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| From | "PopBaNg" <bangbangpopshow@pluricanal.net> |
| Subject | Johnny Ramone |
| Date | Wed, 16 Jun 2004 02:49:44 +0100 |
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From Rolling Stone.com:
"Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone is in a Los Angeles
hospital battling prostate cancer, according to his
longtime bandmate, drummer Marky Ramone. "Johnny's
been a champ in confronting this, but at this point I
think the chances are slim," says Marky, who joined
the Ramones in 1977 when Tommy Ramone left the band.
"John never smoked cigarettes, he wasn't a heavy
drinker and he was always into his health," Marky
continues. "It just proves when cancer seeks a body to
penetrate, it doesn't matter how healthy you are or
how unhealthy you are. It just seeps in and there's
nothing you can do."
The fifty-five-year-old guitarist, born John Cummings,
first learned of his condition four years ago and has
undergone extensive chemotherapy.
"I've been getting so much email from people and from
papers and magazines wanting to know what was up I had
to take it upon myself to say something, because
eventually John won't be in any condition to say or do
anything," Marky says. "He went through many
chemotherapy treatments. Some of it worked better than
others. At this point [the cancer] has started to go
into other areas of the body."
Widely acknowledged as the world's first punk band,
the Ramones have lost two members in the last three
years, with singer Joey Ramone's death in 2001 of
lymphatic cancer and bassist Dee Dee Ramone's death
from a drug overdose the following year.
Johnny Ramone retired from music following the
Ramones' final tour in 1996, and, after more than two
decades spent on the road, the Ramones leader felt
little temptation to continue playing.
"I was ninety-nine percent sure I was not going to
come back and play," Johnny told Rolling Stone in
2001. "I was always open, but I didn't want to go back
on tour under any circumstances. If they could have
come up with an offer that I couldn't refuse for one
week of jobs, somewhere in the world, I would have
thought about it."
Despite a poor prognosis, Johnny remains upbeat. "He
seemed in good spirits the last time I saw him," says
Marky. "He was talking about the positive things the
Ramones accomplished: getting inducted into the Rock &
Roll Hall of Fame [in 2002], how our music is being
accepted at this point. It put a smile on his face.
Knowing John, he'll fight this horrible disease to the
end. Everybody is wishing the best and hoping the
best. We'll stand by him.""
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