Joey Ramone on the Institution of Marriage...

From: nm---@b---.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2002 1:02 PM
To: M--- Hart-----
Subject: joey ramone...

M---,
Hope everythings's going well. I was just telling a colleague (I moved to B--- S------ in March of this year) about the famous Joey Ramone meeting*. And I remember he said something poignant about marriage, which you emailed to me years later when C---- and I got married. Do you remember what he said?
thanks,
N---

From: M--- Hart-----
Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2002 3:22 PM
To: nm---@b---.com
Subject: Re: joey ramone...

Hi N---,
Good to hear from you.
Aah, Joey Ramone. I don't know if his words were intended to elevate the institution of marriage generally or whether they were a blessing on my nuptials. He said these immortal words to me,

"M---, man, getting married, that's a great thing you are doing dude."

More than fifteen years later, I still think of those words and the impact they have had on my marriage.
He died too young but he left behind his legacy.
M---

*On a hot Thursday night in August 1987 we had a bachelor party for M--- Hart----- at the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City. We rented a suite there, brought in beer and food and that 45 year old woman in the police uniform (scary flashback). We made our way later that night to the Cat Club (now closed) with Alex de la Garza, GRHS, who got us in for free because he knew the bouncer. Some heavy metal band was playing. I vaguely remember someone pointing out Joey Ramone to me near one end of the bar. I don't think we stayed out too long and at about two in the morning five of us returned to the suite at the Gramercy to catch some sleep - it was a worknight afterall! Alex stayed behind. At about five in the morning there was a knock at the door. I was sleeping on the couch in the living room section of the suite. I opened the door. It was Alex with Joey Ramone and Ramone's girlfriend.

"N---, this is Joey Ramone!"
"Hi Joe."
"NO! N---!! This is JOEY RAMONE!!! As in I Wanna Be Sedated!"
"Oh. Hi Joey. N--- M---. Nice to meet you."

Joey introduced his girlfriend, whose name I've totally forgotten. The rest of the gang woke up and we spent a few hours conversing with the punk legend. At some point Joey spoke those immortal words to M--- about his upcoming marriage.

Other scattered recollections I have from that meeting:

1. There was a stand alone mini-fridge on the floor with beer in it. I told Joey he was welcome to a beer in the fridge. He didn't bend at the knees to retrieve one, he just bent over at the waist, his torso stayed straight like a crane boom, reached in and grabbed a beer. He was an awkwardly tall guy.
2. I asked him if he was getting residuals from his movie "Rock 'n' Roll High School." He had no idea what I was talking about.
3. He told us he wrote "I Wanna Be Sedated" while riding a bus in Queens.
4. He kept trying to make a phone call from our room. He couldn't get through to whoever he was calling. He slammed the phone down at one point in frustration and said "this phone doesn't work." He didn't realize you had to dial nine first.
5. His girlfriend made a comment about missing work again because of Joey Ramone.

Related: I'm taking the urinal that Joey [Ramone] pissed in with me.