Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones

by Dee Dee Ramone

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Lobotomy is a lurid and unlikely temperance tract from the underbelly of rock 'n' roll. Taking readers on a wild rollercoaster ride from his crazy childhood in Berlin and Munich to his lonely methadone-soaked stay at a cheap hotel in Earl's Court and newfound peace on the straight and narrow, Dee Dee Ramone catapults readers into the raw world of sex, addiction, and two-minute songs. It isn't pretty. With the velocity of a Ramones song, Lobotomy rockets from nights at CBGB's to the breakup show more of the Ramones' happy family with an unrelenting backbeat of hate and squalor: his girlfriend ODs; drug buddy Johnny Thunders steals his ode to heroin, "Chinese Rock"; Sid Vicious shoots up using toilet water; and a pistol-wielding Phil Spector holds the band hostage in Beverly Hills. Hey! Ho! Let's go! show less

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Member Recommendations

ijustgetbored True's book covers the whole history of the Ramones, and it contains a lot of information that puts Dee Dee's claims in perspective/context. Lobotomy is selective; Hey Ho is comprehensive.

Member Reviews

3 reviews
A must for the Ramones fan. Dee Dee details his childhood in Germany being raised by parents who were neglectful at the best of times. He recalls the forming of the legendary Ramones, his chronic drug use, relationships with various prostitutes and the fact that he felt disrespected when the other Ramones wouldn't allow him to listen to Reba McIntyre in the tour van. For all his frank discussion about his hard-core drug use, there are touchy subjects that Dee Dee doesn't address here, such as his physical fights with Johnny and accusations that Dee Dee worked as a prostitute himself. About halfway through the book I began to see a pattern of paranoia- Dee Dee doesn't look around and see that the world can be tough, he says that the show more world is out to get him. When he walked the streets, he saw hatred coming at him from everyone he passed; when he went to another country, they frightened him with their hateful stares too. By his own admission he was the "weak one" in the band, the one who could be pushed around. But he also takes pride in the number of Ramones songs he wrote that turned out to be staples of the punk rock genre. show less
Raw tales of sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, and numerous random acts of debauchery. Pure punk and very entertaining.

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7+ Works 326 Members
Dee Dee Ramone was the enigmatic bassist and prolific songwriter for the Ramones, the inventors and best exemplars of punk rock. Dee Dee and the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and received a Grammy Award in 2011 for Lifetime achievement. Dee Dee's influence on pop culture is immeasurable; his creative output show more transcends music, fashion, visual art, and literature. show less

All Editions

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Jett, Joan (Foreword)

Common Knowledge

Original title
Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones
Original publication date
1997
Important places
New York, New York, USA; Bowery, Manhattan, New York, New York, USA

Classifications

Genres
Music, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, General Nonfiction
DDC/MDS
782.42166092Arts & recreationMusicVocal music [formerly: Dramatic music and production of musical drama]Secular forms of vocal musicSongsGeneral principles and musical formsTraditions of secular songs {genres}Rock songsmodified standard subdivisionsHistory, geographic treatment, biographyBiography
LCC
ML419 .R32 .A3MusicLiterature on musicLiterature on musicHistory and criticismBiography
BISAC

Statistics

Members
145
Popularity
224,652
Reviews
3
Rating
½ (3.72)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
3
ASINs
1