Chris Frantz pays tribute to late Ramones star

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz has written a tribute piece to his late friend Thomas Erdelyi following The Ramones star’s death last month (Jul14). The two punk icons became friends when Talking Heads toured with The Ramones in the 1970s and Frantz reveals Erdelyi, aka Tommy Ramone, was too serious for the exploding punk scene.
In a piece written for the new issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Frantz recalls, “He had a seriousness about him that was different from most people in the business. The other Ramones deferred to him because he had the experience and the leadership qualities the others didn’t quite have.
“As time wore on, it was not fun for Tommy. This was the time of gobbing (spitting) as a sign of approval, and they’d have to wipe down his drum set after shows. He didn’t like the spit part at all. So I wasn’t surprised when he decided to give up his post and let Marky Ramone take over in 1978.”
Erdelyi lost his battle with cancer on 11 July (14), aged 65.