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| C J Ramone |
Feeling rather old and a little bit foolish, we went to see C.J. Ramone at the Transit Bar. Although not one of the original Ramones, he did play with remnants of the band for several years, so is perfectly entitled to play their music. It's not all nostalgic cover versions, however, as he has released a few albums in his own name, and they are packed full of short, punchy, punky numbers with rock influences.
As it was part of my non-drinking month, I was driving. It wasn't unpleasant to be totally sober at a gig, although I didn't feel like moshing and getting all sweaty and beer-soaked. Despite the obvious youthful element (who have no idea how to mosh), we didn't feel too out of place. The support bands (Hard-Ons and No Assumption) were enthusiastic and suitably loud. In fact, the whole gig was loud and I couldn't hear a word that Him Outdoors was trying to say to me, but that's sort of the point, isn't it?
I really enjoyed the mix of C.J.'s new stuff with the old favourites, interspersed with a few anecdotes about the characters of The Ramones and the dynamics between them. Apparently none of the band except Joey liked 'Baby I Love You' (used ironically - I think - in a Cialis advert), so they never played it live - we heard it here tonight. And 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend' was rather contentious as it was written by Johnny about Joey's girlfriend (whom he later went on to marry). Watching a 49-year-old bloke sing these songs with his NY baseball cap on askew and his tongue poking out sarcastically was kind of funny, but he still treated the material with respect and energy.
5 Favourite Songs from the C.J. Ramone Gig (in no particular order):
- Blitzkrieg Bop
- Judy is a Punk
- Carry Me Away
- R.A.M.O.N.E.S. (by Motorhead)
- Last Chance to Dance
Last weekend we were invited to a 40th birthday party. The theme was New York. We're not big fans of this penchant for fancy dress (I have a theory about it - and tattoos - which I won't expound as it will merely offend those friends who do like it - and tattoos) but we are fans of the birthday boy, so we went along as The Ramones.
This is partly because we like them and partly because we're lazy. It wasn't difficult to find leather jackets from the Salvation Army, dirty old jeans and fake converse shoes. We got a wig for Him Outdoors and I just didn't wash my hair for a week to get that lank and greasy look. No, you'll be pleased to hear, there are no photos.
His original idea was to go in a cardoard box with '3 o'clock x 3 o'clock; noon x noon' inscribed upon it. He was going to be Times Square. I wasn't keen on this plan, because I feared someone might introduce me as the square root. We also considered going as Occupy Wall Street protesters, but we don't know the other party guests and didn't want to risk political rants. Plus, it's difficult to drink with a dollar bill taped to your mouth - priorities, people!
Most of the men went as gangsters and most of the women went as molls. There were a lot of suits with fedoras and dresses with strappy heels. After that, these were the most popular outfits.
5 New York Dress Up Outfits:
- Baseball/ basketball players/ fans (chucking on a Yankees cap requires minimum effort)
- Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's - people who had never even seen the film (let alone read the book) were sporting a little black dress, fake pearls and tiara, and an up-do
- A couple came as Seinfeld characters, Christine and Kramer. Having never watched Seinfeld I thought they were Annie and a random homeless dude
- The statue of liberty - long green bridesmaid's frock, foam headgear and a torch - sweet!
- King Kong and Fae Wray - genius, if a trifle hot for the guy
This documentary really is all those descriptive words like beautiful, moving, touching and humorous.
A group of old folk (average age 80) get together in Northampton, Massachusetts to sing in a choir. Not only is it great to see them singing and having fun; their choice of song is original and unexpected, unless you’ve seen the trailer. Their versions of songs such as Golden Years, Forever Young, I Feel Good and Stayin’ Alive bring a new meaning to old songs. I Wanna Be Sedated by The Ramones is a classic; by this choir it is hysterical.
The documentary style is so good and unobtrusive that you feel like you’re at the performance and it is instantly engaging. And how refreshing to see the director (Steven Walker) and the director of the choir (Bob Cilman) treat the singers as real people and not patronisingly.
When Bob Cilman introduces a new song to the group and they struggle with it, he is not afraid to bark at one member, ‘You’re holding everyone back’, or ‘I don’t need you to make fun of the song’ at another. One responds with a smile and a shrug, ‘Sure, he’s tough, but so am I’.
The friendships and banter among the group is gentle and genuine – you can still be flirtatious at 92 apparently. The director gives them a CD to sing along to and practice their songs, and one of them turns it over with bemusement – ‘Which side do you play?’
Their sensitivity when someone needs help is very moving. A couple of the group die during the making of the documentary but it isn’t mawkish – old people die. Others have health issues; problems with their heart or eyesight. A trio car-pool to rehearsals, joking that they would all like to drive, but only one of them can see.
Many of the ‘singers’ are fairly tuneless and they warble and waver in that way that old folk can. When Eileen Hall performs Should I Stay or Should I Go?, she speaks the words in realistic enquiry. However, Fred Knittle has a beautiful baritone and when he sings Cold Play’s Fix You as an homage to his late duet partner, there isn’t a dry eye in the cinema. Incidentally all of the bands whose songs they sing give their permission for them to use them on this documentary with one exception; no prizes for guessing that was U2.
They rehearse three times a week in the lead-up to their concert, promoted as Alive and Well. They produce videos with a twist from a fairground, a bowling alley, at a crossroads, and in a rest home. Their performance in a prison was one of the most touching scenes as they shook hands and shared hugs with the inmates. One said it was the best show he had ever seen and while I don’t doubt his sincerity – there were tears in his eyes – I wonder how many performances he has actually seen.
This choir shows the benefits of perseverance, humility, teamwork, and aging with dignity. It’s fabulous to see people doing something because they love it and each other’s company. These guys are enthusiastic without wanting to be famous or compete in one of those ghastly talent contests.
If you stumbled across this documentary by accident, you would have felt you had uncovered a gem. With all the hype that has been built up around it, it is still one of the most inspiring pieces of cinema I’ve seen for a long time. A middle-aged woman comes out of one of the performances and says, ‘I will never complain about being old again.’ I think that sums it up quite nicely.
