METALLICA's KIRK HAMMETT, ROB ZOMBIE Remember JOHNNY RAMONE

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett and Rob Zombie are among the musicians that have contributed testimonials to the enduring influence of Johnny Ramone and his seminal punk rock outfit the RAMONES in the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine.

Kirk Hammett: "I would come into contact with Johnny in the mid-Eighties, and I was intimidated. I'd heard the legend — how much of a hard-ass he was. But when we met in 1996 on the Lollapalooza tour METALLICA did with the RAMONES, he was completely different. He told me, 'I never used to hang out with other bands, because I considered them my competition. Now that the RAMONES aren't together anymore, I can hang out and feel comfortable.' He was enjoying his retirement. He was getting into wearing these Hawaiian shirts that my wife would buy for him. He would call my wife and say, 'You need to get me some more of those shorts.' It was really funny: Here's the godfather of punk rock, and all he wants to do is wear Hawaiian shirts."

According to Hammett, he and Ramone would spend time playing records and videos of Johnny's favorite bands. "We'd watch old clips of SLADE and the MOVE," Hammett said. "He turned me on to the SONICS. And he loved LED ZEPPELIN and BLACK SABBATH — only the early stuff."

But after the RAMONES, Johnny rarely played guitar again. "There was always one around," said Hammett. "But his attitude was, 'I'm retired. I just want to hang out and watch horror movies.' And he did that. He did it very well."

Rob Zombie: "Whatever he said, you knew it was 100 percent honest. And you knew that he knew what he was talking about. He had an insane amount of knowledge, whether it was the stock market or old movies or baseball. He knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it. It didn't matter if he was ordering dessert at a restaurant or putting together a tour. He was the strongest guy I ever met. He never wanted to let down his friends — I must have heard him say that a million times. And he took the fans very seriously. If someone asked for a million autographs, he would sign a million times."

Johnny's former RAMONES bandmate Marky Ramone offered the following statement on his passing: "Johnny Ramone was my bandmate and brother for over 15 years. The bond between band members was closer than any others in the RAMONES' organization. John kept things in control when they could have spun out of control very easily. I'll never forget the day he asked me to join the RAMONES in 1978. I always admired his guitar playing. He was the originator of the down stroke 8th note guitar style, which is very difficult to do for hours on end like he did playing in the RAMONES. Four months ago, I knew about the serious nature of his illness, but for a while, he had a turn for the better. This comes as a shock, but it was inevitable because of the severity of his condition which worsened more recently. We were lucky enough to talk and hang out a few months ago when he was strong enough to do the commentary track on the DVD 'Ramones Raw', which was his last professional contribution to the RAMONES. I spoke to him most recently when I was in LA for the 30th Anniversary concert that we put together for RAMONES fans. Based on our last conversation, I felt this moment was coming. I'm sorry to see him go — like this. I hope the fans take the news as best they can. His legacy will live on in every band that has, is and always will be trying to duplicate the RAMONES sound. It's a sad day for RAMONES fans and a sad day for rock and roll."

Johnny Ramone, 55, died in his sleep at his Hollywood Hills home on Sept. 15 after a five-year fight against prostate cancer.