The much-anticipated Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!: Ramones and the Birth of Punk exhibit opened yesterday to a packed crowd at the Queens Museum, in New York. Queens Museum is located in Flushing Meadow Park, the home of the 1964/65 World’s Fair. As the original members of the Ramones – Joey, DeeDee, Johnny and Tommy – were all from Forest Hills, Queens, it was fitting that the exhibit opened in their home borough! In fact, after I left the museum, I’m told that the Borough President of Queens proclaimed April 10th to be Ramones Day in Queens, NY!
The lines for this popular exhibit went around the museum, but luckily we got there early.
The exhibit itself extends through four rooms and is both well-organized and captivating. Two of the rooms are filled with posters, artwork, magazine articles, and, of course, t-shirts, musical instruments and other memorabilia. The third room is essentially divided between the legacy of each of the original four members of the Ramones, sadly, none of whom are alive today. In a fourth room, videos of Ramones concerts are shown on a large screen.
As it was opening day, many of the noted punk world people – from photographers to directors to Ramones’ family members, friends and fans (and fans’ children) – were all in attendance. For the people-watchers and star-gazers, there was no shortage of interesting personalities present.
Rather than keep on describing the day, I’ll share some photos I took of the event (because that’s what you really want to see, right?).
and, of course, a selfie or two:
The exhibit will be at the Queens Museum through July 31st, and thereafter, travel to many other venues. If you live in or near New York City or plan on visiting within the next few months, I’d suggest a trip out to Queens to see this exhibit. The suggested donation is $8. See the Queens Museum website for further details.
Hey! Ho! Long live punk.
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
Seeing the Ramones in 1978 in Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, California was a turning point in my musical life. The music is not what turned me on initially. I thought the Ramones sucked musically. The people attending the show were the turn on when I experienced the crowd energy. There were several hundred people bouncing nonstop for the entire Ramones set while a couple thousand more mingled around waiting for Rick Derringer, the headline act.
I had won free tickets in a KLRB radio contest for the show.
A week later I attended my first local California punk band concert in a VFW hall where a San Francisco punk band was playing to a crowd of about 40 people. I had arrived early, got stoned with some skinny leather clad guys outside in hte redwoods and walked into the hall with them. Turned out they were The Dils, the headline band.
After my first two punk shows were free and I experienced the musical energy play out in a large venue and a small room venue, I was hooked. Ended up seeing many bands in San Francisco over the next two years.
The Clash even played in Monterey summer 1979.
Even grew to love the Ramones music. Funny to hear their songs in TV commercial these days.