*PUNK* magazine co-founder John Holmstrom, Tommy Ramone, Joey Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone, and the magazine’s “Resident Punk,” Legs McNeil.

The Dawn of Punk

The Ramones. Lou Reed. Talking Heads. Something special was happening in 1970s New York. It just needed a name …

By Legs McNeil

The first day of first grade, my teacher, Mrs. Coward, took the roll call and asked for a “Roderick.”

All of us kids were laughing at such a goofy name until she asked for a “Roderick McNeil,” and I rushed to her desk and told Mrs. Coward my name was Eddie McNeil. She said, no, I was “Roderick” McNeil and pointed to the name in red hand-lettered attendance ledger.