On The Road With The Ramones [Paperback]

Monte A. Melnick; Frank Meyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2007

New Updated Edition The Ramones' music has influenced nearly every power pop, punk, alternative, and metal band. Monte A. Melnick served as The Ramones tour manager from their early New York club days in the '70s to their farewell gigs in 1996. Filled with memorabilia including photographs and interviews collected along the way, this is his view of life on the road with the band as "babysitter to psychiatrist, booking agent to travel agent, paymaster to van driver." http://www.ontheroadwiththeramones.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Bobcat Books; 2nd edition (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860745148
• ISBN-13: 978-1860745140
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,363,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

This is a MUST-HAVE book for all Ramones fans. Based around the story of Monte A. Melnick who was the Ramones tour manager (and much more) throughout their entire career (1974-1996, and 2,263 live shows) over 22 years. It's an inside look from the people who were actually there witnessing and experiencing all the extreme highs and lows of one of rock's greatest bands. The book is packed with interviews from the Ramones and many many more people who where very close to the band. There are over 250 photographs and pictures of memorabilia Monte collected along the way. Buy it, read it and then revisit their albums. You'll never look at the Ramones in the same light. Monte is now The Audio Visual Associate at The New York Hall of Science in Queens NY.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monte Melnick's Flying Rock and Roll Circus, June 9, 2005

By 

Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: On The Road With The Ramones (Paperback)

For all the years that The Ramones weaved their strange tales of Commandos, Pin Heads, Vegetables, and students of the Rock and Roll High School, there were very few constants in their lives. One of them was Monte A Melnick. He became the band's road warrior first class and managed the band through their lives. When reading his history of the band, told in both first person and a gathering of quotes and comments from other notables over time, you discover that the band that sang "We're A Happy Family" was anything but.

In fact, along with the telling it like it really was documentary, "End Of The Century," "On The Road With The Ramones" shines an often uncomplimentary light on the principles. Reading through quote after recount of Johnny's almost sadistic militarist disciplines, Joey's obsessive/compulsive disorder (he once distressed himself in a European airport that he absolutely had to return to New York and touch a door he'd missed) and as Dee Dee's addictive personality become increasingly unstable, you marvel that The Ramones carved out a 22 year career that yielded only marginal success.

Yet that is what Melnick lays out in this book. You watch as the three core band members take the job of being the Ramones and affect all they come into contact with. All who do, come out changed. Band members splinter off, sometimes only nominally damaged (Tommy) or severely (Ritchie Ramone cut himself off so completely his royalties lay uncollected for three years). There was no way a tornado of rock like these men could strike you and not throw you.

What ultimately mattered to everyone involved was the music. You can gather through the book that, even at their most acrimonious, Johnny and Joey were blood brothers at the level of rock and roll as savior to what would have otherwise been anonymous lives. In the case of Joey or Dee Dee, you may even wonder what other life they would have had if not as musicians. It makes "On The Road With The Ramones" as much a confirmation of these legends of Punk Rock as it does a destroyer of their mythology. Absolutely essential.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "It's Monte, Not Monty!", June 4, 2004

By 

George Tabb "georgetabb" (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On The Road With The Ramones (Paperback)

Monte's book, "On The Road With The Ramones" tells it like it is and was.

Frank Meyer knows his punk rock.

This book is a MUST HAVE for any Ramones fan, and offers insight not only into rock 'n' roll and punk rock, but into the concept of bands themselves.

Monte is honest, sincere, and an all around nice guy. As much as I'd like to say this is my FAVORITE Ramones book, with all the infighting that goes on among these guys (and still does to this day), it's best I don't.

The pictures in here are priceless and I think Monte's pal, Shira, deserves lots of credit for helping him and Frank out with what is one of the best rock books ever written.

Buy this right away. No matter if you are a Ramones fan, or just heard of them. This book truely talks about the heart of rock n' roll. And sometimes that ain't pretty. But it sure is interesting.

-GT
June 2004

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hey ho, let's go!, November 30, 2003

By 

Rebeca Thorvund (San Jose, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: On The Road With The Ramones (Paperback)

What a fascinating read! Monte Melnick, the indefatigable road warrior who was at once dad, babysitter, peacekeeper, chauffeur, and tour manager extraordinaire for the entire ride, lets us into his memory bank and shares the mindblowing experience with us. The story is told by Monte and all those who were there, and reads like "Please Kill Me", with several voices sharing anecdotes.
The Ramones' story is unique, harrowing, thrilling, heartbreaking, and ultimately triumphant. This book shows us the long, hard road they traveled and how tough it really was for so long. They set the standard that everyone else is still trying to measure up to, more than a quarter century on. They were the first and will always be the best. This book shows us the whys and hows of their genius. Thanks, Monte!