Meet the Band That's Going to "Be" the Ramones

I’m continuing to feel apprehension toward the upcoming Runaways biopic. First, we learned that Twilight star Kristen Stewart was slated to play Joan Jett, and then it was Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie. Now the latest is that St. Louis garage rockers Living Things have been cast to play the Ramones.

This is dangerous territory; the Ramones are punk rock royalty, and anyone tapped to play them would need to handle the role very carefully and with the proper amount of respect – by which I mean none at all.

They’ve even admitted to coming by the role in a way that Joey would have probably found hilarious – Living Things frontman Lillian Berlin’s wife is the film’s director.

But in order to truly pull this off, the wigs will have to be perfect, and if Living Things are actually playing the Ramones songs, they’ll need to play them properly sloppy. Honestly, it may not be that hard to play the Ramones, as they often appeared to be living caricatures of themselves. The band will just need to get the sound and the swagger down pat.

Take a listen to this track:

Living Things – “Oxygen” (MP3)

And decide for yourself – is this the band that can “be” the Ramones?

Even if they can, I still feel the film is doomed. Casting Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett doomed it from day one. Honestly, she needs to be cast as something that matches her casting skills – like a brick, sandwich or piece of cardboard – in order to not seriously threaten a film’s success.

Living Things Web site

Photo courtesy of the Musebox