Marky Ramone - Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life as a Ramone
Touchstone Books

Purchase here: http://www.amazon.com/Punk-Rock-Blitzkrieg-Life-Ramone/dp/1451687753

Rating: B

Marky Ramone started off his musical life with Heavy Metal pioneers Dust.  The band dissolved not long after Marky, i.e. Marc Bell, graduated high school!  The young rocker turned punk during a stint with Richard Hell before becoming a full-fledged Ramone, just in time to appear on their iconic album Road to Ruin.  The guys truly went to Rock 'N' Roll High School!  Later on, of course, he co-starred in the now iconic movie of the same name.

Marky played literally thousands of shows with the punk rock legends.  He is the last man standing when it comes to his particular lineup of the band, as all the originals before him have passed away.  Tired of reading stories about The Ramones that were not true, Marky teamed up with writer Richard Herschlag and created his memoir. The tale includes his early days with Dust to his life after The Ramones.  He openly discusses drugs, booze, music, money and fame in the book.  He leaves little to the imagination delivering his story in his strong Brooklyn accent for which he is famous.

Marky opens up in the book about his battle with alcoholism.  He shares his highs and lows in glaring detail.  He also talks about The Ramones and the personality issues that lead to his being fired and then later rehired by the group.  He illustrates how Joey Ramone had poor personal hygiene, how Dee Dee was a drug addict and how Johnny was a right-wing jerk. 

Marky lays it on the line honestly, without being cruel, achieving his goal of telling it like it was... and he should know, he was there! This is an interesting read that comes across truthful and genuine.  The negatives are brought into the light, and the positives are revealed with the same passion. 

From driving his car in a drunken state through a retail store, to being the only Ramone to visit Joey on his deathbed, to keeping their music alive in the current day... this sucker will keep you reading, that is until you are done!  Gabba Gabba Hey!

Hey, Ho!  Let’s Go read this book 'cos it's is a  good one!

Check out our interview with Marky on the new book here

By Jeb Wright