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"Meeting"
Joey Ramone
I never met Joey. The
closest I came to meeting him, other than going to a
Ramones show, was sometime around 1990. I was with a
friend and we were in the Village. We were either on our
way to or had just left a Saturday matinee performance of
the off-Broadway play, The Vampire Lesbians Of Sodom.
I think we were
walking down McDougal when like a flash Joey passed by
walking in the opposite direction. He was walking with
someone who I believe was Daniel Rey, though after so
many years my memory is a bit cloudy on that point.
Anyway, it happened so quick all I had time for was
to look at Joey. Joey and his friend noticed the startled
expressions on our faces and smiled at us. They might've
smiled at that or maybe it was because my
friend and I were all dressed up (because of
the play) but we had still recognized them. Or maybe
it just because we were dressed up. Of course they were
both dressed in jeans and leather jackets. I'm not sure
of the reason for the smiles, but looking back on it some
15 years after the fact I recall them not as being
nasty but as being nice, pleasant ones and possibly
a bit self-satisfied at being recognized. If I had drank a beer or
two during the intermission of the show or if
I had been dressed in my normal clothes instead
of a suit I might've spun around after he passed by and
shouted, "hey, Joey!" But the combination of
events and the fact that by the time things registered he
was probably 20 or more feet away and getting further
away by the milli-second I never even turned around to
check him out.
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So my actual encounter with Joey
Ramone lasted maybe all of 2 seconds, if that. A funny epilogue occurred a couple of
months later at my then job on Long Island. A couple of
co-workers were talking about NYC. I mentioned what had happened.
Somebody said, "well, of course that would happen to
you." I asked him what he meant and he said, "well,
when people go to the city everyone says they saw Woody Allen or
somebody like that and of course you end up seeing Joey
Ramone." I think it was supposed to be an insult but
the words made me happy.
What can I say about Joey Ramone?
He was an original, both as a musician and as a person. I think
he suffered greatly for his uniqueness as a person but as a
musician he helped many, many people look past their own
struggles with their perceived imperfections. He was also the quintessential New Yorker;
and as a byproduct, the quintessential American. (at
least to the punk world) Which is funny to say when
you consider how unique he was. Even after he became famous and became a
"citizen of the world" he always kept his New York
style and manners. They seemed so ingrained in him that even
if he had wanted to give up his NYC mannerisms that it
was just impossible for him to do because they were bone deep.
And we New Yorkers love him for that. If there is an afterlife, I hope Joey is
both physically and spiritually whole and complete, happy and no
longer in pain. I think he had enough of both kinds of pain
during his lifetime, in fact more than his fair share. And if
there is indeed any justice, I believe that he did enough good in
this world that he should be rewarded by any higher
power that might be hanging around this planet. And maybe him, Johnny, and Dee Dee are
together again, friends again and now in complete
understanding and acceptance of each
other, laughing about all the arguments they had and
cracking jokes about the people who are still carrying on the
arguments even after they've died. Yes, I'd like to think that.
- Russell Beynon
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