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On Wednesday afternoon I checked in the VIRGIN MEGASTORE on Time Square to attend the Ramones RAW DVD signing.
Due to traffic in NYC, I didn’t get there as early as I wanted to. So when I finally got in the store I was far from being the first in line.
Hundreds of fans showed up for the signing... and you could watch the DVD playing on a screen as you were waiting in line.
Ramones fans are always friendly, so I got to talk with some of them... and, after one hour and a half of waiting, it was my turn to get my stuff signed.
Both Marky, and John were in a good mood and very friendly. I was glad to see that the reason why it was taking so long was that they both actually were taking the time to talk with everyone, and would even take pictures with fans.
It’s extremely rare to go to a signing and be treated like that, so I can honestly say that everybody really appreciated it, and we all had a good time.
I first talked with director John Cafiero, who even gave me a Misfits Records CD sampler. Then I talked with Marky- whom I hadn’t met in 2 years -even if I had interviewed him a couple of times during those 2 years.
It was cool to finally get to meet him in person again. Two years ago I was lucky enough to join Marky and the SpeedKings in their van, and even onstage, for a couple of gigs in France.
It’s great memories for me, and it was a lot of fun to Tour with Marky and the SpeedKings.
Marky is a cool and fun guy to hang out with.
Along with the RAW DVD, he also signed a pair of Marky Ramone signature Vic Firth drumsticks that I had kept from that Tour, a couple of pictures taken on the road, and some CD sleeve covers.
By the way he mentioned that the WASTE is a real cool paper...so if he says it’s cool, you best believe it is, you lucky readers you!
Everyone also got offered a RAW DVD poster signed by Marky & John.
It was real a cool event and I want to thank Marky and John again for their friendly behavior during the signing.
RAMONES RAW
As soon as I got back home I watched the DVD.
All I can say is that if you don’t already own it... go buy it!
RAMONES RAW is the ultimate Ramones DVD. It’s their first official DVD release, and by far their best.
The DVD contains more than 5 hours of material. Most of it had never been seen before or is very rare.
It covers the history of the band from circa 1979 to 1996.
I know what you’re going to say, who can sit for 5 hours in front of a TV screen? (except for your little brother of course). Well, have a look at RAMONES RAW and you’ll be surprised.
First of all, despite its title, what you get is not RAW footages randomly put together. Far from that.
The DVD was brilliantly scripted, directed and edited and is to be watched like a real movie, because that’s exactly what it is. And it happens to be a really good one.
RAW is not a boring documentary, and- without minimizing the importance of the Ramones in the music scene- it still doesn’t take itself too seriously. Actually the movie is a lot of fun to watch and features lots hilarious sequences.
The back cover says that it’s like being on the road with the band- and for having been lucky enough to join a couple of bands on tour in the past, I can say that it’s close to reality. At least, as close as you can get on video (except you won’t have to carry the amps!)
It features a lot of stuff from personal archives (Marky used to carry a video camera on tour), backstage, on the road, at soundcheck, and of course you get live songs.
I was happy to see that there’s a lot of Dee Dee in it too, even his Dee Dee King Funky Man video!
Aside from the movie itself- which is 105 minutes long- you get plenty of Bonus that are way more than the usual Bonus.
Amongst other things you get ‘I Ramones’ a 27 minutes Live in Italy of great quality, TV appearances, Deleted scenes, etc, but more than that, you also have the audio commentaries with Johnny Ramone (RIP), Marky Ramone and John Cafiero.
I wouldn’t have enough space to tell you everything that you’ll find in Ramones Raw... and the cool thing is that when you think it’s over, you still have hidden easter eggs to find.
Now if that’s not enough to make you feel like getting this DVD, I don’t know what to say!
If you’re a Ramones fan, go ahead, you don’t even need to think about it, it’s a MUST HAVE.
And if you’re not a fan yet, it’s still the BEST DVD to discover the band.
Ramones Raw manages to capture the Punk rock spirit and to put it back on a very un-punk media.
It’s a treasure chest full of gems and rarities.
RAMONES RAW is to DVDs what a Ramones LP is to Records... it’s the kind of stuff you can watch while eating a slice of pizza... and, trust me on that one, you’ll have a real blast.
Now I can’t wait for Marky to release his book.
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