Q&A: Mickey Leigh & Legs McNeil on Joey Ramone
Mickey Leigh & Legs McNeil talk about their forthcoming I Slept with Joey Ramone
By Robert Morast, Fargo, ND -- Library Journal, 11/09/2009
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Mickey Leigh is not the only one who has slept with Joey Ramone. But Leigh, brother of the late Ramones frontman, has more to offer than some rock groupie eager to cash in on a bedroom tell-all. Leigh’s frank portrait hits like one of the singer’s songs; it doesn’t try to be cute or pretty but is honest and forthright with an awkward attitude that’s both tough and profound. Leigh and his co-writer, Legs McNeil, haven’t just kept his memory alive but, with their forthcoming I Slept with Joey Ramone, are planting enough new ones for Ramone’s legacy to grow for years to come.—Robert Morast
RM: Mickey, this is a brave book—it reveals a lot of unflattering aspects of Joey's life. Were you afraid to share some of the awkward childhood or selfish behind-the-scenes stories about Joey with the public? Did it feel like you were betraying your brother's legacy?
ML: Even if I said only that Joey was a perfect person who never had one evil thought enter his head or a bad bone in his body, I would be accused of trying to capitalize on my brother's fame. Even though I started playing in bands years before he did, I've been portrayed by some factions as someone who started playing music in order to capitalize on my brother's notoriety. But I wasn't going to let fear of criticism prevent me from telling a truthful story....
I wrote this story not just for Ramones fans, but to transcend the Ramones; because I believe my brother's story does transcend the Ramones story. I wrote it with the intent that someone who maybe never even heard of the Ramones could read it and relate to it, be moved and inspired by it. I wrote it more for historical posterity rather than to perpetuate a fantasy or a fan's vision of someone's legacy....
Also, the Ramones had already exposed most of these unflattering things about themselves in interviews and in their own songs many times. Things such as sporadic violent behavior—occasionally directed toward their women—and being mentally unstable. Most everyone can relate to the family drama and sibling rivalry—payback for things that happened in your youth, being possessive about parents' affections, etc. Although the circumstances regarding our relationship were certainly beyond typical, this is nothing in my mind that is so horrible to divulge. It's not like I'm exposing him for being a child molester or anything nearly like that—that stuff will be in the next book (yes, that is a joke). I do realize that there will be people who will just want to point a finger at me for spoiling an image they may have in their heads and am ready to face them, as you say, bravely. Although, I have also pondered the possibility of hiring a bodyguard!
RM: The book really humanizes a rock star that many people, as you mentioned, have a pretty tight frame of reference for (the stage stance, the look, the voice). Looking at the book now, did it work? Did it capture the portrait you have of your older brother?
ML: Everyone who has read it so far has said they relate to so many facets of this story—that is why I knew it was so important to tell the story honestly and "humanize" Joey Ramone, the "rock star," and keep him grounded here on planet Earth, with the rest of us. I think I nailed it. Thankfully, before my mom passed away she got to read much of the book and was extremely proud of this work. I found that very comforting and encouraging.
RM: One of the more interesting portions of the book details how important Mickey was to keeping the early live shows intact—tuning guitars, waking up a dazed Dee Dee midsong, etc. Is it surprising to either of you that the Ramones didn't implode early in the group's career like so many other punk bands of that era?
LM: No. I knew the Ramones would not implode because they were so good, and they knew it, too. Why it took the rest of the world 30 years to realize their brilliance, I’ll never understand. Also, I remember being in Boston with them when I heard the news that Tommy was leaving the band, and I was shocked. Johnny acted like nothing was happening. Joey and Dee Dee were just giggling. It was cold. Very, very cold. And I realized then that being in a rock band took a lot more chutzpah than I possessed.
ML: I think my contributions were very timely and unique not only because I had the necessary capabilities—which are hard to find for a band at that level—to help upgrade their live show to that iconic 30-minute nonstop burst of energy, but because I understood these guys and their needs so well. Although any band has the potential to implode at any given moment, they persevered. They knew they were limited, but they also knew they were equally unique and on the cusp of something spectacular. Plus, they also knew that if they broke up, we would once again have absolutely nothing to do anymore on weekends.
RM: Word is Hollywood is chasing this book as a potential movie? True?
ML: I just got back from a meeting in "Hollywood" yesterday, and I'm thrilled to say it was very positive. In fact, I feel confident enough to risk the embarrassment, if it doesn't work out, in saying that it looks very good for something to get done in the very near future.
RM: Many of the Ramones-centric books released in the last decade were promoted and outlined as sensationalistic accounts of the members' drug lives, anger issues, dysfunction, etc. Why did you go with a book title suggesting this is another kiss-and-tell release?
ML: I must admit that the book title, as well as some of the chapter titles and even some of the actual text, are recycled bits that are either from previous writings, song titles, or lyrics of mine. "I Slept with Joey Ramone" was the headline of a column I was writing in a Lower East Side–based newspaper called the New York Waste. It was the teaser for a playful little story about going to sleep in my big brother's bed when I was a toddler and would get scared at night, as per the scene in the first chapter. Writing this book was incredibly draining emotionally. My tears are on every page. I had to entertain myself in order to finish it.
I went with that for the title because I thought it was funny, my mom loved it, and I knew that once someone actually began reading it they would conclude that it was not just a sensational book of scandal. But I also felt confident that it would get your attention and pique your curiosity. Apparently, it did.
RM: Mickey, you save the best for last, ending the book with your exit of the hospital room where Joey died and into a city with his image scattered all over it. Was that the moment when you realized the iconic stature of Joey, or just a heavy reminder?
ML: For me, he reached an iconic stature the first time I saw him take the stage as a lead singer. His stature, and that of the Ramones, has been growing ever since. I don't believe he has nearly reached the peak of his iconic stature, nor has his band.
As the band never had a hit record in the United States and never headlined arenas like Madison Square Garden or appeared on Saturday Night Live, to this day, there are many, many people who don't know who they are. People will sit in Shea Stadium, now Citi Field, right in our hometown of Queens...and they will hear the infectious drumbeat and contagious chant of "Hey Ho...LET'S GO!" and still not know the name of the band they are listening to or the person they are singing along with.
I'm hoping this book and movie will remedy that once and for all.
