Marky Ramone Sues for Ramones Royalty Payments

BY Greg PrattPublished Jun 23, 2010


Marc Bell - better known in punk rock history as Marky Ramone, the longest-standing drummer for the Ramones - has had to rely on the most unpunk of places, the courtroom, for his most recent battle: getting paid for his music.

Bell claims he signed a deal back in 2005 that should have got him regular payments, but says he hasn't received any Ramones royalty coin since 2008, when the royalty payments suddenly stopped, without explanation. On Tuesday (June 22), he filed a lawsuit in New York Supreme Court, suing the executives in charge of distributing the royalties, claiming they are ignoring the contract, reports Wenn.com.

Bell, 53, is suing for $175,000, which he claims he's owed for his royalties, as well as $1 million in punitive damages.

Bell also keeps busy outside of the courtroom these days. He tours with ex-Misfits dude Michale Graves as Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg, who play Ramones material, and hosts a radio show, Marky Ramone's Punk Rock Blitzkrieg. Then there's the upcoming documentary about Bell called The Job That Ate My Brain, and, uh, he also has a clothing line with Tommy Hilfiger, which launched last year.

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