When The Ramones Appeared On "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee."

When The Ramones Appeared On “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.”

Photo: By Helge Øverås (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

Some may find it hard to believe that the Ramones appeared on the Regis Philbin and Kathy Lee show in 1988. Considering the drastic differences between the fans of The Ramones and the audience of Regis Philbin and Kathy Lee would make one wonder how in the world either camp agreed to the Ramones appearing on the show. However, it happened, and it was pretty entertaining television.

Just the visual presentation of the Ramones walking onto that stage and sitting next to Regis and Kathy Lee can be pretty odd at first glance. The Ramones were dressed, well, like the Ramones. Regis and Kathy Lee were dressed like Regis and Kathy Lee. And right there from the start is why it worked. Because both camps were being who they were without pretension. It was simply an honest interview that, at times, was funny and highly entertaining.

During the interview, Kathy Lee seemed most interested in the wives of the Ramones, specifically Dee Dee. The Ramone seated farthest from Kathy Lee and Regis Philbin, who initially seemed utterly unsettled, eventually came across as the most interesting based on Kathy Lee’s inquiries. Joey Ramone, who had been asked to recite the lyrics to “Teenage Lobotomy,” seemed almost to struggle to remember the lyrics. It’s one thing to sing those words on a nightly basis, one hundred miles an hour, but having to wax poetically left Joey almost seemingly making fun of himself. Nonetheless, it was all in good fun and spirit.

Some will argue that the appearance was odd and made no sense. However, the whole aspect of who The Ramones were and the rebellious nature of the punk rock movement is why the appearance made complete sense. They were the Ramones, and their music and attitude were all about defying convention. The Ramones were from New York City. If there is one city in the world that depicts the melting part of culture, it’s New York City. Regis Philbin was raised in the Bronx. Regis was as New York as The Ramones. In the end, it all made perfect sense. Just a couple of New Yorkers hanging out, sharing some stories, and then going their own way. You either get it or you don’t.