13/05/2026
Ramones, 1978.
Here‘s Johnny, Joey, Marky and Dee Dee on the set of „Rock‘n‘Roll Highschool“, December 1978.
They‘re piled up in the back seat of a pink Cadillac, with DJ legend Rodney Bingenheimer behind the wheel, ready to perform a playback version of „I Just Wanna Have Something To Do“ - with Joey chewing on a chicken leg.
As fun as the movie turned out to be for the audience, Johnny had a rough time filming the thing. In his autobiography „Commando“ he remembers: „The filming of Rock‘n‘Roll Highschool was torture, sitting around all the time. Dee Dee was getting high all the time, my girlfriend was drinking, and I just stayed in my room and watched TV …
Iwas under a lot of stress. I would have my girlfriend, Cynthia, there visiting, then (former wife) Rosana, who I was still seeing, would come in when I sent Cynthia home …
When Rock’n’Roll Highschool premiered in New York at the 8th Street Playhouse, I snuck into the theater after the place was dark and sat in the back row. People there loved it. The movie was better than I thought it would be.“
📸Brad Elterman