Price­less memor­ies out­weigh pro­fes­sional inter­views - Record Collector review new Ramones book

‘All Good Cret­ins Go To Heaven: The Endur­ing Spirit of The Ramones’ by Jenn L. Beck­with with Gary Lynn Clev­enger ★★★★ Earth Island/DiWulf £19.99

ISBN 9781916864948 280 pages Love let­ter from the fans

Show­ing again how price­less memor­ies can often out­weigh pro­fes­sional inter­views for fun and insight, chil­dren’s lib­rar­ian Beck­with’s first book came from an idea with researcher Clev­enger to hon­our the Ramones around their 50th anniversary that grew into an unashamed out­pour­ing of love and details devoted fans cher­ish.

After describ­ing the coun­try and Queens neigh­bour­hood that birthed the band in 1974, Beck­with details Ramones mem­bers, their influ­ences, homes, rel­ev­ant NY clubs, eat­er­ies and beaches, album cover photo loc­a­tions, streets named after them, final rest­ing places and other minu­tiae with aca­demic pre­ci­sion. Extra weight comes from involving those close to the band, includ­ing road man­ager Monte Mel­nick, Joey’s brother Mickey Leigh, Dee Dee’s part­ner Vera and Rock ‘n’ Roll High School dir­ector Allan Arkush, along with friends and super-fans in I Was There style. Most fas­cin­at­ing is Shirah Gantman, who atten­ded the band’s first CBGB appear­ance on 16 August 1974 as a lonely 14-year-old then every Ramones show at the Bowery club that fol­lowed.

Too often the unique unfettered joy of the Ramones’ music takes second place to their internal ten­sions, per­sonal prob­lems and ugly after­math after los­ing all four ori­ginal mem­bers. Yet now this truly unique band has the cel­eb­ra­tion they deserve; a lovely star­burst of pin­head pas­sion and light for dark times. 

Record Collector review by Kris Needs.

https://pressreader.com/article/284283896722961