"I like the guitar better these days. I like the bass, too, but it's hard to fit a bass amp in a small car"
About this Quote
Dee Dee Ramone turns a gear-choice question into a tiny manifesto about punk practicality. On the surface, he is talking about amps and trunk space, but the punchline is the point: aesthetics are often downstream from logistics. The Ramones built a whole mythos on speed, bluntness, and doing more with less, and here that ethic gets translated into the most unglamorous detail imaginable: what actually fits in the car.
The intent reads half-confessional, half-joke. He is loosening the sacred aura around “the instrument” by reminding you that touring life is a constant negotiation with reality: cramped vehicles, cheap equipment, limited time, limited patience. That’s the subtext that lands: the romance of rock is usually carried by people who are exhausted, broke, and making decisions based on weight, price, and portability. Choosing guitar over bass isn’t a grand artistic evolution; it’s the difference between an amp you can move and one that becomes a problem.
It also gently undercuts the macho mythology of musicianship. “I like the bass, too” signals affection and openness, but the deciding factor is pure friction. Punk, at its best, has always been anti-pretension without being anti-feeling; Dee Dee’s line captures that. Creativity survives not because conditions are perfect, but because someone keeps the machine rolling, even if the machine is a small car with no room for a bass amp.
The intent reads half-confessional, half-joke. He is loosening the sacred aura around “the instrument” by reminding you that touring life is a constant negotiation with reality: cramped vehicles, cheap equipment, limited time, limited patience. That’s the subtext that lands: the romance of rock is usually carried by people who are exhausted, broke, and making decisions based on weight, price, and portability. Choosing guitar over bass isn’t a grand artistic evolution; it’s the difference between an amp you can move and one that becomes a problem.
It also gently undercuts the macho mythology of musicianship. “I like the bass, too” signals affection and openness, but the deciding factor is pure friction. Punk, at its best, has always been anti-pretension without being anti-feeling; Dee Dee’s line captures that. Creativity survives not because conditions are perfect, but because someone keeps the machine rolling, even if the machine is a small car with no room for a bass amp.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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