Mickey Leigh

Mickey Leigh
Leigh in 2017
Leigh in 2017
Background information
Born
Mitchel Lee Hyman

(1954-07-15) July 15, 1954
Forest Hills, New York, US
GenresRock
OccupationsMusician, singer-songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, keyboards
Years active1977–present
Websitewww.mickeyleigh.com

Mitchel Lee Hyman (born July 15, 1954),[1] best known by his stage name Mickey Leigh, is an American musician and writer. He is the brother of Joey Ramone, lead vocalist of the punk rock band Ramones.[1]

Career

Mickey Leigh formed his first band at the age of 10. At the age of 14 Leigh was playing in a band with John Cummings (Johnny Ramone) and Tommy Erdelyi (Tommy Ramone).[2] In 1977 he formed a band, Birdland,[3] with music journalist Lester Bangs.[4] The group recorded nine songs which were finally released in 1986, four years after Bangs' death, on the album Birdland with Lester Bangs. Creem magazine described it as “the best rock ‘n’ roll album of 1986."[4][5]

Leigh's next band was The Rattlers. The group released two singles and one album in 1985. In 1994 he formed Sibling Rivalry with his brother Joey Ramone. Two years later Leigh recorded an album with his new band STOP. Leigh has also been working as producer for several New York based groups.[6][7]

In 2009 Leigh published the book I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir. On April 15, 2021, the 20th anniversary of Joey Ramone's death, plans were announced for a Netflix movie of Leigh's book, with Pete Davidson portraying Joey Ramone. According to the announcement, Leigh will serve as an executive producer and the film is being made with the full cooperation and support of Ramone’s estate, with a treatment written by Davidson and director Jason Orley.[8]

Leigh's current project is Mickey Leigh's Mutated Music.[9] In early 2022, they released a new album, Variants of Vibe, through Wicked Cool Records.[10]

Personal

Leigh claims to have "webbed toes."[11]

When Joey Ramone died in 2001, he left 50% of his shares of Ramones Productions Inc. to his mother, Charlotte Lesher. When Lesher died in 2007, she left those shares to Leigh, her surviving son.[12] When Johnny Ramone died in 2004, his wife, Linda Ramone, became the executor of her husband's estate. In 2005, Linda Ramone and Mickey Leigh were appointed shareholders of Ramones Productions Inc.[13]

In August 2024, Leigh sued Ramone for allegedly exploiting the Ramones legacy.[14] Leigh also challenged Ramone the right to use her legal name, Linda Ramone.[15][16]

After years of arbitration, in 2026, Linda Ramone became sole owner of Ramone Productions Inc.[17]

Ramones biopic

In 2019, Ramone brought a suit against Leigh, claiming Leigh was allegedly developing a film without her approval.[18] As per the Hollywood Reporter, the court ruled in Ramone's favor, citing that "the arbitrator subseqeuntly ruled that the proposal should have been brought before the company's board and required shareholder approval".[19]

In 2021, Netflix announced it would stream a Ramones biopic, based on Leigh's memoir, I Slept With Joey Ramone, starting Pete Davidson, and directed by Jason Orley. Ramone filed suit in January 2024 against Leigh claiming he was "wrongfully developed a Ramones movie that he had initially presented as a Joey Ramone film".[20] In March 2024, Leigh countersued, alleging that Ramone had signed off on future projects based on the book in 2006.[21]

In December 2024, The Guardian reported that the arbitrator on the case deemed that former Ramones manager David Frey did not secure Ramone's approval for the adaptation of Leigh's memoir and posited that Frey's actions were a "breach of his 'duty of care, honest, and loyalty' by moving forward without consultation."[22][23] Frey was ousted from the board in December 2024.[24][25] In 2026, a judge upheld the decision, citing Leigh for not honoring his fiduciary duty as well.[26]

In 2024, it was reported that the film would not be moving forward.[27][28]

Discography[29]

BAND TITLE YEAR CIT.
The Rattlers "On the Beach" single 1979
"What Keeps Your Heart Beatin’?" single 1983
Rattled! LP 1985 [29]
Birdland Birdland with Lester Bangs LP 1986 [30]
Sibling Rivalry In a Family Way LP 1994 [31]
STOP Never LP 1996
Mickey Leigh's Mutated Music Mutated Music EP 2020 [32]
Variants of Vibe LP 2022

Bibliography

Leigh, Mickey (2009). I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir. Touchstone Books. ISBN 978-0-7432-5216-4.

References

  1. 1 2 Leigh 2009, p. 3.
  2. ↑ Leigh 2009, p. 36.
  3. ↑ "Mickey Leigh Announces Debut Solo LP & Single, Along with Netflix Movie". Con Safos Magazine. 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  4. 1 2 Leigh 2009, p. 266.
  5. ↑ "Mickey Leigh's Mutated Music: "Little Cristine"". Trouser Press. 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  6. ↑ Rattled! - The Rattlers | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2026-03-05
  7. ↑ "Mickey Leigh Official Homepage". Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  8. ↑ "Pete Davidson to Play Joey Ramone in Netflix Biopic I Slept With Joey Ramone". consequence.net. 15 April 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Mickey Leigh's Mutated Music". Earshot Media. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  10. ↑ "Mickey Leigh's Mutated Music Presents 2022's First Great New Indie Album In "Variants Of Vibe"". Mickey Leigh’s Mutated Music. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  11. ↑ Gogola, Tom (2022-04-09). "7 questions with musician Mickey Leigh". Times Union. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  12. ↑ "Ramones' love triangle at center of legal dispute over band's legacy". 2024-01-27. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  13. ↑ Scharf, Rachel (2026-02-03). "Ramones Legal War Settled: Johnny's Widow Buys Out Joey's Brother in Estate Dispute". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  14. ↑ Donahue, Bill (2024-08-26). "Ramones Legal War: Joey's Brother Sues Johnny's Widow, Claims She's Exploiting Band's Legacy". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  15. ↑ Ugwu, Reggie (2024-08-29). "Dueling Ramones Heirs Fight Over the Punk Band's Legacy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  16. ↑ Pearis, Bill. "Battle for the Ramones: Joey's brother sues Johnny's widow, claims she's exploiting the band's legacy". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  17. ↑ Scharf, Rachel (2026-02-03). "Ramones Legal War Settled: Johnny's Widow Buys Out Joey's Brother in Estate Dispute". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  18. ↑ Donahue, Bill (2024-01-25). "Hey, Ho, Let's Go…To Court: Ramones Heirs Locked In Legal Battle Over Pete Davidson's Joey Ramone Movie". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  19. ↑ Cho, Winston (2024-01-25). "Ramones Biopic Caught In Crossfire of Heirs' Clash In Court". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  20. ↑ Helmore, Edward (2024-12-22). "Ramones family row puts the skids on US punk pioneers' biopic". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  21. ↑ Kaplan, Ilana (April 3, 2024). "Joey Ramone's Brother Slams 'Flimsy' Case from Johnny's Widow over Ramones Biopic". people.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ↑ Helmore, Edward (2024-12-22). "Ramones family row puts the skids on US punk pioneers' biopic". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  23. ↑ Cho, Winston (2024-01-25). "Ramones Biopic Caught In Crossfire of Heirs' Clash In Court". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  24. ↑ Helmore, Edward (2024-12-22). "Ramones family row puts the skids on US punk pioneers' biopic". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  25. ↑ Horowitz, Steven J. (2024-12-11). "Ramones Netflix Film Starring Pete Davidson in Doubt as Johnny Ramone's Estate Wins Latest Legal Round". Variety. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  26. ↑ Scharf, Rachel (2026-02-03). "Ramones Legal War Settled: Johnny's Widow Buys Out Joey's Brother in Estate Dispute". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  27. ↑ Helmore, Edward (2024-12-22). "Ramones family row puts the skids on US punk pioneers' biopic". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  28. ↑ Horowitz, Steven J. (2024-12-11). "Ramones Netflix Film Starring Pete Davidson in Doubt as Johnny Ramone's Estate Wins Latest Legal Round". Variety. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  29. 1 2 "Mickey Leigh | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  30. ↑ "Lester Bangs and the Delinquents". Trouser Press. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  31. ↑ Jr, James Greene (2018-01-25). "A Field Guide to the Side and Solo Projects of the Ramones". norecessmagazine. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  32. ↑ Robbins, Ira (2020-07-31). "Mickey Leigh's Mutated Music: "Little Cristine"". Trouser Press. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
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