Maarten (Oskoed Slotters)
SPB: What is your favorite Ramones song?
Maarten: My favorite Ramones song is probably “53rd & 3rd.” The debut Ramones album is one of the first punk records I heard. My dad bought a copy when it came out when he was about 16 years-old. When I was about 13, I started to listen to his vinyl records and discovered The Ramones. This was around 2002 so there was internet but not like today, and definitely no Spotify, so I could only listen to the things I had physical copies of. He also had the Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Vibrators and The Damned.
I started to play guitar around the same time and learned that whole first Ramones record. “53rd & 3rd” always stood out to me because, even if that record was pretty raw, that song was even more raw and dirty sounding than the rest. I wasn't even aware at the time it was about selling your body for drugs. Later I became a drummer. With our band Oskoed Slotters, we've always had the idea to play the whole first Ramones record in its entirety front to back, a little bit faster (all dressed in leather, of course) [for] just one show. It hasn't happened yet, maybe one day. We did cover Dude Ranch by Blink 182 though, in its entirety; it’s far from the same but also a great record, I guess.
