The Ramones//Rockaway Beach

Cowabunga! It’s Surf Week!

Part of the reason I decided that this was the week for surf was having this song stuck in my head since Friday, when Anika, Jill and I actually went to Rockaway Beach. Let me say that we didn’t exactly have our wits about us when we got out there. The neighborhood surrounding the beach seemed a little creepy and we all got slightly freaked out by what looked like the impending doom of a crazy storm. These things aside, the beach was quite pleasant and I had fun swimming in the ocean. I think it’s so awesome that NYC has SO many beaches that are easily accessible by public transit.

I’m sure you know all about The Ramones, New York godfathers of Punk Rock. This song is off of Rocket to Russia, which sounds really Surf-y. From Wikipedia:

"Rockaway Beach", penned by bassist Dee Dee Ramone in the style of the Beach Boys and other early rock 'n' roll bands, was written about Rockaway Beach, Queens, where Dee Dee liked to spend time. Johnny Ramone claimed that Dee Dee was the only real beachgoer in the group.

I like the idea of Dee Dee chillin' on a blanket, drinking a cheap beer. Apparently, this isn’t the only time that Rockaway Beach, Queens has shone in the spotlight. Also from Wikipedia, some other pop culture mentions:

-Woody Allen's 1987 movie Radio Days was filmed on location in Rockaway Beach.
-Lily's Crossing, a book by Patricia Reilly Giff, takes place in Rockaway Beach during World War II.
-George Carlin has said that he was conceived at Curley's Hotel in Rockaway Beach.
-Rockaway Beach, along with its neighboring communities, is the setting for much of the FX show Rescue Me.

Also, I would like to suggest this book, if you want to know more about late-70s/early-80s Punk. It’s a phenomenal read.



Rockaway Beach.mp3

The sun is out and I want some.
Its not hard, not far to reach.
We can hitch a ride
To rockaway beach.

Surf Week Fact #2: Some other kinds of Surfing: Web Surfing (looking at pages on the World Wide Web, aka what you’re doing right now), Wind Surfing (this looks really nerdy), Channel Surfing (50’leven channels and nothing on) and Crowd Surfing (so grunge).