Punk trailblazer Joey Ramone would have celebrated his 70th birthday on May 19th, lets reflect on one of the great pranks he pulled on Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols.

As the folks over at Consequence of Sound point out, the official Conan YouTube channel recently unearthed a 1999 interview with Joey Ramone on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, where the singer recalled a wicked little prank he and the band pulled on Johnny Rotten.

During the interview, O’Brien brought up the lore that he once heard the Sex Pistols wanted a biff with the Ramones way back when. “When we first met [the Sex Pistols], it was our first tour over there [the UK],” said Joey. “That’s how they were, like they wanted to start something.”

Ramone went on to detail how the band gave a warm, piss-laden welcome to the UK punks.

“In ’77, we came back [to the UK], we did a tour, and Johnny Rotten wanted to come backstage. So, a little prank that we pulled on Johnny was that we all kinda pissed in the beer,” he said, “What do you mean you kinda pissed in the beer?, Conan responded.

“We urinated and pissed in the beer,” Ramone said. “And then Johnny Ramone gave Johnny Rotten the beer. It’s like our way of saying hello.”

YouTube VideoPlay

Back in April it was revealed that Pete Davidson has been tapped to play Joey Ramone, in the forthcoming Netflix biopic, I Slept With Joey Ramone.

Love Classic Rock?

Get the latest Classic Rock news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more

Davidson will star and executive produce the film, based on the memoir of the same name by Ramone’s brother, Mickey Leigh, who will also act as executive producer. Jason Orley (Big Time Adolescence) will direct.

Leigh’s I Slept With Joey Ramone — written with Legs McNeil — was released back in 2010, a decade after the frontman’s death in 2001 from lymphoma in cancer at the age of 49.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine