The problem with memoir is that the facts or the memoirist aren’t always sure how to close the deal (or tell the story).
I’m not sure what Neil Ratner could have done with this, but it isn’t fully baked. What we know is that he wasn’t inclined to be a doctor, but he became one. And he wanted to be a drummer, but he became a doctor. At the same time, it’s a slice of the rock ‘n’ roll life, starring two of our faves, Johnny Winter and Rick Derringer.
And Doctor Ratner is an affable host. (Click the link at the end to visit his website, which covers other aspects of his career.)
And we might as well add a clip:
That’s a cool story, full of stuff I didn’t know. Never would’ve guessed Rick Derringer was part of the VU/Warhol scene.
Loved the whole Edgar Winter/Johnny Winter/Rick Derringer thing in the 70’s. Kind of like Beverly Hillbillies/Green Acres/Andy Griffith. Don’t know who was Gomer Pyle and Petticoat Junction.
I didn’t know this either, but yeah the Winter’s, etc. were in that scene. They hung out at Nobody’s in the Village, they copped the title “Frankenstein” from the Dolls, and when the Ramones first played out of town it was opening for Johnny Winter (the audience pelted them with debris). Derringer signed David Johansen to his Blue Sky label.