Joey Ramone’s personally-owned and stage-worn black leather motorcycle jacket, signed on the inner right lapel in silver ink, “Joey Ramone, 2000.” The jacket, which was specially custom-made for Ramone by a fan, no size, features snap-down lapels, shoulder epaulets, zippered sleeve cuffs and side pockets, an attached belt with a rectangle buckle, and a small coin flap pocket. Ramone wore this very jacket on stage during the band’s European Tour in early 1994; he can be seen wearing the jacket in online photos taken by Gie Knaeps, when the Ramones performed at the Luna Theater in Brussels, Belgium, June 12, 1994, as well as during a publicity photo shoot around the same time. Soon thereafter, Ramone and the jacket were caught in a rainstorm that damaged the jacket’s leather and forced Ramone to retire this jacket in favor of a substitute. In very good to fine condition, with referenced rain damage, including rusting to snap-down buttons, three of which have been excised from the leather.
Gore obtained this jacket from Joey Ramone following an online business conversation in 2000 when the former inquired if Ramone had any extra stage-worn leather jackets he was looking to sell. Ramone explained that he didn’t keep the majority of his leather stage jackets due to their constantly being exposed to the elements, noting that ‘they seemed to eventually turn into armor.’ Being sentimental, especially as it related to fan-made gifts, Ramone admitted that he had kept one particular fan-made stage jacket, describing it as having ‘soft and smooth cool leather with a unique style to it.’ The offered jacket was placed in the Ramones’ wardrobe case and then later stored in Joey Ramone’s closet in New York City until he sold it to Gore, ostensibly making this one of the last stage-worn leather jacket owned by Ramone before his untimely death in 2001.
From the personal punk rock archives of Andrew D Gore.
