There's little left to say about The Ramones that hasn't already been said. The "Godfathers of Punk" stormed on the New York club scene in 1974 with a new, fast, loud brand of rock and roll. By the time the band called it quits in 1996, they had changed the course of alternative (and mainstream) music forever.

If there is a story left to be told, however, Monte Melnick is just the man to do the tellin'.

Already regarded by many fans as the best Ramones book ever written, Melnick's firsthand experience of every aspect of the band's existence makes his book a must-read for anyone interested in music, life on the road, pop-culture, or just good old-fashioned human drama.

XMFan recently had the chance to chat with Monte, who was more than happy to revisit days past that most of us would find unimaginable.


XMFan: What kinds of things did you enjoy while growing up?

Monte: I played a lot of golf when I was younger, and earned a letter in high school on the golf team... I get a laugh out of telling that to people.

XMFan: So what was your first exposure to anything Ramones?

Monte: I met Tommy (Ramone) in junior high school, and he was in to music before me. He thought I should learn to play the bass and get in to some groups, which I did with him long before the Ramones. We were involved in different projects over the years, and one of them was to help build a recording/rehearsal studio in the city. I brought Tommy in on it, and we designed and managed a place called Performance Studios. Because of this, we had the chance to work on a few projects of our own in the studio. I was in other bands, and Tommy was doing some things of his own. Tommy actually managed the Ramones first, and that's how I got involved with them -- I was watching that.

XMFan: Give us a sense of how life on the road was back in the early years of the band. I assume you did just about everything for them...

Monte: Yeah, in the early days I did most everything -- run the P.A., set up the equipment, drive. Little by little, the bigger they got the more people we added on. We had a van and a trailer for a while, and after adding a few roadies, put the roadies in a truck and kept the band in a van. From there we worked up to a tour bus, but went back to the van near the end because it was much easier for them to travel around. We'd fly to, say, California, and have a van waiting. We'd drive around for a couple of weeks in sections, then fly back to New York. We did a lot of tour busses, but they're very expensive and the guys didn't like like sleeping in them. Sleeping in them is really the only way to make them economical.

XMFan: Would you describe the personality and chemistry of the band?

Monte: Tommy was the brains behind the band. He was the thinker who put everything together. He was a guitar player, really -- he wasn't a drummer. And as I said, he was just managing them in the beginning. Joey was playing the drums, and Dee Dee was doing most of the signing. Tommy heard Joey sing and realized he had a good voice. So he told Joey to come up front, put Dee Dee on the bass, Johnny was on the guitar, and they would have auditions to find a drummer. So they auditioned these drummers, and Tommy tried to tell them what to do. But, the band had such a unique style at the time, that they couldn't find anyone to play what they needed. The guys finally asked Tommy to be the drummer, and he said he'd give it a shot. He'd never played drums before, but he's really a talented guy -- plays guitar, mandolin, dobro...

Johnny was really the taskmaster, like a general. He'd plan things out and push people into doing things. He was big on having people do things better and the right way.

Joey and Dee Dee were the soul behind the group and songwriting. Joey was more of a balladeer, and Dee Dee preferred more of the harder edge. Mix all of this together and you've got The Ramones. It was kind of like a Lennon/McCartney -- they were separate entities, but put them together and they were The Beatles.

After a few years, Tommy couldn't handle all of the touring. He was really into record producing, and produced several of the band's albums. Touring is really a grind and you have to have a certain mentality to do it. He said, "Why not find a drummer who can play better than me, and I'll teach him what to do?" Marky was a friend of the band who was always around, so Tommy showed him what to do -- and the fact that he was a real, professional drummer really helped.

When Marky kind of freaked out, Ritchie was there and really added a lot to the group. He did some songwriting, and some singing also. When Ritchie left and Marky came back, it was great too have Marky back and sober.

CJ came in when Dee Dee left. It was great, because CJ gave the others kind of a second life -- caused the others to suck in their stomachs and keep up with a younger guy. They called him "Baby" Ramone. It's great, because he was very energetic. Dee Dee was winding down at the time and wanted out, and was really dragging things down by the time he left. CJ gave the band another few years of life.

XMFan: The Ramones experienced some pretty wild scenes around the world, especially in South America from what I understand.

Monte: The Ramones were like The Beatles in South America. It's amazing. They'd pull huge audiences down there, and there are documentaries like End Of The Century that show some of these things. One time we were in a van outside our hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina -- we really didn't know how big we were at the time -- and there were about two or three-hundred kids screaming out on the street. So, we were driving around the block in this teeny little van, and the kids blocked the street with a truck. We were stuck on the street, and kids were pounding on the van. They almost turned it over, so it was a scary moment. I think they actually wanted a piece of the band -- wanted to touch them. It's incredible.

XMFan: It seemed like you guys were on the road for twenty years straight.

Monte: Live shows were the band's meat and potatoes. They could always go on the road and make money, sell merchandise. That's how they stayed alive over the years. Even though they never got much radio play or sold many albums, they developed huge live audiences around the world. We'd play the United States, then it was time to go to Europe. Then to Australia. Then to Japan. By that time, it was time to play the United States again.

XMFan: It seems like you can find more Ramones t-shirts in a high school today than you would have twenty years ago.

Monte: Yeah, it's amazing. In '96 they retired, Joey got sick and passed away, the band was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they got their music on TV commercials, and finally everyone discovered the Ramones. My line now is, "If the Ramones were this big when I was working for them, I would have gotten a raise." The t-shirt thing is just amazing, and lots of those kids don't know anything about the Ramones. It's a fashion statement, like a CBGB's shirt. Hilly Kristal, the owner of CBGB's, makes like two-million dollars a year on those shirts.

XMFan: How difficult was it for you to revisit the good and bad memories, after all these years, and put them in a book? Was this a hard thing to do?

Monte: It was good... Very therapeutic, you know? It had to be done, so it was nice getting out and talk to a lot of people to bring back and purge those memories. I'm glad I put it in book form, and I feel the publisher did a terrific job of making it a nice, flowing book that's not just a dead read. Many of the pictures are from my personal collection I have at my house. I have boxes of memorabilia I collected over the years, and was happy to get much of it out. The book probably has two or three-hundred pictures.

Very therapeutic.

XMFan: Regarding what you just mentioned, I certainly noticed several unique perspectives in the book.

Monte: There's lots of interviews from people you've never heard from -- Dee Dee's wife is one. So many people opened up for me, including the guys in the band. Johnny gave me lots of time and said lots of interesting things. Oh, and I also list every single show they ever played in the back of the book. People find that interesting, especially when they are trying to remember when they saw some of the shows. As a matter of fact, if you look at the cover of the book, you'll see a sign that says, "2,263 Miles To Go." You know what that means?

XMFan: Is that how many shows they played?

Monte: Exactly. A little secret thing on the front cover -- not a secret anymore though. I just told you. (Laughs)

XMFan: Everyone I know who has read you book basically feels the same way... The book exposes the harsh reality that was The Ramones, but people can't seem to close and put the book down.

Monte: I tried to tell what happened. Most people don't realize there was a sad story behind the whole thing, too. But it was also a very inspiring story, because they were able to pull together and do what they did. There was a movie at the Tribeca Film Festival called Too Tough To Die, which featured the 30th anniversary show in L.A. All these monster bands -- the Chili Peppers, Eddie Vedder, Henry Rollins -- played Ramones songs and just talked about how the Ramones were such influences on their lives. It was amazing watching that.

XMFan: That was right before Johnny died, and they called him on the phone.

Monte: Right, Rob Zombie called him live from the stage and had the crowd chant Hey Ho Lets Go! I'd love to have seen more fame come their way while they were alive. I wish that Joey would have been there for the Hall of Fame ceremony. They should all still be alive. There's only one original Ramone left and that's Tommy Ramone. It's amazing, because they weren't that old. Look at the Rolling Stones, they keep on going and going.

XMFan: What are the best ways to find your book?

Monte: If you can't get it on Amazon.com, you can go to any book store and they'll order it for you. I'm waiting for the next printing, because supplies are running out. I'm actually working on a third edition, which will have some updated info after Johnny died.

XMFan: Your average customer review on Amazon is five out of five stars.

Monte: I'm really happy about that... People have to realize that there are only two people alive right now who were with the band from the beginning to the end -- me, and Arturo Vega. He was their lighting guy, and designed their logo. We were there from the beginning to the end! The other Ramones books that are out were written by third parties -- you know, third party biographies. I was there! My book is a firsthand account, and there's no other book like that. I believe Marky will be releasing a book, but he wasn't there the whole time. I think Johnny started something -- his book might be interesting -- and I think he passed along some tapes. I believe Henry Rollins may be involved with that. But my book is really unique firsthand experience of what it was like being there.

XMFan: How are you staying busy these days?

Monte: I worked with other people after the Ramones -- Ronnie Spector, D Generation and Jesse Malin, and a few other bands. I've been with the New York Hall of Science now for four or five years as the Audio/Visual Associate. We have a little theater, and lots of different things going on. It's a really good job, and I'm very happy there. And, it's really close to my house -- I live in Queens.

XMFan: From what I've seen, you and Tommy are still very close today.

Monte: Sure. Actually, he's in to bluegrass now. He's in a bluegrass duo called Uncle Monk, and I just saw him play the other day.

XMFan: Would you change any of your experiences, or go back again if you could?

Monte: If I could go back and be young again, I'd do it. Sure... You've got to be a young man to go through the stress of rock and roll touring, I'll tell ya.

I don't regret it. It was a great ride, and I never believed it would last that long -- I turned around, and it was 22 years later. What the hell's going on here, you know? It just kept on going and going, and was never boring. Do an album, make a movie, tour Japan, Australia, Europe, play festivals. It just kept on going and was interesting the whole time.

XMFan: Many people give you the credit for the band staying together for so long. Would you agree to that?

Monte: Well, I... I could say yeah... A tour manager is a very important person that does hold things together. If it hadn't been me it would have been someone else. That's why I wrote the book -- to let people see what the roadies and others outside the band go through to hold the whole thing together.