1) WHAT ABOUT ME / LEAVE ME ALONE (SINGLE,
1993).2) A RECORDING WITH DEE DEE'S WIFE BARBARA (2008).
3) INTERVIEW WITH THE SINGER-GUITARIST ALAN VALENTINE (2026).
WHAT ABOUT ME / LEAVE ME ALONE (SINGLE, 1993)
Side A: What About Me
Side B: Leave Me Alone (IT IS NOT Chatterbox even it is listed in a sleeve and vinyl).
Line-up:
Dee Dee Ramone: Guitar, vocals. (RIP 2002)
Richie Screech: Guitar. (RIP 2008)
Alan Valentine: Bass, (vocals)
Scott Goldstein: Drums
What I (Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone) do know, there are four pressing of that Dee Dee's 7' single. I heard that first two pressings were both only 3000 copies. On every pressing has different color of the vinyl, colors are: black, green, red and blue.
What About Me is in my opinion one of the best tracks Dee Dee wrote after he quit the Ramones. And I meant what impression gives the original version about What About Me. It is certainly a better version of what is in a Dee Dee Ramone: Hop Around album.
I got my first version of this Dee Dee Ramone And The Chinese Dragons 7' in around 1995 and as I live in a small city I didn't knew then anyone having any record that has Chatterbox written by Johnny Thunders. Also note: YouTube was founded 10 years later.
Chatterbox is listed everywhere as a B-side of this single (I write this update on May 31, 2026). Edward Marr wrote me on May 31, 2026: "I've a question. I have the Dee Dee Ramone And the Chinese Dragon What About Me single but the B-side is not Chatterbox. Do you know what the B-side song actually is?"
I love What About Me but I had not listened to the B-side for maybe 20 years. I listened and listened it again I noticed song is Leave Me Alone from Johnny Thunders' album So Alone (1978). NOT CHATTERBOX.
BARBARA ZAMPINI (ZAMPINI-RAMONE) IN A STUDIO WITH THE CHINESE DRAGONS IN 2008
Kim Webb told me in 2026 about a special recording session in 2008. She told me the original The Chinese Dragons had reunited after 15 years at the Sagamore Studios in Detroit, Michigan, USA in July, 2008. Singer-bassist Alan Valentine is a husband of Kim Webb.
There is released by The Dee Dee Ramone And The Chinese Dragons single What About Me / Leave Me Alone (NOT Chatterbox) in 1993.
As you know, world lost Dee Dee in 2002. Band invited to studio Dee Dee's wife Barbara Zampini (Zampini-Ramone) in 2008. She traveled to Detroit, USA, and she played together with the Chinese Dragons in a recording studio there. They covered a Johnny Thunders song One Track Mind. So that great and really cool session happened 15 years after the original Dee Dee Ramone And The Chinese Dragons recordings. One Track Mind etc. is not released by any record label (yet). See video here / listen the song.
INTERVIEW WITH THE SINGER-GUITARIST ALAN VALENTINE IN JUNE 2026
Kim Webb told me in 2026 that she is a wife of Alan Valentine who was
the singer-guitarist for the Dee Dee Ramone And Chinese Dragons. We did
a long interview of what I am really, really happy. Thanks alan
and Kim.Jari-Pekka: You (Alan Valentine) had been playing in the USA for a while in that group named Liars Cheats And Thieves. You met Dee Dee Ramone pretty amazing way for the first time in 1992 in Royal Oak that is kind part of Detroit. Can you tell more of that?
Alan: I got a call at a sex shop Noir Leather in Royal Oak, Michigan, USA from Gino Canale (drummer) who said Dee Dee's manager called him and said Dee Dee was in town and looking for a group. I did not believe it so we met at a local bar we used to hang out. Gino orchestrated this and Gino did not know what he (Dee Dee) looked like. Gino was just like a metal dude. Richie Screech (real name Richie Karaczynski, RIP 2008) walked in after Gino and myself. We walked to a table sat down. I sat next to Dee Dee. To my shock, in surprise, it was real. Dee Dee was my inspiration.
I liked music in the 70's, but I couldn't play it until the Ramones came out. The Ramones made music you could play it. I like Kiss, I like Alice Cooper etc., but when the Ramones came out, you could play music.
So I sat next to Dee Dee. The manager pulled out a bunch of money and ordered drinks. Dee Dee did not drink. We chatted... And then Dee Dee fell out of his chair, got up and I said: "You're in Detroit". I said they take the screws out of chairs at bars just to fuck with people (not true but a joke). Dee Dee looked for the screws everywhere... I was just fucking with him. That was the moment I knew I was in the band. I was amazed when I met Dee Dee Ramone. Dee Dee had an engaging personality.
Jari-Pekka: You played together in early 1992-93 around two years? After that Dee Dee had a band named I.C.L.C. in Holland and by them was released I Hate Freaks Like You album and Chinese Bitch EP in 1994. In addition to single What About Me / Leave Me Alone (Chatterbox) you recorded at least demo versions of the songs Bad Little Go-Go Girl, 1000 Goodbyes, Take A Chance and Ace Of Spades (Motörhead Cover).
Alan: Those were all recorded in same session. Dee Dee only brought (to rehearse) What About Me and Bad Little Go-Go Girl. 1000 Goodbyes is actually called Western Swing that I took from my band Liars Cheats And Thieves. Take A Chance is also mine song from Liars Cheats And Thieves.
Jari-Pekka's comment: It took many years until Dee Dee recorded version of the Bad Little Go-Go Girl that was officially released. It was released for the first time officially in 2000.
Jari-Pekka: You had a rehearsal spot? Can you mention some Ramones / cover songs you played? Which two were your favorites and why?
Alan: We had a rehearsal spot a little bit down the street. And I said, you got a guitar and you want to play or something? And Dee Dee was like, yeah, right on. I was playing bass that time because we switched it over. I remember Chinese Rocks, day 1, because I always wanted to play it with one of the people who wrote it. That's my jam, 100%. 1-2-3-4 off to a fine start. Then Dee Dee didn't know the chords. I had to teach him the chorus back again. After that Dee Dee asked what else do you want to play. I said let's do some Ramones songs. Dee Dee looked at me and said how do they go, what are the words... We did I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement and Wart Hog.
My fav songs to play was What About Me because I thought it was a cool song. So he brought the two jams (two songs): What About Me and Bad Little Go-Go Girl. We did Ace Of Spades (Motörhead) and and that would be with Scott Goldstein singing.
Jari-Pekka: About not remembering lyrics first... Dee Dee was using a lot of drugs in his last years in the Ramones and maybe he also had forgot the Ramones songs as he had wanted to concentrate to rap music etc. after he quit the Ramones and did releases like Funky Man (12') and Standing In The Spotlight (album). Then he had first after-Ramones bands Dee Dee Ramone & The Spikey Tops (there is a bootleg live LP released from the show in 1989) in the USA and band in the United Kingdom which recorded Dee Dee Ramone: Deadline Demos 10'.
Alan: Yeah, that was before me. That was the thing, he would come to town and they would be like, oh, are you doing Dee Dee Ramone. It was like, no, we're doing like rock'n'roll music.
We used to do Little Red Rooster. All old like black folk music. It was like he wanted to do that, did a few shows that way.
Jari-Pekka's note: Little Red Rooster is a blues standard credited to arranger and songwriter Willie Dixon. The song was first recorded in 1961 by American blues musician Howlin' Wolf in the Chicago blues style.
Jari-Pekka: When doing live shows, you were singing most and Dee Dee not so much?
Alan: I was singing most of the time. Dee Dee was tired of doing it. I mean, Dee Dee didn't want to do it when he came here. He came here to retire.
It was so bizarre to me that Dee Dee came here to retire because the pot laws before went legal in America, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the pot was were not so much sensitive. And then he wanted to do blues band. That's how we first started. He brought a couple jams and we had some other jams, but for the most part he just wanted to retire, just to blues.
Jari-Pekka Did Dee Dee And The Chinese Dragons toured only in the USA and Argentina? Did you played in all around 40 or 50 etc. shows?
Alan: Yes USA and Argentina. We were together for about two years. Can't remember exactly how many shows, possibly more than 50.
My fav memory was doing I Wanna Be Sedated myself singing with GG Allin in the crowd straight out of prison and he came backstage and wanted to hang out. GG had just gotten out and happened to be in the audience.
Jari-Pekka's note: Dee Dee also played a while with GG Allin and the Murder Junkies. I did an long interview to my second book Rock In Peace: Dee Dee And Joey Ramone with GG's brother Merle Allin who was bassist for the Murder Junkies. Their four songs with the Dee Dee are in the compilation CD Res-Erected
Jari-Pekka: Dee Dee was probably really excited to be back in Argentina. He was played there with the Ramones in 1987. South-America, Japan, Italy, Spain etc. were places where the Ramones had the most crazy fans. I been twice in Richie Ramone's tours in South-America and I have seen that great craziness.
Alan: Yeah, that was, it was so bizarre. It was like being in the Beatles. It was just like, they wouldn't let us out of the hotel. We did 10 days in Argentina. But Dee Dee WAS NOT excited.
Kim Webb: Jari-Pekka, did you see interviews Argentina, where they actually talked to Richie and talked to Alan, and Dee Dee was just walking around in the background. He was so mad.
Jari-Pekka: Yes, I have seen that clip.
Alan: Dee Dee was so mad because in Argentina we had to do like all this promo stuff, like waking up everyday, this and that. And then I was like, well, I'll just do it. I like to talk. And then Dee Dee was then always so mad because he wanted to be one do those, but he would always spook around.
We worked hard in Argentina. I wanted to play, get more rock'n'roll. But even in Argentina we got those people rocking and Dee Dee would be like, oh, it's just some blues. It's like, man, we got the people charging. At the highest point of our fame it was falling apart. After that The Chinese Dragons would be over in 3 months. Dee Dee didn't like that I drank. I drank a lot. He was a pilot. He didn't like it. Because he was sober.
Jari-Pekka: Also when I was traveling with Dee Dee in 2000 and 2001, he didn't drink or use any hard drags.
Alan: Yeah, he was smoking weed. Me and Dee Dee lived at motels for a while on Woodward Avenue. Junky crackhead spots.
Jari-Pekka: Can you tell something more of why story of the Dee Dee Ramone And The Chinese Dragons ended?
Alan: Chinese Dragons ended at the Milwaukee Metal Fest (USA) because Dee Dee and I not getting along for a while. After I taking care of Dee Dee in numerous ways.
We got involved with people like that were bad, bad management, bad touring schedules... Dee Dee couldn't done so much. I just feel bad about the Chinese Dragons. Mismanagement.
We were always ruined, what always broke my heart is I was with Dee Dee Ramone 24 hours a day traveling America, but he told not many good stories. You know, like I would hide in my house when Sid Vicious came over or Johnny Thunders would come over, he'd sit in the bathroom and shoot dope etc. It's like I'm like old rock'n'roll kind of guy. Man, I want to hear the stories. I never heard them.
Jari-Pekka: Yeah, certainly of stories like when he was in one point in Paris, France with Johnny Thunders and Steve Bators.
Alan: He cut up all Johnny Thunder's clothes and put bleach on them. And then he laughed. That's what he told me. You know, because Johnny Thunders was trying to get hash of some punk artist. That's what Dee Dee told me. And then he got pissed and cut up all his clothes. That would have been a cool band though.
I'm super Steve Bators fan. I met him when he came over here. He was kind of a con artist. But he was cool. Bators died when he was 40.
Jari-Pekka: There is on that your video with Barbara Zampini-Ramone on YouTube where Gino tells Dee Dee fired Gino because of farting. Dee Dee was sometimes so quick in his moves. Drummer already in that single is Scott Goldstein.
Alan: Yes, Dee Dee had an engaging personality. When the van was filled with Gino's farts it WAS an annoyance. Dee Dee fired him for being a pig and I do not blame him.
The original The Chinese Dragons (Alan Valentine, Richie Screech and Gino Canale) reunited after 15 at that Sagamore Studios and they invited Dee Dee's wife Barbara Zampini-Ramone to visit them. Barbara arrived and they covered a Johnny Thunders song One Track Mind. So that great and really cool session happened 15 years after the original Dee Dee Ramone And The Chinese Dragons recordings. One Track Mind etc. is not released by any record label (yet). See video here / listen the song.
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