Something for Joey

This morning from the Bowery and Second Street — aka, Joey Ramone Place.

Ramone, an East Village resident, died on this day (April 15) of lymphoma in 2001. He was 49. 

And from 1996, Joey and Marky announce on the Howard Stern Show that the Ramones have retired...

 

Friday's parting shot

Joey Ramone died on this day in 2001...

Joey Ramone died on this day in 2001

Hard to believe, but Joey Ramone, lead singer of the Ramones, died 20 years ago on this day... April 15, 2001, of lymphoma at age 49. 

On this occasion, the Post talks with Joey's brother Mickey Leigh ... and discusses some of the mementos from Joey's former apartment on Ninth Street at Third Avenue. 

You can read my interview with Leigh from 2012 following the release of Joey's posthumous album, "Ya Know," and the new video for this song "New York City."

   

The 20th annual Birthday Bash for Joey is expected to happen in some form on May 19.

Lowering Joey Ramone Place

[Photo from August]

For some reason this past week, the Joey Ramone Place street blade was lowered about 10 feet here on the Bowery and Second Street, where this block of Second Street is co-named for the frontman of the Ramones.



Perhaps it came down to make room for the Williamsburg (Sonny Rollins some day?) Bridge sign. The higher placement happened several years ago after the sign was previously stolen a half-dozen times. So workers raised the sign to 20 feet. Standard street signs are between 12 and 14 feet off the ground, per the Post.





The sign first went up in November 2003.

The Joey Ramone street sign returns to Joey Ramone Place

[Photo from this morning]

After nearly a month-long absence, the city returned the Joey Ramone Place street sign yesterday afternoon (H/T Jessie Malin!) to the northeast corner of the Bowery and Second Street. (This block of Second Street is co-named for the frontman of the Ramones.)

It appeared that the light pole on this corner was under repairs. (Plus, the street sign looked as if it had been bashed a few times.)

The sign first went up in November 2003. The sign remains pretty high up there ...


[Photo from this morning]

This placement happened several years ago after the sign was previously stolen a half-dozen times. So workers raised the sign to 20 feet. Standard street signs are between 12 and 14 feet off the ground, per the Post.



Meanwhile, the two-year-old Joey Ramone-CBGB 40th anniversary mural a block away at Bleecker and the Bowery has been painted over in place of a Debbie Harry-Blondie mural by Shepard Fairey. Will post on that a little later.

The Joey Ramone street sign is currently MIA from Joey Ramone Place

The light pole on the northeast corner of the Bowery and Second Street appears to be under repair...



And with that, the street sign for this co-named stretch of Second Street — Joey Ramone Place — is also gone... (all the street signs on the pole are MIA)...



I reached out to the Department of Transportation to see when the sign(s) might return. An agency rep promised to get back to me.

And perhaps they'll be a new Joey Ramone Place sign. The one in place looked as if it had been whacked a few times...


[Photo from 2016]

The sign first went up in November 2003. The sign is pretty high up there now after reportedly being stolen a half-dozen times. Workers raised the sign to 20 feet. Standard street signs are between 12 and 14 feet off the ground, per the Post.


[Wikipedia Commons]

Joey Ramone: May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001

[Image via Wikipedia Commons]

Joey Ramone died on this date in 2001. He was 49.

We recently looked up to take in the Joey Ramone Place street sign on the Bowery and East Second Street…



For a moment we thought someone had stolen the sign again…



No, just looks like someone or something whacked it a few times…



Back in 2010, the Post reported that Joey Ramone Place is perhaps the most stolen of the 250,900 street signs in New York, according to the Department of Transportation. It has been stolen at least four times … and workers raised the sign to 20 feet. Standard street signs are between 12 and 14 feet off the ground.

Meanwhile the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash is May 19 at the Studio at Webster Hall. Find details here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Mickey Leigh on his brother Joey Ramone's 'New York City' video

Looking for Joey Ramone Place

More on Joey Ramone Place