Synopsis: In 1974 the New York City music scene was shocked into consciousness by a band of misfits from Queens called the Ramones. Playing in a seedy Bowery bar to a small group of fellow struggling musicians, the band struck a chord of disharmony that rocked the foundation of the ’70s music scene.

Tracing the history of the band, from its unlikely origins through its star-crossed career, bitter demise and sad fates of Joey and Dee Dee, End Of The Century is a vibrant, candid document of one of the most influential groups in the History of Rock.
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End Of The Century 8.0

I had seen this before, but had forgotten how unpolished it was: in documentaries about film or music icons (in this case, the Ramones) there is a certain amount of sycophancy – there is always this sense that everyone is enamoured with the subject and there is a lot of polite booty-kissing.

Not here.

In ‘End of the Century’, everyone lets it all hang out, including band members, friends, family, and entourage. It can get pretty candid – if not brutal. So much so, that, on the box Johnny Ramone is quoted as saying: “It’s accurate. It left me disturbed”.

And rightly so. But it represents (what appears to be) as much of an unvarnished truth as one could hope for when delving into any subject. And, in the case of a seminal band that changed the face of music as we know it, you wouldn’t want anything else. I mean, there’s plenty of time for adulations and self-congratulations, so why waste time when one can be documenting the hurdles and challenges that were overcome in making their legacy everlasting?

It’s dirty, it’s ugly, and it’s noisy – but it’s utterly fascinating.