.... not good ones. This also changed my view on Johnny. instead of being the head banging insane guitar player I knew and idolized he was actually some right wing bigoted arsehole. Constantly using bigoted terms like “some queer” and “f**ot”

This book was also written in large lettering and had a ton of pictures. If this book was skimmed down to just ya know the actually lettering it would go down from 144 pages (which was the actual book amount with pictures thrown in) to about 50.

Really disappointed.

[Lorenzo Bugarin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to begin by saying that I love The Ramones. However, I didn't know much about them. Sure, I knew the albums, the songs, the members, and their lineup changes over the years but I didn't know anything about them. I was familiar with Joey because he was the front man but I had no idea that Johnny was the driving force behind arguably the greatest punk band of all time.

I had been looking to buy Henry Rollins's autobiography but by chance I caught a glimpse of Johnny's. I loved the classic pose and the bright red cover. It reminded me of a t-shirt I once owned. So, judging a book by its cover I bought it. I'm very glad I did.

The tempo of the narrative feels rushed but it’s understandable when you realize that Johnny was very sick when he wrote this.

"If the Ramones had never existed and came out right now, we would still blow everyone away. Maybe I'm a little less connected now because I'm sick, but when we got up on a stage we were the best out there. Nobody came close."
-Johnny Ramone

As I read, I couldn’t shake the sense that Commando had a familiar flavor. And it nagged at me. About half way through is when it dawn on me. Johnny echoes the voice of Holden Caufield. It’s as if J. D. Salinger had ghost written Commando.

[Steve Coscia · Rating 4 out of 5]

New insight about Johnny in his own words. The text written near the end of his life is touching - he had no regrets. Johnny grew up only a few miles from me so I related to all the New York anecdotes and locations. He was structured and methodical as a business person, but his personal life had extreme behavioral swings. He makes no excuses - tells it like it was.
While some of this text has been published in past books and documentaries, there is enough fresh material here to keep it interesting. The big bonus is the appendix: Johnny's actual calendars listing special Ramones' bookings/events in his own handwriting, his elaborate critique of each Ramones album along with his favorite song on each album, his top ten lists on everything from "top punk bands" to "favorite republicans", lots of personal photos not seen anywhere else. This book's artwork and page layout is excellent - one of the best.
Interesting that Marky, Ritchie and CJ are not featured in any of the book's photographs. Each band photo only includes the original band members. I suppose Johnny wanted it this way.