In
an event co-sponsored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Embassy of
Hungary in Washington, D.C., Tommy Ramone of the seminal punk group the
Ramones and Ambassador András Simonyi spoke at the Embassy yesterday
about their personal experiences with rock music and the impact that it
made on their parallel lives on either side of the Iron Curtain.
Mr. Ramone spoke about coming to America, the formation of the
Ramones, and the beginnings of punk and alternative music. The
discussion was entitled "Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World:
Rock and Roll as a Force for Freedom on Both Sides of the Iron
Curtain" and was moderated by Chuck M. Young of Rolling Stone
magazine.
After
the discussion, Amb. Simonyi and Mr. Young, joined on stage by the U.S.
ambassador to Moscow, Amb. Alexander Vershbow on drums, paid tribute to
Tommy Ramone by playing the Ramones tunes "Blitzkrieg Bop,"
"Beat on the Brat" and "Let's Dance." Tommy Ramone
joined them in singing the chorus to "Let's Dance."
Tommy
Ramone, the only surviving original member of the Ramones, was born Tamás
Erdélyi in Budapest, Hungary, in 1949. He and his parents fled the communist dictatorship in 1956,
when Tommy was only seven years old. They settled in New York, where Tommy
went on to become the first manager, producer, and drummer of the Ramones.
Ambassador
András Simonyi was born in 1952, a few streets down from Tommy’s home.
He learned to play blues guitar at an early age, even working with
such would-be stars as Hungary’s Lokomotiv GT group.
Although he went on to become a diplomat, he has never abandoned
the guitar. He now plays in a band with American friends.
Click
here to download a short clip of "Blitzkrieg Bop" as performed
by Ambs. Simonyi and Vershbow, and Mr. Young
