RAMONES: MY TRIP TO JOEY RAMONE BIRTHDAY BASH IN NEW YORK IN MAY, 2010.

MY TRIP TO JOEY RAMONE BIRTHDAY BASH IN NEW YORK IN MAY, 2010

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Copyright 2010 -> : Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone.

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Joey Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh, Dave Frey etc. again organised memorial event to our angel Joey Ramone. Joey Ramone Birthday Bash was on May 19, 2010. It was a long trip me to get to the New York. First I had a holiday in Paris, France. It was cool to visit at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery where are example graves of Jim Morrison (The Doors) and Edith Piaf etc. I met in Paris for the first time Julien Homer who run http://www.pleasantdreams.fr . We had a nice chat.

From Paris I had a flight to Amsterdam, Holland. Most of the flights had cancelled because of the ash cloud. Iceland has been experiencing low level volcanic eruptions associated with Eyjafjallajokull volcano since 20 March 2010. The resulting ash cloud has spread into the atmosphere across European airspace, posing a significant danger to aircraft.
We were in Amsterdam's airport 23 hours. Then after flight to back to Finland I had to wait many hours in Helsinki. I got there delivered great package what Ramones fan Charlie Ramone and designer Ludvig Lofgren of the Kosta Boda company had sent me. Charlie had got idea if I would give to Tommy and Richie Ramone a very special gifts. They were Ramones related cool handmade art glasses titled Gabba Gabba Hey (more below). They were bigger than I expected (and more than 7 kilos together) and I had to make few tricks to get all hand bags free inside the plane in Helsinki, as I had not wanted to take a risk that expensive and cool art pieces get broken. Next I had a flight to Reykjavik, Iceland. There I had to wait 10 hours. I sent there message to Richie Ramone and Tiffany Krog of my schedules on May 19, 2010.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:
Photo copyright: Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone.
1 and 2) Top, left and right: Richie Ramone playing and singing at the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash in 2010.
3) Middle: Noah "Noki" Citrin (left to right), Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone, Richie Ramone and Tiffany Krog at Joey Ramone's old (and last) apartment on May 19, 2010. Richie is holding Gabba Gabba Hey art work (gorilla) designed by Ludvig Lofgren of Kosta Boda company.
4) Lower left: Jean Beauvoir (man who produced Ramones album Animal Boy, wrote few songs with Ramones members, and is ex-member of The Plasmatics) and Joey Ramone's brother Mickey Leight performing at the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash in 2010.
5) Lower right: Richie and Gabba Gabba Hey art work (gorilla), that was designed by Ludvig Lofgren of Kosta Boda company.

After 58 hours trip I was at the JFK's airport in New York, USA. There I met with Noah "Noki" Citrin. Noah got in touch with me in 2008, and as we drove to his house, again we had great discussions. I am really happy that I had chance to do an interview with him to my third book Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives, published on May 19, 2010. Noah tells his story and of his friendship with Joey Ramone and Tommy Ramone. Noah was not only an important friend to Joey Ramone but his best friend during their high school years in 60's. Tommy Ramone also told in one of his interviews in my book how he did remember the same things what Noah. Tommy told me how, the first time he met Joey Ramone was with Noah. Joey Ramone and Noah Citrin were playing and Noah invited Tommy up to jam, explains Tommy Ramone in my book Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives. Noah and I had long discussions again of his, Joey's, Tommy's, Johnny Ramone's, Richard Adler's, Bob Rowland's time in Forest Hills, NY. Tommy and Richard formed a band called The Tiger 5 in 1964. Tommy, Johnny, Bob and Richard formed next the Tangerine Puppets.

Next morning was Joey Ramone's and mine (Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone) birthday. Around midday I called to Richie Ramone and to Tiffany, and we decided to meet at Joey Ramone's old apartment at 5.30. Noah and I had 1,5 hours drive there. It was really great to meet with Richie again, and to get to know Tiffany. Some of you Ramones fans does know how ends Richie Ramone's part in Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives. I find out how there was a sad but exact reason for that... Richie and Tiffany were also surprised (I can't tell more of that subject).
After having discussions, I gave to Richie that Gabba Gabba Hey gift by Ludvig Lofgren of the Kosta Boda company and Charlie Ramone. Charlie had wrote to me in April background of that work: "Kosta Boda has more than 250(!) years of tradition! They design and manufacture artistic glass and are worldfamous. Recently there is a new serie called Wide Life by one of the younger designers, Ludvig Lofgren, and the inspiration is from film and music. One item in this serie is called GABBA GABBA HEY (Do I need to tell you who is my favourite designer after this...) It is a gorilla! Like everything else from this company it is handmade and a piece of art made of glass only!"
Charlie, I, and now also Richie Ramone were thinking that Gabba Gabba Hey gorilla gotta be related to the Ramones album Animal Boy. Charlie got in touch with Ludvig Lofgren and Ludvig wanted to send two Gabba Gabba Hey's to Ramones members as a gift. Richie really liked of Gabba Gabba Hey. It is rather expensive, but gotta keep in mind its handmade and a piece of art indeed. Gorilla is more than 3 kilos (105.82 oz) and price of it in stores are more than 200 euros (250 USdollars). I wanted to take some photos of Richie with gorilla (see photos).
Read here more of Kosta Boda and more of Gabba Gabba Hey here.

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