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Zack Beins: Greetings from Tromaville, I'm Zack Beins.

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Zack Beins: Today we at Talkin' Troma pay tribute to a true hero of Tromaville, Johnny Heff, aka

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Zack Beins: John F. Heffernan.

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Zack Beins: A dynamic presence in the New York band The Bullies, whose track "Gimme Gimme Gimme" was

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Zack Beins: a highlight of the 'AMP Records Has a Hard-On for Tromaville' compilation, and featured

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Zack Beins: throughout Troma's Edge TV.

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Zack Beins: Johnny was one of the heroic firefighters who saved many during the September 11th attacks

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Zack Beins: and died tragically in the process.

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Zack Beins: On this sad 25th anniversary of 9/11, we've assembled friends, punk rock peers, journalists,

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Zack Beins: and fans of the legendary Johnny Heff to share their memories.

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Zack Beins: We begin with our own Chaz Kangas.

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Chaz Kangas: Hey, this is Chaz Kangas from Talkin' Troma.

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Chaz Kangas: And I wanted to do something, since it's the very unfortunate 20th anniversary of the September

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Chaz Kangas: 11th attacks, to pay tribute to Tromavillian, who is a real life hero.

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Chaz Kangas: Johnny Heff of the punk band, The Bullys.

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Chaz Kangas: I became a Bullies fan by first hearing their "Gimme Gimme Gimme" on the 'AMP Records Has a Hard-On for Tromaville' compilation.

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Chaz Kangas: from there being this was the dying days of Napster, early days of

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Chaz Kangas: internet message board heavy communication,

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Chaz Kangas: being able to find more of their music that way, finding it in local indie stores,

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Chaz Kangas: a trip up to Minnesota, and it wasn't until 2002 when there was

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Chaz Kangas: a VH1 special on the impact of 9/11 on the music

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Chaz Kangas: industry and they featured footage of The Bullys and played

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Chaz Kangas: "Gimme Gimme Gimme" that I realized that Johnny Heff was

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Chaz Kangas: such an incredible person and he fortunately was one of the

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Chaz Kangas: who sacrificed to save so many on September 11th

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Chaz Kangas: and I've always loved The Bullys' music and the

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Chaz Kangas: impact and contribution is a type that is never forgotten in the

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Chaz Kangas: New York music scene and I'm hoping his friends and loved ones as well as

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Chaz Kangas: the friends and loved ones of everyone

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Chaz Kangas: feeling it today, find some comfort.

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Video: Did you know what I'm saying when I say

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Video: all I wanna do is get

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Video: (rock music)

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Video: (rock music)

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Video: ♪ Give me some more of your good stuff ♪

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Video: ♪ It's all I wanna do, and I'm never gonna stop ♪

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Video: ♪ Give me money, money, money ♪

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Video: ♪ Give me sex, sex, sex ♪

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Video: ♪ Give me girls some strength ♪

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Video: ♪ Give me money, money, money ♪

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Video: ♪ Give me sex, sex, sex ♪

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Video: ♪ I know it's just for fun ♪

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Video: ♪ Give me money, money ♪

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Video: ♪ You can be me ♪

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Video: ♪ Give me, give me, give me, give me one ♪

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Video: ♪ I'm about to set the stage and wave ♪

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Video: ♪ And all I wanna do is get paid ♪

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Video: ♪ With every single good I know ♪

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Video: All I want to do is get laid

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Video: So get your sock on and do some

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Video: Cause all I want to do is get fucked up

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Sean Pierce: John Heffernan, aka Johnny Bully, is a fucking hero and a fucking legend. The guy was tough as

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Sean Pierce: nails with a heart of gold, and he was like a cartoon character of a dude you'd want to hang out

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Sean Pierce: with. Over the brief period of time I knew him, we packed in a lifetime's worth of adventures.

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Sean Pierce: He used to come on the road with the band I'm in, the Toilet Boys, and when anybody would fuck with

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Sean Pierce: us, he always had our backs. We used to do a lot of pyrotechnics, and it was just so reassuring to

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Sean Pierce: you look over on the side of the stage and see a guy that's like a real fireman ready

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Sean Pierce: to jump in and help if anything went wrong.

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Sean Pierce: His band, The Bullys, kicked ass.

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Sean Pierce: They were one of my favorite bands.

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Sean Pierce: They were like a true New York City classic punk rock unit with these really smart, yet

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Sean Pierce: dumbed down lyrics that just gave you an insight as to the way Johnny came up and what a true

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Sean Pierce: poet he was.

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Sean Pierce: He told me about the magic of surfing at Rockaway Beach and now when I sit in the lineup waiting

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Sean Pierce: for waves, I think about Johnny Bully because we buried him like three blocks away from

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Sean Pierce: that beach.

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Sean Pierce: And I still remember the last time I saw him, it was at our album release party and he was

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Sean Pierce: going to meet up with us on tour in Vegas.

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Sean Pierce: I gave him a hug.

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Sean Pierce: I said, "I'll see you in Vegas, man.

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Sean Pierce: We'll play some Blackjack."

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Sean Pierce: And that never happened.

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Sean Pierce: And I still think about what we would have gotten into the past 25 years.

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Sean Pierce: I think everyone should strive to be like Johnny Bully.

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Sean Pierce: The dude was a fucking badass and he cared about people.

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Sean Pierce: He's a true hero.

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Sean Pierce: So Johnny Bully forever.

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Video: (rock music)

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Video: ♪ I shot a couple of wild men ♪

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Video: ♪ They were running out here on the road ♪

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Video: ♪ He was going to the restaurant ♪

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Video: ♪ And I, I, I, oh, he was out there on the other side

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Video: (rock music)

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Video: Joy Ryder, everybody! Joy Ryder!

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Video: How fucking great was that, man?

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Adam Cardone: Hey, what's up? Adam Cardone here.

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Adam Cardone: I gotta say, I think about Johnny all the time.

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Adam Cardone: And I still remember the day I met him.

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Adam Cardone: I was working in a record store,

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Adam Cardone: the 24-hour record store on Avenue A called Accidental.

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Adam Cardone: And I worked from 4 a.m. till noon and he came walking in the morning and said hey

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Adam Cardone: can I hang up a poster for my band?

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Adam Cardone: And I said absolutely and I had heard of his band and and he had heard of my band

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Adam Cardone: But I'd never seen his band and it ends up I ended up being the MC

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Adam Cardone: For his show at CBGB's and I got to perform their music

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Adam Cardone: But this was the only time I ever did magic and ventriloquism

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Adam Cardone: at CBGB's and I saw his band and they blew me out of the water and

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Adam Cardone: I made friends with him ever since I remember hanging out backstage in those little dressing rooms and we got along right away and

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Adam Cardone: I really do think about him all the time and he was an inspiration

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Adam Cardone: He was the tough guy, but he was also a sweetheart and a really hard-working

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Adam Cardone: artist, musician, and he was a hero. So here's to Johnny Heff. No one forgetting that guy.

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Adam Cardone: And for those who knew him, he is in our hearts. Party on.

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Chris Lanphear: Chris Lanphear here for Talkin' Troma. John Heffernan was a hero and someone we should

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Chris Lanphear: all aspire to be. He was punk rock, but he also took his responsibilities

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Chris Lanphear: and his duty to protect and his duty to save seriously. He died saving people's lives,

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Chris Lanphear: and there just aren't words to convey the gratitude that we in Tromaville have for

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Chris Lanphear: Johnny and for those like him who committed the ultimate selfless sacrifice.

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Chris Lanphear: Troma has always been the company that puts New York at the forefront of its personality

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Chris Lanphear: and its image. Troma is distinctly New York. The New York skyline, the original skyline,

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Chris Lanphear: including both of the Twin Towers, opens every Troma film. Troma is proud to be New York.

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Chris Lanphear: And that's why here at Talkin' Troma, we thought it only fitting to pay our tribute

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Chris Lanphear: to a true New York hero. We're going to end now with the only Bullies song to feature Johnny Heff

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Chris Lanphear: on lead vocals. This is "The Six-String Song," also known as "His Name Was Johnny Heff."

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Video: ♪ Yeah, yeah, but it's good to be playing ♪

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Video: ♪ That six string ♪

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Video: ♪ Oh yeah, it's good to be playing for my friends ♪

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Video: ♪ When I play the sax ♪

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Video: ♪ I knock people right on their backs ♪

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Video: ♪ Oh yeah ♪

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Video: ♪ When I play the keys ♪

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Video: ♪ I throw people right to their knees ♪

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Video: Yeah, yeah, but it's good to be playing

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Video: That six string up here

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Video: It's good to be playing for my friends

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Video: And I should be staying

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Video: 'Cause I hope it never ends

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Video: 'Cause I like guitar as much as my girlfriend

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Video: When I sang a song

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Video: I got people singing right along

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Video: Oh yeah

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Video: When I'm the beast of a band

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Video: I reckon they will feed on my hand

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Video: Oh yeah, yeah

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Video: But it's good to be playing

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Video: That six string again

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Video: It's good to be playing for my friends

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Video: And I should be staying

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Video: And I hope it never ends

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Video: 'Cause I like Atari as much as my girlfriend

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Video: 131, go

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Video: [Radio chatter]