"My love for The Ramones still lives to this day, even though all the members of the original line-up are no longer with us. In 1986 after a Neubauten concert at the Cat Club in New York, a friend who knew how much I loved them took me by the hand and dragged me to the bar upstairs. He pushed me towards Joey Ramone who was standing at the bar counter with his arms around two elderly groupies, courting them and making them cackle with dirty jokes. Since there was no way back, I approached him, introduced myself and announced that I was an undying fan of him and his band, to which he responded with gratitude. When I asked him how he had liked our concert, he replied: 'Oh, I didn't care much for the show, but I like you, at least you've got long hair,' and turned back to his companions from Silicon Valley. 'Fair enough, whatever', I thought as I made my way back to the backstage area, a little disillusioned but not disappointed. I somehow hadn't expected any other reply from him."
— Alexander Hacke: Blast, pp. 15-15
I've met Hacke once, very early at an airport. I saw him play in Neubauten the day before. My wife told me he was sitting next to us. I had to tell him I love his music and his musicianship. He was kind, graceful, and sweet. I'll remember this for as long as I'll live.





