This video isnt by Joey Ramone. Joey is dead. Rather than allow him to rest in peace there are people who have scraped his talent cells and put them in a Frankenstein petri dish hoping something will grow. All that is growing is my disgust.
This video was done under the direction of Mickey Leigh, Joeys brother who has done a fine job of keeping Joey alive. I have to say I have literally shut the Mickey machine off. I have my own Joey to remember and the last thing I want is a tour of Joeys boxers or a gen-u-ine hair follicle in a glass box. I fear that is next.
An annual tribute show, that’s cool A book about growing up Ramone..yup that’s fine.. Scraping shit off the cutting room floor for ONE MORE RECORD, is not only greed it is disrespectful. Joey controlled his brand, and he didn’t have a say on this one, so I cannot support it in any way.
Leigh, produced the album “…ya know?” from which this single is extracted . He states, “Never before has ‘stop motion’ photography seemed more like a contradiction of terms: fittingly, for a song about New York City, the motion is perpetual.” He continues, “Painstakingly built by video rocket scientist/film director Greg Jardin, the love and respect for Joey Ramone and his beloved city come blitzing off your screen in this film. Though so many great musicians, actors, and others graciously contributed their time, there are essentially only two stars in any video: the song and the director. They both shine brightly in ‘New York City.’”
It’s a love affair for Joey and The Big Apple. Only one is dead and one is a shell of what it was in Joeys day. Yeah, I appreciate his old pals coming out for a snap shot but it’s a bit self serving isn’t it? If this is a love note to Joey then we better make sure it’s got the mute on cuz he’s gonna be pissed to hear his old tapes were duct taped together.
As for video quality this ‘stop action’ film is of the caliber of our own Mary Magpies ‘self portrait’ video-doubt me? Ask to see it. The difference between Magpies and this?
Well first off she’s 15, still alive and had creative control while the Ramone film is by Director Greg Jardin an MVPA winner for Best Animated Video and Best In Camera Special Effects and winner of Best Music Video at the SXSW Film Awards 2011 who must have made a conscious effort to not exert any creative effort.
Please I beg you, let Joey rest in peace and leave him with his pride.