Episode 12: CJ Ramone – the Ramones, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes. Image: Alan Snodgrass

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If you’ve only heard of one punk band, it’s likely the Ramones. After all, they pretty much wrote the book on the leather-jacketed aesthetic, and the musical delivery of short, sharp, and punchy songs that influenced the genre’s earliest years, and is still heard to this day.

Though all of the band’s founding members have long since passed, their lineup wasn’t static for their existence, and in 1989, they were joined by a young bass player named Christopher Joseph Ward. Of course, he was better known as CJ Ramone, which is exactly how I introduced him to listeners on today’s podcast.

CJ Ramone was a member of the iconic group for their final seven years, and both during and after the band’s run, he performed in a handful of other groups, including Los Gusanos, Bad Chopper, and The Ramainz – a Ramones tribute band which also included both Dee Dee Ramone, Marky Ramone, and Dee Dee’s wife Barbara. As the real Ramones once said; "we're a happy family".  

In recent years, CJ Ramone has been a member of the greatest punk cover band out there, Me First And The Gimme Gimmes. Working with Spike Slawson of Swingin' Utters on vocals, Lagwagon’s Joey Cape on guitar, The Damned’s Andrew "Pinch" Pinching on drums, and Rocket From The Crypt guitarist John ‘The Swami’ Reis, it’s a veritable who’s-who of the punk world.

Last week, they released their latest album, ¡Blow It…At Madison’s Quinceañera!. A live album in the same vein as 2004’s Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah where they performed at an actual bar mitzvah, this time, you can hear them awkwardly celebrating Madison’s 15th birthday.

For this episode, the lovely CJ was kind enough to spend some time out of his day with me. Needless to say, he’s something of a punk icon, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t an honour to chat to a member of one of the genre’s most iconic names. 

Anyway, check out Me First And The Gimme Gimmes’ ¡Blow It…At Madison’s Quinceañera!, and once you’re done, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.

CJ Ramone’s Trusty Chords

CJ’s One Influential Artist

1. Black Sabbath

CJ’s Three Impactful Albums

1. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (1970)

2. Ramones – Ramones (1976)

3. Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden (1980)

CJ’s Five Trusty Songs

1. Tom Waits – 'Innocent When You Dream' (1987)

2. Johnny Cash – 'Ring Of Fire' (1963)

3. Looking Glass – 'Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)' (1972)

4. Blue Öyster Cult – '(Don't Fear) The Reaper' (1976)

5. The Shirelles – 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' (1960)