Off-the-rack Ramones
The back-street cool of the Ramones had as much to do with the foursome’s scruffy, from-the-street ensembles and Prince Valiant haircuts as it did their chantable punk anthems. Part greaser, part street urchin, the look was narrow and no-frills -- marked by skintight jeans, dark sunglasses, leather biker jackets and scuffed, cheapie sneakers.
The “whatever, man” aesthetic has influenced designers such as Hedi Slimane and Morphine Generation’s Erik Hart, bands including the Strokes and style arbiters such as model du jour Irina Lazareanu. Ramones T-shirts, which the band itself often sported, have also come roaring back into mode -- co-opted by wholesome celebs including Jennifer Garner and Hilary Duff to lend some edge, no doubt.
It’s no wonder, then, that mass fashion companies have jumped on the Ramones bandwagon. Converse introduced a Ramones high-top All-Star model last summer and the SoCal surf-skate company Hurley launched a Ramones-inspired clothing collection early this month, emblazoned with historic Ramones photos and logos. (Hurley is in the midst of a legal tussle with the Ramones over copyright issues -- which didn’t stop the company from throwing a party at Fred Segal, celebrating the “collaboration.”)
We caught up with Marky Ramone, who took over for original drummer Tommy Ramone in 1978 (the two are the only surviving band members). How is it possible that the band’s ultra-louche style -- after being swallowed up and co-opted for 33 years -- still feels as edgy as ever? It’s authentic, man.
The band had a very specific way of dressing -- how did it originate?
I came from Brooklyn and the others came from Queens. In the neighborhoods we came from, it was leather jacket and jeans. In the mid-’70s, a lot of bands were getting custom clothes made. But I wasn’t about to wear a gold lame jacket and satin pants and lipstick. I would have gotten my ass kicked. We went the opposite way of all the other groups. They combed their hair back, and we combed it forward. We wore the same things as a band as we did through high school. We never nurtured a look.
The band’s style was very homogenous. Did anyone ever veer off course and had to be reined back in?
Never. We would occasionally throw in a striped shirt or something. Another big thing for us was getting lettering on our shirts -- like from one of those T-shirt print shops. They would say things like “Ramones New York City.” Dee Dee [Ramone] came up with the concept of the eagle [which turned into the band logo]. He used to go to army/navy stores. We were an American band, and we were proud to be American.
Why do you think the look resonated with fans so strongly?
Kids could dress like us -- they didn’t have to spend $400 on a custom-made thing. Most likely we weren’t the best looking guys individually, but you put us together and we looked like a group. Like the Beatles, we looked like a unit, and that’s what we were.
How would you account for the enduring popularity of the band’s style?
When you see something that’s come up from the streets, you know it. People see something in the Ramones that’s real. It doesn’t even matter anymore how far you go back to find something you can sink your teeth into. I can go and get my whole body tattooed and say, “I’m a punk.” But being punk rock isn’t about the exterior, it’s the interior. That’s just another sign of something that’s a fashion. And that’s not how it works; you don’t just put it on.
What did you think about mass fashion companies creating Ramones merchandise?
The Converse shoes were nice. I would have made the fabric a more real black -- they were a little frayed and faded looking. I do not endorse [the Hurley] line. I haven’t seen it, and the very fact it’s being sold at Fred Segal seems the antithesis of what the Ramones were about.
Do you think some magic is lost when bands don’t dress themselves?
If you’re going to be a band and you’re going to pick your look off a [prepared] rack, think before you do it. You’re going to have to live with that look a long time.
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