Short, Fast, and Loud

The Ramones. During the early 80's, for me it was them, Mission of Burma, and Flipper. By the time I saw them at Boston's Channel in around '84 they were well past their peak. Too bad Joey turned out to be a racist right-wing dick. He's like the Ted Nugent of punk rock. Above is their appearance on the 1977 Don Kirshner rock show that aired on network television Saturday nights. Five songs in under nine minutes. The first is one of the weaker ones. Hang in. These guys blew the doors off rock & roll and practically invented short, fast, and loud. Try and remember that the #1 Billboard song that year was Debbie Boone's You Light Up My Life.

Below is a Ramones tribute of sorts. The first video is some guy who chats about this and that as he demonstrates how to drink a Steel Reserve High Gravity Lager forty ouncer in eight minutes or so. Below that is the three commercials the Ramones recorded for this particular beverage in 1995. I warn you. They're catchy.

Should you have the time to waste, here's a recommended activity. Begin the video of the guy downing the forty. Turn it all the way up. Start the Ramones beer jingle video right around the time the guy starts drinking. Use the slider on the video to turn the sound on that as far down as you can while still hearing the jingles. Zone out. Repeat as necessary.