The Marky Ramone Haunting: A completely real and legit paranormal investigation
For four months, I was haunted by a spirit that had an uncanny similarity to that of drummer Marky Ramone of the Ramones. His intentions were, and still are, unknown. Below is the entire account of the haunting.
The First Haunting – September 5, 2022
The spirit makes its first appearance in my unconscious state, implanting images of myself sitting at a diner, as he occupies a booth across from me. I understand his name to be Marky Ramone. The name is familiar, but I have never seen his face. With a quick search online, I come face to face with the man in my dream.
The Second Haunting – October 23, 2022, 11:00 AM
I’m sitting in the passenger seat of a car, zoning out to the lull of the radio. The spirit makes its second point of contact through the manipulation of technology and radio frequencies: “Hey, it’s Marky Ramone! And you’re listening to Q104.3 New York’s Classic Rock.” He leaves as fast as he appeared. Hey, Ho! Let’s Go!
The Third Haunting – October 26, 2022, 10:30 PM
The spirit seems to be making contact more frequently now. I scroll through my social media and find Marky Ramone promoting a website in which celebrities take custom video message requests from fans.
The Fourth Haunting – November 14, 2022, 7:05 PM
Upon doing more research, I discovered that Marky Ramone is having a holiday show in New York City on December 15. It makes sense that he’s having a show in the city, the Ramones being a Queens band and all. However, with the prior incidents piling on top of one another, this timing is incredible.
December 15, 2022, 3:11 PM
I secured my ticket for the show. I’ve had the unfathomable urge to attend this show for the past month. Am I being lured? Am I being possessed? I plan to confront the spirit about this personally after the show. I have to get to the bottom of this. (God, someone sedate me!)
December 16, 2022 – Marky Ramone’s Holiday Blitzkrieg
I get to the Gramercy Theatre at 6:18 PM, and there’s already a small group of people lined up at the door. I’m a fan of the Ramones’ music—I like to think it’s part of my blood for being a Queens native. However, I am not involved in their fan base in any way, so I am surprised to find that this is a sold out show. I wasn’t expecting this many people to be attending. Doors open at 7:00 PM, and until then I stand outside in the rain, water hitting my face rather harshly from the strong wind. My fingers also feel numb.
The openers for the show are categorically the strangest acts I’ve ever seen: a DJ spinning vinyl of various rock songs; two separate acts in which women in scantily clad outfits strip and dance to the hits of 1980s hair bands; and a theremin cover of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” with a belly dancer. The performances transitioned from normal to not so fast, but the weirdest, yet most exciting, part of all is that I somehow made it to the dead center of the barricade.
Marky Ramone and his band (officially known as Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg) takes the stage at 8:48 PM. He comes out in all his trademark Ramones fringe glory and a Looney Tunes shirt to welcome everyone to the show. The rest of the band takes their places shortly after and with a countdown from the bassist, they are ready to go. Both the band and the crowd’s sound is explosive as they start the sloshy surf-rock riff of “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker.” A mosh pit starts almost immediately behind me and I slam into the barricade. I have a hunch this won’t be the first time that happens, and I expect to have bruised knees by the end of the night. However, I am by no means discouraged because I am a woman on a mission. Besides, it can’t possibly be a successful paranormal investigation if I don’t come out with a few scratches. Right?
The band plays for nearly an hour and 40 minutes straight with no pauses, aside from the encore. There is simply no time to talk––not when they have to get through one hit after the other. Performing a total of 42 songs, they play all of the Ramones’ essentials: “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue,” “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School,” “Pet Sematary,” “I Wanna Be Sedated,” and “Rockaway Beach.” They pay homage to the holidays and New York City with the additions of “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Wanna Fight Tonight)”; a cover of “New York, New York”; and “Spiderman,” the theme song of Queens’ friendly neighborhood web-slinger.
Despite his name being on the billboard, Marky Ramone allows for his bandmates to share his spotlight. The lead singer is charismatic and his presence is larger than life as he uses the whole stage, whipping the mic cord around and twirling the stand. I am thoroughly impressed by his ability to sing in a way that similarly embodies Joey’s fast, punctuated, and slurred vocals. The guitarist and bassist are also an integral part of creating the full sound: their energy is infectious and they play fast, rough, and loud—the only acceptable way to cover a Ramones song. And of course there’s Marky, the main reason I was there. Despite being all the way at the back of the stage, his drumming is incredibly hard to miss. The lively tap-tap-taps of the hi-hat and the bright clashes of the cymbal is so exciting, I found myself tapping my hands along to the beat. (Definitely a sign of possession.)
They finish their set with Ramones’ classic, “Blitzkrieg Bop,” which has everyone pumping their fists and yelling along to the iconic introduction: “Hey, Ho! Let’s Go!” The band gives their all up to the very last second of the song, and I can feel myself and the rest of the crowd buzzing with excitement, even after they leave the stage.
Post-show, 10:33 PM
No more distractions! The show is over and now I play the game of waiting out in the cold once again, in hopes that Marky Ramone will stay to talk to his waiting fans. I frantically update the homebase (my friends who are supportive of my mission) and mentally recite the speech I have prepared for Marky if the opportunity arises. The doors of the venue suddenly open around 11:30 PM. A familiar blur of black hair rushes past me, escorted by a small group of people who all huddle around him. I rush forward with the others who have been waiting. Fans of musicians are fast, but unfortunately Marky and his team are faster, and someone urges him to get into the car. As we all call out his name, he takes a moment to wave goodbye and thank us for coming to the show. Understanding that I have no chance of telling him about my haunting, I call out a goodnight and wish him a happy holiday before he leaves.
I am surprisingly not disappointed. Perhaps one day I will be able to tell him and find out why he’s been constantly showing up in my life the past four months, but either way I feel fulfilled. It was my last show of 2022 and I can say with full confidence that it was one of the best shows of the year. Plus, this whole experience has made listening to the Ramones a lot more fun for me!
Though my investigation seems to have come to a dead end, I have made my peace with the case. Instead in this new year, I am choosing to participate in the finest display of a parasocial relationship: I will be accepting Marky Ramone into my life.
If you would also like to experience being possessed by a member of the Ramones, you can listen to the full setlist of the show here. Good luck!
Words: Katherine Hong / Thumbnail Photo: Elizabeth Paton (NY Times)