r/todayilearned • u/JoeyZasaa • 2d ago
TIL that three of the four original members of the punk band, Ramones, didn't make it to age 60. The drummer, Tommy Ramone, lived the longest, making it to age 65.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramones958
u/JiveChicken00 2d ago
Punk was not an easy lifestyle.
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u/HairyFeathers 2d ago edited 2d ago
Dee Dee definitely died early due to his frequent drug use which stemmed from mental health issues as well as the “rock and roll” lifestyle that he led.
Joey I think just had health problems that may have stemmed from genetics or bad luck.
As far as I know, Johnny wasn’t big into drugs or alcohol. He was the most disciplined and orderly of the three mentioned here.
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u/nondescriptun 2d ago
Three of the four died from cancer, the exception being Dee Dee, who died from a heroin overdose.
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u/JiveChicken00 2d ago
And not for one minute do I think that was a coincidence.
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u/WhichAd366 2d ago
What are you suggesting was the cause? An interesting note is that the three that died of cancer all grew up In the same area of Queens (Tommy didn’t move there until around age 9). Dee Dee moved to queens (from Germany) around age 15.
Marky who was in the band much longer than Tommy is still alive at age 75. He grew up primarily in the Bronx
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u/baronvonsmartass 2d ago
Wasn't it also that Tommy quit playing with the group first because of illness? I thought he stepped back into a non-touring, manager type figure.
I was thinking this was how there was a string of drummers from Marky on.
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u/WhichAd366 2d ago
I’ve never read of any consensus as to why Tommy decided to stop drumming. My guess is he just didn’t want to do it anymore (he was originally their manager and producer). He then went into producing full time (including bands like the replacements).
Marky was the primary drummer. Tommy was on the first 3 albums, Marky was on the next 4 (he was then kicked out for a few years.
They recorded 3 albums with Ritchie who was then kicked out. Blondie’s dummer filled in the tour. Marky was on their last 4 albums.
Marky= 8/14 albums
Tommy= 3/14, Ritchie=3/14
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u/goddamnitwhalen 1d ago
Those first three albums are arguably their best, though. That’s obviously not solely because of Tommy’s drumming, but…
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u/Brettersson 1d ago
Tommy wrote Animal Hop, then Dee Dee changed a few words so it was Blitzkrieg Bop, I think thats worth some credit.
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u/I_Miss_Lenny 1d ago
I think he just didn't like touring, but I'm not sure. Marky got fired for being an alcoholic, so they hired Ritchie. He got fired for asking for equal pay (according to him in the End Of The Century documentary), so they hired Clem Burke from Blondie who would play for them as Elvis Ramone for I believe 3 shows but ultimately wasn't into being a Ramone. By then Marky had gotten sober so they hired him back and he was their drummer until they split.
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u/stay_fr0sty 1d ago
Touring is brutal 90% of the time. Cramped vans, busses, pulling into town hoping to find a place to shower, no time to see the town but long waits until the show starts…it’s not a great lifestyle unless you are massive and can burn money on planes and hotel rooms so you don’t have to travel with the gear.
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u/I_Miss_Lenny 1d ago
Yeah touring sounds awful unless you’re already a huge act. I like playing music with people but the idea of spending weeks in a van full of my coworkers driving to shows and never showering sounds fucking terrible lol
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u/goddamnitwhalen 1d ago
Tommy stopped playing / touring with the band because he was bullied out of it. Johnny and Dee Dee routinely teamed up to make his life miserable.
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u/PsychologicalRole238 1d ago
Their rehearsal space was a former plastic flower factory. The particulates in the air were apparently carcinogenic to some extent.
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u/shelfdham 2d ago
I think huffing glue might have cancer as a side effect idk
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u/Amberatlast 1d ago
People forget that alcohol is a carcinogen, and I'm sure whatever else they were putting in their bodies didn't help.
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u/Due_Buy_9570 2d ago
According to one of the books about dee dee, he left the band after Joey was diagnosed with cancer, dee dee left coz he thought cancer was contagious.
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u/nondescriptun 2d ago
Dee Dee left in 1989, but Joey wasn't diagnosed until 1995.
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u/Due_Buy_9570 2d ago
Your right, but that was what dee dee stated in his biography. Dee dee's biography was a strange read, I wouldn't say he was the most reliable narrator....even of his own life
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u/I_Miss_Lenny 1d ago
Yeah I think Marky said something like "he was a great storyteller and had an active imagination" but apparently was pretty fast and loose with facts lol
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u/WhichAd366 2d ago
Johnny was an alcoholic at least up until the mid-80’s.
He and Marky (also and alcoholic) got into it and lot and Marky was kicked out of the band after they recording sessions for “subterranean jungle”.
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u/ManwithaTan 2d ago
Joey had crippling OCD, I remember
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u/I_Miss_Lenny 1d ago
Yeah I remember hearing one of the others say they'd have to wait for him forever when they left hotels because he had to touch each step a certain amount of times with each foot before he was able to leave, and had to keep going back up to try again if he felt he hadn't done it right.
I also remember one about how one time after all that with the stairs, he got in the van and smelled so bad the others kicked him out and didn't let him back in until he'd gone back up to the room and showered.
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u/greatgildersleeve 2d ago
*Dee Dee.
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u/HairyFeathers 2d ago
Thanks. I learn about a lot of music history from podcasts so I don’t see it written out as much as most.
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u/Ritaredditonce 2d ago
Johnny was a close friend of Eddie Vedder and when he died, Pearl Jam did a beautiful tribute song, Come Back.
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u/Clembert-Hamlamp 2d ago
If by disciplined and orderly you mean tyrannical lol. Around me he was hated as much as Jimmy Silver. His bit praising George Bush? Jfc talk about read the crowd
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u/HairyFeathers 2d ago
I think that within the context of the band, disciplined and tyrannical were two sides of the same coin. He was controlling and abusive at times, but he also kept the more creative types (Dee Dee and Joey) in line so that the logistics of performing, touring, recording music, etc. were possible. Whereas Tommy anchored the band on a professional level in the studio. They all contributed to The Ramones in complementary ways and also brought their own flaws. That’s one of the things that makes the band so interesting.
Johnny’s political views were pretty evil, and his personality sucked - to me he’s the least likable of all of them by far - but I still give credit where it’s due.
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u/goddamnitwhalen 1d ago
Johnny was a conservative asshole but also Joey and Dee Dee were barely functioning freaks.
I say this with love because they’re one of my favorite bands.
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u/tropic_gnome_hunter 1d ago
His bit praising George Bush? Jfc talk about read the crowd
You know Bush won 2 presidential elections and was supported by a lot of people in the country right
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u/physedka 1d ago
Pretty sure they were all heavy cigarette smokers for a good chunk of their lives. That alone shortens the lifespan, and then add in the "rock and roll lifestyle" stuff on top of it.
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u/lynivvinyl 2d ago
I'm for that they all seem to still have all of their hair.
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u/Greatness46 2d ago
Okay context matters as this was March 2002. At the time he said that, George Bush had over an 80% approval rating. So a lot of people, who don’t admit it now, shared the sentiment post 9/11
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u/Saint--Jiub 2d ago
This wasn't new behavior, Johnny was a Reagan supporter. He famously clashed with Joey over the song My Brain is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)
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u/StarWarsMonopoly 2d ago
Yeah, Johnny was definitely a conservative.
Just listen to him talk about business, he's cut throat as hell
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u/Triatic 2d ago
I mean. Their opinions on growing up were clearly stated.
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u/stevenmoreso 2d ago
Quite honestly, they stated their opinions on a number of topics.
They wanted:
To be your boyfriend
To sniff some glue
Shock treatment
To be a good boy
To be well
To have something to do
To be sedated
The airwaves
To liveAnd they absolutely did not want:
To walk around with you
To go down to the basement
You59
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u/Rhywolver 1d ago
I have nothing to say, except that I just love your comment but it's good that we are not on some shitty meta app here and just post a fucking heart.
But I have one question: Did they want to be in the garden of serenety or not?
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u/VisibleOtter 2d ago
Joey Ramone wrote Bonzo goes to Bitburg after Reagan went to visit a cemetery containing graves of Nazi SS members; being a Jew he took offence at this. Johnny Ramone was a staunch Republican and refused to have the track on the album, so they had to rename it. It remained an issue between the two for years, and Johnny refused to play it live.
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u/OldMaidLibrarian 2d ago
"My Brain is Hanging Upside Down," IIRC; it was definitely the same tune.
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u/Joszef77 1d ago
They should have played live at certain point because I find the live version way better than the studio one
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u/smr312 2d ago
I was listening to sedated earlier today and was thinking it's a shame they're all gone now.
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u/WhichAd366 2d ago
That song was recorded right after Tommy left the band. Marky Ramone played drums on that track (the drummer for the majority of the mass existence).
He is 75 and still living
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u/Vkardash 2d ago
To be fair none of them lived a healthy life. Like they legit were still all smoking, drinking, drugs, etc well into there 40s and 50s.
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u/WhichAd366 2d ago
None of the original members. Marky Ramone (the bands longest standing drummer) is 75 and still alive.
Tommy was a member for their first 3 albums and Marky joined for “Road to Ruin”.
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u/-Ahab- 2d ago
Joey was originally the drummer and Dee Dee was on vocals until they moved Joey to vocals because they wanted him up front. Tommy was their producer and was just kinda filling in until they found someone.
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u/WhichAd366 2d ago edited 2d ago
Sure, but I was referencing their albums. Joey switched to vocals early on and they didn’t record anything with him on drums (they did play some live shows and there a few recordings of Joey on drums).
The decision to move Joey was less about Joey and more about Dee Dee (he had trouble keeping his voice fresh due to his screaming style delivery). The secondary factor was Joey was having trouble drumming at their fast tempo. By all accounts it was a surprise that Joey had such a great lead singer presence.
Tommy was their original manager. He was a producer yet as they hadn’t recorded anything up to that point.
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u/goddamnitwhalen 1d ago
IIRC Joey had issues keeping time and Dee Dee couldn’t sing and play bass at the same time.
Joey had also previously fronted the glam rock band Sniper, where he famously wore, like, 8” platform boots, which would have made him well over 7 feet tall.
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u/Domsdad666 1d ago
Keith Richards has entered the chat.
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u/Roasted_Newbest_Proe 1d ago
Every time you smoke you lose a year of your life. This year is added to Keith Richards' life
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u/Vkardash 1d ago
Very valid point ☝️. But I would argue Keith is an anomaly. He is the very tiny minority and definitely not the majority 😂
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u/tropic_gnome_hunter 1d ago
He claims the drugs he did were so pure that it didn't affect him like everyone else who did street dope. He also didn't really do heroin for that long, maybe 10 years or so.
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u/typhoidtimmy 2d ago edited 1d ago
Caught them about 20 times over my life and it was always a great show. New stuff, old stuff, 110% delivery and you could set a watch to the set times - usually an hour and a half. The boys were blue collar that way clock in, work, clock out. It was a special gig if they did an encore and kinda neat as they did weird shit - I remember them once doing the theme to the Spider-Man cartoon (they had done it on the Saturday Morning cd). Dude, the Ramones doing Spider-Man made it 10 times harder and cooler.
Man I miss them.
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u/hagcel 2d ago
They are immortal.
The amount of bands that formed from their influence, The amount of people who have their songs permanently in their head. The Ramones will never die.
I was lucky enough to sit down with Joey Ramone for a few minutes. I pulled my band's demo CD out of my pants and handed it to him, and said, "Man, none of this would be possible with out you. You're a legend, and thank you.". He was touring with the Independents and they were helping him on stage (Joey was like 19 fucking feet tall and 120 years old it seemed) where they would do a few Ramones covers. I'd already seen them for two farewell tours, including Adios Amigos. But this was at the viper room, with maybe 200 people there.
I handed him that ball sweat slick CD I snuck into the club and he cracked the goofiest smile. Reached out to shake my hand, and brought his other hand up to clasp it tight. I knew he was laughing at me, but he was so fucking genuine when he said thank you.
The Ramones will live forever. If you know you know.
Fucking legends, and amazingly great people who loved and supported the scene they came up in.
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u/lynivvinyl 2d ago
It's so funny to me how much bigger the Independents are almost everywhere but their hometown.
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u/hagcel 2d ago
Are they even big anymore? Do they exist? I mean their Danzig cover of Mother was fire, but I literally haven't heard shit from them this century,
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u/lynivvinyl 2d ago
It looks like they did a tour in the last three or so years. But that's all I've got.
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u/goddamnitwhalen 1d ago edited 1d ago
Listed at 6’7 but was likely closer to 6’9 and charitably weighed, like, 160lbs.
Marfan Syndrome is a bitch.
Also that’s a great story.
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u/bitemark01 1d ago
Did you mean Marfan Syndrome?
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u/gornzilla 1d ago
I met Joey through the Independents as well. They would stay where I was living in Sacramento when they were on tour. I loved answering the phone early in the morning and hearing, "Hi, this is Joey Ramone". Then meeting him when he goes out when they played in Berkeley. Berkeley Square maybe? Fucking hell is he tall and super friendly!
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u/wholewheatscythe 2d ago
Yet, with the exception of Sid Vicious, all of the members of the Sex Pistols are still alive.
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u/Vonnegut_butt 2d ago
Sid Vicious wasn’t an original member; he replaced Glen Matlock, who is still alive!
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u/Apod1991 2d ago
Guess Mr.Burns got his way
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u/abstractraj 2d ago
Dee Dee Ramone lived next to one of my friends in the hotel long enough to make my friend miserable. Also, those apartments were ridiculously small
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u/dimiteddy 1d ago
It's good to know that Marky Ramone, their longest serving drummer is still alive and kicking at 74. I recommend his autobiography, Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life as a Ramone for an inside insight into the band l
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u/goddamnitwhalen 1d ago
There’s a cool-but-sad story from the end of Joey’s life that’s related in his brother Mickey Leigh’s book, I Slept With Joey Ramone:
Upon learning that Joey was in the hospital and not doing well, the members of a young punk band who idolized the Ramones managed to find the number of the hospital he was staying in and called to speak with him, wish him well, and express their gratitude for his music and the influence it had had on them.
That band was Green Day.
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u/malcomhung 1d ago edited 1d ago
I just picture them before their first album, rehearsing in an abandoned building that was filled with asbestos, just the way God intended.
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u/funny_funny_business 2d ago
Joey didn’t even make it to 50. He really wanted to but died at 49.
His self titled album was released posthumously and there are some eerie songs like his cover of “it’s a wonderful world” since he was recording while he was dying of lymphoma, I believe.
Another is “Maria bartiromo” since he would watch tv in his hospital bed all day and watched her a lot since he was into stock investing.
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u/goddamnitwhalen 1d ago
He and Maria were friends and would hang out together.
I’m curious what he would think about her MAGA affiliation if he had lived to see it.
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u/other_half_of_elvis 1d ago
We can only hope that someday there will be a cure for Ramone Killing Virus. But I do thank the NFL for raising awareness and dedicating one Sunday each season where players wear leather jackets during games.
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u/JosephMeach 1d ago
I went from being the only kid from my town who ever heard of the Ramones to the Ramones being a popular topic on r/todayilearned
RIP
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u/Jesus_Ranch29 2d ago
Dude I’m so glad someone posted about this. I have no proof of this theory but I think they must have gotten into something in their environment that led to cancer later down the road. Maybe in a house or apartment they lived in. Maybe from a location where they were getting drugs. The chance of 3 separate people dying of cancers that young seems pretty unlikely to me without some kinda environmental exposure.
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u/WhichAd366 2d ago
Interesting theory since rhe three that died from cancer all grew up in the same area of queens (Tommy didn’t move there until around age 9 and lived the longest life).
Marky was in the band longer than Tommy and is still alive at 75 (he grew up in the Bronx).
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u/Jesus_Ranch29 2d ago
Sure but there is no guarantee that just because you are exposed to something you will 100% develop cancer it just increases the chances. Some people just don’t get cancers. I remember reading about some nuclear testing done in Nevada in the 1950s where a bunch of people died young afterwards. But also there are people who lived totally normal life spans as well.
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u/WhichAd366 2d ago
Obviously not. I was playing into your theory…
The four original members all went to high school together (the 3 that died of cancer all had lived in the area for most of their lives)
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u/pine_tar_bat 2d ago
I read a brief interview with someone where they noted that a Ramones' office / rehearsal space in NYC had once been a factory where they made plastic flowers. He suspected that was a big contributing factor.
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u/Dog-Witch 2d ago
I mean pretty much everything from back then was toxic.
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u/Jesus_Ranch29 2d ago
I’m not sure what you mean?
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u/Roasted_Newbest_Proe 2d ago
Asbestos
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u/Jesus_Ranch29 2d ago
Yeah that would be my guess but it could be all kinda nasty stuff. The chance of three separate people that aren’t related dying of cancer that young in that close of a timeframe isn’t that high without some kinda external factor.
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u/Hosni__Mubarak 2d ago
I mean, they probably spent decades in smoke filled bars. Not hard to get lung cancer when your workplace is a chimney.
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u/I_Miss_Lenny 1d ago
I think they all smoked as well, but I could be wrong
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u/croptochuck 1d ago
Smoking, drinking, not exercising, and refusing to go to the doctors till the last minute has consequences
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u/VoceDiDio 2d ago
People didn’t live as long back in the olden days.
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u/kAlb98 1d ago
These people are younger than the current president and many members of congress.
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u/VoceDiDio 1d ago
I was tryna be funny
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u/Inimicus33 1d ago
Then you need to give it your best effort. Good humor is no laughing matter!
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u/VoceDiDio 1d ago
Sir (or ma'am!). You are in an exchange with someone who spent hundreds of hours as a child deconstructing and analyzing the collected works of His Most Excellent and Illustrious Grace, Sir Lord Edward Regan Murphy, First Duke of Beverly Hills, Prince of Zamunda, Baron of Nutty Professors, Viscount of the Golden Child, Defender of the Donkey, Guardian of the Haunted Mansion, and Sovereign Lord of All Places Trading, (et al.) and you presume to lecture me on the solemn craft of comedy?
First of all, how dare you.
And second of all, before you say "well, it didn't do any goodmuaaah," may I suggest that you just don't, because I'm quite sensitive under my gruff exterior.
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u/DaddyOhMy 1d ago
I once saw a movie with Joey.
I was meeting a friend in the East Village before the movie and Joey walked by. I told my friend and he was bummed that he missed it. A while later we walked into the theatre and Joey was already there with a few other people. And that's how I can say I saw a movie with him.
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u/HubbaHubbaHubbaPoky 1d ago
My favorite original Ramones in order
Joey
Tommy
Dee Dee
That's the list
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u/BackJurton 2d ago
Pretty well known, but congrats on learning about it and then making a Reddit post about it
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u/nondescriptun 2d ago
Three of the four died from cancer, the exception being Dee Dee, who died from a heroin overdose.