This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
When Joey Ramone died from lymphoma last Easter, a lot of people never got to say goodbye. Here’s your chance: Joey’s posthumous solo album is the perfect sendoff to everybody’s favourite punk pioneer.
Don’t Worry About Me has everything you expect from a Ramones record: Three chords (played by Daniel Rey), two bass notes (supplied by The Dictators’ Andy Shernoff), four-on-the-floor drums (courtesy of Marky Ramone) and Joey’s nasal, one-of-a-kind voice, crooning punk-rock ditties about Mr. Punchy and MSNBC Money Honey Maria Bartiromo (“I watch you on TV every single day / Those eyes make everything OK”). But not surpisingly, given his health, Don’t Worry About Me is also the most personal work of Joey’s life. From the starry-eyed optimism of What A Wonderful World to down-in-the-dumps tunes like Stop Thinking About It and Spirit in My House, Joey never flinches from the truth about the emotional roller-coaster he rode those last few years. It doesn’t get more heart-squeezing than I Got Knocked Down (But I’ll Get Up), when he confesses: “I want life / I want my life / It really sucks.” He’s got that right. Adios, amigo.
