Once a Ramone always a Ramone

Best known for adding youthful exuberance to the Ramones after Dee Dee left the band in 1989, bassist CJ Ramone is one of the few remaining veterans playing timeless punk sounds on stages across the globe. But in 2015, to tour under punk rock's seminal surname, CJ had to win a cosmic lottery, and share the stage with his musical heroes just five weeks after leaving the Marine Corps.

Like many peers from Queens, albums such as Ramones, Leave Home, and Rocket to Russia were important to CJ once punk and puberty hit. "The first time I listened to them was probably '75 or '76," CJ says. "I met this girl hanging out close to where I lived, and she invited me back to her house. We were sitting on her bed, and she turned around with the first Ramones album — first time I'd ever kissed a girl, first time I'd ever heard the Ramones — I had a lot of firsts tied to that record."

An unknown joining his favorite band a decade after that first listen seemed like such a long shot that CJ was loose going into his audition. "I went down because I wanted to meet Johnny and Joey," he says. "I'm surprised they didn't get Paul Simonon the Clash or Glen Matlock the Sex Pistols to come in, but Johnny wanted a young guy that they could mold and pay no money — that was me."

Before joining the group, CJ was among the many fans not sold on the idea of replacing original bass player Dee Dee Ramone. "When I heard Dee Dee left the band, I said I'd never see another Ramones show," CJ says. "Turned out, I didn't miss another one after that."

Once CJ started taking the stage alongside the rest of the group, the audience showered him with spit, bottles, and debris. "Dee Dee was an important person in the band, and people missed him," CJ says. "It was usually our second time in a country before people warmed up to me. I appreciated it, though. I earned my spot."

Few consider the Ramones' post-Sire Records albums (1992's Mondo Bizarro through 1997's We're Outta Here!) as seminal, but with Nirvana changing the popular music landscape during CJ's stint as a Ramone, he was around for the band's golden era as an international touring act. "Realistically, my years in the band were the most successful years," he says. "They toured more than they ever had, they made more money, and they enjoyed themselves all the way to the end, and I was glad I could be there for the good times."

Nearly 20 years after the group's split, still being able to play Ramones songs with a revolving cast of musicians who understand the legacy of his former band is a continued reward for this kid from Queens.