Sunday, August 30th at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, thousands of fellow Cretin Hoppers gathered together to celebrate one of the greatest Rock’n’Roll bands of all time… The Ramones. And this wasn’t just another tribute show. This was a full-on RAMONES happening.
A Bona Fide Happening
Presented by John Travolta and brought together by Linda Ramone, widow of Johnny Ramone, this evening celebrated 50 years of the Ramones’ self titled debut album. The official event featured Cretin Family… with CJ Ramone, Billy Joe Armstrong, Travis Barker, and Tim Armstrong, along with a handful of surprise guests, OBEY mastermind Shepard Fairy spinning records, and film screenings of Propeller One- Way Night Coach, Carrie.
Gates opened at 5:30 on the dot, and people were literally running to get there. You could feel the energy before you even walked inside. This was a Rock’N’Roll High School reunion, and everybody was invited.
Shepard Fairy, longtime Ramones fan and the creative mastermind behind OBEY, was behind the decks, laying down a powerful set as the sacred grounds of the cemetery filled with Ramones fans, punks, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and lifelong Cretin Hoppers.
There was an A-list of Ramones royalty and friends.
Priscilla Presley. Bam Margera. John Frusciante. Slim Jim Phantom and his wife, Jennie Vee. Ed Stasium, the legendary producer and engineer whose fingerprints are all over the Ramones story, including Rocket to Russia, Too Tough To Die, and Animal Boy.
Then there was Allan Arkush, director of Rock ‘N’ Roll High School. If you know me, chances are you’ve sat on my couch and watched the film with me at least once, or maybe more times than you care to admit. I’ve watched Rock ‘N’ Roll High School more than 3,000 times, which may sound a bit batty to you. But when you see a great movie at eight years old, record it from TV to your VCR, and watch it after school every day, the math adds up. There are 365 days in a year, or something like that. Getting to 3,000 isn’t nearly as crazy as it sounds. Then I saw P.J. Soles, Riff Randall herself. She said, “What a way to be greeted by a real Ramones fan,” and hugged me. Moments like that are what make nights like this so special.
Then there was Monte A. Melnick.
Monte was the Ramones’ longtime tour manager, the man who was there from the early New York club days all the way through the band’s final shows in 1996. He later co-wrote On the Road with the Ramones with Frank Meyer, documenting what it was like to live through the insanity from the inside. Monte witnessed more than 2,200 Ramones shows and saw it all.
At 7:00, Linda Ramone and John Travolta walked onstage, and John took the microphone, declaring that this was a “bona fide happening,” the Ramones 50th anniversary, with Cretin Family playing live, and John Travolta’s directorial debut Propeller One-Way Night Coach, and Carrie, one of Brian De Palma’s most classic horror films.
The Language of the Ramones
Then one by one, the Cretin Family walked onto the stage. CJ Ramone of The Ramones.
Travis Barker of Blink-182 and the Transplants.
Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and Tim Armstrong of Rancid and the Transplants.
Four musicians from four different corners of the punk rock universe came together to honor the blueprint that connected them all: The Ramones!
The set began with “Durango 95.”
Then Billie Joe grabbed the microphone.
“Yeah, Cretin Family! This is a special night for the Ramones. This song’s called Rockaway Beach,”… and the place went absolutely f**king insane!
“Rockaway Beach.” “Cretin Hop.” “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment.” They blasted the songs out one after another with speed and the absolute lack of bullsh*t that made the Ramones the Ramones.
Everybody Dance!
Then came “Do You Wanna Dance?”
After the song, Billie Joe said that if there was one thing they had learned about the Ramones, it was that they wanted to see all the kids dancing! So they played it again!
That’s the spirit of the Ramones.
Then C.J. Ramone stepped up to the microphone for “The Crusher.”
Then came another beautiful connection to the Ramones family tree: “R.A.M.O.N.E.S.”
The song was written and recorded by Motörhead and appeared on their 1991 album, 1916. C.J. sang it that night, bringing the connection full circle between two legendary bands that shared a deep bond through attitude, volume, and speed.
At the Ramones’ final concert in Los Angeles, on August 6, 1996, Lemmy Kilmister himself joined the band onstage for “R.A.M.O.N.E.S.”
Then Fred Armisen walked onstage, joining the band for “Danny Says,” a song off End of the Century, the 1980 Ramones album produced by Phil Spector.
Fred and I talked a little backstage about the H.R. benefit show at the Teragram Ballroom on December 11, 2023, where Fred not only performed, but where Jakob Nowell fronted Sublime for the first time.
Nobody Was Standing Around Politely
Next came the Linda Lindas, singing and dancing with Cretin Family for “California Sun,” the Joe Jones song later made famous by The Rivieras and covered by the Ramones on Leave Home.
Then came “I Wanna Be Sedated,” and the crowd was anything but. The kids were moving everywhere. There was no standing around politely watching a tribute band. People were dancing, screaming, and singing every. f**king. word!
Then Billy Idol came out. The man who helped define another generation of punk and new wave stepped onto the stage for “Beat on the Brat.”
And finally, “Blitzkrieg Bop,” with Billy Idol onstage, the Cretin Family behind him, and a crowd that went completely bonkers! True to the Ramones spirit, the Pinhead bounced out with a sign in his hand. One side read GABBA GABBA HEY, and the other CRETIN FAMILY. It was the perfect ending, except the night wasn’t quite over.
Gabba Gabba Hey
Shepherd Fairy returned to the decks after Cretin Family finished, keeping the Ramones spirit blasting and alive through Hollywood Forever. The whole night felt surreal, with history and family, and it really felt like a Rock’n’ Roll High School reunion.
Look what the Ramones created! They didn’t just create some of the most unforgettable songs; they invented a language of sound and attitude where, fifty years later, four guys from four different corners of punk could walk on stage and instantly speak that language.
That’s the legacy and power of the Ramones. And that’s why thousands of Cretin Hoppers showed up at a cemetery on a Sunday night.
One more thing…
Last year, I published Subject: PUNK, a photo book about this kid with a camera and a dream to photograph the Ramones. It’s more than 30 years of punk-rock photographs documenting my journey toward making that dream a reality, and trust me when I say this, it wasn’t always peaches and cream. I had very humble beginnings. For me, the Ramones have never been just a band. They’ve been the soundtrack to my life. If you don’t have a copy in your hands yet, now is the time.
Long live the Ramones.
Gabba Gabba Hey!
Long live The Ramones!!!
Article and Photographs by Maggie St.Thomas
An Interview with Allan Arkush 40 YEARS IN A ROCK ‘N’ ROLL HIGH