CJ Says: A Ramones Podcast

Hey kids! Welcome to another Deep Dive episode of CJ Says: A Ramones Podcast.This week, we drop the needle on Brain Drain—the Ramones' eleventh studio album, released in 1989, and a record that arrived at one of the most turbulent moments in the band's history.By this point, the cracks were beginning to show. Richie Ramone was gone, Dee Dee was battling his own demons, and the band were facing the increasingly familiar struggle between artistic credibility, commercial success, and simply keeping the machine moving. And yet, somehow, Brain Drain produced some of the most memorable songs of the Ramones' later years.From the irresistible 'I Believe in Miracles' to the sublime soundtrack song 'Pet Sematary', Brain Drain is a fascinating collision of classic Ramones songwriting, vintage '80s production, and even a Christmas song thrown into the mix. In this week's Deep Dive, we get under the skin of the record (or skull) of Brain Drain—the songs, the stories, the lineup changes, and the bizarre context surrounding an album that's often overlooked in favour of the Ramones' earlier, more celebrated records.So grab your leather jacket, turn up the volume up dial, and join us as we revisit Brain Drain, an album made by a band who may have been running low on fumes, but somehow still had enough gas left in the tank to go to the distance as they entered the third—and arguably most successful—decade of their career...The Ramones weren't finished yet. Not by a long shot.As always, if you want to hear the Side B Deep Dive and stream the rest of our exclusive bonus content, head over to www.patreon.com/cjsays

Hey kids! Welcome to another episode of CJ Says: A Ramones Podcast.This week, we're heading north of the border to Vancouver to sit down with one of the great survivors of the punk rock underground: Joey Shithead, frontman of DOA, and a man who’s spent nearly five decades making noise, causing trouble, and proving that punk was never supposed to be a spectator sport.Joey takes us back to the beginning—to the first time he saw the Ramones and The Clash and realised that this strange, furious thing called punk rock could change the course of your life. From the Commodore Ballroom to the sweaty clubs and broken-down vans of the Canadian underground scene, Joey’s story is about discovering music and deciding, against all reasonable advice, to throw himself headfirst into the lifestyle.But beneath the noise, the politics and righteous aggression lies something even more important: community. Joey remembers a punk scene where the bands looked after one another, raised money when somebody's gear got stolen, shared stages, ideas, and somehow managed to build a culture out of absolutely nothing.Along the way, we get stories of friendships, survival, and the strange pathways that connect Vancouver's underground music scene to international rockstars like Duff McKagan from Guns N’ Roses—proving that the widespread punk rock family tree is connected to the same roots, all off which spring from the Ramones…As always, to stream the second half of this artist interview and access the rest of our bonus content, head over to www.patreon.com/cjsays

Hey kids! Welcome to another Deep Dive episode of CJ Says: A Ramones Podcast.This week, we drop the needle on Halfway to Sanity—the Ramones' tenth studio album, released in 1987, which proved that after eleven years of broken hearts and internal warfare, the brothers weren't ready to lie down and die.By this point, the musical landscape had changed beyond recognition. Punk had mutated, MTV had taken over the airwaves, and the Ramones were deeper into their career than most bands ever survive. Yet here they were, still writing songs, making records, and somehow still sounding unmistakably like themselves…Produced by Daniel Rey, Halfway to Sanity finds the band somewhere between refinement and rawness. Debbie Harry drops by for a vocal cameo, Walter Lure adds additional guitar to the soundscape, and Dee Dee increasingly turns his songwriting inwards—swapping some of the cartoonish chaos of his earlier material for something more personal, vulnerable, and occasionally downright unsettling!In this week's Deep Dive, we pull apart the songs, the production and the circumstances surrounding one of the most overlooked records in the Ramones’ back catalogue. So grab your leather jacket and join us somewhere halfway between genius and insanity…then head over to www.patreon.com/cjsays and join us for the Side B Deep Dive where we turn the record over and discuss the second half of the album. Hey! Ho! Let’s GO!!!

Hey kids! Welcome to another episode of CJ Says: A Ramones Podcast.This week, we throw the doors of the punk-rock asylum wide open and invite onto the show the illustrious Blag Dahlia—frontman of the Dwarves, professional troublemaker, underground philosopher, solo artist, and one of the few men alive who can discuss the Ramones, Frank Zappa, jazz, rock 'n' roll, swing, and the decline of Western civilisation without even pausing for breath…In this interview, Blag explains why the Ramones changed his life, not because they were the most technically accomplished musicians, but because they made making music feel possible! We also delve into the DNA of the Dwarves: the filthy lyrics, outrageous iconography, and deliberate collision of pop songwriting and confrontational art. Because beneath all the blood, guts and public indecency Blag always had the same obsession: making great music.Along the way, we discuss why the Ramones had swing, why rock 'n' roll needs humour and danger to stay alive, and what happens when punk takes itself so seriously that the people creating it forget to have any fun. Blag also opens up about getting older, his constant quest for artistic reinvention, and the Ralph Champagne project, which proves that staying true to yourself doesn't have to mean staying the same forever.So join us for a wild ride into punk, pop, rock 'n' roll, and the fine art of staying weird!

Hey kids! Welcome to another instalment of CJ Says: A Ramones Podcast.We've got a great artist interview lined up this week. Before New York became a cultural phenomenon, it was a state of mind—a city where punk rock, fashion, nightlife, and art collided inside smoke-filled clubs beneath neon lights.This week, we're joined by one of the true architects of that world…Miss Guy is a musician, DJ, performer and trailblazer whose journey into New York's underground began with a chance meeting with Malcolm McLaren and quickly evolved into a life spent at the heart of the city's creative explosion. From the drag-fuelled chaos of St. Mark's Place to co-founding the legendary SqueezeBox club night, Miss Guy wasn't simply there watching history unfold—he was actively helping to shape it.In Part One of this week's fascinating conversation with a proper New York legend, we explore the clubs, the characters, and the beautiful misfits who transformed New York into the creative capital of the punk rock world. Along the way, we discover why style became confidence, how the city's outsiders found strength in one another, and where the Ramones fit in amongst the underground scene that transformed pop culture forever.It’s time to leave daylight behind and step back in time to a New York that could never exist today. You just had to be there...and Miss Guy was…this is his story!To stream the second half of this week’s artist interview, as always, head over to www.patreon.com/cjsays

Hey kids! Welcome to another Deep Dive episode of CJ Says: A Ramones Podcast.This week, we drop the needle on Too Tough to Die — the album that didn't just save the Ramones…it reminded the world who they were…By 1984, the musical landscape had shifted beneath their feet. Punk rock had splintered into a thousand different directions, mainstream success remained frustratingly out of reach, and the band themselves seemed caught somewhere between experimentation and lack of direction. Then came Too Tough to Die.With Tommy Ramone back behind the console alongside longtime Ramones collaborator Ed Stasium, a rejuvenated Dee Dee firing on all creative cylinders once again, Richie Ramone injecting fresh energy behind the kit, and Joey developing a grittier, more confrontational voice, the band stopped chasing the charts and started sounding like themselves again.In this week's Deep Dive, we explore the songs, the stories, and the subtle reinvention that makes Too Tough to Die one of the most important records in the band's entire back catalogue. This record is the sound of the Ramones planting their boots firmly back on the sidewalk and reminding the world that nobody ever did punk rock quite like the Ramones.Join us as we revisit the album that truly lived up to its name…Too Tough to Die!

Hey kids! Welcome to another episode of CJ Says: A Ramones Podcast.Long before Manic Panic became one of the world's most recognisable hair colour brands, its founders, Tish and Snooky, were simply two young sisters trying to carve out a place for themselves in the beautiful chaos of New York's underground scene.This week, we sit down with the creators of the legendary company to explore a story that stretches far beyond hair dye and make-up—from their childhoods and the early days of CBGB to forming the gloriously named Sick Fucks, scraping together just $500 to launch a business, and eventually building a global punk rock institution. It's a modern-day fairytale of resilience, resourcefulness, and refusing to wait for permission. It’s a story of kicking down doors and breaking through barriers—much like their old friends, the Ramones.Tish and Snooky, perhaps more than any other guests we've welcomed onto the podcast thus far, embody the DIY spirit that powered an entire generation of outsiders to reshape the future ahead of them. This is an episode about friendship, family, creativity, and the fierce individuality that made New York's punk and new wave scene unlike anything that came before—or since.The Ramones may have provided the soundtrack, but Tish and Snooky helped give punk its colour.So, come meet the women who proved that sometimes the biggest revolutions begin with nothing more than a personal vision... and five hundred dollars in your back pocket!To stream the second half of this interview and unlock the rest of our exclusive bonus content, head over to www.patreon.com/cjsays

Hey kids! Welcome to another Deep Dive episode of CJ Says: A Ramones Podcast.This week, we explore the bizarre world of the Ramones' seventh studio album, Subterranean Jungle—a record that divides fans as much today as it did back in 1983.An unexpected pair of cover songs kick things off, and the production is notably more ‘experimental’ than anything the band had attempted to date, which begs the question: were the Ramones consciously evolving their sound... or simply fighting to survive as the musical landscape of the early '80s drifted further and further away from the proto-punk, glam, and bubblegum pop sounds that shaped them?Here, we pick apart the songs, the sound, the stories, and the circumstances that produced one of the most divisive records in the Ramones' back catalogue. From the undeniable punch of Psycho Therapy to the left-field cover songs, uneven songwriting, and alienating production decisions that continue to baffle and bemuse longtime fans, nothing escapes the microscope.Subterranean Jungle may never top anyone's list of favourite Ramones records—you'd be mad to call it their finest hour—but sometimes the most illuminating insights are found in the albums that refuse to fit neatly into the band’s wider discography.So grab your leather jacket, drop the needle on Side A, and join us as we venture down one of the Ramones' most intriguing and confusing musical rabbit holes.To stream our Side B Deep Dive and unlock the rest of our exclusive bonus content, head over to www.patreon.com/cjsays