Richie Ramone, a former drummer for punk rock band The Ramones, has revealed that he wasn't invited to the band's 50th anniversary party. The event, which was hosted by Hollywood mega-star John Travolta, took place in Los Angeles.
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"I was never invited to the event, nor did I know anything about the celebration till it popped up on my feed," Richie told The New York Post. "Go figure, huh. I just hope it will be fun for all the fans, because they are the ones that matter."
Interestingly, Richie wasn't the only person left off the guest list. The family of Joey Ramone, who sadly passed away from lymphoma in 2001, wasn't invited.
"I think everybody should have been included," Joey's brother, Mickey Leigh, said. "I think it was rude, and I don't know how it cannot appear intentional."
Interestingly, the 50th anniversary event will feature a new supergroup of talent. CJ Ramone, Green Day frontman Billie Joe, Rancid's Tim Armstrong and Blink-182's Travis Barker will come together to form one of the most experienced and talented punk groups of all time.
Still, that's no reason to shun those who helped build The Ramones over the years. The decision to omit them from a celebratory event is certainly a choice that many won't agree with.
The Ramones Continue To Draw Listeners to This Day
If you're a fan of punk music, there's no escaping the impact The Ramones have made on the genre. Bands from multiple eras pull from their style and catalog to create their own style. Furthermore, the group's music is still widely played to this day.
According to Spotify, The Ramones still pull in over 5.1 million monthly listeners. Songs such as "Blitzkrieg Bop" (466 million streams) and "I Wanna Be Sedated" (311 million streams) draw thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of plays every day.
Unfortunately, it would appear that The Ramones' fanbase is more interested in celebrating the band's history than they are. Otherwise, what reason would there be to omit such key figures in the group's history? Especially when the event itself is celebrating 50 years of success.
