Chris Frantz on Tommy Ramone: Remembering the Ramones' Backbeat — rollingstone.com

Thomas Erdelyi, better known as Tommy Ramone, who died of cancer at 65 on July 11th, was the Ramones' manager, co-producer and original drummer. After leaving the band, he produced the Replacements' 1985 LP "Tim" and, more recently, led a bluegrass duo. Here, he's remembered by a longtime friend, Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz. The first tour Talking Heads ever did was supporting the Ramones in Europe in the spring of 1977. We shared a bus, and I talked with Tommy a lot. His family had fled the Iron Curtain in Hungary. He had a seriousness about him that was different from most people in the business. The other Ramones deferred to him because he had the experience and the leadership qualities the others didn't quite have.

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