When I was 16, the idea of being in a band and making records seemed out of reach to me and Adam and Edge and Larry until we heard the Ramones.

Something about their humility and the humor just struck us when we saw them in Dublin in 1977. They seemed like the antithesis of every other band we went to see, where, intentionally or not, you felt like you were the peasants. In that sense, it was a revolution. More than a musical revolution, it felt like our people were onstage. When I was standing in the State Cinema that night listening to Joey Ramone and realizing that there was nothing else that mattered to him, pretty soon nothing else mattered to me. Imagination was the only obstacle to overcome. Anyone could play those four chords. You had to be able to hear it more than you had to be able to play it. ...


Complete article from www.time.com