Historic Whores with Old Pros: Dee Dee Ramone

Old pros are everywhere, even in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The Ramones are perhaps one of the most iconic rock bands in American music history. Founded in 1974, the Ramones are known for hits like “Animal Boy,“ “Poison Heart,” and “53rd & 3rd,” which was written by the band bassist, front man, and unapologetic hustler Dee Dee Ramone.

Born Douglas Glenn Colvin in 1951, Dee Dee Ramone was the son of a U.S. Army soldier. His family moved around a lot because of his father’s military service. Dee Dee describes a lonely and wandering youth exploring bombed out buildings from WWII, and selling Nazi war relics for morphine. At age 15, Dee Dee, his sister, and mother settled in Queens, New York to escape their abusive and alcoholic father.

The last time Dee Dee spoke to his father was when he called him for help. He had been caught up in an armed robbery with some other kids and needed bail shortly after moving to the US. In response his father said “Fuck you, rot there. You deserve it.”

In Queens, Dee Dee Ramone met his bandmates John Cummings and Thomas Erdelyi  later known as Johnny and Tommy Ramone. They were brought together by their shared experience of domestic violence and became each other’s chosen family adopting the same surname, the Ramones. The band unfortunately ended up repeating the patterns of abuse they were trying to escape.

The band began touring in 1974, with Dee Dee Ramone as the lead composer and vocalist. Despite Dee Dee’s raging heroin addiction, the Ramones grew to become a huge success. They defined an emerging punk culture that was violent, dirty, and very loud. One fan described their sound as “better through a wall.” But that sound inspired a generation of musicians.

In fact, the whole look and brand of the Ramones was inspired by hustler culture, which is distinct from other forms of queer culture.

Dee Dee Ramone’s heroin addiction was one of the factors that led him to sex work. The band’s song, “53rd & 3rd,” describes the Manhattan intersection, also known as “the Loop,” which was a well-known spot for male prostitution in the 1970s. Dee Dee Ramone composed the song and it’s said to have been based on his experience as a sex worker on this corner to support his drug addiction.

In fact, the whole look and brand of the Ramones was inspired by hustler culture, which is distinct from other forms of queer culture. The torn jeans, dirty shoes, and leather jackets were inspired by a growing scene of disaffected young men who were gay for pay, or hustlers, to get by after fleeing their, often abusive, homes.

In 1978, he married Vera Boldis but the relationship was strained and the couple divorced in 1995. The band was also falling apart. Dee Dee describes “I left my wife, I left my band, and I left my girlfriend.” Untethered, his mental health and addiction worsened before he was able to find himself.

In the late 1990s, Dee Dee Ramone continued to perform and write. He published the autobiography, Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones and a novel, Chelsea Horror Hotel. He was a brilliant writer and disaffected poet who became a rock star and drug addict. He was open and unapologetic about his experiences as a sex worker.

In 1994 in Argentina, Dee Dee Ramone met 16-year-old fan Barbara Zampini, who would later become his second wife.  In 2002, the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just months before hustler Dee Dee Ramone died of a heroin overdose at the age of 49.

He’s buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery and survived by his wife, Barbara Ramone Zampini. Los Angeles artists have turned his gravesite into a feeding spot for local wildlife, including five domesticated black ducks named after members of the Ramones.

Years later, the Ramones and the hustler culture that inspired them continue to influence music and popular culture around the world.