Lech Kowalski interviewed Dee Dee Ramone in 1992 to discuss his relationship with the late Johnny Thunders for his, at the time, in progress documentary, Born To Lose (The Last Rock And Roll Movie). With that in mind, it’s not surprising (though it is slightly disappointing) that Dee Dee spends the vast majority of this hour-long interview talking more about his relationship with Thunders than his work with Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees, The Ramones. 

That’s not to say, however, that this isn’t worth watching. There are some really interesting stories told over the documentary’s hour and three minute running time, as Dee Dee talks about his problems with drug addiction and how he (at the time) overcame them, made all the more tragic by the fact that one June 5, 2002 he died or a heroin overdose at the age of fifty. 

In addition to stories about scoring drugs and getting high, we’re also treated to anecdotes about running from the cops, getting clobbered by Debbie Harry (who had a horseshoe in her purse that she’d use to hit people with), and hanging out with Thunders, Richard Hell, and Jerry Nolan, who he all used to get high with. Most of the stories eventually come back to drugs at some point. 

He also gives us a rundown on his tattoo collection, tells some (though not enough) amusing stories about life in The Ramones like pawning Joey’s television set to get some money to score dope with. There’s also a lot of time spent detailing the history of writing Chinese Rock and how he had to argue with Johnny Ramone to get the band to record it. 

Overall, it seems like the documentary was put together out of spare footage that was unused from the Thunders film after Dee Dee died. Whether it’s a cash in or a tribute is debatable but the film does serve as a good (but not great) testament to Dee Dee’s influence on rock and roll.

Everything comes through nice and clear with the more recent footage, and, much like the video, degrades noticeably when the older footage is spliced in. There aren’t any problems at all with the documentary in regards to this mix though, and very clean and consistent without any noticeable defects to report on.

There are a couple of cool extras on the disc. In addition to a replica poster with a comic strip on the reverse side, there are also some temporary tattoos included. On the disc you’ll find an outtake from Born To Lose (The Last Rock And Roll Movie) where Johnny Thunders performs Chinese Rock in its entirety. There’s also a gallery of behind the scenes still photos.