Customer Reviews

Legend of a Rock Star: A Memoir

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's great to have Dee Dee back, even if it is just in book form. "Legend of a Rock Star" finds our hero back on the road and cranky as ever. Dee Dee doesn't even want to do this tour, but everyone's on his back so he consents, kicking and screaming every step of the way. The promoters are a pain in the neck, the hotels are creepy, the food [is bad], but the fans still love him and he loves them. No one tells a tale quite like him and you sympathize between giggles.
In the epilogue Dee Dee writes about The Ramones' induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the chaos that ensues trying to round up the band to attend. For all his moaning, it's obvious Dee Dee loved his bandmates and their legacy.
Thunder's Mouth Press did a nice job putting the book together, including lots of photos of Dee Dee, his own handwriting, and his artwork.
I read this book with an underlying sense of sadness, as Dee Dee's voice was so vibrant and alive and he wrote about loving life and having so much that he still wanted to do. I hope he realized that he'd already accomplished so much and we all owe him a debt of gratitude. Love you, Dee Dee.

Who would have imagined the soul of one of the world's foremost punk bands was so literate? This book, whilst mixed with both hard-edged rock lifestyle and drug-induced fantasy nonetheless is arguably one of the sincerest perspectives of the real story behind the rock 'n' roll dream. Dee Dee was a journalist. His writing style -- exactly like his songwriting style -- was brief and to-the-point. Anyone who could change the direction of music through a two-minute song can be expected to make his contributions to literature through two-page chapters. The essence of the Ramones' and Dee Dee's success was staying true to your muse. It got bandmates and him into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame. It oughta get this book into your hands. Dee Dee was no dum-dum

I read this book in one day! To me, this book was like a long version of one of his best songs, but with such a sad ending. Through this book, and in his own words, I got the impression that DeeDee knew that his time on this earth was short.

Rest in Peace DeeDee Ramone.

Dee Dee was one of my idols. This book is superb in getting to know the ups and downs of a great man. Drugs and touring took their toll on him, but he was still able to flow his words with great style. I enjoyed this book very much. I would suggest this book for anyone wanting to know more about the life of a fallen Punk God. Rest in Peace, Dee Dee, you can finally get that well deserved rest from the Chinese Rock.

This is Dee Dee Ramone's journal of his European tour in support of his Greatest & Latest album. It's fairly interesting, but a lot of the things he talks about probably didn't really happen. I'm fairly certain he and his band mates didn't really murder a group of border patrol guards (at least I hope not). And there are some other incidents that are a bit hard to believe. But it still makes for an interesting read, even if you can't tell what is real and what isn't. Dee Dee's fans should enjoy this book.

Thank you, Dee Dee, you're very wonderful.

This is not an autobiography!!! or even Biography.. Its a diary of one of his tours plus a little on Joeys death.. Its amusing as Dee Dee always is.
It Also contains a great discography of Ramones and Solo Dee Dee. Any Dee Dee fan will get a laugh out of this.. Enjoyable and worth a read.

No offense, but this book was a bit off par. As all Dee Dee's/Ramones' fans know, Dee Dee had quite a few encounters with drugs, must have had some encounters with em while writing this *wink wink* ;).

Anyways, I'll get down to the plot. This book is mainly just a collection of Dee Dee's final years, just like a set of memoirs. He tells of him traveling throughout Europe and some of South America, as his band and him plays gigs all throughout these times. Like I said, he must have been on something while writing a lot of this book, because he stretches the truth many times.

One such time, he tells of seeing a driving shootout on the border of Denmark. A group of border runners was shooting and tossing grenades at a border patrol truck chasing after it. Another fun time with reading was him giving a run through of his border encounter, while heading to Norway I think it was, he ran into a manly border patrol woman. Not suprising, him and his friends got a hold of the guns of the border patrol woman and her cronies and ended up blast them all. Sounds like great reading material, huh?

He did go over more lighter subjects, like how he met his wife Barbara in South America after breaking up with The Ramones. Also, he does run through hearing the news that Joey passed away April 15, 2001 while he was in South America.

At the end of the book, there's a dedication section where friends pay their tribute to Dee Dee with little notes and such, telling of times with him and etc. The book also has a few personal pictures of him and Barbara.

Though, this book might sound a little to very over the edge or made up, but I gave this a 4/5 because it was actually entertaining to hear of his "true" encounters with people and his trips to Europe and South America. I recommend this, but don't go into it thinking there's going to be a true/factual plot, or any stories about times with The Ramones, this is his last testament, so it runs through his final years.

Thanks for reading, "Gabba Gabba Hey", and "Have A Nice Day",

Mikey.

This book doesnt read like a history of a rock star. As the title suggests, this is more of a memoir or diary of a lonely rocker who is well past his prime. It is more than likely his drug habit which relegated him to touring in a van with a third rate backing band 30 years after he broke the mold with the Ramones. However, even with all of the brain drain that drugs cause, he was still a caring and artistic guy.

I would have liked to have seen a bit more "life on the road" details here, but I think the book is well worth your time. If anything, kids who wanna form a band and start touring should learn from Dee Dee's mistakes.

It was really great book, almost I felt like I have a conversation with him.
Go on tour with him, and talk about fame with him.

I would keep reading this book.You might be do the same.

Everyone who loved Dee Dee would want to read this.