Absolutely! I think it's a big reason that punk (the real thing: the "attitude" like Don Letts pointed out in his great documentary) is still relevant today: Punk is the inheritor of the Bohemian movement that took place for almost a century. It's anti-authority, anti-social norms, etc. Like my hero Groucho Marx said" "Whatever it is, I'm against it." Sort of like Marlon Brando in "The Wild One":
"What are you rebelling against, Johnny?"
Marlon Brando's character: "Whaddya got?"
Well, this is why I named Brando as the "Original Piunk" in our first issue...
Yep! I heard about how the Ramones were offered the slot.... Years afterward of course. No wonder I was dumbfounded when I called Danny Fields to try to convince him to have the Ramones open for the Pistols... (Tom Forcade's idea!) Imagine if the Ramones had performed before the Sex Pistols disastrous show in San Francisco? They would have blown the doors off that place! Maybe the Pistols would have stood up the challenge and put on a better show.
And really.... Yeah, I think the Ramones should have taken SNL up on their offer to replace the Pistols. But the fact that they were around for another 20 years or so and were never invited on that TV show? Cultural crime in my humble opinion.
Can't say I disagree with anything you say here, John. That would have been incredible to see the Ramones play with the Pistols, and rocking SNL to boot! But yeah, every time our world met Lorne Michaels, nothing but mutual incomprehension and hostility resulted. Kinda like the rest of society vs. punk, eh?
Nice piece about Lee Ving (one of the best punk rock nicknames ever) and Fear. That Saturday Night Live performance proved once and for all that that "Live" part of the show title was a sham,... BTW, Belushi's favorite band (in 1978, at least) was the Dead Boys--he even played drums with the band at the "Blitz Benefit" at CBGB that year, and when we sent him a ballot for the ill-fated Punk Magazine Awards Show in late 1978 he filled out every category with "DEAD BOYS" and the band members. I gave his ballot to the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame but I think they lost it or something... Since they broke up in 1979, yeah, by the time Fear played SNL they would have been his favorite punk band.
And this, my friends, is why the Ramones never played SNL! The quintessential New York City punk rock band was never invited to perform on that crappy-ass "comedy" show after Fear got a mosh pit going... That Lorne Michaels guy hates punk and everything we stand for: being spontaneous, dangerous and FUNNY! Really, people need to stop watching corporate culture like that.: It will rot your brain!
Hey, John! ALWAYS great hearing from you! I knew Belushi dug the Dead Boys initially. But yeah, after their breakup, he found out about FEAR and really got into them big time. But did you hear about how the Ramones *were* approached by SNL when the Sex Pistols were initially booked to play the Xmas 1977 broadcast and weren't allowed in by the State Department? Johnny Ramone told SNL that his band will not be anyone's "substitute," especially the Sex Pistols! That's how Elvis Costello wound up on the show, instead! Of course, EC incurred Lorne Michaels' wrath with his last minute substitution of "Radio Radio" for whatever song he was supposed to play, etc., etc. Yeah, Lorne Michaels sure is a tightass, isn't he?
Absolutely! I think it's a big reason that punk (the real thing: the "attitude" like Don Letts pointed out in his great documentary) is still relevant today: Punk is the inheritor of the Bohemian movement that took place for almost a century. It's anti-authority, anti-social norms, etc. Like my hero Groucho Marx said" "Whatever it is, I'm against it." Sort of like Marlon Brando in "The Wild One":
"What are you rebelling against, Johnny?"
Marlon Brando's character: "Whaddya got?"
Well, this is why I named Brando as the "Original Piunk" in our first issue...
Yeah, whaddya got?
You're gonna *love* my book, my friend. :-)
Yep! I heard about how the Ramones were offered the slot.... Years afterward of course. No wonder I was dumbfounded when I called Danny Fields to try to convince him to have the Ramones open for the Pistols... (Tom Forcade's idea!) Imagine if the Ramones had performed before the Sex Pistols disastrous show in San Francisco? They would have blown the doors off that place! Maybe the Pistols would have stood up the challenge and put on a better show.
And really.... Yeah, I think the Ramones should have taken SNL up on their offer to replace the Pistols. But the fact that they were around for another 20 years or so and were never invited on that TV show? Cultural crime in my humble opinion.
Can't say I disagree with anything you say here, John. That would have been incredible to see the Ramones play with the Pistols, and rocking SNL to boot! But yeah, every time our world met Lorne Michaels, nothing but mutual incomprehension and hostility resulted. Kinda like the rest of society vs. punk, eh?
Nice piece about Lee Ving (one of the best punk rock nicknames ever) and Fear. That Saturday Night Live performance proved once and for all that that "Live" part of the show title was a sham,... BTW, Belushi's favorite band (in 1978, at least) was the Dead Boys--he even played drums with the band at the "Blitz Benefit" at CBGB that year, and when we sent him a ballot for the ill-fated Punk Magazine Awards Show in late 1978 he filled out every category with "DEAD BOYS" and the band members. I gave his ballot to the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame but I think they lost it or something... Since they broke up in 1979, yeah, by the time Fear played SNL they would have been his favorite punk band.
And this, my friends, is why the Ramones never played SNL! The quintessential New York City punk rock band was never invited to perform on that crappy-ass "comedy" show after Fear got a mosh pit going... That Lorne Michaels guy hates punk and everything we stand for: being spontaneous, dangerous and FUNNY! Really, people need to stop watching corporate culture like that.: It will rot your brain!
Hey, John! ALWAYS great hearing from you! I knew Belushi dug the Dead Boys initially. But yeah, after their breakup, he found out about FEAR and really got into them big time. But did you hear about how the Ramones *were* approached by SNL when the Sex Pistols were initially booked to play the Xmas 1977 broadcast and weren't allowed in by the State Department? Johnny Ramone told SNL that his band will not be anyone's "substitute," especially the Sex Pistols! That's how Elvis Costello wound up on the show, instead! Of course, EC incurred Lorne Michaels' wrath with his last minute substitution of "Radio Radio" for whatever song he was supposed to play, etc., etc. Yeah, Lorne Michaels sure is a tightass, isn't he?