Johnny Ramone - Denver T-Shirt

‘Johnny Ramone posed at the Hyatt Continental Hotel, nick-named “the Riot House,” due to legendary stories of debauchery from Led Zeppelin and other wild mega-bands. Johnny and the guys were never wild or wasteful offstage. They put all their energy into their frantic, breathless shows.

I shot the band at least 75 times in 2.5 years. The late Richard Creamer and I took turns shooting the band standing by the pool, the stairs, and then around a small table during an interview. The full shot is Johnny in the center talking, with Dee Dee on the left, and Joey on the right, both with their arms folded across their chests, silently listening to Johnny.

Johnny usually wore t-shirts either with Disney characters or Marine logos. His beautiful widow, Linda, told me she didn’t have any shots of him smiling. Yet he had a great smile in several of my early shots. His eyes appear to be a beautiful blue-green in my photos. I am so flattered Linda and others like my Johnny shots because I didn’t shoot him often. I kept my distance, respecting his need for space. I preferred hanging with Dee Dee cos he and I got along so well.’

Words by Jennny Lens who took this shot in 1978.