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Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone Kindle Edition

by Johnny Ramone (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 640 ratings
Editors' pick Best Biographies & Memoirs
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A photo-packed memoir by the Ramones guitarist and “true iconoclast” (Publishers Weekly).

Raised in Queens, New York, Johnny Ramone founded one of the most influential rock bands of all time, but he never strayed from his blue-collar roots and attitude. He was truly imbued with the angry-young-man spirit that would characterize his persona both on and off stage. Through it all, Johnny kept the band focused and moving forward, ultimately securing their place in music history by inventing punk rock.

The Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002—and two years later, Johnny died of cancer, having outlived two other founding members. Revealing, inspiring, and told on his own terms, this memoir also features Johnny’s assessment of the Ramones’ albums; a number of eccentric Top Ten lists; rare historical artifacts; and scores of personal and professional photos, many of which have never before been published.

“Feels like a conversation with Johnny.” —The Boston Globe
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  1. Print length
    278 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    ABRAMS Image
  5. Publication date
    April 1, 2012
  6. Grade level
    Preschool and up
  7. File size
    13274 KB
  8. Page Flip
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Cummings (1948–2004), aka Johnny Ramone, was ranked by Rolling Stone as #16 on its list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” In Time’s rating of the “10 Greatest Electric-Guitar Players,” he was named, in a fit of appropriate rebellion, #11.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007IV89TS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ABRAMS Image; Illustrated edition (April 1, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 13274 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 278 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 640 ratings

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Johnny Ramone

Johnny Ramone

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
640 global ratings
Perfect for a Ramones fan
5 Stars
Perfect for a Ramones fan
Really good autobiography by the Guitar God himself Johnny Ramone, and some really rare pictures
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Top reviews from the United States

orvuus
5.0 out of 5 stars Good reading for anyone, but essential for Ramones' fans
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2012
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I was quite surprised to see that this autobiography had come out, and probably wouldn't have if I hadn't bought I Slept With Joey Ramone. I haven't read that book yet, but when I got this I started reading and couldn't stop. It is written simply but clearly, and fills in a lot of gaps -- a lot of questions I had about the Ramones after seeing the DVD documentary End Of The Century: The story of the Ramones. In the End Of The Century documentary, which I think is really well done, you see these people Johnny is mentioning in his narrative, but I was left with the impression that it was solely because Johnny "stole" Joey's girlfriend that they'd had issues. He and Linda were clearly a lot more careful with hurting Joey's feelings than comes across in the movie, because they didn't want the band to break up over it. It was more the bad experience of the Spector-produced album that he credits the bad blood to. Also he gives a lot of praise to C.J., and makes it pretty clear what happened when various people "left" or were let go.

What really stands out in the book to me is how he was kind of aimless and randomly violent when he was young, and turned that energy into a discipline that could make the Ramones one of the -- if not the -- best bands in Rock and Roll. It is also sad that the radio never gave them any air time, because I actually thought the Ramones had broken up when I bought Pleasant Dreams around 1981 or so! I still could have seen them live, and only got into their music when it wasn't possible for me to go see them live, and I still kick myself for it. The mark of a great band is one that can get their act together for show after show, and really make a good time for the fans and even make amends if something happens to cause a show to be cancelled. Johnny was the glue that held them together for this, and it's enlightening to read this account, and a lot of fun to read about his interaction with other groups of the time, like Blondie, the Talking Heads, Iggy Pop, The Cramps, and many more. The book is short, but it makes up for it with really beautiful photos and nice thick heavy stock covers that make it look like pop art or something. Bottom line: all true Ramones fans should love this book. Five stars plus.
 End of the Century - The Story of the Ramones
Ramones: It's Alive 1974-1996 The Ultimate Double Live DVD
I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir
8 people found this helpful
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J. Hundley
5.0 out of 5 stars Of Course You Want to Read It
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2012
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If you are going so far as to look at this page and read the reviews, you know good and well you want to read the book. So go ahead - you'll like it. Even when you don't.

Johnny Ramone was certainly not a shrinking violet and, while a man of few public words, he didn't mince any of them. This is his story - his life before, during and after the Ramones, and he tells it simply, directly, and with an artlessness that ironically elevates his prose. Much like the Ramones themselves, actually.

Unimpressed with his own legend, JR makes no pretense of himself, while offering an honest opinion of his own place in rock 'n' roll. He viewed his job as, well, a JOB, and set out to do it well, give it his complete and unstinting effort and do his damnedest to make sure that his customers got their money's worth. Thanks to his vigilance and willingness to be a task-master, he made sure the other Ramones gave their all, too. This leads into the great ironies of Johnny Ramone:

An unapologetic "punk," he was the one who cracked the whip and made sure everyone was professional, prepared and on time. An icon of iconoclasm, he was a proud social and political conservative who loved America and the Republican party, he influenced and inspired countless young liberals and "anarchists" to pick up their guitars and howl.

All of which, and much more you'll read for yourself, make JR a fascinating individual. And if that isn't enough, there are scores of great photos, Johnny's own critique of the band's albums, and, perhaps most fun of all, a scattershot of lists of his favorite movies, ball players, etc. And while I am not sure how much I care for the cardboard covers, I AM fond of the sewn signatures, which bode well for at least part of its long term shelf life.

If you are here looking at this, you know you want to read this. So go on and read it. It's a lot more fun than reviews of it.
8 people found this helpful
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Scott
4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2015
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This book was published 8 years after Johnny's death, I don't know why it took so long to put together but they did a wonderful job---the book looks great. Anyway, this is what I liked about the book

-- Johnny is honest with what he thinks and feels
-- the pictures in the book are really good
-- the book covers just about everything a fan would want

Let's face it, Johnny was the only really sane one in the band who stuck it out till the end. No offense to the other guys The only other Ramones book I would have an interest in reading is by their road manager Monte Melnick "On the Road with the Ramones". I had a good time reading this book and learning more about the Ramones and the music scene during their career. It was ridiculous that MTV and record labels/radio never gave this band the exposure they deserved.

OK, some of the things I did not like or I had a problem with: Johnny complains about the band not getting national exposure and at the same time he refuses to do Saturday Night Live in late 1977, I still cannot believe he made that decision. It also came out later that Johnny never informed Joey or Dee Dee that they had the invite to get excellent national exposure. Wow. Also, I would have liked him to discuss MTV and the band's relationship there. If you never got exposure on MTV just tell us why.

Some of the other reviewers have mentioned that Johnny seemed angry and negative and I wanted to comment on that. Look at it this way, this guy busted his ass for over 20 years and saved money like crazy only to find out he had terminal cancer less than a year after they called it quits. He had no time to really enjjoy the free time he'd worked for. How would you feel??? Dealing with Dee Dee, Joey, and Marky on an almost daily basis was no picnic---give the guy a break, and give him more respect.
30 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Francis Petrie
5.0 out of 5 stars awesome book
Reviewed in Canada on February 10, 2024
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if your a ramones fan you will love this
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Maxwell Martello
5.0 out of 5 stars Sintetico, veloce, dritto al punto... THIRD RULE IS: DON'T TALK TO COMMIES!
Reviewed in Italy on June 17, 2021
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Biografia postuma e molto corta, ma assolutamente gradevole da leggere e di fatto "completa". Si colgono bene l'umorismo laconico di Johnny e la sua personalità dominante.

Bellissima la sezione fotografica, apprezzabile la copertina spessa, divertenti le classifiche finali.
Non concordo con Johnny riguardo al suo giudizio molto critico degli LP tra "Too Tough To Die" e "Adios Amigos" esclusi. Ci sono molti brani spettacolari nei dischi minori. Ad esempio "Mental Hell" e "Death of Me", dove la paranoia di Joey e/o Dee Dee incontra arrangiamenti più quadrati, flirtando con l'heavy metal.

Da amante del gruppo e delle autobiografie di musicisti, la considero indispensabile quanto quella di Lemmy.
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Donnadieu
5.0 out of 5 stars Hey Ho! Let's go!
Reviewed in France on October 1, 2018
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J'ai été intrigué par ce personnage: grincheux, colérique, (dixit Lisa Marie Presley), Américain américanisé pro US jusqu'au bout des ongles, amateur de base-ball et admirateur de Reagan, mais surtout: le guitariste des Ramones! S'il est un groupe qui aura renouvelé le rock'n'roll, c'est bien celui-ci - et Johnny nous donne son point (poing?) de vue, sans fard, sans faux semblants. C'est franc, direct, d'une honnêteté qui en est parfois déroutante (en particulier dans ses rapports avec Joey), mais l'essentiel est là : son groupe il y croit, les Ramones ce sont les meilleurs! peu importe MTV ou les radios qui les snobent, 2263 concerts plus tard lorsqu'ils décident de raccrocher, ils ont changé le paysage musical à jamais. Dans un style direct et concis, similaire à son style de jeu unique, Johnny nous amène à travers l'Amérique et le monde en commando punk (tout en gardant un oeuil sur le bas de laine pour la retraite) en relatant les aventures ramonesques à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur jusqu'au dernier instant.

Le livre est en anglais, mais je pense parfaitement accessible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYh1lRR1m6Y
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Gonzalo Gómez García
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy recomendable
Reviewed in Spain on November 17, 2014
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Gran libro que descubre las entrañas de los ramones y quien movía los hilos...Recomendable tanto para fanáticos como para novatos en el mundo ramoniano
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HWP
5.0 out of 5 stars Inside a crazy punk rock,Ronald Reagan fan's mind.
Reviewed in Japan on March 27, 2016
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My review may be a bit overwhelming for those who are still soundly asleep in a world of make-believe and television and who don't want to hear how Mr. Johnny Ramone wore his ignorance like a badge of honor on his sleeve. First, the misinformation: Johnny suggests that he's merely trying to make this world a better place in which to live. Where the heck did he come up with that? As you ponder the answer to that question, consider that his method (or school, or ideology—it is hard to know exactly what to call it) goes by the name of “Johnny-ism”. It is a vilipensive and avowedly frowsy philosophy that aims to demand special treatment that, in many cases, borders on the ridiculous.

Johnny lived for one reason and for one reason only: to teach the next generation how to hate—and whom to hate. This is a fundamental and obvious truth that he thoroughly ignores. Sounds pretty tyrannous, doesn't it? But is it any more so than his abysmal, bestial put-downs?

Given a choice of having Johnny give me reason to fall into the traps set for me by his confederates or having my bicuspids extracted sans Novocaine, I, for one, would embrace the pliers, purchase some Polident Partials, and call it a day. Now here is something that will stun and very likely outrage many who read this: His shills fight more for the negative destruction of opposing ideologies than for the positive promotion of their own. If you don't believe me then consider that the problem with Johnny is not that he's condescending. It's that he wants to use tammanyism as a more destructive form of Oblomovism. Here's some news for people who are surprised by sunrise: Even if one isn't completely conversant with current events, the evidence overwhelmingly indicates that it wasn't so long ago that people like you and me were free to transform our pending national elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. Recently, that's become a lot harder to do. What happened that changed things so much? To put it briefly, Johnny Ramone happened. By transforming our whole society to suit his own unenlightened interests, Johnny has managed to require schoolchildren to be taught that the Queen of England heads up the international drug cartel. Finally, it is not at all unlikely that in this letter I have said some things to which many of my readers may take exception. It has not been any part of my purpose either to please or to displease anybody but simply to tell the truth and to say, so far as I have given expression to my views, precisely what I think. And what I think is this: The rectitude of racialism has become a matter of theological conviction for Mr. Johnny Ramone.
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