On Sunday, Jan. 13t at 3 p.m., the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington will be hosting author Donna Gaines for a discussion on her new book, “Why the Ramones Matter.” The event will feature a live musical performance by the Ramones cover band, The Young Rochelles.
According to Gaines, the central experience of the Ramones and their music is of being an outsider, an outcast, a person who’s somehow defective, and the revolt against shame and self-loathing. The fans, argues Gaines, got it right away, from their own experience of alienation at home, at school, on the streets, and from themselves.
This sense of estrangement and marginality permeates everything the Ramones delivered as artists. “Why the Ramones Matter” makes the case that the Ramones gave us everything — they saved rock and roll, modeled DIY ethics, and addressed our deepest collective traumas, from the personal to the historical.
Gaines’ first book, “Teenage Wasteland: Suburbia’s Dead End Kids,” was published in 1991. Rolling Stone declared it “the best book on youth culture.”
Gaines grew up in Rockaway Beach, a surf town made famous by the Ramones. She will be in conversation with author Bill German, whose book, “Under Their Thumb,” details his unlikely friendships with Keith Richards and Mick Jagger.
The program is $30 for Cinema Arts members and $35 for the general public. The ticket price includes the author talk, a copy of “Why The Ramones Matter,” a book-signing reception, and the live performance by The Young Rochelles.
For more information about the event, go to www.cinemaartscentre.org
