Joey Ramone - The Last Known Interview 

''There was no more Ramones without Joey, he was irreplaceable.'' Johnny Ramone. R.I.P.

We met Joey quite a few times. You know how when you admire someone from a distance, then when you eventually get to know them they are quite different from what you expect, and often disappointing? Well, with Joey he was EXACTLY as we had hoped, but even better. So cool, so passionate about music, genuinely kind, patient, funny and generous, not to mention a complete genius and rock god. He will live forever in the hearts of his fans.

An amazing soul. An amazing individual. Took his childhood demons and unleashed it on the world. He walked the walk. And talked the talk. Miss you big guy. We’ll meet again.

a goddamn tragedy that this man is gone. such an inspiration and intelligence that future generations of music really needs.

It hurts to see people hurting. He seems like a genuine guy.

The fact that Joey hated Limp Bizkit makes me love him even more. 💖

"I remember them all, unfortunately" absolutely killed me. wicked sense of humor

He seems nervous in this interview..what a sweetheart he was.

Never realized how amusing this guy was. What a legend. His speaking voice is the greatest. Completely unexpected.

Awesome to hear his voice on music. RIP Joey. I wish I was able to see your band. I hope you had a fun life. Rock In Heaven with your brothers! Long live PUNK

At this stage he was being treated for lymphoma. Unfortunately when he broke his hip the cancer medications had to be stopped so his bones could heal. The cancer seized that opportunity and killed him a few months later.

What a man, what a person, true punk rocker to the bones!

I miss Joey, and the rest of the Ramones, more every day. Such a beautiful man, and the rest. We need more like these people. It never stops hurting, but I will not despair. We had them for a while, and I will never stop feeling fortunate to have lived in a time while Joey and the rest of the Ramones were still with us. I grieve of Joey like I mourn Marc Bolan. Magical voices taken from this world far too soon.

Watching this and knowing how sick he was at the time makes my heart hurt.

His heart was just too big for this world!

thanks joey for making my teenager's days better with your music,will never forget you

I still can't get through this without crying.

I fell in love with the Ramones in high school around ‘87. Joey has always been my favorite. There is no one cooler than Joey.

It's a kind of sad to me this interview. Because it's really evident that Joey wasn't even think that he would die. At that time, he was a person with dreams and projects. R.I.P, Joey, you are inmortal. You were the the artist who most influnced my life.

I was never a real fan of the Ramones until now. Crazy as that sounds at 65 years of age. But I am drawn to Joey. I thing he was the heart and soul of the group. He was also just a real genuine kind soul. I'm so sorry he is gone now. I would have loved to just meet him and tell him how I feel and give him a hug. RIP Joey.

He seemed like a really smart, insightful person. Obviously a very nice fellow to boot. That part shines through. Can't judge a book by it's cover.

I was 11 when I started listening to them. Greatest band EVER!!!! I got to meet Joey and Johnny. Hung with Joey for 3 hours. Nice guys they were! R.I.P.

Who doesn't love Joey Ramone?

Made me cry, knowing this was near the end. Long live Joey...

He aged unbelievably well , so sad he isn't around now

RIP, the true legend of punk. Their great tracks never get old... One two three four!!!

It got me crying when he told his ultimate dream :'(

I hope when I die I'm greeted by the ramones saying, "Gabba gabba, we accept you, we accept you, one of us!" And we jam out for all eternity. RIP

In Argentina The Ramones are very big, it is rare as things are, in the rock radios they sound constantly. And more of their shortcomings we love that authenticity. We love the Ramones. Goodbye friends. Thank you for those days when I felt so much loneliness in my radio and in my heart. Forever Los Ramones and Argentina.

Kind of sad to see him at this stage but he's spot on about radio and the music business. R.I.P. Joey

Terrible camera and sound work in the interviewers part.

Thanks for posting , very interesting but sad at the same time .

I always found Joey a very interesting guy to listen too. "RIP"

Joey, gone too soon. Been a fan since I was a teen in the 80’s. First album was Mania.❤️

Joey is just a couple of years older than me..maybe five. His telling the story of radio is as authentic as youre gonna get about that time frame. The Ramones meant a lot to me. I was always a rocker. But even then they brought something that blew us away. We were so excited and inspired by them. I saw them over 20 times before.Dee Dee left them. Dee Dee is my punk rock spirit animal. I identified with him so much. Joey is a sweet soul and is such a special individual. God broke the mold when he made Joey.

love it so happy i got to see them loads of times AWESOME POST THANK YOU

poor guy in the later stages of his life his body just couldn't do it the cancer got him really miss him

We miss you Joey. You're a fucking legend! May your spirit of rebellion live on for generations to come. We love love.

Thanks for this interview. Thank you Joey and the Ramones for all the music.

Gracias Joey Ramone, donde quiera que estés siempre vas a estar en el corazón de la familia Argentina

Love this interview, thanks.

BTW: That's a REAL New York accent.

Joey didn't eat well through his throat at the process of his illness just to not damage his vocal cords and record some new songs. What a legend, may you rest in peace Joey, god bless you.

Thank you for this insightful interview with Joey Ramone. I found him very humble during his interview.

He was a smart dude. I've heard people call him stupid before. Fuck them. Long live The Ramones! RIP Joey!

we miss you Joey the world isn't the same without you its cold and dark

It touches me that he still cared so much about rock 'n' roll radio. "We need change/ we need it fast/ before rock's just part of the past/ cos lately it all sounds the same to meeeeeee-"

Joey i am sure you rest in peace! A man like you just cant be anywhere but in heaven. Your passion, your love foe music and musical art will always echo in our hearts. We all love you and you will always be missed

Thanks, Michael, it's a big present fo us. Sigue durmiendo mi niño, que mientras yo esté despierta no dejaré de soñarte.

*gives Joey a cheek kiss* thank you Joey. You really are the King of Punk. Thank you for inspiring folks today such as Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park etc. You and the Ramones were true legends

What a nice guy. The best music is from bands and people that make music from the heart. Rip Joey

Himself and Lemmy must be having a good time in heaven R I P to both of them

Joey=Soul Brother.. Knows his music history both Music history, and his are: one in the same. the dude: had a lot of spirit and a lot of heart.. + he remembers - rock and roll radio- you gotta love it

Joey Ramone with Alternative Tentacles T-Shirt

Another great man down. He gifted us all with his genuine presence and contributed to our History. Joey Ramone, your name will be remembered.

The Abraham Lincoln of rock and roll. He set us free from Disco and The Eagles. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Joey. His truth keeps marching on.

Awwww Joey and the Ramones are missed by many. RIP Joey and most of the Ramones.

Great thanks for posting. I can't help but to believe that the best if music is far behind us long live punk.

His two solo albums were the best he had done. Damn good stuff, can always play'em and never be disappointed.

Joey we love you... I was born in 59 and now 59... Saw you many times in the 80s and 90s ... Now I go to your birthday bash each year to support the foundation your brother started... RIP... Shame on corporate America for not accepting you or your music till it was too late...

Thank YOU Joey!!!!! I saw the Ramones live in 1994 - Buenos Aires , Argentina. On their 20th anniversary show. RAMONES FOREVER!

Thanks for sharing.

JOEY RAMONE - THE FINAL INTERVIEW, DECEMBER 2000 Interviewed by Michael Blatter, Directed by Michael Davis This interview HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN UNTIL NOW! This is the story of how it all went down. There were many moments when my career intersected with my personal passions, but my interview with Joey Ramone tops the list. I first discovered the Ramones in 1978 when WNEW-FM started playing “I Wanna Be Sedated.” The infectious hook of that song saturated my brain and made me an instant fan. I saw my first Ramones show a year later when the band did an afternoon gig at The Rockages Rock & Flea Market at the Diplomat Hotel. I remember chanting the Ramones’ official slogan as some guy in a monster mask paraded on the stage with a huge Gabba Gabba Hey sign. In 1980 the Ramones released their feature film, Rock & Roll High School, which may be responsible for influencing the majority of my bad behavior throughout high school. In the final scene of the movie, the entire school explodes and burns down. That same year some badass kid in my own high school torched the administration wing and burned it to the ground. It is totally plausible that kid may have been influenced by the same movie. I saw the Ramones a few more times in 1982, including a show at the Ritz (now Webster Hall), and an unforgettable show upstate at the Bear Mountain Inn with Shrapnel as the opening act. That was the first time I witnessed an all out mosh pit. The Ramones helped define my high-school years and introduced me to a different world of music far from the psychedelic rock of the Grateful Dead, my band of choice at the time. I also had a special admiration for Joey Ramone as he was a fellow New York Jew who also went against the grain of society. Eighteen years later I had started KBA Marketing, my first agency based in Chicago. Vinyl had recently conquered the CD and FM radio was still the primary way to discover new music. Although the Internet was starting to take hold, the proliferation of digital music and the introduction of the iPod was still a year away. With all the talk in the media of a new way to store your music, there was also buzz about a new form of national radio delivered commercial free via satellite. At the time, KBA was disrupting the marketing business with our introduction of “Trend Influence Marketing”. Camel, Coca-Cola, Nike and Audi had signed on as clients, and this new form of radio appealed to me as the perfect client. We signed Sirius Satellite Radio in early 2000, and we were put in charge of finding ways to influence artists across all genres to get behind this new commercial-free medium. Our big idea was to produce a video of celebrity music artists talking about the future of radio and what it would be like to have no commercials. Surprisingly, very few A-list artists signed on for interviews because of their fear of pissing off their terrestrial radio lifeblood. Working with the talent department at Sirius we signed on a cadre of random B-list artists including, Ray Manzarek of the Doors, Charlie Daniels, Peter Tork of The Monkees, country artist Travis Tritt and a whole slew of other B-listers. But, to my surprise and excitement, we landed a rare interview with the one and only Joey Ramone. Over the previous few years, I had been working on video projects with my friend, the Emmy-awarding winning director Michael Davis, who happily joined my team. I wrote the list of questions and appointed myself the interviewer, and no one at Sirius questioned my choice. Go figure. In late November, Michael and I headed to Nashville, Los Angeles and New York to meet with the talent and film the interviews. The satellites had recently been launched into space, and tests were underway. Visiting the Sirius offices back then was like a visit to NASA. With about 20 interviews lined up, I honed my skills in preparation for the only session I cared about: Joey Ramone. We made our way to New York around December 12th, and we were scheduled to meet Joey at Sirius Studios. It was somewhat known that Joey had been diagnosed with lymphoma years earlier, but no one knew his condition in late 2000. The day we arrived we were told Joey was not feeling well and he was unable to make it up to the studio. I was devastated. Our contact at Sirius told us Joey really wanted to do it and asked if we could wait until the following day. The next morning we were told Joey could not come to the studio, but he would like us to come to his apartment on 9th street in Greenwich Village. I could not believe my ears! We were being invited into the inner sanctum of punk rock, Joey Ramone's personal palace. I assumed Joey lived like the rock star I had imagined; in a mega penthouse downtown with a compulsory recording studio, plush living room, chef's kitchen and huge sun deck. We arrived in the late afternoon at the ‘70s-style high-rise building with a nondescript lobby. The doorman called up, and I assumed one of his servants granted us access. The elevator was old and creaky and when the doors opened to his floor, the hallway was dark and dank. We made it to his door and pushed the doorbell. It felt like an eternity until the door opened and when it did there stood the 6’6” Joey Ramone! No servants, no penthouse, no recording studio. Just a small standard New York City one-bedroom apartment with a galley kitchen. Looking slightly turgid and somewhat pastier than usual, Joey invited us in and told us to feel free to examine his collection of toys and memorabilia that decorated the living room. Joey told us he needed to get ready for the interview and he proceeded to the bathroom within eyeshot of the living room couch, and left the door about two inches ajar. Michael Davis immediately started shooting b-roll of this museum of Joey’s life. I could not help myself but watch him through the reflection in his bathroom mirror repeatedly brush his hair for about five minutes. He may have wanted to look his best for what could be his last interview. Joey waxed poetic about the history of rock and roll and the importance of radio. He was incredibly humble and could not have been any nicer. As you will see in the interview his passion for music is undeniable, and his soul is larger than life. Four and half months later on April 15, 2001, a month before he would have turned 50, Joey Ramone died of lymphoma at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. It was not until Joey died that I realized that we might have his final interview. Michael Davis and I went on to edit a compilation of all 20 interviews of which Joey had a less than a 20 second part. I made a copy of the unedited footage of our Joey interview and I stored the VHS in one of my many boxes. I only re-discovered it earlier this year in 2017. Over the last few months, I made an attempt to reach out to Joey's family and management to give them the tape, but I did not hear back from anyone. So, here it is in its entirety, my unedited ten-minute interview with Joey Ramone. As far as I know, his last.

the sadest interview i have ever seen. RIP joey

STILL MISS thee most AWESOME of all...Joey Ramome (Jeff Ross Hyman)...thee most COOOLIEST frontman ever!! (May 19, 1951 - April 15, 2001)

i've been a ramones fan since 78. and joey has a sculpture i sent to him years ago. it is the little ramones guy playing a guitar on the green base between the little robot and big blue furry cookie monster type doll in the beginning of this interview. i never knew he had this in his possession until i seen this interview. what an honor! thanks for showing us this interview michael. gabba gabba hey!

There's something kind of endearing about him. RIP

Love his alternative tentacles shirt. Jello biafra was a big fan. Looks like mutual respect.

There will never be another Joey Ramone. I miss him so much.

He had already been battling cancer here for 5+ years. Rock n Roll God! RIP

First time i met him he talked nonstop like this. Surprised me at first. Everytime after he was more than willing to hang out and shoot the shit. But this breaks my heart every time i listen to it,hearing him so out of breath. I always made sure to thank him for what he brought to this world tho.

His hand twitching is part of his OCD. Also the fact his voice is quivering is because the decline of his health. Guy went too soon. Best voice in rock & roll ever.

There weren’t many musicians I looked up to but Joey was one for me. I would see them anytime they played near me so I’ve seen them about a dozen times. I met Joey once and I was so nervous. I didn’t want to say the same BS things everyone talked to him about. But Ronnie was supposed to have performed that night in Woodstock and we ended up talking about her. He was so approachable and generous with his time. RIP.

If i could only i could hug him

Joey in an Alternative Tentacles shirt... perfect!!

I saw this b4, CLASSIC, Love his shirt Best Wishes JOEY!

Joey is very missed, and he will always be

Legend. RIP.

Hard to believe he died of cancer just months later. He actually looked like his normal self in this video. I always was amazed how members of the band, especially never seemed to age. In fact, pics of him from the 70's-90's are often hard to tell apart. In a way, his death shortly after this make this video the last images the Public will see of the legend, thus making him "larger-than-life". Unlike many aging rockers, Joey would never get old, thus cementing him as a true legend...

wow. so sad he was dead 6 months later

Poor Joey, he was a sweet person! I'm from 91, but i really feel a lot for Joey!

Thank you

Love this interview

yes that story I said about Joey Ramone very sad but true even Tommy Ramone was talking about it and Marky Ramone it's very sad how people treated him he was a very good man God bless his family

Joey was the best ever, gone way too soon, he was so talented and intelligent, gone but never to be forgotten 🤗😿🥰

Incredible... thinking that at the beginning of 2001 the Ramones were all alive, 13 years later they were all dead

Loved what Lux Interior (also RIP sadly) said about Joey when he passed away - Joey was like a black leather flagpole that all the other punks rallied around. He had such a love for rock n roll. RIP Joey - one of the last true originals.

Joey we miss you man you are the guy I look up too and you tried to bring rock n roll back and now I’m trying so thank you for the music mr ramone

I love the honesty and his memory was sharp !!!

Johnny was like the Strict Adult, Tommy was the peacemaker(all round nice guy) Dee Dee the Hyper-wild child with writing talent, Joey the problem child...OCD mixed with some kind of persecution complex. Just my opinion as a fan since 1975...MAY THEY ALL REST IN PIECE....and thanks for the Music Guys.

Though you've been gone from this life , Joe . You're a legend my friend and legends live on . Forever now and forever then , rest in peace 👍😎

I miss these guys. All of them from Joe to Thunders. Every single one of them. Their absence is a cosmic and emotional void. Life goes on and we have these videos and our memories to guide us

To be fair, I never before cried during an interview it was my first time and all I got to say is that I hope that he is now in a much better place... RIP

Your music change my Life. Miss You everyday Joey

Having died just 5 months later....ugh!! I miss you Joey!!

I love you Joey!

oh sweet Joey, you are missed so much, together with Johnny, in my opinion an absolute rockstar with incredible stage performance, and DeeDee, as said by the late Lemmy: the wild-eyed 1234-shouter.. xx

6:24 "I'm in Heaven".

I had the great fortune to meet and talk with Joey one evening at CBGB’s what a true prince.

I wish the audio was better, but I'll take it. RIP Joey, you are a legend!