Too Tough to Die : A Tribute to Johnny Ramone (2006) : Cage Pays Respect [Mike’s Review]
Today on Cage Club we pay homage with Too Tough to Die : A Tribute to Johnny Ramone. We take another slight detour here at Cage Club, but unlike with “Welcome to Hollywood”, this road does not lead to a dead end where Nic Cage doesn’t show up. This movie is also unlike most Cage Club movies in that it is a Documentary of sorts as well as a tribute concert. On September 12, 2004, just two-and-a-half days before Johnny Ramone’s death, a group of musicians and friends staged a benefit concert to celebrate The Ramones’ 30th anniversary and to raise money for cancer research.
This movie is a concert tribute to Johnny Ramone who was very ill and dying at the time it was filmed. The bulk of the movie is the concert footage itself where bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers play Ramone’s songs and pay respects to the band that influenced their careers. There are appearances and interviews with many musicians and famous friends of Johnny Ramone such as Eddie Vedder and Lisa Marie Presley. It is hosted by Rob Zombie, who will return to Cage Club very briefly with the Grindhouse Trailer “Werewolf Women of the SS” where Nic Cage stars as Fu Man Chu. It’s cool to see and hear how different bands intemperate Ramones material as well as to hear how much one band, and one person in that band, meant to them and shaped their lives.
It is during the footage of Johnny’s funeral in California and it is here that Nicolas Cage appears to say some words to his departed friend. I am not sure if his speech is captured in it’s entirety but from what is included you can tell that Cage truly was a close friend and is going through a hard time. I recall from the Windtalkers commentary a story that Nic Cage told about being friends with Johnny Ramone, but I never would have thought he was so close to him as to deliver a speech at his funeral. The Windtalkers commentary came right around the time we decided to include this movie in Cage Club and now I am really glad we did because it’s a solid and unusual connection that I never would have expected to come across before starting Cage Club. It is not the last we will hear from Johnny Ramone either, the movie The Wicker Man is dedicated to him from his dear friend Nic Cage, who stars in and co-produces the movie. Yes, I can say with certainty that the Johnny Ramone connection is one of the coolest and least likely connections I ever expected to come across.
There is a great part of the movie where Rob Zombie reveals a statue of Johnny next to his grave, partially as a inside joke but also to commemorate a legend of rock n roll that passed too soon. This part also shows Nic Cage speaking again, very much from the heart, about the statue and what it means. He talks briefly about a child wondering who that man is, and that leading to the discovery of Johnny and his music for a whole new generation.
“people are gonna come to that statue and they’re gonna pay tribute to it
and kids are gonna go, hey who’s that cool looking guy over there, mom?
with the guitar and the leather jacket and the funny haircut?
i wanna be that guy.” – Nic Cage
I also have a history with being influenced by The Ramones. I have loved their music since I was a teenager at the age of 13 and have been in several bands that went nowhere, but were heavily influenced by the style of the Ramones. I would listen to their songs and try to teach myself Guitar using the classic three power chord progression. I was a bit of a punk too and would wear my Ramones shirt proud and probably too often without washing. Later when I started to learn drums, I would again be playing along with the Ramones to get faster and faster just like them. They are by far one of the most influential bands that I have listened to and continue to play their music loud and often.
Next up on Cage Club we are back into the animated realm with Voiceover Cage in the movie “The Ant Bully” This is the second cartoon that Cage is in but the first of three all CGI cartoons in the fashion of the modern Pixar films. I have a feeling that hand drawn, ink and paint cartoon movies may be going the way of the dodo bird. I look forward to seeing how well Cage is used in this next animated film and if they will capture his likeness with the look of his Ant counterpart. I am not sure what the story is or what to expect from this one as it is a bit more of a children’s film, but it’s a Cage movie so we are bound by our non-existent code to soldier on and watch it. “The Ant Bully” next time on Cage Club.
Mike
@the_mikestir
