Poison Heart: Surviving the Ramones (Music) [Paperback]

Dee Dee Ramone (Author)

Book Description

Series: Music | Publication Date: March 1998

Poison Heart is Dee Dee Ramone's perspective on 15 years of touring with the band. It is a harrowing tale, both tragic and comic, littered with many of the colorful characters who made up the New York punk scene.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The Ramones were America's first commercially successful punk band, and Dee Dee Ramone's book is like the Ramones' music: fast, to the point, and gloriously superficial. The Ramones' superficiality was not, however, hypocritical, and this book is a celebration of surface as substance. Dee Dee's verbal style is rudimentary, but the details he provides on the inner workings of the band that gave us "Blitzkrieg Bop" are going to be appreciated by fans and obsessives, anyway, and the tidbits of inside dirt on band members will be, too. It is at least interesting, for instance, that Johnny Ramone was a Reaganaut who objected to the song title "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg," so that the band subsequently called it "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down" on the album Animal Boy. Dee Dee and Joey fought for the original title to appear on the single, though, and "for once we won," Dee Dee reports--so this little romp is inspirational as well as informative! Mike Tribby

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Publishing (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0946719195
• ISBN-13: 978-0946719198
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,671,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gimme Gimme My Money Back or Now I Wanna Be a Good Book, April 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Poison Heart: Surviving the Ramones (Music) (Paperback)

Just kidding, it wasn't that bad, I just couldn't resist. I waited over 10 years for this book, and I wish I could say it was 100% worth the wait. I agree from the reader who happens to be married to me--I can't beleive that after all those years with the Ramones, Dee Dee does not have ONE nice or positive memory or thing to say. Don't get me wrong, I liked the book. Dee Dee has a great sense of humor, and even at his worst there's something so loveable about the guy. It sounds corny but there really is an innate sweetness under all that drug abuse and New York attitude. It's really just kind of depressing that he seems to have had such a miserable time, and can't let go of most of the bitter memories and look back on the good times. The book seems to be a series of wretched stories about being broke, taking drugs, turning tricks, getting beat up, taking more drugs, overdosing, getting beat up or stabbed by insane girlfriends, or out trying to cop drugs. He tells the stories well but it would be nice if he had something positive to say. And I've spent time with the Ramones and agree that Joey can be moody and Johnny can be crabby and bossy, but that they are also nice people in general and can be fun to be with. I can't beleive there wasn't ONE show, ONE night when Dee Dee was up there, playing bass and jumping up and down and thought, "Man, this is pretty fun." Obviously there are a LOT of bad feelings left, which is too bad. This book is also a very, very effective example of why not to do drugs. You see Dee Dee go from looking like a heart-breakingly goodlooking, healthy young man in his 20's to The Cryptkeeper by 40. Swear to God, you see a picture of him now and you would never recognize him as the fine, babyfaced man he used to be. When you see him today he looks to be in his 60's (Sorry to hurt your feelings, Dee Dee, if you're reading this). Don't look at the pictures taken after 1989 if you want to remember him like he was. I do also agree, though, with the reader who says "Please Kill Me" gave you a better idea of the Ramones and the New York punk scene back then, and even of Dee Dee's life. Now that's a solid, satisfying read and includes almost as many of Dee Dee's words as this rather slim autobio does. Another thing that bugs me is there's absolutely NO mention of his wife of over 10 years, Vera Ramone, who he loved so much he married her in a church and had her name tattooed on his arm. Like she never existed, and I really wanted to hear about their marraige. I assume either they have some kind of written agreement that he can't write about her, or she asked him not to and they are close enough so he respects her wishes, or he's so damn bitter about that too he doesn't even bring it up. I hope it's the middle one. Anyway, Dee Dee gets some good stories about the punk scene in, is a good sport about the stupid decisions he's made in his life ("Putting out a rap album didn't exactly win me any popularity contests", he writes)and has a great sense of humor. Just wish the book wasn't so depressing--and that it wasn't so short.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Punk rock book inna punk rock style, June 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Poison Heart: Surviving the Ramones (Music) (Paperback)

No, it's not great literature. It's not supposed to be. It's a book about a punk band from one of the original scene-sters. It's a punk rock tell-all. If you want the history, read Please Kill Me. If you want the attitude, gossip, and drug stories read Dee Dee's book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dee Dees on a Bummer, March 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Poison Heart: Surviving the Ramones (Music) (Paperback)

It's hard to believe that Dee Dee could go 15 years in the Ramones without having anything positive to say. I know he was on the dope but still you think making some of the greatest records and being part of one of the greatest bands of all time he would have at least a few happy moments. He doesn't.