PAGE 2: MY RAMONIAC TRIP WITH MARKY RAMONE & TARAKANY IN SWEDEN IN JANUARY, 2005

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Marky's and Tarakany's set started with Sheena Is A Punk Rocker. It was a good and energy opening choice. Next was Beat On The Brat. It was great, but also strange as a good way, that Marky did talk something of every song or told name before he counted them on. Drummers doesn't do so often. It was refreshing to hear for example The Job That Ate My Brain and Go Mental. Before the set ended they played R.A.M.O.N.E.S. and then Dima talked to audience "This is Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone from Finland." etc. and I sang Blitzkrieg Bop, like we were decided before the tour. I tried to be really energy. Juki was taking photos when I sang. We heard in encore Psycho Therapy and Pinhead.


(Photos: Upper right photo: Marky Ramone and Tarakany singer Dima (Dmitry Spirin) at Sticky Fingers in Gothenburg, Sweden on January 23, 2005.
Upper left photo and lower left photo: Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone singing as a special guest Blitzkrieg Bop in a Marky Ramone and Tarakany show + Tarakany guitarist Dmitry Vatoff (upper) and Dima (lower) at Tivoli in Helsingborg, Sweden on January 22, 2005.
Lower right photo: Dima and Tarakany's bassist Alexey Soloviev).

Even after the show Tarakany members didn't drank much alcohol. Marky didn't drank of course any alcohol, he quit drinking really long time ago. They said to me and Juki that all backstage things are free to use for us. We ate pizzas, and luckily there was also vegetarian ones. I'm vegetarian and also guitarist Dmitry. Marky and Tank left soon to hotel and rest of us headed to the tour bus. It was luxus version, there was 10 bed, sink, toilet etc. I and Juki were also sleeping there before Juki had to go back to Stockholm.

It was short drive to Gothenburg. Marky told me many good comments of Tarakany. It was really easy to see how great way they worked together, and Tarakany also really did respect Marky and gave him space what he wants and need. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker started again a show, then Marky introduced: "Now we're gonna do a song called Beat On The Brat.", 2 minutes later: "I Wanna Be Sedated, you know?" and next: "Now we're gonna ride in Rockaway Beach!". Bassist Alexey was wearing Joey Ramone shirt and Dima jeans jacket, it has many Ramones patches like big Mondo Bizarro back patch. There was more young people in front of stage, older seemed to enjoy show little bit from farther off. I was pogoing and dancing with Helena, she seemed to be professional dancer, but also with Mikael Hägg, Eric Axelsson, Robin Forssten, Niklas Persson ja Linn Liivanain. Also there were for example Henrik and Jocke from HDP Records, label is for example released I've Got Dee Dee On My Mind single. Jocke also plays in Rickshaw etc. Also Calle and Annika came to talk to me, they said we were met in Dee Dee shows in 2000 and that they were found information of the show through my page. Poison Heart got to my eyes nearly tears, especially because of lines: " I just want to walk right out of this world, 'cause everybody has a poison heart.", I was again thinking how Dee Dee left us physically. I took of Marky close shots before I went to sang Blitzkrieg Bop. Mikael Hågg took then photos of me singing and he later wrote: "You really rock on stage, it's almost impossible to take photos of you when you run from one side to another on stage...". Also many other said good comments, and of course it felt great. I found out set was same in every show, it was: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker, Beat On The Brat, I Wanna Be Sedated, Rockaway Beach, Teenage Lobotomy, I Don't Care, She's The One, Go Mental, The KKK Took My Baby Away, Judy Is A Punk, Commando, Havana Affair, I Believe In Miracles, The Job That Ate My Brain, Life's A Gas, Rock'N'roll High School, Poison Heart, Pet Sematary, Do You Remember Rock'N'Roll Radio?, We Want The Airwaves, I Just Wanna Have Something To Do, R.A.M.O.N.E.S. and Blitzkrieg Bop + encore: Psycho Therapy and Pinhead.


(Photos: Right photo: Marky Ramone and Tank buying drum skins. Left photo: From left to right: Shelley Slater (ZCM Records), Dmitry Vatoff (Tarakany guitarist), Alexey Soloviev (Tarakany bassist), Dima (Dmitry Spirin, Tarakany singer), Andrea Jakobs (bus driver) and Helena Schmid (tour manager). Tarakany members are holding my first book Heaven Needed A Lead Singer: Fans Remember Joey Ramone and second book Rock In Peace: Dee Dee And Joey Ramone.)

We drove at night to Västerås and next day was day-off. Björn Carlsson (owner of gig place Prisma) came to bus. Marky, Tank and Björn were going to buy to Marky drum skins and Marky asked if I wanna come with them. We went also to comic store and to buy caviar to Marky. Then we went to hotel where Marky was going to stay with Tank. Marky was all the time really friendly and thoughtful. Marky signed with dedication to me for example drum skin I was bought, pics from Ramones 30th show in Los Angeles on September 12, 2004, Monte Melnick's book On The Road With The Ramones (I was got it signed already by Tommy Ramone, Monte, Allan Arkush etc.) and record covers. I also asked many autographs to my friends as a surprise. Marky did also then newspaper and radio interview and as well videotaped his part to charity DVD which comes out later in Sweden (charity to the victims of Asian's Tsunami disaster in December, 2004).

Later in bus I was looking closer of Dima's tattoos, he also had some cool Ramones tattoos. Dima said his Russian friend has also many great Ramones tattoos.

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