Former Ramones drummer Marky Ramone has revealed he chooses to believe the late, disgraced music producer Phil Spector's protestations of innocence in the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson.
Ramone's Personal Belief in Spector's Story
In a recent interview, the musician, born Marc Steven Bell, stated he "has to believe" the account Spector gave him privately. Spector was convicted in 2009 of Clarkson's murder at his Los Angeles mansion and was serving a 19-years-to-life sentence when he died in prison from Covid-19 in 2021, aged 81.
"It sounded like he was innocent, with all due respect to the actress, Lana Clarkson," Bell told the i Paper. He recounted that Spector told him "the real story and everything that happened". When questioned on why he would trust a convicted murderer, Bell responded, "Why would he lie to me?"
Suggesting Spector Was 'Made an Example Of'
Confronted with the fact of Spector's guilty verdict, Bell acknowledged that justice had prevailed. However, he suggested the Los Angeles legal system had a point to prove with the famed 'Wall of Sound' producer.
"In LA they didn't get OJ Simpson. They didn't get Robert Blake," Bell argued, referencing two other high-profile murder cases involving celebrities. "They had, in my opinion, to get Phil to make an example."
O.J. Simpson was famously acquitted in 1995 of killing his ex-wife and her friend, while actor Robert Blake was acquitted of his wife's murder in 2005, though found liable in a civil case.
Studio Sessions, Guns, and Contradicting Band Lore
Bell's connection to Spector stems from 1980, when the producer worked with the Ramones on their fifth album, End of the Century. The sessions were notoriously fraught, with Spector's perfectionist methods causing major tension.
Bell confirmed the long-reported detail that Spector brought guns to the studio, a habit the producer was known for, having once held a gun to Leonard Cohen's neck. However, Bell denied the persistent rumour that Spector held the Ramones hostage.
"[Spector] had guns with him," Bell said. "But he never pointed a gun at us in the studio." This claim contradicts the autobiography of his late bandmate Dee Dee Ramone, who wrote that Spector once pointed a gun at his head.
Despite the turbulent recording experience, Bell remained friends with Spector for decades, attending his parties and even supporting him in court during his murder trial. The Ramones, formed in Queens in 1974 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, are considered one of punk's most foundational acts. Marky Ramone is currently touring the UK under his stage name, with dates beginning on 21 January.
