Bittersweet is the most appropriate way one could describe the mood in New York City's east village, more specifically, the corner of The Bowery and 2nd street on the afternoon of November 30th 2003. While several thousand fans, family members and friends of punk rock's grandest master Joey Ramone turned out on a chilly afternoon to celebrate the official re-naming of the corner just steps away from punk's birthplace CBGB as Joey Ramone Place, you just couldn't help but feel the immense loss of this incredible pioneer all over again. Just over 2 1/2 years since losing his battle with lymphatic cancer, Joey and the millions he and his crew of merry misfits from Queens directly or indirectly touched or influenced across the globe received something, dare I say, far more extraordinary than the simple enjoyment, the release or the sense of belonging so many got from The Ramones' music. We, in Joey Ramones' name, have acquired a piece of real estate we can call our own; One that will forever represent every alienated adolescent who doesn't fit in. A street for every kid that craves something more tangible than what the mainstream offers them; an accessible shrine to a hero who un-selfishly and unknowingly began a revolution.

The event began inside the club where The Ramones, and punk for that matter, took its first steps. The ceremony kicked-off with a bevy of guest speakers, all uniquely involved with The Ramones' rich history, including Joey's family, friends and former bandmates. Each uniquely expressed their deep appreciation to the packed house of fans for having had the opportunity to be touched by Joey Ramone, and for what the naming of a New York City street commemorating his legacy and accomplishments with The Ramones represented to the culture of rock & roll both past and present. Most told amusing stories about their experiences with Joey. Many broke-down in tears during their tribute to him. His brother Mickey Leigh went so far as to proclaim to the crowd that Joey had invented his own language. "If I were to say to you 20-20-24 hours ago" Mickey began, "you would reply..." Needless to say, the throng clearly understood Joey's language.

Nick Barber drove almost 4 hours from Albany, NY with his 13 year-old daughter Robyn to be a part of the dedication, and they were the first to arrive at CBGB early in the morning. "Joey is my idol. I had to be here," Robyn giddily explained. When posed with the question of how a 13 year-old girl in 2003 becomes a Ramones enthusiast, she explained "I got into The Ramones pretty recently and now I'm obsessed. I'm into punk and found out about them from friends and through other bands (I like). I saw a lot of documentaries about them and researched CBGB on the internet, and learned a lot about them. Now I have a lot of their music."

Regarding the re-naming of the street in Joey's honor, Robyn stressed that she has a new goal in life. "I have to live on that street!"

Papa Barber had his own Ramones story. "I've actually become more of a Ramones fan because of my daughter. She's a die-hard. I'm a rock & roll fan from the 50's and The Ramones to me is like apple pie. The Ramones is Americana. It's pure, simple all-American music."

Joey's mother Charlotte was beaming with pride and appreciation throughout the program, and had a wonderful take on the day. "This is an absolute honor and it's paying a courtesy to Joey and keeping his name alive. I always encouraged my sons to do what they've done because they always loved music. They always had my support. Mickey used to drive Joey to this club, so this corner will always be very, very special to me." His soft-spoken uncle Sy added "this is a very special occasion for our family. It's a massive applause that Joey is getting for what he's done over many years." His mom concluded, "I never expected at the beginning that what he was doing would mean this much. I didn't believe it until he had been doing it for 20 years."

When asked what he would tell someone years from now who saw the street-sign and didn't know whom Joey Ramone was, former bandmate Marky Ramone said, "I would tell them that Joey was the greatest singer New York ever spawned." With heartfelt gratitude he went on to say, "I feel like the administration (of New York City) is acknowledging the monolith of talent that Joey possessed and is presenting his family, fans and the city of New York with a great moment." Little Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band a/k/a Silvio Dante from The Sopranos exclaimed, "It's very important that Joey and The Ramones get this kind of recognition. It's one of the best things the government has ever done. It's astounding really...the government actually did the right thing for a change."

Outstanding accomplishments aside, apparently Joey was also an incredibly warm, sweetheart of a human being. This sentiment was expressed by each and every person in attendance who got to know Joey personally. Longtime Ramones videographer and friend George Seminara recalled, "Joey was THE man. He was someone bands could give demos to on the street, give hugs to...”

It took him forever to get anywhere because people would be like, 'Hey Joey, my band's got a new demo, wanna hear it?' and he'd put on the Walkman and listen to it right there on the street-corner. If you didn't hurry him up to a restaurant or whatever, he never got there. George went on add, "Joey Ramone did something that no one before him was able to pull off. He made it safe for unattractive guys to be lead singers of bands. He made it safe to be melodic yet incredibly aggressive. He made it safe to sing about, you know, stupid things that people normally wouldn't sing about like chicken vindaloo or sniffing glue or any number of things. Prior to him people usually wrote about love, and peoples' personal experiences were seldom written about in songs, and Joey and The Ramones were able to sing about stuff that was important to a segment of middle-class and lower class youth in New York City. It turns out that these things were commonalities around the world and these songs still stand today." George finally deduced that, "It seems that so many little kids now know The Beatles' catalog and I'm sure in 10 years they're going to know The Ramones' catalog just as well...and there are a lot more records to know."

Perhaps longtime NYC scenester and bassist for The Dictators, Andy Shernoff had the most profound take on Joey Ramone's legacy: "Truthfully, I'd rather not be here - I'd rather Joey still be alive and making music." He continued, "I've traveled the world and everywhere I go Joey's presence is so obvious in the music, the way bands dress, the way they write songs... I still feel as if he's alive."

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of his friends and admirers, his trailblazing music and influence on culture throughout the world, Joey Ramone remains alive and well...and he just got himself a new place downtown.

-Howie Abrams

photos courtesy of Howie Abrams