REST OF MY TRIP AFTER JOEY RAMONE BIRTHDAY BASH IN NEW YORK ON MAY 19, 2009

Photos in left from above to below:
1) Gaston, Lily, Yoly and Javier Sanchez.
2) Lorie Kubert, Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone, Shazz Carrington, Randy Wisebrod and Pete Devito.
3) Karen Angelica and Bobby London, and Karen's dogs.

Copyright 2009 -> : Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone.

THIS IS PAGE 3 OF MY TRIP WHICH FIRST STOP WAS JOEY RAMONE BIRTHDAY BASH IN 2009.
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So when Joey Ramone Birthday Bash was over, Noah "Noki" Citrin and I forwarded to Connecticut where Noki lives. I will tell now shorter about days rest of my trip. Ramones were officially chosen to Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2002. 2002 was for Ramones first year of eligibility. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and main museum are located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Second Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame museum was opened in Soho, New York, USA on December 2, 2008. It is named Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Annex NYC.
Noki and I went one day to Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Annex NYC. I should have asked press pass in advance that I would had got permission to photograph there inside.
In first room were listed all Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame artists and they were flashing alternately. In second room were shown old films, like by Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and James Brown. From Ramones were shown Glad To See You Go from Don Kirshner's show in 1977.

There were some Ramones related items displayed in next rooms. The most special item was Johnny Ramone's Mosrite Ventures II Custom what he used also in final Ramones show in 1996, and when Johnny did a performance at a Pearl Jam concert in Los Angeles on July 14, 1998. Johnny came to the stage as a special guest (at the encore) and played, The KKK Took My Baby Away.
Johnny Ramone's T-shirt from circa 1978 was from collection of Jade Dellinger: "Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone was an avid collector of horror and serial killer memorabilia. This Charles Manson T-shirt was one of his favorites.", was written of it.
I composed to my Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives book, longer text of Johnny's collection.
Marky Ramone had donated his leather jacket from 1978 to Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Annex NYC. It was touching to see the front awning and cash register of the closed club CBGB etc. Awning was at CBGB from 1987 to 2006. Original one had stolen.

Ramones creative director Arturo Vega wasn't in town, and he had no chance to attend Joey Ramone Birthday Bash this year. He had asked me to take copies of my new book to his room mate. Arturo will be also selling them. Really close of Arturo's apartment is The Bowery Electric bar, one owner of it is Jesse Malin (solo artist and ex member of D-Generation). Jesse and I met there. Jesse Malin was happy to see and get my new book. I met there also with Sean Yseult (ex member of White Zombie). We three took photo together and you can see it here.
Noki Citrin and I had great and relaxing days in Connecticut. He told me more great stories from 1960's and I had chance to explain him more about Ramones related things and history.

Photos in right from above to below:
1) Chase Manhattan and Joe and Debbie Lunardon at Dee Dee's grave.
2) Flag of Spain with message to Dee Dee in front of Dee Dee's grave.
3) A statue in honour of Johnny Ramone.
4) Chase Manhattan and Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone at Dee Dee's grave.
5) A statue in honour of Johnny Ramone. Notice feather and imagine it flying to heaven.
6) Plaque in Johnny's statue.


I had hoped to see in this trip also CJ Ramone, Marky Ramone, Andy Shernoff etc. I called one day to Marky and his wife Marion. It was few years since I had last time visited Marky and Marion in their house. Sadly they had promised to go and have dinner that day. CJ Ramone asked me to come and visit them. They lived more far away than I remembered. It was 1,5 hours of driving from Connecticut to New York. And then it would have taken 1,5-2 hours more to get to CJ's and Denise's house. So sadly it would have had too much travelling to there and back.
Andy Shernoff had returned back to New York on May 18. He was going to rehearse when I called him. So it was bad luck with those meetings.

I was again honored to be guest of friends who took care of this Finnish Pinhead brilliant way. Noki took really great care of me.
I had a flight from New York to Los Angeles. Gaston and Javier Sanchez drove 3 hours to get me from LA to San Diego. It was amazingly friendly. Bus would have had too complicated with changes. I was going to stay first in LA (and then go to San Diego), but Maria Montoya-Kaye's and mine schedules didn't matched. It was my fault as I hadn't had chance to prepare trip enough in advance as I worked 20 hours a day because of book before I started my trip.
Gaston and Javier are brothers and they run ramonesforever.com site. Gaston's wife Yoly, and their dorother Lily had created small sign with text in Finnish: "Tervetuloa takaisin Jari-Pekka." It means in English: "Welcome back Jari-Pekka." Lily is 3 years old. She is really talented children, she knows and has learn lot things what are challenging to 1-2 years older children. Yoly, Gaston and Lily are always in happy mood, and with them it was nice to visit beautiful places next to sea and also historical places like Old Town. I hope all of you would have chance to taste even once in your life food what Yoly has cooked. In every way they really are Happy Family.
It was nice to stay many days in San Diego and meet golden friends who are like gemstones. Sanchez's took me to house of Randy Wisebrod and Shazz Carrington. Randy and Shazz moved from Toronto to San Diego some years earlier. I knew they will be busy because of works but anyway it is important for me see and spend time with them. From my earlier San Diego trips I has got to know their friends like Pete Devito and Lorie Kubert. With them we went

To Finnish Pinhead it is always hard to realize distances in the USA. Bobby London has moved from LA area to Riverside. I was thinking Riverside is close of LA, but I found it was 1,5-2 hours far away. Anyway I got there by bus. Cartoonist Bobby London and Karen Angelica picked me from station. Karen is a former 6 Flags artist. They did show to me lot of their works. Karen had created nice work of front view of CBGB club.
Bobby London's interview is 4,5 pages long in Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives. Bobby lived for a long time in New York and he attended his first Ramones show in 1976. Here is one thing we discussed. Bobby said:
- My first Ramones gig was immediately after that famous Roundhouse (London, UK) gig of July 4, 1976 at My Father's Place in New York on July 16. I think that show I attended inspired the Ramones song Swallow My Pride because they complained that they'd just killed, packed them in, over in England and came home to nothing, to total indifference, and wrote a song about it, Bobby London explained his memories.

Bobby London drew in 70's to publications like Punk Magazine and National Lampoon, and since 1977 his Dirty Duck has run in Playboy. I am sure he will be busy also in future with all publications which release his works, and with new publications who will ask his services. Bobby is only 59 years young, so he has many years ahead to work more. You will find some works by Bobby from my new book. He also created cartoon of Pinhead to back cover of book.
Bobby did show to me letters he had received from actor Stan Laurel. Johnny Ramone tried to buy them many times from Bobby, after Joey Ramone had told Johnny how Bobby and Stan used to write to each other.

Touring is never boring as Joey would sing. But it is exhausting when you get lost. I was hoping to meet with Maria Montoya-Kaye even shortly in Los Angeles. But I got lost for many hours and our schedules didn't matched. I was first going to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles. While going there, also bus driver forwarded me to wrong direction, even I later found how cemetary wasn't so far away.
Chase Manhattan had to wait me there for many hours. I hadn't met with Chase after I had toured with Dee Dee, Chase and Christian Martucci in 2001. Chase was drummer for Dee Dee in 1998-2001. Luckily Chase was patient and he was waiting me in a cemetary. It was so great to meet him again. Chase and I spent time together at the cemetary around 1,5 hours. We had so lot thinks to talk and remember both tours which I attended with Dee Dee and Chase in Scandinavia. They were playing more smaller clubs in Scandinavia and Chase told how cool they were anyway, and they were good balance to all crazy (great) shows in South-America, Mexico etc.
It was emotionally so confusing to stand again next to Dee Dee's grave, and also speak with Chase how he also believe (knows) Dee Dee's overdose was accident. Only around 5 days later it became seven years since Dee Dee became an angel. Dee Dee passed away on June 5, 2002.
There were at grave some CD's, candles, flag of Spain, skull of some animal who had horns... Of the some reason there weren't even this year any fresh flowers.

I included for my new book true story which makes me really angry. You will understand why. Gary Kurfirst was also Dee Dee's personal manager. After Dee Dee Ramone died, Tommy Ramone, CJ Ramone, Marky Ramone, Richie Ramone, and many other people weren't invited to Dee Dee's funeral. Can you believe that? I am not even sure if Johnny was invited; but Johnny, Tommy, CJ, Ramones producer Daniel Rey, and Ramones creative director Arturo Vega were present at the funeral anyway. They tells in my book more of that subject.

Chase Manhattan told me how Johnny and he walked together to Dee Dee's grave in his funeral. They walked by place where is now Johnny's statue.
Chase was visiting later grave when Marky Ramone and Dez Cadena (The Misfits, ex member of Black Flag) visited Dee Dee's grave for the first time.
While Chase and I were discussing, Joe and Debbie Lunardon came to Dee Dee's grave also. They were really nice and loved hearing Chase's stories of Dee Dee. Joe and Debbie found out how cemetery is really a beautiful resting place for Dee Dee and for an amazing monument to Johnny. I had my books with me and they wanted to buy copies of Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives and of Rock In Peace: Dee Dee And Joey Ramone.
Cemetary guards came to tell how cemetary is closing soon. Chase, Debbie and Joe left. I had only 10-15 minutes time to visit and see again a statue in honour of Johnny Ramone. It is so great piece of art. I was so happy to include and do to my new book interview where Wayne Toth explains how he created it. I had had plans to meet with Johnny's wife Linda while I was in Los Angeles. Sadly I had forgot her phone number to Finland. So I couldn't call her.

Chase Manhattan had told me directions to bus line, where I would take bus close of airport (LAX). I tried to call Maria Montoya-Kaye again. Sadly I didn't got hold with her. Maria spent thousands of hours to help me with my second and third book, she grammar checked most of texts in those books. Even though our physical distance is normally far - Maria lives in Los Angeles, USA, and I live in Kauhajoki, Finland. Maria is very close emotionally, she knows what I mean in my heart, and Maria has the heart to read it right. But sadly now even physical distance was close, it was too far away that day especially because Maria was set to sing with CH3 that evening in Huntington Beach at a tribute concert for Mike Conley the lead singer of M.I.A. who died tragically.

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