{"id":7947,"date":"2011-09-30T07:00:26","date_gmt":"2011-09-30T11:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=7947"},"modified":"2011-09-30T08:17:16","modified_gmt":"2011-09-30T12:17:16","slug":"blowin%e2%80%99-wind-with-former-ramones-bassist-cj-ramone-%e2%80%9ci-was-approached-about-joining-metallica-not-once-but-twice-%e2%80%9d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=7947","title":{"rendered":"Blowin\u2019 Wind with Former Ramones Bassist CJ Ramone: \u201cI was approached about joining Metallica not once but twice.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>20 years ago, Christopher Joseph Ward was given the opportunity that any fan of any band can only dream about. \u00a0Ward would become known and loved by fans as CJ Ramone and for seven years injected some youthful energy and fun into the Ramones. \u00a0CJ also became a huge part of the heart and soul of the Ramones. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0I was lucky enough to talk to CJ from his home in NYC and we talked about his opinions on the Rock N\u2019 Roll Hall of Fame, his love for metal and reggae music and how it is being back on the road after many years of absence from the scene. \u00a0This was a real treat for me and I just know you all will love this one. \u00a0Sit back and enjoy it! \u00a0Hey Ho Let\u2019s Go!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

CJ, Thanks for doing this man! \u00a0How are things in NYC today?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Man, not too bad. \u00a0It\u2019s a little overcast today but it\u2019s not too bad!<\/p>\n

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Are you loving this cool weather or what? \u00a0Time to bust out the leather.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh yeah. \u00a0This was a pretty brutal summer [laughs].<\/p>\n

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You just wrapped up your \u201cAmerican Punk<\/em>\u201d tour and and the show here in Atlanta was so much fun. \u00a0How much fun was it to get back out there on the road after so long?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks a lot. \u00a0This tour was a long time coming. \u00a0I had kind of sworn off doing any kind of Ramones thing for the longest time. \u00a02009 was my 20th anniversary of joining The Ramones and I just wanted to go out and do some shows just to celebrate that and celebrate the music of The Ramones. \u00a0It turned out to be a really good time and people dug it a lot and after we did those first couple of shows the requests for more shows started rolling in. \u00a0We kept it rolling and it just took on a life of its own so I\u2019m just going with it at this point.<\/p>\n

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You brought back the spirit of The Ramones but you did it in your own way and made it a really cool experience. \u00a0I\u2019ve heard a lot of mixed emotions from fans. \u00a0What kind of feedback did you get from the fans on this tour?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the most part it\u2019s been really positive as far as the fans that I\u2019ve talked to and the reviews that we\u2019ve been getting. \u00a0I know there have been some comments from within the Ramones organization saying that we were just a cover band or something but ya know what? \u00a0I really don\u2019t care. \u00a0I love The Ramones. \u00a0I was a huge fan before I ever joined the band. \u00a0People can call it whatever they like but I\u2019m just trying to keep the legacy going and give some of the fans who weren\u2019t even born or were old enough to see The Ramones the opportunity to hear these songs live. \u00a0I feel like we really capture the energy of The Ramones. \u00a0I\u2019m not saying that in any way, shape or form that we sound or look just like The Ramones. \u00a0I sincerely believe that we\u2019ve done a good job capturing the energy. \u00a0Realistically every show is just a celebration. \u00a0It\u2019s just me celebrating with the fans how great The Ramones were. \u00a0That\u2019s really how I look at it. \u00a0They were one of the greatest, if not thee greatest, rock n\u2019 roll band of all time. \u00a0To me it\u2019s just a shame for all the fans now to not get an opportunity to get to at least hear some of what The Ramones were like live.<\/p>\n

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As a long time fan I thought you did it right CJ. \u00a0I also have to say that as a fan, I get frustrated and even jaded over all the negative press, litigations and lawsuits so it was nice to see you just out there reminding everyone that it\u2019s about the music and those timeless songs. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you man. \u00a0Since the Ramones retired there has been so much negative stuff going on. \u00a0There are all these books and documentaries about how Johnny and Joey hated each other and who has control now and who\u2019s part of the organization and who\u2019s not. \u00a0There\u2019s been so much drama and bullshit. \u00a0For a band that was so awesome and made so many people happy and to have all that greatness reduced down to a soap opera to me is just so pointless. \u00a0What made the Ramones great had nothing to do with their personal relationships between each other and the people around them. \u00a0It had to do with the music and the scene. \u00a0That\u2019s just another reason for me to get out there and keep doing this to remind people that all that stuff doesn\u2019t mean anything. \u00a0What counts is what they put down on vinyl and gave to their fans musically and in the live show. \u00a0Everything else is just bullshit.<\/p>\n