After watching Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, this is truly refreshing. Unlike the big babies of metal, who hold three year tantrums over petty squabbles, The Ramones come across as the hardest working band in punk rock. It’s amazing how long they stuck it out, considering the vast differences between members, who didn’t even seem to like each other much. Dee Dee was a druggie trouble-maker, Joey was a shy liberal, and Johnny was the right-wing authority figure that kept them all in line with a strict regimen. Johnny also stole Joey’s first real love, ending their friendship and keeping them apart even through Joey’s fatal battle with cancer. Yet for 20 years The Ramones kept true to their rock’n'roll integrity, constantly touring through all their difficulties and illnesses. Rob Zombie comments on how easy it was to take the group for granted, as they always seemed to be playing somewhere at any given time, giving their all. They truly were punk rock pioneers, playing venues and towns no other band would play just to get gigs. On return visits, they would find burgeoning garage band scenes sprouting as a testament to their influence. Many of those bands actually went on to become more successful than The Ramones, using the same basic formula. The guys in the band admit to longing for cross-over appeal, which led to some bizarre career turns (a disastrous pairing with producer Phil Spector; Dee Dee’s mind-boggling foray into rap music). But once they accepted their humble spot in the scheme of things, they charged ahead faster and rawer than ever. The documentary takes us through the band’s entire history, from awkward kids just picking up instruments to awkward middle-aged men accepting their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s an energetic and entertaining trip, leaving me humming the band’s tunes in my sleep.

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