Dead, warring Ramones should be no election surprise

Hot off the Reuters wires:

Punk rock innovators the Ramones made a joyful racket, but offstage they were rarely in tune.

Band members were known to feud about everything, from their song list to politics. Guitarist Johnny Ramone was a conservative, while singer Joey Ramone was a liberal.

Johnny and Joey are both dead now, but their feud lives on in the presidential race.

You see, Johnny’s widow Linda, using the Ramone moniker, has been campaigning for Republican John McCain, and Joey’s estate is none too happy about that.

“I just want it to be clear that Linda Cummings does not represent the political views of the Ramones,” said Mickey Leigh, the president of Ramones Productions who is also Joey’s brother.

“As for Joey Ramone, the only Ramones song he would sing at a Republican event would be ‘Glad to See You Go,’” Leigh said in a press release.

It’s not the first time Linda has created dischord among the Ramones. She dated Joey but eventually married Johnny, causing the two band members not speak to each other for years, even as they continued to tour and make records.