Tommy Ramone 1949 - 2014

The year 1974 brought the United States of America to a crossroads that looked as if any route traveled would be one of futility and dread.  Richard Nixon resigned as President.  President Gerald Ford granted amnesty to deserters of the Vietnam War and Draft Dodgers.  The world was in the middle of a global Recession.  Syria and Israel agreed to a ceasefire for their conflict in the Golan Heights.  Four young men started a band that took the world by storm.

Joey Ramone

As I was preparing to begin an article on a hard rock staple I was listening to some Quiet Riot and something was triggered in my remaining brain cells.  A realization that the iconic voice of the band, Kevin DeBrow, had left us in 2007 made me think about other famous musicians had left us as well.  Obviously the everyday flock in which we all reside has losses daily from a plethora of reasons but how many of you would want to read about the loss of nobody?  That brings me back to that trigger...

The Badge of Honor

I was thinking today about some of the bands I have seen throughout the years and I was trying to decide what united us, the '80s hairband-er (I may have just created a new word.  At least in my mind).  As I bantered about the potential link, I thought perhaps its the music, perhaps but what was the one tie we had and unless you were at a specific concert you had no clue what that freaky long hair with his impossibly thin goatee (it was growing in thicker every day) and the large chested, Aqua Net soaked bottle blonde had in common?  Then it hit me, we all had a Badge of Honor.