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HANOI ROCKS!!! Founder and vocalist MICHAEL MONROE chats about Twelve Shots On The Rocks! |
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Hanoi Rocks is unfortunately best known to the masses as the group torn apart by Vince Neil’s December 8th, 1984 drunk driving accident, which killed band drummer Nicholas ‘Razzle’ Dingley. Hanoi’s actually legacy is much greater, and their recent rebirth is clear evidence of that. Their new album, Twelve Shots On The Rocks, was released earlier this year through new U.S. label Liquor and Poker Music, and we recently had a chat with lead vocalist and true rock-n-roller Michael Monroe about the band’s resurgence. |
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We’ve have had great reviews. It seems like people are starved for this real kind of rock and roll, which hasn’t been around much lately.
I understand that you are calling this more of a rebirth of Hanoi Rocks rather than a reunion.
Yeah, that’s what it was. It was not a reunion actually because we didn’t get the old guys together. It was a rebirth due to [guitarist] Andy [McCoy] and me reconnecting, wanting to play together again and write songs. It sounded that good and it sounded like Hanoi and we figured it would be a crime not to have people have this available to them. Hanoi Rocks was our baby and we were the core and we started the band. All those years that went to waste because of that accident, it’s only right that we have some kind of advantage because it’s our history. The name ‘Hanoi Rocks’ I think is one of the very best names, if not the best name of all rock n’ roll bands.
I understand that your former guitarist Nasty Suicide is now a pharmacist.
Yeah, he is. He had to get his shit together and learn to live without booze and stuff.
What happened to Hanoi’s former bassist Sammy Yaffa?
Sammy came to play with us at Budokan in Tokyo. His [own] band had a gig in Finland awhile ago where I live, and I went to see him. I jumped up on stage and we played a lot of songs. He’s with Joan Jett now [and] he lives in New York.
What are the chances of getting him back in Hanoi Rocks?
I wouldn’t rule out that possibility but I wouldn’t talk about it either. He would have to stay in the band permanently then. Between you and me, it’s not impossible but there’s nothing that points to that anytime soon.
How about the new members of Hanoi Rocks, bassist Timpa and drummer Lacu?
The drummer’s great. I love him. He’s fun to watch live, and the bass player too. They were in my solo band so I’ve been coaching them for awhile.
How would you describe the difference between this record and a Michael Monroe solo album?
I’d say this is a wider spectrum of things. Hanoi’s more experimental. Andy inspires me to experiment, like that middle section in "My Darkest Moment." We’re like night and day as people but we complement each other and there’s a certain magic that happens when we get together. Michael Monroe solo stuff is more punky.
One of my favorite records was your solo album, Not Fakin’ It? What was that time period like for you?
Thank you. That was a very creative time period. Getting signed to Polygram was a new experience. The politics were in the way of everything. It was a great learning experience. Then, I was still full of energy and vigor, and not caring about the wicked world as much. It was a good period and I really liked that record. I listen to it all the way through – ‘All killers, no fillers.’
What was Andy up to since the breakup of Hanoi Rocks?
He’s been recovering from a terrible accident. He fell off a third story balcony. Both legs were totally f***ed up. It was a miracle he was alive, let alone walk. He’s walking now without limping and doing really great. It was a heavy ordeal to go through. Many years, many operations. He’s got metal in his legs now.
I understand that he was part of some reality series?
Yeah, he has been, in Finland. I was part of some of the episodes, and sometimes it was fun, especially when I was in there.
I
know you said that a certain magic happened when you guys got together but
did you have any fears that too much time had passed?
No f***in’ fear whatsoever.
The U.S. version of Twelve Shots On The Rocks has been remixed and has more tracks than the original releases in Japan and Finland. Wasn’t there some sort of problem with the releases in those countries?
We had a crazy manager who booked us on tour when we were not finished with the record. There was a deadline for Christmas of 2002 in Japan and Finland and that’s why [the record companies] put it out without us even hearing it, and that was bullshit. Plus, I had an ear infections for a couple months so I was like under water. I couldn’t hear nothin’ even if I wanted to hear it. [For the U.S. release] I went back in the studio, [and] added more tracks.
And your U.S. record deal with Liquor And Poker Music came about in a strange way, didn’t it?'
The same crazy manager did that deal. All of a sudden he had signed even though I had specifically told him not to sign anything anywhere because we were just about getting ready to start shopping for a deal. But they are working hard and they seem to be a good label. It wasn’t that crazy maybe after all.
You did an interview on MetalSludge.com and had some tough words for Nikki Sixx regarding the name of the Motley Crue box set, Music To Crash You Car To.
That was the only reason I said anything.
He responded with absolute stupidity, sexual references, drug use references…
Yeah, I haven’t been called a faggot for probably fifteen years. That’s a redneck kind of thing that we used to hear in Finland in the early days. I haven’t heard that in a long time. I don’t have a computer myself, so I don’t sit in front of it and go back and forth with people like on a kindergarten level – ‘I know that you are but what am I’. I was totally amazed. I don’t have to move a finger if I wanted to embarrass them (referring to comments from Tracii Guns and Rikki Rockett as well). They’re doing a good job themselves. But the real truth is that people love when people fight. We’re doing like what the punk bands were doing. They got all the publicity for saying they hated each other but in reality they were all good friends. It’s all a game. I love Nikki because he’s my good friend. We just argue because people love it so much and we just get a little publicity for it. |
How have the reviews of 12 Shots On The Rocks been?