Countless prominent guitarists – of all musical persuasions – have likened their instrument of choice to a weapon. It can be argued, though, that no guitarist ever had a playing style as intentionally weapon-like as the late Johnny Ramone.
His disdain for fretboard frills, flourishes, and flash was legion. His modus operandi was leading the Ramones, his band of outcast weirdo (pretend) brothers, with naught but relentless, pulverizing, downstroked power chords. On the occasions that one of the band’s songs called for a guitar lead – or at least something more textural – Johnny often outsourced the part.
The Ramones’ catalog is driven by guitar at its most instinctive and primal. “Right when I started with the Ramones is when I bought a guitar and learned how to play, so I didn’t have any influences insofar as learning how to play,” Johnny told Guitar World with a shrug in a 1995 interview. “The first song I learned to play was a Ramones song.”
These are far from your usual “guitar hero” ingredients, but Johnny Ramone’s influence as a player can’t really be overstated. Punk guitar – and metal guitar, really – as we know it simply wouldn’t exist without his library of buzzsaw riffs and no-bullshit approach.
In an interview featured in the new issue of Guitar World, Linda Ramone, Johnny’s widow, pointed to that army of players who he inspired, and whose style he impacted, as evidence of his guitar heroism.
“[Metallica’s] Kirk Hammett and Johnny would sit on the floor together and talk about horror movie posters and everything, and then Kirk would say, ‘You know, Johnny, you really influenced me.’ And he’s like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s great!’” Linda told Guitar World with a laugh.
“The Ramones didn’t know who they influenced, but I don’t know who else really influenced as many people to pick up a guitar and form bands.
“You know, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, they’re great guitar players, but Johnny influenced a whole generation of people who realized you don’t have to play that great to be great.”
- To read our full feature on the Ramones’ groundbreaking, self-titled debut album, featuring interviews with Linda Ramone, C.J. Ramone, Ale Campos, and the Pixies’ Joey Santiago, pick up a copy of the new issue of Guitar World at Magazines Direct.
