BILL MESNIK OF THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENTS: THE SUNNY SIDE OF MY STREET - SONGS TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD - EPISODE #61: I WANNA BE SEDATED by The Ramones (Sire, 1978)

Not to glorify the use of narcotics, or anything, but this is the most joyous celebration of bored nihilism I’ve ever heard. Joey Ramone said he wrote the song when he was stranded in London during Christmastime, with nothing to do and nowhere to go. And, here, the boys are symbolically kicking down the doors of their hotel room and running amok for our pleasure. These were my contemporaries: they were playing CBGB’s on the Bowery, while I was plying my singer-songwriter hack across town in the West Village. Geographically close, but two different worlds, and I, theatrically trained emoter that I was, missed the whole punk revolution that was brewing right under my nose. Talk about not seeing the forest for the tree! We might have been close in age, and just like me they had been born and bred across the east river - but they were the real deal: dedicated to the rock and roll lifestyle, while I was just visiting. They’re all dead now - but, man, did they rage against the dying of the light. They immolated themselves, these four similarly named Icaruses, in pursuit of rock immortality. And, they achieved it. And, you can feel that undeniable energy in this romp - their call to arms against banality.