Official release date (original version in English): December 1st, 2009 by Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. Paperback version got published on November 9, 2010.
Joey Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh and punk chronicler Legs McNeil wrote for many years authorized bio of the Joey called I Slept With Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir. I Slept With Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir is explained to be the story of the Ramones and the rise of punk music, and a touching memoir about brotherhood from Joey Ramone's brother.
Legs McNeil wrote in October 28, 2008, that book is hysterically funny, and also a tragic read - just like is his earlier book Please Kill Me.
So Mickey got a help from McNeil. Final version was hardcover and it has 416 pages. The original rough manuscript Mickey finished in 2007 was longer as he wrote me in spring 2008: "You gotta wait a little longer. I want this book to be great. There were so many incredible stories it's been hard to cut it down. The rough manuscript I finished last year was 770 pages long. I am finally doing the final editing."
You can order this book for example from Amazon.co.uk
or from Amazon.com
Mickey tells in a book of the recording Joey kind of produced for Mickey's band Purple Majesty in 1967.
- We (Purple Majesty's members) were 12 and Joey was 16. We recorded song In This Day An Age we'd actually written ourselves, and a cover of the Blues Project classic I Can't Keep From Crying. It still amazes me that Joey did that: at 16 Joey came to our rehearsals, well, it was just downstairs in our basement, but he heard the song we wrote, booked the time, paid for the session and "supervised' the recording. After searching for decades, the guitarist of that band just found his copy!!! I can't tell you how thrilled I am to hear this again. It's noisy and crackly, couple of skips, but it is certainly audible. I'm going to take it to a mastering studio and clean it up as much as possible. If not for my brother's enthusiasm and his love of being involved in every facet of rock & roll, I would not have this gem from my past, wrote Mickey in January, 2010.
....and then in December, 2013, legendary a New York, USA, based independent record label Norton Records released those two songs as a 7' single on purple vinyl with a picture sleeve. Go to Norton Records Store here.
TRANSLATIONS OF BOOK:
FINLAND:I Slept With Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir got translated and published in Finnish in March 15, 2011. Title in Finnish is: Veljeni Joey Ramone. Kristiina Sarasti of the Like Kustannus was one of main organisators behind this project.
Publisher is Like Kustannus. Book is translated by Ilkka Salmenpohja. Book has 450 pages and hard cover. I asked from Mickey Leigh in January 6, 2011, if book will be translated also for other languages. Mickey wrote:
- So far the only country it will be available in the near future is Finland. I am still working on getting it published in other territories - but nothing is happening that I can speak of yet. I'm trying really hard to get my agent to focus on getting the book published in other countries and languages. I really want everyone to be able to read it, wrote Mickey to me in 2011.
FRANCE:
I Slept With Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir got translated and published in France on January 15, 2013. Title of French edition is: I Slept With Joey Ramone: Histoire D'une Famille Punk Rock. Book was translated by Janique Jouin and published by Camion Blanc.
BRAZIL:
I Slept With Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir got translated and published in Portuguese in Brazil, in November, 2013. Title is Eu Dormi Com Joey Ramone: Memorias De Uma Familia Punk Rock. .
PLANS TO MAKE AN FILM??:
There are also plans to make an film of the book I Slept With Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir. Mickey Leigh wants Johnny Depp to play Dee Dee Ramone in the film adaptation of this new book (see below). Mickey is convinced an unknown should play Joey Ramone in the biopic, which is currently in the hands of producer Rory Rosegarten, but he has a few suggestions for the supporting cast. Mickey quips: "Maybe Howard Stern could play Joey. It's not up to me so I haven't really thought about it but, just for kicks... they're talking about an unknown... Maybe Adrien Brody - he's a tall skinny guy. I think Kevin Bacon would be great to play Johnny Ramone; he's a musician... and maybe Johnny Depp to play Dee Dee if he'd take on a small role." Read more here.
BOOK SIGNING DATES:1) December 1, 2009, in official release date at 7PM, Barnes & Nobles Booksellers (Barnes & Noble Tribeca, 97 Warren St., NYC.) hosts the launch of book. Legs McNeil will interview then Mickey Leigh, there is also Q&A and book signing to the fans. A limited edition free bag and poster with purchase of the book during this event is given. READ REVIEW OF THE SIGNING WRITTEN BY ADELE HOLTZMAN.
2) Another book launching event by Mickey and Leigh on New York: Tuesday December 8th at 7:30PM at Goodbye Blue Monday, 1087 Broadway, Brooklyn, New York, USA.
3) December 12, 2009: Mickey and Legs will do book signing etc. also at the This Ain't Hollywood in Hamilton, Canada.
4) December 18, 2009: Mickey and Legs will do reading at Nick and Eddies, 1612 Harmon Pl., Minneapolis, MN, USA.
5) January 8, 2010: Mickey Leigh and Legs McNeil will do reading at Katwong's closing reception for the photography exhibition Katatonic, Wiesner Gallery, 2nd. Fl. of The Stratton Student Center, 84 Mass. Ave., Cambridge MA, USA.
6) February 20, 2010. Book reading and signing featuring Mickey Leigh,
Allan Arkush, PJ Soles, Howie Pyro etc. at the La Luz de Jesus Gallery.
(4633 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA).
You can see in right photo of Mickey Leigh and cartoonist Bobby London.
Bobby is known of Dirty Duck, National Lampoon etc. and he drew comics
to Weird Tales Of The Ramones etc. His long interview is in my third
book Ramones:
Soundtrack Of Our Lives. Bobby and dear Maria Montoya-Kaye attended
this signing at the La Luz de Jesus Gallery. Bobby did mention:- Howie Pyro (ex member of the D-Generation and Danzig etc.) was there and we had a great reunion (he stayed at my apartment in New York back in the day with the Blessed and I stayed at theirs on Bank Street where Sid Vicious later died, Howie told me at the reading). Howie read from the book, and does a killer impression of Dee Dee.
7) March 27, 2010. Book reading and signing featuring Mickey Leigh and Legs McNeil. VIVE 1977 presents event at the Tattooed Mon. Address: 530 South Street, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
8) July 10, 2010. Bearsville Theater Lounge, Woodstock, New York, USA.
Geraldine "Jeri Ramone" Rapetti of Guitar Principles has teached to play guitar for over 20 years to every type of student, from children to teenagers and young adults to senior citizens well into their 80's, as well as every style of guitar - folk, jazz, rock, blues, and the classical guitar.
Jeri wrote to me:
- I am a big fan of the Ramones in Woodstock, New York, and have read all your three books. I appreciate all your time and efforts to keep the Ramones legacy alive. You have inspired me to want to do the same! I thought it over for 6 months, what can I do to make a difference, to contribute to the Ramones legacy?
- I decided to do something here in Woodstock, NY through my company Guitar Principles. We are presenting an event on July 10, 2010, which will include a book reading of I Slept With Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir, discussion, and signing by Mickey Leigh. Mickey will also perform with his band STOP, explains Jeri Ramone.
Event at the Bearsville Theater Lounge in Woodstock will begin at 8PM on July 10, 2010. Tickets are 15$ in advance and 20$ day of show. Tickets on sale now: Call 845-679-4406 or order on-line: www.bearsvilletheater.com. Guitar Principles page seems to be pretty incredible, visit their site and look for example video gallery and check out information her book titled The Principles Of Correct Practice For Guitar.
SOME REVIEWS OF THE I SLEPT WITH JOEY RAMONE: A FAMILY MEMOIR
1) This review was published in Publishers Weekly (USA):
"Singer-songwriter Joey Ramone, who cofounded the rock group the Ramones in 1974, died of lymphatic cancer at age 49 in 2001. Born Jeff Hyman in Manhattan, he grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, with low self-esteem and what is described as an obsessive compulsive disorder, but he soon escaped to Greenwich Village, where he became a punk pioneer. Commercial success was elusive. While the Ramones remained an underground band, they are regarded today as a huge influence on the entire punk rock movement.
Joey's brother, Mickey Leigh (who formed his own band), recreates that electric era, striking all the right chords in this dynamic biography. With skillful writing, he finds Joey's musical roots in their dysfunctional family life. As they attempted to deal with their mother's divorce and remarriage, the accidental death of their stepfather, financial worries and neighborhood bullies, their interest in rock, drugs and far-out fashions escalated. With angst-ridden anecdotes, the book traces the trajectory of the Ramones over two decades, from early gigs and recording sessions through sibling rivalry, feuds, fights, eccentric escapades and 2,000-plus performances before they disbanded in 1996. Leigh and Legs's mashup of memories with solid research makes for revelatory reading in this compelling portrait of a musical misfit who evolved into a countercultural icon."
2) This review was published in Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Reviews is an American book review journal founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893-1980). It serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers etc. (USA):
"The late Joey Ramone is feted with tough love in these cradle-to-grave memories from his kid brother Mickey Leigh (born Mitch Hyman). In Leigh's collaboration with longtime punk journalist McNeil (co-author: The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry, 2005, etc.), Joey Ramone (born Jeff Hyman) is the classic middle-class misfit whose salvation came in the rock 'n' roll teen culture of the late 1960s. Growing up in suburban Forest Hills, N.Y., Leigh witnessed his sickly, awkward OCD brother transform from a freakish, sometimes violent kid to a moon-booted glam-rocker known as "Jeff Starship." In the early '70s Jeff transformed again-into Joey Ramone, the charismatic Ramones frontman and punk-rock heartthrob.
Although Leigh planned to pursue his own dreams of rock stardom, initially he settled for being the Ramones' underpaid roadie. From this vantage point he saw the band's rise to international cult stardom through New York City's fledgling CBGB punk scene. He also experienced firsthand the Ramones' perpetually dysfunctional, dark netherworld governed by the near-psychotic dictatorial ways of guitar player Johnny Ramone. Frustrated and broke, Leigh eventually cut his professional ties with the Ramones and pursued a series of dead-end musical and occupational activities. When the author focuses on his own uphill battles, the memoir hits occasional snags. He hit up Joey for residual money for his backup vocals on the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop"-used in a 1991 Budweiser commercial-and had constant feuds with his brother about songwriting credit on their several musical collaborations. This belated demand for money and recognition seems somewhat hypocritical,especially considering Leigh had previously been determined to stake out his own identity apart from the Ramones. Nevertheless, Leigh showed dogged persistence in the face of constant futility. Sadly, though, it took Joey's losing bout with cancer to fully reconcile the two brothers' differences and bring them together again. Overlong but intermittently fascinating behind-the-scenes look at one of punk's most unlikely icons."
3) This review was published in the Austin Chronicle. Review is written by Margaret Moser:
"Rock & roll isn't always kind to the families of rock stars. Being the child or spouse of a famous musician is at least as difficult as being the sibling of one, especially one working in the same field. For Mickey Leigh, younger brother of Joey Ramone, kinship was bittersweet and strained with rivalry. Leigh wasn't destined to be an equal, Stevie Ray Vaughan to Jimmie Vaughan. He was Chris Jagger to Mick, a talent in his own right forever consigned to his big brother's shadow. With punk chronicler Legs (Please Kill Me) McNeil, the two coax stories from the remaining Ramones plus an assortment of friends, musicians, ex-wives, and parents, reconstructing Joey's catapult to cult stardom, a story that started beside Leigh then rocketed past him.
Leigh was friends with John Cummings and Tommy Erdelyi, aka Johnny and Tommy Ramone, before his brother, and while he benefited from Ramones adventures, his participation led to a demand for compensation and a subsequent lifelong feud between the brothers. With due credit for his musical contributions - Lester Bangs handpicked him for his band Birdland - Leigh's sometimes petty tone makes A Family Memoir come mighty close to being called An Axe to Grind."
4) This review was published in the he Village Voice. Review is written by Roy Edroso:
"The latest entry in the growing field of Ramones Studies is I Slept With Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir. The angle here is that Joey Ramone, ne Jeffrey Hyman, is examined by Mickey Leigh, ne Mitchel Hyman, his brother. Mickey also talks a lot about his own life, which is fine for a couple of reasons. For one, he's got an easy, unforced style (helped by Legs McNeil, an old hand at historicizing the movement he helped create). For another, Mickey's life has a lot to do with Joey's, maybe in more ways than he's aware of revealing.
The Queens childhood opening is like a notebook for early Ramones records: The boys hang out, watch TV, discover rock and roll, pretend to be on drugs, and endure bullies, an asshole father ("Daddy liked men"), and a broken home - all told at great speed, without much moping and plenty of dumb jokes. (Humor high point: Joey gets knocked into a bush.) Even Joey's many problems are sort of funny (he was regularly hauled into the principal's office, but there he "hung out and ate Popsicles"), though it's weird when he threatens his mom with a knife.
The brothers start playing music, which gives them a sense of accomplishment, but also of competition. Local cool guy John Cummings, later Johnny Ramone, is Mickey's best friend, but he doesn't want anything to do with Joey. For a while, Joey is a misfit among misfits. But they're all Queens guys - the sort who refer to their psyches as "upstairs," and request clarification with "Whattaya mean?" - so they stay on each other's wavelengths. Some of the guys get up a new band, and Johnny wants "a good-lookin' guy in front." They get Joey instead, and the rest is history.
Or someone else's biography. Anyone who picks up I Slept With Joey Ramone will be interested in the plentiful Ramones bio-nuggets: Who wasn't talking to whom, what girlfriend Joey had when, how Joey could be really cool sometimes and a real dick others, etc. But though we hear some of these details from various witnesses, most of it comes from Mickey, and he has his own story - in fact, this is his story. He knows that, like always happens, the people have come to see his brother, and he's happy to oblige. But he makes sure you get his side, too.
It's not always cozy. Mickey believes his brother could have stuck up for him more - not just with the guys, but also with the royalties and career breaks (Joey: "I just plugged [Mickey's] band on MTV!" Mickey: "But he plugged lots of bands he liked"). He wants you to know the reason every time he and Joey weren't speaking, and usually Mickey - according to Mickey - is not at fault.
Don't let that put you off, though. The apple didn't fall too far from the other apple, and Mickey's bitching is sort of like what you imagine Joey's would be like if he were the one who wound up schlepping road cases with a hernia instead of being a star. Mickey is a smaller, slightly less crooked mirror of his brother. If it seems a little sad when Mickey pulls out his clippings, so does being a punk icon when your records always tank. Not to mention scoliosis, problems upstairs, and, finally, cancer.
Joey's fights with Mickey may not have the historical interest of his fights with Johnny Ramone, but they're of the same kind: petty, absurd, and entertaining. And, unlike Joey and Johnny, Joey and Mickey made up. Several times. The last time, though, is very sweet. "He pulled me down to him, and he just didn't let go. I can still feel that hug."