Chelsea Horror Hotel

I have to say, to expect this to be a piece of literary classic genius is ridiculous. If you go into it with this fact in mind, you'll experience a truly enjoyable and mind bending read. Knowing that you're inside of Dee Dee Ramone's head, well, what's left of it, is truly intriguing. I think that the funniest aspects of this book, his relationship with his dog and his fear of Tiger Leprosy, were not only entertaining, but benchmarks of the state of mind that led to his death not too much farther down that road. As for hanging out with Sid and Jerry, more power to ya Dee Dee. Hope you enjoyed the life that you had.

I noticed the comment by a woman who was simply disgusted and freaked out by this book...was she expecting Stephen King? "The Great American Novel"? C'mon, lady, why'd you buy this wacky book to begin with? It's Dee Dee Ramone--what'd you expect? Written as no one else could've done, these chapters, which start out pretty coherent, represent days in the life of Dee Dee Ramone at the creepy old, scuzzy Chelsea. While I believe some of the incidents are real, the majority of the book is Dee Dee's wild and crazy imagination--a lot of it seemingly written at times of withdrawal. Any Dee Dee Ramone fan needs this in their collection. I'll admit, some of it is practically vomit-inducing, but, hey, it's Dee Dee--gotta love him!

Dee Dee will always be missed so much. This is a great book with insight from him.

I picked up this book as a Ramones fan, and on a whim. I was expecting something entertaining, perhaps crass and cutting edge, but I was floored to find a really great piece of work by Dee Dee Ramone.Where do I start? How do I categorize this book? Horror? Humor? Autobiography? All of the above, I must say. Part Dante's Inferno, part Kafka's Metamorphosis, part Phillip K. Dick's "A Scanner Darkly," yet all Dee Dee Ramone. I'm serious! My major in college was Comparative Literature, and reading Chelsea Horror Hotel brought me back to the most beautifully twisted examples of literature, both classic and modern, that I have read. Put Dante Alighieri and Franz Kafka in a time machine, point them toward CBGB's, and you're there!Dee Dee Ramone sets himself as the central character, shacking up with his girl Barbara and dog Banfield at The Chelsea Hotel, New York's hang-out for the underground hipsters. It is also the site where Sid Vicious killed Nancy Spungeon in the late 1970s. The entire story takes you through Dee Dee's paranoia of AIDS, perpetual quest to shoot up, repeated encounters with ghosts of dead friends like Sid Vicious and Stiv Bators, bloody murders, the awareness of a secret Satanic society that conducts grisly tortures in the hotel basement, and occasional desperate plea-bargains with God. What makes this story so twisted is the coming and goings of the "fine lines." There are times when it is clear that a segment is grounded in Dee Dee's light grip on reality, but these moments often morph into disturbing paranormal events that seem to indicate that Dee Dee is swimming through a blurry array of nightmares, drug induced hallucinations, sheer paranoia, or improbable realities. It's often hard to tell! Yet the reader is never lost; you will find yourself racing through the pages, eager to see how each frightening misadventure is solved. Part of what makes this story work so well is that while Dee Dee is the main focus of the story, he avoids painting himself as a sympathetic character. He portrays himself as a borderline sort who, despite frequent self-serving and malicious actions, believes that he is a nice person who is wronged and agitated by all who surround him. He does an excellent job of illustrating an individual who is emotionally tormented and forever craving a fix. Unlike so many "street poets," you see no glamour in his crack & heroin surroundings; you see one great big nightmare. Nightmarish from start to finish, yes. Strange thing is, despite the desperation throughout the novel, I did not find it depressing in the least. I found myself impatient to get to the next page, just to see the next twisted mess Dee Dee would get himself into.And forget the lame anti-drug films our health teachers showed us throughout our junior high years; "Chelsea Horror Hotel" would make me steer clear of the rock, the pipe, and the needle FOR GOOD!One caution: this book is not for the weak of heart (or stomach). Lots of graphic descriptions

Many of the other reviews for this book blast Dee Dee for failing to use correct grammar, syntax, etc. etc. But, hey guess what? Through this novelDee Dee sticks the middle finger up at literary convention. James Joyce?? He is a bit overrated as are the other so called great writers that belong to the literarycanon. Punk Rock was about moving away from the music conventions that were and still are in place. Music Theory was non existent in Punk rock (the circle of fifths??who needs them!!??) This novel takes on that very Punk Rock spirit and does away with convention. The erratic and sometimes pointless words, scenarios, etc., that other reviewershave pointed out (and failed to examine) do have meaning. They mirror the pointlessness and meaninglessthat the protagonist may experience inwardly. There is a method to the madness that Dee Dee wreaks in the text. The text explores life on the margins of society within an urban setting and moves away from suburban life(which is droll and riddled with Green Day and OffSpring punks that say "yes sir" and "no mam"). The Punk Rock lifestyle of Dee Dee Ramone is one of former glory, drug hazed days and surrounded by poverty and a vast array of marginalized figures. This book is a bit rough, but so was Punk Rock, which lives only as a memory. I highly recommend this novel.