Henry nails a Ramones gig. It was physically punishing, the music a tidal wave of noise. You were a beaten pulp. Full beers dancing off the table. You really did want it to end, you needed it to end, you actually needed to escape. Fantastic, life changing.
2nd only to Motorhead! Motorhead clubs you over the head by song 3! But even Lemmy was impressed enough to write a little didi bout em…Motorhead, ACDC, Ramones, Man O War were the loudest shows i ever saw.
Classic and true explanation. Hey, we’re the Ramones, take it Dee Dee. 1982 my cool mom let me and my younger brother cut school and she drop us off at Nassau Community College for a free Ramones show. We were hooked. Saw them close to 100 times from 82-till it ended. Great times. Only disappointment was the final show being in California and not NYC where it really should of been for the real fans.
What Henry Describes as his experience at his first ramones gig... is exactly the sane as my experience seeing motorhead in 1984 as a 16 year old getting a lesson on a club gig ... Awesome!
I like him cause he's not afraid to show affections as well as hatred towards people. Unlike some commenters on the Internet who is only capable of preconceived hatred whatsoever.
Absolutely the most descriptive dead on account I've ever heard. It brought back such memories, I swear to you, I could literally smell the smegma, dank, heavy, urine, beer and sweat filled air as I did back then. And the 1 2 3 4 in between every song in rapid fire succession. Man, those were the days. The Ramones rocked. The only thing I would add from my experience of concerts in the big arenas such as MSG, is that when the lights went up at the end of the show, you could literally not see the other side of the garden through the thick fog of marijuana and cigarette smoke lingering in the air. Ah yes, my youth. It was a magical time. Thank you Henry for the trip down memory lane.
Caught The Ramones at a smallish venue in '80 & '81 in Florida. I gotta say, they gave me a thorough ass kicking each time. Relentless. Tremendous stamina. Pure energy. For 70/80 minutes your locked in. No piss breaks. No refreshments. No chit chat. And walking out with your body soaking wet from sweat & vibrating from the amp onslaught. Glorious.
I must add that Dee Dee was not only the most prolific songwriter in the beginning, he was always the chief songwriter. After he quit, he continued to write songs for the Ramones.
This time he's more than accurate : to see The Ramones live was a life experience : the moshpit was basically a giant brawl - they went on stage and Joey look SO STRANGE - he went 1..2..3..4 and you're into the pandemonium - no pause between one song and another - a sonic assault - it was fantastic, legendary, unforgettable 🥲
Ramones were amazing to see. If you never saw them live it was an amazing experience. They came out it was amazing. They were one of a kind. RIP Legends.
Well... I think the "Yeeeeeaaaahh" was more a Jerry Cantrell thing than a Layne Staley thing. Notice how it persists in Anger Rising but is completely absent from Social Parasite.
@@watts111 Cher and Layne Staley should never be compared together. Cher is a pop singer who cares about making music based off of what the latest music trend is and Layne is a guy who just cares about writing good, honest music, irregardless of what the latest trend is
Crazy coincidence, I was at a punk show when I heard Dee Dee died and I went to a punk show the nights that Johnny and Joey died. Every time the bands that played would play covers in tribute and the crowds went absolutely insane. For all their flaws The Ramones have a legacy that can't be denied. Dee Dee's voice was the best. Sad I never got to see em. Nothin in the world can compare to a punk show. Doesn't matter if it's street bands playin bluegrass style flail punk or crust bands playin some straightedge hole in the wall it gives ya something inside. Makes ya feel alive. I've seen every kinda band from all kinds of genres but I've been on stage and sang along with the singers of The Addicts, GBH, Subhumans, Caustic Christ, Leftover Crack, Lower Class Brats, Municipal Waste, Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front, Circle Jerks and dozens of other bands and hung out with most of em before and after shows and ya just can't say that about any other music really. I came up with mostly hip hop, R&B, soul and gospel but I am forever grateful to the punks on the block for tuning me in! Gotta say a lot of bands did me like this 😂
My own crazy coincidence, not really, more of a curse, is whenever growing up that i ever got into a certain musician or band; the person always died right after, got into soundgarden in my early teens and then cornell died, got into stone temple pilots, then scott died a handful of years later, almost made me anxious on getting into anyone because of being afraid that i'd kill them by simply liking them lol
GIMME GIMME SHOCK TREATMENT is far and away my favorite RAMONES tune. the rotten luck of their personal lives is unprecedented in Rock. we share your pain, Henry .
Just happen to be surfing the net and your post made my night.I have taken in Sir Henry Rollins spoken words tours before....but never enlightening me about The Ramones...THANK-YOU
All these views and likes, yet all I see in the comments are people who seem to have a personal problem already with Henry before they came here & just wish for the public to know how they feel about a person they do not like...yet are here watching the videos and commenting.
And Rollins seems to tell a story quiet nicely. When he talks about other people, it's full-on about them or even contrasting himself to highlight them, unlike some comment says it's all about himself or whatever. And he never trashes a guy without reason and just leaves meaningless hatred-filled rants. So yeah, people who comment negatively often is preconceived and even more sadly, not willing to adapt and grow and learn.
Punks were all assholes? Do your homework before feeling justified to even comment. Punk came out of a financially fucked and burnt out London. The originals were pissed off and rightly so. I was a teen when punk hit the US...it was a relief from the hippie movement in the US. I was a huge fan and so was my crew in high school. I have no recollection whatsoever of hating anybody. If anything we were accepting of non conformists...for many it the only crowd that would accept them. Rollins describes the scene to a tee...small venues...the music was just the opposite of the big arena bands reducing highly produced music and shows and reducing that shit to 4 chords and dive bars..Too bad you missed the movement...your loss
Exactly my first punk show at the Sanamonica Civic Center,Ramones & the Runaways....I knew that I was 4 ever PuNk...let's see I'm? ? 56 and still get off on the old shit like DKs,Dead Boys,Iggy,Slits,Adolescent,Circle Jerks,Flipper,The Germs,Fear,MDC,Black Flag,Agent Orange, Tex and the Horseheads,TSOL,The Cramps,Dickies,Flesheaters,D.O.A,.also The Goth thing was fun 2 Bauhaus,Christian Death,Siouxie and the Banshees. Joy Division...I could go on and on....
The first time, I saw the Ramones at the Fast Lane in Asbury Park in 1978 or 1979. I was 3 feet from the stage. My memory of the show is a whirl and a blur but the feeling was of one of the greatest shows I ever saw. On the negative, my ears were ringing for a month from the wall of speakers on either side of the small stage. It still has physical ramifications to this day as I still need earplugs when I see a live show today as it's otherwise painful and I get this weird echo. But I don't regret seeing that show. Ever.
I've seen pro stand-up comedians in the US not quite as good as Henry. And the theme of his comedy is my reason of being, punk rock music. Hilarious stuff.
I grew up in Glenarden MD . that was in walking distance of the capital centre . I saw the same shows he did . If you search capital centre on you tube , it will pull up a lot of the shows he's talking about . That place was state of the art when it was built , and had a large video monitor in the middle of the ceiling on all four sides . many of the shows were recorded from the 70''s and 80' s
I will never know what it will be like to see the Ramones live. They broke up while i was still in juior high and hadnt even discovered their greatness yet. I think thats the real sad part when a band member dies a window is closed that can never be reopened.
Oh my.....just love Henry's stories ... Arena concerts suck so realy bad.......especially when you'd had the opportunity to see bands like Zeppelin , Deep Purple ,Alice Cooper in a proper concert hall with great acoustics . Tried these concrete behemoth air raid shelters a few times and came out every time with the empty feeling I'd been pickpocketed .
in all honesty the show that was the equivalent to this for me was Black Flag and the Misfits. A friends older brother snuck us in and we easily got lost in the crowd due how packed it was and the fact that I was young and a lot smaller than the majority of the crowd. I barely caught a glimpse of anyone on stage. the music attitude everything severally impacted me. later in life i found a vinyl recording of the Misfits - no title Fiend on Bright Orange - recorded by a Chicago area college radio station - but it was from the same year as the show I saw and amazing thanks Henry and Black Flag so full of nostalgia.
Best rock & roll band of all time. Hands down. Case closed. And re: the count-in, I once played in a Ramones tribute band called 1234 GO! Sure we sucked but damn that was fun. Thx Henry!
I saw the Ramones over 30 times from 1979 to their Adios Amigos show in Philly in a snow storm in 96. That last show blew my mind for over a year. Every Ramones show was an event except for when they played awful venues like Great Adventure. When you saw the Ramones all rules left the venue. It was survival of the fittest. The overpowering sound, energy, the precision, clocklike mentality that went for 90 minutes. You were drained.
omg this is great i laughed so much listening to Henry recall the Ramones, I saw them when i was 15 in 1978 and i tell ya i feel lucky that there was girls in front and behind me lolllllllllllllll. thanks for posting, this made my night.
Having only gotten the privilege of seeing Rollins spoken word performance (amazing). Of course. Hanks wheels are turning so much faster than the rest of ours. So intelligent, duh?, so massive a real human. What I love about Henry Rollins is he is so human. So vulnerable. Vulnerable = the strongest human emotion and be cool with it. Gonna go crank 10 & 1/2. Don't did old Henry.
I got to see The Ramones at Lollapalooza of all places in 1996. Probably my favorite concert of all time. Next to the Kiss reunion concert same year with The Melvins opening
I saw the Ramones eight times from '84 to '89 and yeah Henry describes the experience to the letter! I'm remembering certain things now, like Monte and Johnny having the tour dates memorized. Their music right before they went on was great, too. Motorhead, AC/DC, The Damned. Take it away Dee Dee !!!
Henry is a good story teller , is smart and has good comedic timing. I appreciate him more as a commentator, stand-up and writer than as a singer. I love Black Flag but he was just singer #4 to me. But it takes guts to take the stage with that band a crowd with long hair and nothing but a sweaty pair of gym shorts. They probably were not as afraid he'd punch them as that his balls might get ground into their faces. ha-ha. I'd be scared too.
Yeah Henry is one cool dude . He is everything that posers ain't..his recounts of a rocknroll journey is fact based, and too funny to even try not to laugh at...you just gotta laugh , uou cant make that shit up
My generation, my past and present in the words of a great storyteller. I love black flag, but Henry undoubtedly outperforms himself in these live matches.
I've got to thank Don Kirschner's Rock Concert, for my introduction to the Ramones (and punk rock). I remember, my brother and I would microphone tape record (cassette), from a 12" B&W TV, Don Kirschner's. When the Ramones came on, we were Rock fan's and said, "What is this crap? They don't even know how to play lead" or whatever. By the end of the first song, it was all over. We had to admit, "You know, this kinda kicks ass!!". I think we were looking at Cream and Hit Parader, which seemed to be a crossover for Rock and punk (Thank you, mags). Then when we finally got to see Ramones, we saw were the image and music came together and became hardcore fans.
The best part about having Hank as one of my inspirations since I was 15... The fact that he gave up trying to string out the singing. Rollins band seriously did my soul wrong at the first listen of the ,end of silence. This man is so true.
..to put a final statement on what Rollin's so elecantly said......and that is why the Ramones were the great band of all time, imo. I was born in 1981 and they were/are my Beatles. I am sure a ton of people feel the same way.
People came here to hear Henry Rollins tell stories, for those who have a problem with him just ignore him & go watch something you do like. I don't understand why people would waste their time complaining about someone or something they don't like when they watch videos by choice. It's not like it's TV programming where you have to watch whatever is on, with Internet we can make our own programming & watch what we personally want to watch. It's obvious that people who don't like the guy only come here to complain about him, but no worries, as I'm sure the feeling is mutual for him! And who cares whether or not he might actually be gay or bi, that's his own damn business, & I wouldn't be surprised if he was. He's doing what he likes, unlike all the people who seem to love to do what they don't like by going to videos & complaining about it. Sure, everyone's free to have an opinion, but if there are much better things to do, then why bother wasting time on things they hate?
how he felt about those lame bar shows is how I feel about live music in LA today.... it genuinely feels like it's just depressed 35 year olds who work in banking trying to escape their stupid life by holding a drink and bobbing their head slightly.... and the drinks are so expensive no one would dance in fear of risking their drink spilling. Does anyone else feel this way??? God, I would give anything to see the Ramones, to go to a show like that even. We don't have rock heroes today though.
wow, henry, the cap center! still got aboot twenty five ticket stubs! humble pie....black sabbath....van halen opening for nugent....robin trower...kiss...queen...WOW!
I would love to chat with this guy, he's so enthusiastic, who else matches this guy for enthusiasm?, every time i hear him talk i'm really impressed by him, you can tell he's genuinely interested in what he's speaking about.
Henry, back in the day here on Long Island EVERYONE my age hated the Ramones except myself and handful of other misfit weirdos. In fact a guy I knew threw a beer bottle at Joey's head during a show where they opened for Aerosmith.
Funny thing, I'm 43 and I have gone through the whole "re-buying my past on c.d." thing, because I tossed my old cassettes and albums out, year's ago. Also, I totally understand what he meant about feeling as if you've lost a friend, when your musical inspiration dies. I felt the exact same way when, Layne Staley, David Bowie and Prince died. Like I lost a friend, or family member!
7:00 that's a great way of saying how punk music is relatable in the best way. It's not fuck it all attitude, but to take no shit in your life. No singing about sunshine a and flower and glamours that can solve the situation, but something about what's going on with those could happens that shied away
great stories as ever. my first "real" gig was SLF & similar to Henty it was too packed out. The guy in front of me had studs on the back his leather jacket and being crammed together it caused some very unpleasent but thankfully minor damage to my face as he bounced up & down in the then very popular "pogo" way.
If I could go back and experience one single moment it would be a young Dee Dee Ramone 4 count. I’m only 30 years old I’m so pissed I never got to see them. I remember going to 3rd grade sad when Dee Dee died. Rip mother fuckers.
Funny thing is, I had a similar experience with Henry when I saw Black Flag. I was literally two feet from him. Let’s just say he’s much calmer than he was back then. Intense.
The real deal The Ramones! Lemmy said it best “ THE RAMONES” when Lemmy Kilmeister writes a song with you in it, you are made! RIP Ramones, Lemmy, Fast Eddie. Phil…
Its true! when you get old you gradually embrace everything you existed against (musically) At 50 I discovered the Smiths. Yes I know Hank has a thing against Morrisey, but if he can wax nostalgic about Alice In Chains then I can listen to the Smiths. Its not like Alice In Chains weren't junkies and were really great people. I can tolerate Morriseys arrogance more than the latter's junkie dramatics.
+centralscrutinizer66 Right on! I'm your age and now listen to a wider range of music compared to my youth. I became a fan of the Smith's/Morrisey a few years back and recently just found the Dandy Warholes. I now seek out bands I never would have listen too as a kid. Enjoy your musical journey!
Exactly! I find it gratifying to rediscover music that I just wasn't into because of age or the fact I listened to one genre (punk / Hardcore) or even dismissed because of image like The Smiths. I'll always love the harsh stuff, but I'm finding plenty of room for quieter noise.
Note: not long after our dialogue I started listening to the Dandy Warhols. I am now a lifelong fan, but it's weird grooving on music recorded 20 years ago that sounds new. Were the 90's that long ago?
Love Henry but The Arena Sound was much better than what he describes in the 70s. At least where I lived. Also we had a place, The Tower Theater in Upper Darby right outside of Philly that had excellent acoustics. They had a lot of things figured out by the late 70s like the ability to send different frequencies to different speakers so that a guitar chord would sound like 500 feet tall... I remember them playing Dark Side Of The Moon through the system before a show that was Headlined by Fleetwood Mac but Steve Miller blew them off the stage at JFK Stadium and it sounded tremendous... like they might have had a reel to reel copy... Yes had a tremendous sound system back then...
Henry nails a Ramones gig. It was physically punishing, the music a tidal wave of noise. You were a beaten pulp. Full beers dancing off the table. You really did want it to end, you needed it to end, you actually needed to escape. Fantastic, life changing.
true 100%.
I wish I could've experienced them, I was a year old when they broke up
I couldn't hear for 3 days afterwards!
2nd only to Motorhead! Motorhead clubs you over the head by song 3! But even Lemmy was impressed enough to write a little didi bout em…Motorhead, ACDC, Ramones, Man O War were the loudest shows i ever saw.
I got to be honest : despite the gig was really a war, for me was not enough - even two extra hours would be not enough
Ian McKay and Henry Rollins in the car after the Ramones gig is a beautiful image. Thanks Henry
woah that’s super cool! didn’t realize that until you pointed it out, love minor threat!
The Ramones are legends and Henry Rollins telling his story about see their show is awesome.....
Classic and true explanation. Hey, we’re the Ramones, take it Dee Dee. 1982 my cool mom let me and my younger brother cut school and she drop us off at Nassau Community College for a free Ramones show. We were hooked. Saw them close to 100 times from 82-till it ended. Great times. Only disappointment was the final show being in California and not NYC where it really should of been for the real fans.
It's pretty much impossible to be depressed when listening to The Ramones.
Exactly why I listen all the time.
Try Radiohead or The Smiths
@@wiisalute Why? I love Radiohead and the Smiths but it's definitely not feel good music.
@@wiisalute no
I've been depressed hearing shitty covers bands playing Ramones songs many times
"When Creed or that nickleback bitch do it..." Thank you Henry, thank you
I saw The Ramones in a small club in the early 80's and they had "it" One of the best shows EVA!
i saw them in a bowling alley in brockton, mass. rollins' description is spot on. SPOT ON.
What Henry Describes as his experience at his first ramones gig... is exactly the sane as my experience seeing motorhead in 1984 as a 16 year old getting a lesson on a club gig ... Awesome!
ctp Mark This comment brought back memories of being 14 and getting into a Motorhead show at L'Amour in Brooklyn. Lol nice 🤘
January 2023 RIP Angels.See you on the other side ☦️. Concerts galore. Philadelphia USA
I saw the Ramones 13 times, I utterly loved them and miss them terribly.
I like him cause he's not afraid to show affections as well as hatred towards people. Unlike some commenters on the Internet who is only capable of preconceived hatred whatsoever.
Henry is right! The Ramones are fuckin' Awesome!!
From a big Ramones fan, love the description of the show. Puts you there.
Now I wanna sniff some glue.
😂
Carbona, NOT glue.
I just wanna have something to do TOnight.
@@davidderifield3820 depending on who, someone to do and something to do
@@davidderifield3820 - then I did what God forbade…
Absolutely the most descriptive dead on account I've ever heard. It brought back such memories, I swear to you, I could literally smell the smegma, dank, heavy, urine, beer and sweat filled air as I did back then. And the 1 2 3 4 in between every song in rapid fire succession. Man, those were the days. The Ramones rocked. The only thing I would add from my experience of concerts in the big arenas such as MSG, is that when the lights went up at the end of the show, you could literally not see the other side of the garden through the thick fog of marijuana and cigarette smoke lingering in the air. Ah yes, my youth. It was a magical time. Thank you Henry for the trip down memory lane.
Caught The Ramones at a smallish venue in '80 & '81 in Florida. I gotta say, they gave me a thorough ass kicking each time. Relentless. Tremendous stamina. Pure energy. For 70/80 minutes your locked in. No piss breaks. No refreshments. No chit chat. And walking out with your body soaking wet from sweat & vibrating from the amp onslaught. Glorious.
@@CosmicConnection968 Cowards
Gutless
@@CosmicConnection968 My sincere apology CC. replied to the wrong post. Sorry!
Long live the Ramones.
Wow he’s an amazing story teller. I just saw Joey on Conan recently. He was such a sweet man. RIP big guy!!
I must add that Dee Dee was not only the most prolific songwriter in the beginning, he was always the chief songwriter. After he quit, he continued to write songs for the Ramones.
'That Creed or Nickleback Bitch.' Ha! Ha! Hell Yeah!
Lunatic4Bizcas Ha Ha Ha🤘🤘🤘
Always an enthralling tale with Mister Rollins.
This time he's more than accurate : to see The Ramones live was a life experience : the moshpit was basically a giant brawl - they went on stage and Joey look SO STRANGE - he went 1..2..3..4 and you're into the pandemonium - no pause between one song and another - a sonic assault -
it was fantastic, legendary, unforgettable 🥲
Ramones were amazing to see. If you never saw them live it was an amazing experience. They came out it was amazing. They were one of a kind. RIP Legends.
When Laney sings 'Yeeeeeeaaaaahhhh', you get chills he is singing from the other side. Truth Spoken.
Well... I think the "Yeeeeeaaaahh" was more a Jerry Cantrell thing than a Layne Staley thing. Notice how it persists in Anger Rising but is completely absent from Social Parasite.
It may be added by tracking overdubs in the studio. If Cantrell does it live is another matter.
RIP.
Except it's Cher who has the copyright on it. Sorry Henry.
@@watts111 Cher and Layne Staley should never be compared together. Cher is a pop singer who cares about making music based off of what the latest music trend is and Layne is a guy who just cares about writing good, honest music, irregardless of what the latest trend is
Crazy coincidence, I was at a punk show when I heard Dee Dee died and I went to a punk show the nights that Johnny and Joey died. Every time the bands that played would play covers in tribute and the crowds went absolutely insane. For all their flaws The Ramones have a legacy that can't be denied. Dee Dee's voice was the best. Sad I never got to see em.
Nothin in the world can compare to a punk show. Doesn't matter if it's street bands playin bluegrass style flail punk or crust bands playin some straightedge hole in the wall it gives ya something inside. Makes ya feel alive. I've seen every kinda band from all kinds of genres but I've been on stage and sang along with the singers of The Addicts, GBH, Subhumans, Caustic Christ, Leftover Crack, Lower Class Brats, Municipal Waste, Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front, Circle Jerks and dozens of other bands and hung out with most of em before and after shows and ya just can't say that about any other music really. I came up with mostly hip hop, R&B, soul and gospel but I am forever grateful to the punks on the block for tuning me in!
Gotta say a lot of bands did me like this 😂
My own crazy coincidence, not really, more of a curse, is whenever growing up that i ever got into a certain musician or band; the person always died right after, got into soundgarden in my early teens and then cornell died, got into stone temple pilots, then scott died a handful of years later, almost made me anxious on getting into anyone because of being afraid that i'd kill them by simply liking them lol
GIMME GIMME SHOCK TREATMENT is far and away my favorite RAMONES tune. the rotten luck of their personal lives is unprecedented in Rock. we share your pain, Henry .
Henry!! This fires me up!! Legendary stories man, definitely
I got hooked on Henry's tales in the 80's when he wrote the end page for Spin magazine. Been a fan ever since 🤘
CBGB just included everyone from Blondie to Patty Smith to Talking Heads and Devo. The Ramones fucking mattered.
jonas brave Long live New York punk/new wave right?
Makes you wanna be a time traveller.
Just happen to be surfing the net and your post made my night.I have taken in Sir Henry Rollins spoken words tours before....but never enlightening me about The Ramones...THANK-YOU
All these views and likes, yet all I see in the comments are people who seem to have a personal problem already with Henry before they came here & just wish for the public to know how they feel about a person they do not like...yet are here watching the videos and commenting.
love rollins keep posting
And Rollins seems to tell a story quiet nicely. When he talks about other people, it's full-on about them or even contrasting himself to highlight them, unlike some comment says it's all about himself or whatever. And he never trashes a guy without reason and just leaves meaningless hatred-filled rants.
So yeah, people who comment negatively often is preconceived and even more sadly, not willing to adapt and grow and learn.
Punks were all assholes? Do your homework before feeling justified to even comment. Punk came out of a financially fucked and burnt out London. The originals were pissed off and rightly so. I was a teen when punk hit the US...it was a relief from the hippie movement in the US. I was a huge fan and so was my crew in high school. I have no recollection whatsoever of hating anybody. If anything we were accepting of non conformists...for many it the only crowd that would accept them. Rollins describes the scene to a tee...small venues...the music was just the opposite of the big arena bands reducing highly produced music and shows and reducing that shit to 4 chords and dive bars..Too bad you missed the movement...your loss
How do you feel to be the stupid fucking idiot guy wasting your stupid fucking idiot time acting all wise.
Eve Nam ..i before e sweetheart.. hahahajajanahahaha
You never forget your first ONETWOTHREEFOUR 😂
Exactly my first punk show at the Sanamonica Civic Center,Ramones & the Runaways....I knew that I was 4 ever PuNk...let's see I'm? ? 56 and still get off on the old shit like DKs,Dead Boys,Iggy,Slits,Adolescent,Circle Jerks,Flipper,The Germs,Fear,MDC,Black Flag,Agent Orange, Tex and the Horseheads,TSOL,The Cramps,Dickies,Flesheaters,D.O.A,.also The Goth thing was fun 2 Bauhaus,Christian Death,Siouxie and the Banshees. Joy Division...I could go on and on....
The first time, I saw the Ramones at the Fast Lane in Asbury Park in 1978 or 1979. I was 3 feet from the stage. My memory of the show is a whirl and a blur but the feeling was of one of the greatest shows I ever saw. On the negative, my ears were ringing for a month from the wall of speakers on either side of the small stage. It still has physical ramifications to this day as I still need earplugs when I see a live show today as it's otherwise painful and I get this weird echo. But I don't regret seeing that show. Ever.
I've seen pro stand-up comedians in the US not quite as good as Henry. And the theme of his comedy is my reason of being, punk rock music. Hilarious stuff.
wow what he said about layne(aic)it so true,thank you henry
I grew up in Glenarden MD . that was in walking distance of the capital centre . I saw the same shows he did . If you search capital centre on you tube , it will pull up a lot of the shows he's talking about . That place was state of the art when it was built , and had a large video monitor in the middle of the ceiling on all four sides . many of the shows were recorded from the 70''s and 80' s
Ken opalus
and mile long lines for too few baths and girls in men's baths using stalls and bowls for urinals
God damn,the Ramones came to my life at just the perfect time.This band will always be my favourite
I will never know what it will be like to see the Ramones live. They broke up while i was still in juior high and hadnt even discovered their greatness yet. I think thats the real sad part when a band member dies a window is closed that can never be reopened.
Oh my.....just love Henry's stories ... Arena concerts suck so realy bad.......especially when you'd had the opportunity to see bands like Zeppelin , Deep Purple ,Alice Cooper in a proper concert hall with great acoustics . Tried these concrete
behemoth air raid shelters a few times and came out every time with the empty feeling I'd been pickpocketed .
in all honesty the show that was the equivalent to this for me was Black Flag and the Misfits. A friends older brother snuck us in and we easily got lost in the crowd due how packed it was and the fact that I was young and a lot smaller than the majority of the crowd. I barely caught a glimpse of anyone on stage. the music attitude everything severally impacted me. later in life i found a vinyl recording of the Misfits - no title Fiend on Bright Orange - recorded by a Chicago area college radio station - but it was from the same year as the show I saw and amazing thanks Henry and Black Flag so full of nostalgia.
Best rock & roll band of all time. Hands down. Case closed. And re: the count-in, I once played in a Ramones tribute band called 1234 GO! Sure we sucked but damn that was fun. Thx Henry!
Definitely an accurate description of a Ramones show. After about 5 songs you would have to try and escape the front for your life.
I saw the Ramones over 30 times from 1979 to their Adios Amigos show in Philly in a snow storm in 96. That last show blew my mind for over a year. Every Ramones show was an event except for when they played awful venues like Great Adventure.
When you saw the Ramones all rules left the venue. It was survival of the fittest. The overpowering sound, energy, the precision, clocklike mentality that went for 90 minutes. You were drained.
omg this is great i laughed so much listening to Henry recall the Ramones, I saw them when i was 15 in 1978 and i tell ya i feel lucky that there was girls in front and behind me lolllllllllllllll. thanks for posting, this made my night.
Having only gotten the privilege of seeing Rollins spoken word performance (amazing). Of course. Hanks wheels are turning so much faster than the rest of ours. So intelligent, duh?, so massive a real human. What I love about Henry Rollins is he is so human. So vulnerable.
Vulnerable = the strongest human emotion and be cool with it. Gonna go crank 10 & 1/2. Don't did old Henry.
I’m a year older than Henry and he takes me right back to what it was like being a young rock music fan in the 70’s. Awesome story telling.
I got to see The Ramones at Lollapalooza of all places in 1996. Probably my favorite concert of all time. Next to the Kiss reunion concert same year with The Melvins opening
This picture is phenomenal. Even if you never heard any Ramones music before you KNOW how it sounds by this picture alone.
This recording has become as seminal a part of my life as any Ramones song.
I dig this!! Love hearing stories and I cannot get enough of Henry Rollins!! He's so articulate and poised!!
R.I.Punk Joe Strummer
Thomas McIsaac the dude died in 2002....
The way Henry expresses the arena experience in the 70s sounds like the way Roger Waters describes it.
I saw the Ramones eight times from '84 to '89 and yeah Henry describes the experience to the letter! I'm remembering certain things now, like Monte and Johnny having the tour dates memorized. Their music right before they went on was great, too. Motorhead, AC/DC, The Damned. Take it away Dee Dee !!!
his description of going to concerts back then is so spot on!
Saw them in 1990 when i was 16, with some buddies, and it was EXACTLY like this. We were fucked afterwards. Nobody gave you pre show tips back then!
I enjoyed that. Henry has a way of giving you real ideas but they are expressed in a simple way that is understandable
Henry is a good story teller , is smart and has good comedic timing. I appreciate him more as a commentator, stand-up and writer than as a singer. I love Black Flag but he was just singer #4 to me. But it takes guts to take the stage with that band a crowd with long hair and nothing but a sweaty pair of gym shorts. They probably were not as afraid he'd punch them as that his balls might get ground into their faces. ha-ha. I'd be scared too.
Yeah Henry is one cool dude . He is everything that posers ain't..his recounts of a rocknroll journey is fact based, and too funny to even try not to laugh at...you just gotta laugh , uou cant make that shit up
My generation, my past and present in the words of a great storyteller. I love black flag, but Henry undoubtedly outperforms himself in these live matches.
I've got to thank Don Kirschner's Rock Concert, for my introduction to the Ramones (and punk rock). I remember, my brother and I would microphone tape record (cassette), from a 12" B&W TV, Don Kirschner's. When the Ramones came on, we were Rock fan's and said, "What is this crap? They don't even know how to play lead" or whatever. By the end of the first song, it was all over. We had to admit, "You know, this kinda kicks ass!!". I think we were looking at Cream and Hit Parader, which seemed to be a crossover for Rock and punk (Thank you, mags). Then when we finally got to see Ramones, we saw were the image and music came together and became hardcore fans.
I was lucky enough to see The RAMONES 2 times in 1985 !!!!
The best part about having Hank as one of my inspirations since I was 15... The fact that he gave up trying to string out the singing. Rollins band seriously did my soul wrong at the first listen of the ,end of silence. This man is so true.
..to put a final statement on what Rollin's so elecantly said......and that is why the Ramones were the great band of all time, imo. I was born in 1981 and they were/are my Beatles. I am sure a ton of people feel the same way.
People came here to hear Henry Rollins tell stories, for those who have a problem with him just ignore him & go watch something you do like. I don't understand why people would waste their time complaining about someone or something they don't like when they watch videos by choice. It's not like it's TV programming where you have to watch whatever is on, with Internet we can make our own programming & watch what we personally want to watch. It's obvious that people who don't like the guy only come here to complain about him, but no worries, as I'm sure the feeling is mutual for him! And who cares whether or not he might actually be gay or bi, that's his own damn business, & I wouldn't be surprised if he was. He's doing what he likes, unlike all the people who seem to love to do what they don't like by going to videos & complaining about it. Sure, everyone's free to have an opinion, but if there are much better things to do, then why bother wasting time on things they hate?
Ramones will live forever.
awesome post. Thanks, man. Love Henry, Love Joey, Johnny, Tommy and DeeDee, Marky and CJ also, of course, may they live long and prosper
This is brilliant.
He's telling it how it was. Give us some praise for being there at the time. If your not our age don't tell us how it was.
this is poetry
how he felt about those lame bar shows is how I feel about live music in LA today.... it genuinely feels like it's just depressed 35 year olds who work in banking trying to escape their stupid life by holding a drink and bobbing their head slightly.... and the drinks are so expensive no one would dance in fear of risking their drink spilling. Does anyone else feel this way??? God, I would give anything to see the Ramones, to go to a show like that even. We don't have rock heroes today though.
wow, henry, the cap center! still got aboot twenty five ticket stubs! humble pie....black sabbath....van halen opening for nugent....robin trower...kiss...queen...WOW!
put on'' GIMME GIMME SHOCK TREATMENT'' on MAX and stand back.
Fro on the left is epic.
That's Howard Stern studying Joey Ramone's moves to play him in a future Biopic.
I would love to chat with this guy, he's so enthusiastic, who else matches this guy for enthusiasm?, every time i hear him talk i'm really impressed by him, you can tell he's genuinely interested in what he's speaking about.
Henry, back in the day here on Long Island EVERYONE my age hated the Ramones except myself and handful of other misfit weirdos. In fact a guy I knew threw a beer bottle at Joey's head during a show where they opened for Aerosmith.
I saw my 1st concert at the Capital Centre….Run DMC 1986 the Raising Hell tour ….i saw so much stuff there
I dont think Led Zeppelin EVER opened a show with Kashmir. But they did alot of shows,and im a die hard fan.
Funny thing, I'm 43 and I have gone through the whole "re-buying my past on c.d." thing, because I tossed my old cassettes and albums out, year's ago. Also, I totally understand what he meant about feeling as if you've lost a friend, when your musical inspiration dies. I felt the exact same way when, Layne Staley, David Bowie and Prince died. Like I lost a friend, or family member!
Think god for the 5 dollar bin at wallmart.
MEGALIKE. I swear I should have been born in the early 60s.
If it wasn't for the RAMONES we would all be singing poison songs!!!
Eddie Muniz NEVER!!!!
Are you kidding? That talk dirty to me riff/song is clearly taken from the Ramones.
Why not sing both?
CreateYourOwnHeaven Poison is shit
Yup
Thank you for bringing up subject agree with everything.
I saw them in 78' youre right....whooo......rock and roll greatness though
7:00 that's a great way of saying how punk music is relatable in the best way. It's not fuck it all attitude, but to take no shit in your life. No singing about sunshine a and flower and glamours that can solve the situation, but something about what's going on with those could happens that shied away
I respect the clash I respect strummer. Joe strummer, did it hum self. And the ramones are the heart of American punk.
1st time I saw the Ramones was around 80/81 in a little shit whole dive called Gables in Margate, N.J.
great stories as ever. my first "real" gig was SLF & similar to Henty it was too packed out. The guy in front of me had studs on the back his leather jacket and being crammed together it caused some very unpleasent but thankfully minor damage to my face as he bounced up & down in the then very popular "pogo" way.
If I could go back and experience one single moment it would be a young Dee Dee Ramone 4 count. I’m only 30 years old I’m so pissed I never got to see them. I remember going to 3rd grade sad when Dee Dee died. Rip mother fuckers.
awesome insight ...as always brother Henry!!!
Very cool to share a common thread of Ultraman with Rollins on the topic of Ramones being Immortal!
Lol I don't even know Henry love ultraman😂
Funny thing is, I had a similar experience with Henry when I saw Black Flag. I was literally two feet from him. Let’s just say he’s much calmer than he was back then. Intense.
I was there. Louie's Rock City. Nothing like it ever before or ever since
Henery speaks the truth , so true and true!
The real deal The Ramones! Lemmy said it best “ THE RAMONES” when Lemmy Kilmeister writes a song with you in it, you are made! RIP Ramones, Lemmy, Fast Eddie. Phil…
Its true! when you get old you gradually embrace everything you existed against (musically) At 50 I discovered the Smiths. Yes I know Hank has a thing against Morrisey, but if he can wax nostalgic about Alice In Chains then I can listen to the Smiths. Its not like Alice In Chains weren't junkies and were really great people. I can tolerate Morriseys arrogance more than the latter's junkie dramatics.
+centralscrutinizer66 Right on! I'm your age and now listen to a wider range of music compared to my youth. I became a fan of the Smith's/Morrisey a few years back and recently just found the Dandy Warholes. I now seek out bands I never would have listen too as a kid. Enjoy your musical journey!
Exactly! I find it gratifying to rediscover music that I just wasn't into because of age or the fact I listened to one genre (punk / Hardcore) or even dismissed because of image like The Smiths. I'll always love the harsh stuff, but I'm finding plenty of room for quieter noise.
Tanya Nelson Smith's are great also rediscovered The The and the Dyvinyls
Note: not long after our dialogue I started listening to the Dandy Warhols. I am now a lifelong fan, but it's weird grooving on music recorded 20 years ago that sounds new. Were the 90's that long ago?
All the original Ramones are dead, now, my life with never be the same,
Love Henry but The Arena Sound was much better than what he describes in the 70s. At least where I lived. Also we had a place, The Tower Theater in Upper Darby right outside of Philly that had excellent acoustics. They had a lot of things figured out by the late 70s like the ability to send different frequencies to different speakers so that a guitar chord would sound like 500 feet tall... I remember them playing Dark Side Of The Moon through the system before a show that was Headlined by Fleetwood Mac but Steve Miller blew them off the stage at JFK Stadium and it sounded tremendous... like they might have had a reel to reel copy... Yes had a tremendous sound system back then...
2:31 will ultraman rise again? My favorite line 🤣
Hey, Those first few Chicago albums have Terry Kath playing on them !!!
The first nine. And CTA was perfect
The Only Band That Matters.
Normally I don't find Rollins amusing, but this was funny AF
Watch his piece about performing on stage, you can find it here if you search Rollins nothing can go wrong. Guaranteed to make you laugh!