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A BOOK YOU’RE GONNA LIKE, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!
Fifty years ago, the Ramones revolutionized the music industry when they gave the world punk rock, and even though they disbanded in 1996, their influence will live forever.
In 1999, Nick Cooper, a Belgian musician met Marky Ramone, the long-standing drummer of the Bruddahs from Queens. Together, they decided to start a band named Marky Ramone & The SpeedKings, and for three years, they toured Europe, Japan, and the US and recorded and released a live record and two albums.
‘I “Heartbreak” The Ramones’ is Nick Cooper’s unfiltered tale of those intense and electrifying years on the road. It explores the highs and lows, the ego clashes, the constant battle between passion for music and business in the entertainment industry, and the disintegrating friendship between a true believer and his idol.
Nick’s story is blunt, humorous, and always grounded in reality. His book pulls back the curtain on life with a Ramone but never seeks to settle scores, and makes the reader feel like they’re part of the road crew on a warts and all tour documentary movie.
Nick Cooper was born in Belgium in 1965. His mother looked like one of the Ronettes and his father could have been in the Bee Gees. He grew up playing in punkbands in the early 1980’s. When he met Marky Ramone of the legendary Ramones, they formed The SpeedKings. With two studio albums and a live recording to their name, they left their mark on the music scene. When the band split up in 2004, Nick stepped off the stage and out of the limelight.
He pursued a corporate career but never lost his creative spark. He designed the popular Kustom Kulture brand Rawkahula and indulged in graphic design and screenprinting. Recently he started writing.
Nick is married and a proud father. With his wife, he resides in the Italian countryside together with his dog and his stray cat buddy.
