JOEY RAMONE'S ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AWARD RE-PRESENTED IN NEW YORK
ON MAY 14, 2009
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Copyright 2008 -> : Text and photos: Mark Bannister and Jari-Pekka
Laitio-Ramone.
Background information by Jari-Pekka:
The 17th annual Rock And Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held
at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City on March 18, 2002. 2002
was for Ramones first year of eligibility. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam was
it, who inducted the Ramones into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Eddie
made a 20-minute induction speech, and appeared with a mohawk haircut
and a Ramones T-shirt.
Johnny, Joey, Tommy, Dee Dee, and Marky were inducted in a ceremony.
When The Ramones took the stage to accept the award, Johnny went first;
he had a short speech, followed by Marky. Dee Dee's speech was
hilarious, and with punk brevity, said: "I'd like to congratulate myself
and thank myself and give myself a big pat on the back". Joey's mother
Charlotte and brother Mickey were also in the audience. Joey's award sat
on the podium, unspoken for.
...After seven years, on May 14, 2009: Correcting any mistake always is.
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame stepped up to do the right thing. The
re-presentation of Joey's award took place at the NYC Annex of the Rock
And Roll Hall Of Fame on May 14th at 3PM. Ramones manager Danny Fields,
and Hall Of Fame president Joel Peresman presented the award. Tommy
Ramone and Joey's brother Mickey Leigh accepted it behalf of our Joey.
Following story is written by Mark Bannister of that event on May 14,
2009.
I only heard about this Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame event for Joey Ramone
the day before. Luckily, the NYC Annex of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
is only a few a few blocks from where I was staying. The first person I
saw when I got there was Daniel Rey (Ramones procuder/ guitarist in The
Martinets), I was having a chat with him when Arturo Vega (Ramones
creative director) joined us. I asked Arturo if he was still interested
in all my old Ramones T-shirts for his 'museum'. A few years ago, Arturo
wanted my vintage tour T-shirts in exchange for new ones from his
website. I was interested in loaning them to him but I didn't want to
trade them for new ones. Now he couldn't even remember asking me! Daniel
said "Hang onto your shirts, they're collector's items". Of
course.
Anyway, the place was beginning to get a bit more crowded and eventually
everyone was asked to move into the screening room where Arturo Vega had
erected a poster of Joey. Just looking around, I could see Andy Shernoff
(The Dictators) and Richie Stotts (The Plasmatics) sitting with Daniel
Rey behind me. Legs McNeil (writer of Please Kill Me book etc.) came
over to them and claimed not to recognise Richie without his mohican.
Lenny Kaye, Lee Black Childers, Bob Gruen, Donna Gaines, George Seminara
etc. etc. took their seats as Mickey Leigh, Tommy Ramone, Monte Melnick,
Arturo etc. congregated in the far corner waiting for the ceremony to
begin.
Joel Peresman, who introduced himself as President of the Hall Of Fame,
asked for quiet and then made a brief speech, apologising on behalf of
the Hall Of Fame for screwing up the original presentation and how glad
he was that they had a chance to rectify their wrongdoing. Joel
introduced Legs McNeil who made a brief speech, saying that Joey would
have been madder at the Hall Of Fame for ignoring Alice Coopper, The
Stooges and Kiss than he would have been because they messed up his
presentation and reminded us that Joey had triumphed over adversity and
illness to become a Rock and Roll star and role model.
Then Handsome Dick Manitoba (The Dictators) who had just arrived was
handed the mic. He joked about the non-punk rock bicycle helmet he was
still clutching and the non-punk rock Gucci reading glasses he was about
to put on to read his notes. He paid tribute to Joey and joked that
maybe one day The Dictators would be considered for the Rock And Roll
Hall Of Fame.
Danny Fields (early Ramones manager) then said how appropriate it was
that we were on Mercer Street across the road from where the Ramones had
first watched the New York Dolls perform. He joked about how bad the
Dolls were. Danny joked about being kicked off the Hall Of Fame
committee for being "too old" and emphasised that it was a procedural
mistake on behalf of the Hall Of Fame itself and NOT Johnny Ramone's
fault that Mickey and Charlotte were not invited to the stage to collect
Joey's statuette at the Waldorf Astoria in 2002.
Joel then passed the statuette to Danny who invited Mickey and Tommy to
accept it on Joey's behalf, to great applause.
Mickey emphasised how much the Hall Of Fame induction would have meant
to Joey and how much he would have loved the idea of the Annex on Mercer
Street. Mickey said Joey would have preferred this event over the one at
the Waldorf Astoria in 2002 because we were "below 14th Street' and
because he would have been surrounded by friends, family and fans rather
than "a bunch of record company people".
Mickey then introduced Tommy, saying: "Here's someone I first met when I
was ten years old". Tommy Ramone re-emphasised how much all this would
have meant to Joey and clarified a joke Danny had made about The Dolls,
insisting that the Ramones all loved The Dolls.
Then there was applause, hand-shakes, back-slaps and smiles exchanged
all around as Mickey, Tommy, Handsome Dick, Legs and Monte walked
through the museum to pose for photos in front of the CBGB apron in the
'New York' room.
Copyright 2009 -> : Text and photos: Mark Bannister.
Thanks Mark.
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