The Ramones: End Of The Century

There are so many injustices in the music business. Mark Lanegan is still playing the clubs, Mark E. Smith continues to be overlooked for a Knighthood and, as Bill Hicks famously observed, John Lennon gets shot while Barry Manilow lives. Still, even beside such tragedies as ‘Copacabana’, one would have to say that the Fates really pissed on The Ramones. They may have facilitated British punk, the blank generation and the whole hop-headed CBGB’s scene, but for two decades they were regarded as an elaborate three-chord joke.
Maybe it was the matching mop-tops, the odes to glue-sniffing, their cartoon Stooging-around or just bad timing, but while no band since has failed to drop the Happy Family name into their canon of musical influences, Da Bruddahs ultimately sold more converse sneakers than albums.
As this splendid documentary from Jim Fields and Mike Gramaglia reveals, this lack of recognition and commercial swagger pissed The Ramones off no end. It is heartbreaking, yet fitting, that the film is book-ended by the band’s induction into the Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Fame – a tribute that came after Joey’s death, mere months from Dee Dee’s fatal overdose and only two years before Johnny lost his battle with cancer.
Thankfully, End Of The Century properly honours the Animal Boys. This essential guide lovingly stitches together archive footage plus interviews with Joey, Tommy, Dee Dee, Johnny, various Ramones vagrants, managers, family members and noted fans, such as Debbie Harry and Joe Strummer.
As even novice pinheads will know, the story of The Ramones isn’t all Gabba Gabba Heys and the crazy psychodrama of Johnny and Joey’s relationship - Johnny eloping with the love of Joey’s life, the irreconcilable political differences and their sixteen years not speaking - is handled brilliantly here. The film’s greatest achievement, however, is capturing Johnny’s obnoxious, right-wing charm. His perversely pleasurable presence would alone make End Of The Century a mandatory, must-see, drop-everything jaunt down the Road To Ruin.

108mins. Cert IFI members. Opens January 28th.