End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2003/2004)
I've seen a few documentaries about
the inner-workings of rock bands that makes me glad
I never had the time, talent or inclination to pursue
music as a career. The Wilco film "I am Trying to
Break Your Heart" is certainly an example of that.
And so is "End of the Century." This is definitely
a film you would want to show to any teenager who
wants to be a rock star. It's a sobering journey through
obscurity, fame, drug addiction, relationship problems
and the decline of friendship that makes the success
of The Ramones barely believable.
To be sure, it is the true beauty
and harrowing reality of The Ramones story which makes
it so compelling and so sincere. We see the members
of the band, particularly Joey, the lead singer, as
they begin their career as youth. If there were ever
four guys who seemed doomed for obscurity it is these
young men.
Unlike most of the other films about
The Ramones, this one really takes a long look at
the band's early career and the interpersonal relationships
of the members. The film begins early with Dee Dee
and Marky discussing their teenage years as neighborhood
thugs and rebels who gather at friends' house, proverbial
outsiders, to listen to Iggy and the Stooges, the
MC5 and The New York Dolls. This look at the early
influence of Glam Rock punksters on the band members
is augmented with wonderful images of Iggy (where
is his documentary?) and The Dolls that are rarely
seen. The influence of these bands on The Ramones
cannot be discounted and it is nice to see how much
time here is spent exploring this founding fathers
of the band's style both musically and visually.
The early days of the band at CBGB's
in New York in the mid to late 70's is completely
and compellingly told as well. Rock journalist Legs
McNeil, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, Joe Strummer
and a legion of other scenesters from the era are
interviewed and we begin to see the emergence of a
band that is revered abroad and virtually ignored
at home becoming one of the most important rock bands
to emerge from the punk movement.
But it is the relationship between
the band members that is at the core of the film.
Through three drummers and two bass players, we watch
guitarist Johnny and singer Joey eventually engaged
in a feud that lasts for decades, a friendship soured
that still never manages to obscure or submerge their
band. After Joey's death we watch an unapologetic
Johnny somehow manage to show his love for his bandmate
in a backwards way, by dragging his ego through the
labyrinth of his pride in the band. Seeing the band
from the inside here, with in-depth interviews that
expose much more of the band and the member's psyche
that has ever been revealed before, is revelatory,
amazing, sobering and awesome.
"The End of the Century" is a fun
picture in that it is so in-depth and so cohesive
that one easily revels in all the rare footage and
important side-notes of the band's history. There
is genuine joyed to be gleaned from the celebration
of this seminal band as well as Iggy, The Dolls, Television
and the whole new wave and punk movement that emerged
from CBGB's in New York. But at the core of the story
here is a sadness and a struggle for recognition and
acceptance that still seems raw and relevant today,
even though the band was inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, even though two founding
members of the band are now dead.
Through this film, The Ramones are
finally given the recognition and deific reverence
they rightly deserve. And it is about time.
Note:
Also with Rodney Bingenheimer, John
Frusciante, Thurston Moore, Seymour Stein, Rob Zombie,
Captain Sensible and more.
Footage from Ivan Kral's "Blank
Generation" is used.
The film played Slamdance in 2003
and began an arthouse run in August, 2004, when released
by Magnolia Pictures.
Viewed in November, 2004, at the
Dobie with my friend Johnny Oh!
