LA LUZ de JESUS GALLERY

presents

"I Slept With Joey Ramone"

Book reading and signing
Featuring Mickey Leigh, Alan Arkush, P.J. Soles, Howie Pyro and other surprise guests!

(416 pages, Hardcover $26.00)

Saturday
February 20th, 2010
6 - 9 PM

"Mickey's cool new book is not only important, it's very, very moving. Joey's overcoming incredible adversity to be the lead singer in one of the greatest and most influential Rock bands of all time will be an inspiration for every kid that doesn't quite "fit it."
- Steven Van Zandt

“Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Rockaway Beach,” “I Wanna Be Sedated,” “Sheena is a Punk Rocker,” “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School.” With humor spiked lyrics, a shockingly unique delivery, and backed by the fast, frenetic music of his band, Joey Ramone gave voice to the disaffected youth of the seventies and eighties while defining punk rock in America. I SLEPT WITH JOEY RAMONE: A Family Memoir (Touchstone, an imprint of Simon & Schuster; December 1, 2009; Hardcover/$26; 978-0-7432-5216-4) is the story of the turbulent life of one of America’s greatest rock icons, revealed for the first time by Joey Ramone’s brother, Mickey Leigh, with “Resident Punk” Legs McNeil.

Mickey tells his fascinating, though sometimes troubling, tale of growing up with a rock star with honesty, humor, and grace. Before Joey Ramone’s signature sunglasses, face obscured by a mop of hair, and towering height became the personification of punk’s early image, he was simply Jeffry Hyman, born on May 19, 1951 in Forest Hills, New York. Rock ‘n’ roll gave the lanky, awkward teen a sanity-saving outlet for his anti-social behaviors—which included the crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that plagued him throughout his life.

In 1974 Jeff co-founded the Ramones with friends John Cummings and Douglas Colvin. “Joey,” “Johnny,” “Tommy” and “Dee Dee Ramone” were soon regulars at CBGB’s, honing the brief, rapid-fire concert style that would soon become the stuff of legend. The Ramones’ 1976 debut album, replete with hooky, three-chord songwriting, cheerfully dumb humor, and boundless energy, heralded the true birth of punk rock and created the blueprint that countless bands would follow to the top of the charts.

Despite their enormous musical and cultural influence, a career spanning two decades, and a handful of undisputedly classic albums, the uppermost levels of fame were always just out of reach for the Ramones. The infighting, romantic betrayals, and addictions that tormented the band also strained personal relationships along the way. As these pressures peaked, Mickey saw them take their toll on the kind, caring boy he once shared his bedroom with in Queens, who began to periodically display an uncharacteristically malicious persona. After forty years of extreme closeness, the two brothers engaged in a conflict that had them pushing and pulling at each other throughout much of the 1990’s, though, in the end it was Mickey who was again closest with his brother during Joey’s battle with lymphatic cancer that ultimately ended his life in 2001.

To ensure the story was balanced, complete, and told fairly, Mickey and Legs interviewed dozens of family, friends, colleagues, and industry professionals who were there as Joey’s life unfolded. Both a tribute to the rise of punk in America and an intimate look at a journey filled with music and challenges, I SLEPT WITH JOEY RAMONE is an enduring portrait of a man who struggled to find his voice and of the brother who loved him.

Please join us for an evening of words and sounds. Refreshments will be served!

"Mickey Leigh's story makes for compelling reading. I Slept With Joey Ramone is funny, sad, shocking and surprising
and best of all, brutally honest." - John Holmstrom, Co-founder of PUNK Magazine