In the film American Splendour, Harvey Pekar – a man who has turned his life into a comic book – asks his partner, “Am I a human being, or am I just another character?” Getting Marky Ramone on the phone, I feel like he is more in the latter category than in the former. Talking in a thick New York accent with a carefree tone, there’s something surreal about his vocal presence; it’s timeless yet also nostalgic, much like the music he’s helped create.

Whilst few remember the first drummer of The Ramones ( Tommy, for the record, now does bluegrass as well as the occasional songwriting seminar), Marky is forever entrenched in the legend of arguably one of the greatest bands of all time. Appropriately, we open with how his position came to be.

“We all knew each other,” Marky iterates. “I knew The Ramones from when they’d come see my first band Dust in New York. And I knew members of The Voidoids when they’d come see my first band in New York. So we all knew each other from the area then we all started hangin’ out at CB[GB]’s.”

A contemporary successor to CBCG’s – the notorious New York club that became the platforms for Patti Smith, Talking Heads and Blondie – is a rarity in the 21st Century, LA’s The Smell being one of very few examples. Marky Ramone (real name Marc Bell) is sceptical that our generation can recreate its spirit. “Times change. With ProTools, you can sit at home, make an album; there’s really no social contact. To see a scene like CBGB’s ever again? I don’t think that will happen ever again. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. But people have new outlets now. There’s new technology to explore other avenues of creating new music.”

As times have changed, so have styles. Much like the Marxist revolution to the face of Che Guevara, few who wear the iconic insignia of The Ramones on a t-shirt or badge-pin these days seem to know what is actually behind it. Marky, who has notably teamed up with Tommy Hilfiger to create a Ramones-styled fashion line, sees fashion more as a chance for new fans to discover their music. “Well, it goes both ways. Kid could buy a t-shirt then he’ll say, – œOh, let me see what the band sounds like,’ and then he’ll become a fan. So that attracts the kid to the music. Then you have the kid who has the music already; [who] is a big Ramones fan. Then he goes out, or did go out, and buy the t-shirt.

“It works both ways, because fashion and music have always gone together. Whether it’s a t-shirt. Whether it’s a pair of sneakers. Whether it’s a sticker. Whether it’s a lunchbox. It really does go hand-in-hand.”

As well as having a cultural influence envied by any band, one of Marky’s fondest memories was the rare opportunity to be immortalised as yellow, four-fingered men in an early episode of The Simpsons . “That was funny. Matt [Groening] was a fan and we were like, down with it. So he took an eight-by-ten and improvised and did the whole cartoon with that. Then they came to the studio, for the audio, to do our voiceovers. And it was that simple. The next thing we knew, we were in The Simpsons! We were amazed that we were in cartoon form on major television.”

Touring with his new band, Blitzkrieg, Marky has copped some criticism for simply covering Ramones songs night after night. While some suggest that he should put down the sticks for good, Marc sees the situation in a different light. “I don’t think there’s any time limit that a band has to be around or shouldn’t be around. I mean, look at a guy like Chuck Berry. He’s 84 [or] 83, I think. And he’s still goin’. People still flock to see him. I will continue as long as my body says so. In other words, physically, if I’m not able to continue what I’m doing now, then I’ll stop.”

And to critics who call him – œwashed up’? “It’s anybody’s opinion, you can’t control that. Would you say that to Mick Jagger? I’m sure he gets that a lot. Would you say that to Bruce Springsteen? Would you say that to Johnny Rotten? It’s really up to the individual about what they think. You can’t let that affect you. You have to just press on and do what you feel is good and the right thing to do.”

Aside from the very public animosity that The Ramones often harboured, Marky values the connection they shared as musicians. With all three original Ramones having passed away, it’s the positive memories that keep Marky going with Blitzkrieg.

“Before we went on stage – that was a really fun time. We’d warm up backstage with seven or eight songs and that was a true show of camaraderie amongst us. Even though Joey and Johnny didn’t talk to each other, we knew we had to deliver. We left all that negativity off the stage and just channelled whatever resentments we had towards each other through the music.

“We played 2,217 shows and I played 1,700 of them. Obviously we were doing something right.”

Marky Ramone and Blitzkrieg are in the midst of their Australian tour, with these shows remaining.

Thursday April 9 – Manning Bar, Sydney
Saturday April 11 – Capitol Theatre, Perth
Monday April 13 – The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide
Tuesday April 14 – Step Inn, Brisbane