On July 4, 1976 while the United States celebrated its Bicentennial, the Ramones flew across the pond and played England for the very first time. In honor of the Anniversary of the Ramones going to England, here is a clip from Please Kill Me Voices from the Archives radio show.
Danny Fields, Linda Stein, Joey Ramone, Richard Hell, Gillian McCain, Michael Des Barres, and Legs McNeil talk about that 4th of July show and what it was like playing England at that time.
RAMONES GO TO ENGLAND AUDIO CLIP
Danny Fields and Linda Stein were managing the Ramones at the time.
Danny Fields Remembers: Our first Ramones show in England was July 4, 1976, the weekend of the Bicentennial, which I thought was metaphorically appropriate, because here it was the two hundredth anniversary of our freedom from Great Britain, and we were bringing Great Britain this gift that was going to forever disrupt their sensibilities. ~ from Please Kill Me
Legs McNeil had this to say about that 1976 4th of July show: I sat on Arturo Vega’s stoop on Second Street and waited for Joey Ramone to come home from England. Before he went, I said, “What do you have to go to England for? Don’t go to England, England sucks!”
I had never been to England. Or anywhere else. Just the Bowery. Another summer on the Bowery. So I sat on Arturo’s stoop and waited for Joey to come home. I didn’t have to wait long, they just went for the Fourth of July weekend. When Joey came back you could see in his eyes that something had happened. Joey kept saying, “Legs, you wouldn’t believe it! You wouldn’t believe it! They loved it! ~ from Please Kill Me
To hear Please Kill Me Voices from the Archives, please click below.
Part One -The Pioneers of Punk
How the Warhol 60’s morphed into the Punk 70’s, and how the marginalized inhabitants of a near-bankrupt New York City changed 20th century culture, and influenced the World.
Episode 1 – Part 1
Episode 1 – Part 2
Episode 1 – Part 3
Part Two – The Punk Invasion
The music of the Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, The New York Dolls, and others were meeting fierce resistance in the US. With no other options open to them, during the July 4th weekend of 1976, as America was celebrating its bicentennial, the Ramones went to London and launched punk rock. After their performances punk rock would explode in Britain and become a cultural force to be reckoned with.
Episode 2 – Part 1
Episode 2 – Part 2
Episode 2 – Part 3
Please Kill Me: Voices From the Archives is presented by the original interviewers, NY Times best-selling authors and music historians Gillian McCain and Legs McNeil, and hosted by Michael des Barres. Compiled into two one-hour documentaries, Please Kill Me: Voices From the Archives consists of original interviews, narration from the writers—as well as Michael des Barres—and the incredible music that gave the punk movement its powerful soundtrack.
Credits
The show was produced by Gillian McCain and Legs McNeil. Written by Legs McNeil, Gillian McCain and Michael Des Barres. It was executive produced by Jonathan Marder, alongside associate producers Robyn Hale and Jon Ehrens. Mixed and edited by Jon Ehrens.
The Pioneers of Punk – Please Kill Me: Voices from the Archives had the distinction of being one of the top 5 most licensed audio programs of 2016. This audio documentary is now available for our readers to listen to as a 2-part podcast – enjoy!