Tommy Ramone

“When you're with a group of semi-psychotic people, you kind of lose track of reality; it's almost like being in some sort of cult or something.”

“Our music is an answer to the early Seventies when artsy people with big egos would do vocal harmonies and play long guitar solos and get called geniuses.”

“In high school, I got into folk music, and I taught myself guitar. And when The Beatles came out, I got an electric guitar.”

“Most of the people who are given these Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame things sell millions of records, so it's kind of like a trophy for them. But for the Ramones, it really was a symbolic gesture of, 'Yes, you guys are special and are important to rock n' roll.' So in that sense, the Roll Hall of Fame served its purpose.”

“Dee Dee got the name 'The Ramones' from Paul McCartney. McCartney would call himself Paul Ramon when he checked into hotels and didn't want to be noticed. I liked it because I thought it was ridiculous. The Ramones? That's absurd!”

“Groupies are just very enthusiastic fans, that's all.”

“I was always into bluegrass as a kid. Basically, I like music that has a basic simple structure and that has a lot of emotion and feel. Bluegrass and other old time music fits the bill, as well as what became punk - they both kind of have a similar framework.”

“Johnny was an athlete who didn't play sport. His first love was baseball, but he didn't think he had it in him to be a professional.”

“Mostly I listen to old-time music, some bluegrass, some Americana stuff, too many to name. But of the younger acts, there are The Freight Hoppers, who were big in the '90s, and The Foghorn Stringband from Oregon, and there's a lot of young string bands coming up now, basically punkers who play acoustic instruments forming new bands.”

“The Ramones are an original rock and roll group of 1975, and their songs are brief, to the point, and every one a potential hit single.”

“We play short songs and short sets for people who don't have a lot of spare time.”