Why Dee Dee Ramone left the Ramones
It was always a tenuous existence being a part of the Ramones. The original New York punk band was one of the most striking and original bands to ever cross over into pop culture. But just because they were part of popular culture didn’t mean that the Ramones were “popular”. For decades, the band failed to sell a substantial amount of records and relied heavily on touring and merchandise sales in order to stay afloat. Even during their final tours, the Ramones rarely played venues larger than clubs or theatres.
The lifestyle was demanding and dysfunctional. At the centre of the band’s decision-making process was Johnny Ramone, the strict taskmaster who handled the band’s finances and often made the final decisions. A rotating cast of drummers meant that none were particularly influential within the band’s business makeup after Tommy Ramone. Joey Ramone struggled with health problems, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, and often deferred to Johnny’s judgment when it came to business. Dee Dee Ramone had frequent issues regarding drug use and violence, causing him to be an unreliable source as well.
On top of their own quirks, the band members often had contentious relationships. Dee Dee acknowledged the animosity between the members in the documentary End of the Century: The Story of The Ramones. “I think we can all be friendly with each other and like each other, but we can’t live together or communicate or anything,” Ramone claimed. “It just should be over. What can you do? Anybody else would probably be happy if they had what we have.”
By the late 1980s, it looked like the band had returned to a certain stability. After a brief period with drummer Richie Ramone, the band’s longest-serving drummer Marky Ramone returned with newfound sobriety. However, just as the band returned to one of its classic lineups, Dee Dee Ramone wanted out. His lack of interest in the band was clear from his lack of participation on 1989’s Brain Drain.
“Dee Dee was kinda zonked during the record because I think it took a lot out of him to write it and do the rehearsals,” producer Daniel Rey recalled. “Maybe he played on one or two (songs).” A solo rap album from Dee Dee, Standing in the Spotlight, also took his attention away from the band. Dee Dee would leave the band after the Brain Drain tour, citing a desire to get sober and stay healthy.
“I was sick: I was bulimic and anorexic, and nobody could tell because I was on so many antidepressants that I was bloated from them,” Ramone recalled in End of the Century. “I was dying. You know what – I’d had it. It was just too miserable. Joey was drinking so much then. Finally, I said, ‘I gotta get better.’”
Johnny, in particular, felt a sense of betrayal from Dee Dee’s departure. “I felt kind of hurt by it because me and Dee Dee had always discussed, ‘We’re gonna do this until we both decide you and me don’t want to do this anymore,’” Johnny claimed. While Marky lamented the loss of the band’s main songwriter, Johnny was more determined than ever to keep the band going. The Ramones continued to tour and record with a new bassist, C.J. Ramone, for another seven years before breaking up in 1996.
