Too Tough To Die: 'A Tribute To Johnny Ramone'

With so many celebrity fans and such a massive influence on modern alternative music, it comes as no surprise that yet another documentary about punk legends The Ramones is being released.

What feels fresh about Too Tough To Die is that it doesn’t set out to be a definitive history or pure concert footage. A record of the 1996 tribute concert arranged for a dying Johnny Ramone, this is exactly that: a tribute to a musical legend paid by those who looked up to him.

Too Tough To Die’s formula is simple, but effective: rousing cover versions of some of The Ramones’ greatest songs, performed by the likes of Pearl Jam, The Dickies, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Henry Rollins, the Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones and newer Ramones Marky and C.J are blended with talking head interviews with each celebrity recounting anecdotes about their hero.

The concert itself provides some staggeringly enjoyably performances; most notably Rollins, Jones, CJ and Marky’s brilliant Blitzkrieg Bop, and the show’s compere Rob Zombie is nothing if not a genial host. Memorable quotes from Eddie Vedder, John Frusciante and a host of backstage Ramones alumni highlight the band’s tremendous impact without overstating the point.

Johnny Ramone died shortly after this show, joining Joey and Dee Dee and leaving Tommy the last surviving band member. An interesting, if slightly morbid, epilogue is his funeral, attended by famous allies and Joe Bloggs punks alike. A moving tribute, the funeral coverage highlights a slight problem with the package as a whole. In only filming the words of rock frontmen and film stars (Nicolas Cage somehow elbows his way in on proceedings), the importance of the band to everyday fans is ignored, unfortunately leaving this tribute a well-meaning, if altogether too celebrity-focused affair.

Still, the intention of Too Tough To Die is not to mope, and the end credits roll accompanied by a barrage of further quality Ramones covers, leaving the viewer on a high. This is surely how the late Johnny would want to be remembered - the music lives on whatever.



Released on DVD on 3rd November 2008 by Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Written by Nick Aldwinckle.