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RocknRoll Dysfunction or I was Elvis Ramone

Filed under: Clem Burke

It seems as though some great myth was created by the film A Hard Day's Night, it being that all RocknRoll bands were just one big happy family. I'm here to tell you that being in a band is like being a part of a dysfunctional family.

I spent a short time in The Ramones and there were problems in that family. The guitar player didn't speak to the singer and the bass guitarist sat in the back of the van getting stoned all the time. Of course The Ramones are our generation's Beatles, they also have a film. It's called "The End of the Century". It kind of bookends the whole myth thing for me. RIP Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee. Spinal Tap in reverse, the band had four drummers, all alive and well.

If you haven't seen the films, "Still Crazy" and "Stardust" I'd highly recommend them for further
insight into this wacky world. Paul Simon in "OneTrick Pony" is pretty good too, and then there's "Cisco Pike" starring Kris Kristofferson and Harry Dean Stanton. Let's not forget "The Rose" with Kris
and Barbara and of course there's "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls", the ultimate RocknRoll trashy movie.
Classics all!

Tags: clem burke

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