The Next Big Thing

The Ramones dvd is due out Tuesday in the US, April 25 in Europe. Here's the press
release - the extras sound intriguing:

Magnolia Pictures & Rhino Home Video present The definitive documentary about THE RAMONES "END OF THE CENTURY" DVD RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2005

Los Angeles, CA--On March 15th, Magnolia Pictures and Rhino Home Video will release END OF THE CENTURY: THE STORY OF THE RAMONES on DVD, a portrait of the seminal New York punk rock band. Considered by many the gods of rock 'n' roll's fundamentalist fringe, the Ramones are a band whose influence reaches over several generations of musicians and fans alike. END OF THE CENTURY is both a celebration of their music and a mesmerizing document of the group's road to near success, pitted with emotional power struggles and substance abuse. The film debuted in New York on Friday August 20th, 2004 followed by a national rollout in theaters around the country.

New York City was caught off guard in 1974 by the angry scream of punk. Raw and unrestrained, it was a sharp contrast to the banality of soft rock and disco. At the forefront of the scene were the Ramones, headed by Joey; who was often accused of geekiness but later on went on to redeem countless others from that agony, troubled bassist Dee Dee; burdened by the weight of his own genius, guitarist and master drill sergeant Johnny; and drummer Tommy (who was followed by a parade of other drummers, including Marky and Richie Ramone). Looking like extras from THE WILD ONES with their black leather jackets, bowl haircuts and Converse sneakers, they ripped through three-chord songs about sniffing glue, the neighborhood, teenage sex and angst. They were a gang of misfits from Forest Hills, Queens, united in the belief in salvation and deliverance through the power of rock 'n' roll.

It was a rocky road for the pseudo-brothers: the success that always seemed around the corner continually faded in the distance, as British bands they inspired were crowned the "originators of punk" by the mainstream music press. The film's title refers to their 1980 album of the same name, produced by the infamous, gun-toting, hit song guru Phil Spector, an endeavor that strained the already tenuous relation between band members. Poor record sales turned dreams of rock glory into gigging as a means of employment. All the frustration they felt against an industry that gave
up on them and abandoned their cause divided them further as they seemingly turned their anger against each other.

New York-based filmmakers Michael Gramaglia and Jim Fields share a life-long love of punk music and their passion is evident in this candid portrait of a band torn by internal struggles and consequences of the lifestyle. END OF THE CENTURY moves from the band's CBGB and London heydays, the decade-long silence between Joey and Johnny caused by a dispute over a girl, through to the deaths of Joey and Dee Dee Ramone
and their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 2002. Together with unseen live and studio footage, extensive interviews with ex-band mates, family, friends and figures from New York City's punk scene, END OF THE CENTURY not only documents an important chapter in music history, but also chronicles the bonds of childhood friendship and their gradual breakdown.