10 QUESTIONS : Joey Ramone

Joey Ramone is pushing 40 but he still maintains a healthy relationship with his teen-age identity crisis. The pimples, the pizza, the raging hormones, the torn blue jeans and black leather attitude together occupy a prominent place in Joey’s cerebral cortex. And, as one of the four eternal teen-agers known as the Ramones, singer Joey vows to keep on rockin’ till the lights go out for good.

Formed in New York 16 years ago and hailed as founding fathers of punk, the Ramones pioneered a brilliantly simple approach to rock built around short, explosive chords played at the speed of light. This defiantly fundamental style has worn remarkably well over the years.

Currently on tour with Deborah Harry, the Tom Tom Club and Jerry Harrison, the Ramones will be at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on Friday, San Diego State University’s Open Air Theatre on Saturday, the Greek Theatre on Aug. 8 and the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara on Aug. 10.

In this interview, Joey ruminates on punk, the passing years and Pete Townshend.

Question: Did the Ramones invent punk rock?

Answer: Yeah. There was no such thing as punk rock before us. When we came along in the mid-’70s there was a huge void in music. It was the beginning of disco and corporate rock, and bands like ELP, Pink Floyd and Boston were passing themselves off as rock ‘n’ roll--no way is that rock ‘n’ roll. We stripped it down to the bone and reassembled it with the excitement, guts and raw energy rock ‘n’ roll is supposed to have. Basically, we made it fun again.

When we went to England in 1976, the big thing there was pub rock, but the word was out about us and tons of kids came to our sound check at Dingwalls. (The Sex Pistols’) John Lydon and (the Clash’s) Joe Strummer were there that day, and they later told us we were directly responsible for inspiring them to form their own bands.

Q: What did punk accomplish? Did it bring about any long-term change in the music business or society?

A: Punk changed everything--music, culture, philosophy. The world changed 360 degrees.

Q: If punk changed everything, then how do you explain the wave of extreme conservatism that’s currently sweeping across America?

A: You’ll always have your mainstream, but on the other hand there’s a minority of artists doing great things. The Chili Peppers, Guns N’ Roses, the rap artists--there’s a real strong underground on the left, and it’s not that far underground. Music is in its healthiest period ever right now.

Q: The Ramones’ music is about teen-age frustration, yet you all stopped being teen-agers almost 20 years ago. What does it mean to you to sing these songs now? Do you still relate to them?

A: Yeah, because everybody relates to frustration. Of course you realize you’re gettin’ on a bit, but being in rock ‘n’ roll keeps ya young. For one thing, our audience keeps getting younger--most of our fans are around 16 years old. A few original fans still show up--I guess the arthritis hasn’t set in for them yet--but for the most part our audience is very young.

Q: It’s generally thought that bands need to move in new directions in order to remain vital, but the Ramones haven’t tampered with their original style at all. Why?

A: Because we created a unique trademark style and sound, which is something everybody tries to achieve but few accomplish. Less than 10 bands since the inception of rock ‘n’ roll have created a unique sound: Buddy Holly, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Elvis Presley, the Who, the Byrds--and the Ramones.

Q: What new young bands are carrying on in the spirit of the Ramones?

A: Faith No More is very inventive and unique. They’re taking different styles of music and doing something exciting and fresh with them.

Q: What’s the greatest live act you’ve ever seen?

A: The Who, the first time they played America in 1967. They had so much aggression and were so visual and had such character and great songs--they really blew my mind. Unfortunately, when Keith Moon died a bit of Pete Townshend died as well and he’s never been the same since. And now with his aches and pains and hearing problems--he shouldn’t go around complaining like that. I mean, you’re in or you’re out, you know what I mean?

Q: How do you maintain the physical stamina your show requires? The Ramones are a pretty high-energy band.

A: You have to take good care of yourself and we’re very health-conscious. We like pizza and beer but we don’t live on that stuff and we’re careful about what we eat, and try to get enough sleep and take vitamins. Being in this band is a big responsibility, and you have to be able to hold up your end. There’s no room for slouchers in the Ramones.

Q: Your music does much better on the European charts than on the American charts. How do you explain that?

A: Because there’s so much politics in the American music industry. Plus, Europeans have a deeper appreciation of rock ‘n’ roll. American kids are spoiled and take things for granted because there are lots of different media and entertainment outlets here. Over there they don’t have that much. Don’t get me wrong, I love America--it’s my home, I’m happy to be here and I have all the conveniences. But it’s a lot of bull here when it comes to music.

Q: Do you envision a day when you’ll have outgrown this band?

A: To be truthful, yeah. I don’t know whether it means I’ve outgrown them already, but I’ve been wanting to do a solo record for a while now. A lot of people would interpret my doing a solo record as a sign I’ve lost interest in the band, but that’s not the case. There’s no reason you can’t do all kinds of things, and I’ll always enjoy the Ramones because performing with this band taps into something inside me that’s so intense I can’t explain it.