Super Safi’s Monday Morning Musings 85 – The Ramones

Morning Musically-Minded, Medically-Minded, Masticators!

(Today’s post is sponsored by the letter “M”)

Over the past 600+ episodes, The Simpsons has taken us on an amazing journey involving music, science, and food to name a few concepts.

And what better way to start your week, than by discussing some of these concepts Monday morning?

So let’s get started this week by talking about the first punk rock band.

In the eighty fifth episode of The Simpsons, Rosebud (Season 05, Episode 04), the night before his birthday, Mr. Burns has a nightmare reminiscing about his long lost teddy bear, Bobo. At his birthday, the whole town shows up and he is lavished with gifts, including gold and a unicorn. His birthday features a special performance by The Ramones.

Eventually Mr. Burns discovers his precious Bobo is in the hands of Maggie Simpson, following stops in the hands of many including Charles Lindbergh and Adolf Hitler. With Homer caught in the middle of his boss and his baby, Bobo creates a lot of fun drama.

But have you ever wondered who The Ramones are?

The Ramones

The Ramones were an American band that formed in the New York City neighbourhood of Forest Hills, Queens. The band was formed in 1974 and disbanded in 1996 after 22 years of nearly nonstop touring, featuring 2,263 concerts. The Ramones are often cited as the first true punk rock group.

Originally composed of members lead singer Joey Ramone (1951-2001), bassist Dee Dee Ramone (1951-2002), guitarist Johnny Ramone (1948-2004), and drummer Tommy Ramone (1949-2014). The band would see some transitions and have additional members bassist C. J. Ramone (1965-Present), and drummers Marky Ramone (1952-Present), Richie Ramone (1957-Present), and Elvis Ramone (1954-Present).

Top: Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone, Tommy Ramone
Bottom: Marky Ramone, Richie Ramone, Elvis Ramone, C.J. Ramone

Although none of the members were biologically related, they all adopted the surname Ramone. This was done as a tribute to Beatles legend Paul McCartney, who would check in to hotels under the alias “Paul Ramon”.

Their studio albums include:

Ramones (1976)
Leave Home (1977)
Rocket to Russia (1977)
Road to Ruin (1978)
End of the Century (1980)
Pleasant Dreams (1981)
Subterranean Jungle (1983)
Too Tough to Die (1984)
Animal Boy (1986)
Halfway to Sanity (1987)
Brain Drain (1989)
Mondo Bizarro (1992)
Acid Eaters (1993)
¡Adios Amigos! (1995)

The Ramones were ranked number 26 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” and number 17 in VH1‘s “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock”. In 2002, the Ramones were ranked the second-greatest band of all time by Spin, second only to the Beatles.

On March 18, 2002, the original four members Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, Tommy, and Tommy’s replacement on drums Marky, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. In 2011, the group was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Now that we’ve learned more about The Ramones, be sure to come back next week when we continue our Monday morning musings with the next episode of The Simpsons.

Did you remember the episode? What’s your favourite Mr. Burns-centric episode of The Simpsons? What about your favourite guest appearance by a band or musical act on The Simpsons? Did you remember Bobo’s adventures? Did you remember Mr. Burns birthday party? Did you know the history of The Ramones? What’s your favourite The Ramones song? Sound off in the comments below. You know we love hearing from you.