Joey Ramone of the Ramones

“The Ramones had been touring for over a year when my editor at Trouser Press announced that the band was coming back to NYC for a break and were to be on the cover, in an unconventional way. So, I invited Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny and Marky to be photographed in my living room…!

Their arrival was like a scene from the Beatles’ movie A Hard Day’s Night. They were happy for some time off and none the worse for wear, given their grinding schedule while on tour. As far as I could tell, everybody was getting along fine and they happily finished each other’s sentences—telling us about life on the road and all the places they visited around the U.S. It was the happiest I had ever seen them together.”

Portrait of Joey Ramone in New York, 1980.