int_mikemonroe

There's only one thing left to do/Make sure they know we've been here, when we're through..."

Soul Survivin' Rock'n'roll Super Hero, Michael Monroe needs no introduction here. Hanoi Rocks were our generation's Rolling Stones. Mystery City is the capital of the Kingdom Of Sleaze. Mike Monroe and Andy McCoy are the living embodiments of real rock'n'roll. The walking definitions. Even still, many lifelong devotees are somewhat divided about the rebirth of HANOI ROCKS. Some hold-outs are still demanding the return of Sam Yaffa and Nasty Suicide, even Gyp Casino; but most of us are just thrilled to see Mike and Andy McCoy back together again. Not everybody loves The Darkness....But like they used to say about Van Halen, in eighties CREEM, "IF YOU DON'T LIKE HANOI ROCKS, YOU'RE WRONG!" Their new album, "12 Shots From The Rocks", is easily in league with "Two Steps From The Move", and is, arguably, the best post-eighties Hanoi-related release, besides Demolition 23, or just stray tracks off all their solo albums. Hanoi Rocks will be in the U.S, next month doing a promotional campaign in the media cities, with a tour to follow, and glam rock enthusiasts can be expecting some more surprise announcements in the days to come. Meanwhile, Guns 'N' Roses bassist, Duff "King Of Beers" McKagan's, been doin' alot of talkin' lately, about how Velvet Revolver are "bringing the danger back to rock'n'roll" this summer. If he REALLY wants to "bring the danger back to rock'n'roll", he could start by demanding they take Hanoi Rocks on the road with 'em. Just another friendly suggestion from yours, crudely. I'm only tryin' to help bring danger back to rock'n'roll. I've been holdin' up my end, believe me. Alrite, Duff! It's all you, killer! Shake Some Action, and I'll be there with belles on! I recently got Mike rantin' about the rebirth of the Hanoi Rocks, his life in Finland, his friends Stiv Bators and Korey Clarke, and more. Here are some excerpts....

MICHAEL MONROE: Well, we didn't actually reform Hanoi, me and Andy just got together and we started doing stuff, writing together, and, y'know, we actually started off with us doing a show jamming at a club when we met at the record release party for the Hanoi four CD box-set, and we had alot of fun doing that, then we sort of decided to do a show. An actual gig, with just Hanoi songs, the following summer, we did a couple of festivals in Finland for about forty thousand people each, just playing the Hanoi songs, then, we ended up going in the studio, and the stuff sounded like Hanoi, except more mature and better. Us writing together, our writing relationship before, in the old days, was nothing like now. I mean, I've come unto my own as a writer, and we're much more experienced in many ways, it was fun to see what we could accomplish now. The stuff sounded so good, it sounded like Hanoi, so we figured, "Hey!" and y'know, we started Hanoi Rocks, and it's Hanoi Rocks from the beginning. It was not like a reformation, it was like a rebirth. It just sort of happened by itself, which even surprised me! So I figured, uh, hey, y'know, why not, after all the years...I mean it's not like...I would never do a cheap reunion, y'know, just to cash in on Hanoi, or do a one-off tour, somewhere in Japan just to make alot of money with the old guys, with everyone hating each other, and taking separate flights and separate hotels, and then saying, "Fuck You Very Much", cos that's a rip-off, that's cheating people, and cheating yourself, so that's why I always said I would never do that, but then, this thing just happened by itself, naturally, when...it's kind of funny...Once you stop looking for something you tried to get together all your life, then, it kinda happens...it's interesting. So, that's how it just sorta happened, and y'know, I really gave it alot of thought. I was not gonna use the name, or get into this, and use the name Hanoi or whatever, unless I was like, totally sure, it just felt right, and here we are, you know, better than ever!

MICHAEL MONROE: Well, certainly, yeah, that's--well, are you talkin' about...I mean, Razzle and stuff, uh, that's something that you never really get over, time heals a bit, but at the time when we started working, in the summer when we first did the Hanoi Revisited gigs; then, two weeks before the first gig, a week or two before, my then-wife Jude Wilder, who I worked with on my solo stuff, we were together for fifteen years, and then, she passed away, and that was one of the reasons I wanted to really get in to working with Andy...cos we had already started working on some stuff, and I just wanted to keep myself busy, to keep working, and keep my mind off of the y'know, grief, so it definitely, certainly, has helped, and without getting too self-indulgent, y'know, without getting to in to all the grief and stuff, I mean, nobody wants to hear that, eventually. But like the song, "In My Darkest Moment", it kind of reflects my feelings about that and that was the first song I wrote when she passed away. It certainly has been therapeutic, too. It always is, but especially, in this case, alot of pain and stuff, it's good when it comes out in a positive way and you can kind of rise above it, too, and remember that people will--and not to be too specific, leave alot of stuff open for interpretation, and I think it's worked out pretty good....

MICHAEL MONROE: ...feedback for the lyrics? Well, not from MTV, I don't think they've even heard that, cos they're in a different world I guess, I don't think they'd even pay attention. I was somewhere, maybe it was MTV in Japan, I forgot what it was- I had this rap where I said a couple words about MTV before the song, and in Japan, it was on TV, I think it was...MTV was filming it, too, and I did say, y'know, that all they show is shit. Y'know? Tits 'n' ass and no class, whatever, but yeah it hasn't really become a...I guess we're not really significant enough in the mainstream to even become irritating enough to cause a stir.

MICHAEL MONROE: Oh, it was great! Brilliant, brilliant...it was great to play with Nasty. He was really havin' a good time himself, we played twelve songs, we had this guy [ ___ ]LOMBARD? who played on one of my solo albums, which came out in Japan, "Take 'Em & Break 'Em", the live E.P., with four live songs and two studio-um, he came on to play like the first seven or eight songs, like the new stuff, and then, Nasty came in and we did, "Oriental Beat", "Underwater World", "High School", "Don't You Ever Leave Me", "Tragedy", "Malibu Beach", "I Can't Get It", "I Feel Alrite", "Taxi Driver", about twelve songs he played with us, we all had a great time and it went down really well. It was really fun! Sami was in Finland, too, a couple of weeks later, with his MAD JUANA band, which is like, far from rock'n'roll, but it's interesting. I went to see them when they played in the city where I live and I got up onstage when they started playing, um-yeah, it was a "Free Tommy Chong" tour, as well, and Sami started playing, "Up In Smoke", so....

PEPSI SHEEN: Yeah, it's gettin' spooky, all the stuff that Stiv sang about has come true over here. Everybody's gettin' brainwashed, there's such a tribalistic, climate of fear being cultivated by the government, and the rightwing-owned media monopolies, it's having such a grave impact on people's outlook and unconcious behaviors. I can hardly communicate with with any of the people I've known all my life. Everybody's seemingly gravitating, whether conciously or not, blindly, towards money and power; and if you're perceived as a symbolic "other", man, forget it, they'll vote you off the island. They're gonna getcha, people smell that stink of desperation and become like animals, man. It's vicious, and dumb, over here. You can't even talk about it, people really don't wanna know, they're scared and in denial. Everybody's really uptight, uncool, closing ranks- it's ugly, brutal stuff man. I think about that "While You Were Lookin' At Me" song all the time, now. All those tunes the Wanderers and Lords did, and the stuff you wrote on "Not Fakin' It", like "Smokescreen", and "Man With No Eyes", those weren't no crazy conspiracy theories. They all came true. It's happening here more and more everyday, but nobody wants to face it, they just pretend it's not happening, and watch this bad Donald Trump HUMILIATION TV, and blame the poor. Everybody's obediantly worshipping power, and there's no room for real discourse, everyone gets nervous--or ashamed, really, and tries to change the subject. We are so fucked. Can I move to Turku?

MICHAEL MONROE: I heard it was, somebody told me, yeah, yeah, well, I hope so-because it's been out of print for a long time and somebody said it was being re-released by some label, uh, Polygram was the label it was originally on, so whatever, if there's been a hostile takeover, I dunno, but uh, whoever has the rights, they probably figured that with Hanoi Rocks now, they smelled money, they think that, "Hey, Man-now's the time to put out that Monroe he used to be on our label!" So for whatever reason and I hear a couple of other things about how, I forgot what label, but they're putting out a Hanoi compilation. Of just the same old- y'know the same old stuff. The old songs, the old catalogue, the same old songs in a different order I think, and it's just really a shame that, first of all, the fans think, obviously, their initial reaction will be, "Aw yeah, these guys are putting out more old stuff". We had nothing to do with that. We didn't even know about this and I would appreciate it if they'd at least let us know and maybe we can make it a little bit more special, then just the same shit in a different wrapping. Anyways, I'm glad they're re-releasing, "Not Fakin' It" because I thought it was okay, it was a good album.

MICHAEL MONROE: STIV! YEAH! STIV BATORS! Boy, was he too dangerous for these people, I mean , he was So Right, he was ALWAYS talkin' about this. Everything he ever said about the end days or doomsday or whatever, he used to say he wanted to be around to see when the shit hits the fan. I think the shit's just hit the fan, at least with September 11th or whatever-that's some serious shit, and of course, the world's never been the same. Stiv Bator was another all-too-well kept secret of rock'n'roll. He was just a genius to me, that was my best friend, also, I was closely involved with him. It was a great friendship. I was a fan before that- I always admired him. He was an incredible person. What an incredible mind he had, and he was always like, one step ahead, with his wit. He had the most brilliant sense of humor I've ever encountered anywhere, he was like totally unbelievable. He was just a great guy. I miss 'im.

MICHAEL MONROE: (Laughs) Well, uh, when we got one! We're checkin' somebody out, somebody's comin' over in a couple of weeks, at the same time, we're writin' some new stuff, writin' new songs, workin' on towards the next album, which will be out by, safely, I could say, a year from now. There'll be a new record out probably. It's fun doin' this stuff, there's certainly a magic there with me 'n' Andy, it's hard to put a finger on it...now, I know it's there, better than ever, and being put to better use than ever before.

MICHAEL MONROE: That was one that both me and Andy said! We both wanna play Detroit when we were talkin' about what cities to play in! Detroit, for sure! We'll do Hollywood, Santa Barbara, whatever- do a warm-up gig, however, I dunno, the dates have not been set, y'know...it's not for sure when we're comin' over, we just know we want to and that's what we've gotta concentrate on. Detroit is one of the cities we mentioned., when we were asked what cities we would like to play on this first tour. But first, we gotta go over there and just do the main, y'know, a few shows here and there, just to remind, or to show people that we're alive, because with our reputation and all the years behind us, people probably think we're hardly alive. Nasty reputation, really, um, I mean, the less they know, the more they have to say...so, there's been all kindsa stories and stuff, not that I care. I'm glad people are at least talkin'. When they stop talkin', then, you should worry. But however, we are definitely coming to play. Are you gonna be in Detroit yourself?

MICHAEL MONROE: Sure! Sure, we'd love to play with Iggy. I dunno what he's doing these days. But I did a short tour with Iggy in Germany with my solo band. In...'98? Yeah, the '98 "Life Gets You Dirty Tour". I opened up for Iggy...There was some other band, um, a Spanish band! Supers..something, um, what was that? I forget what they were called, I forgot the name. They had a female lead singer... The... er,

MICHAEL MONROE: No, her name was Sylvia Superstar...the lead singer... so the band was...I forget the name of it...no, no, Killer Barbies! I opened up first, and then, the Killer Barbies, and then, Iggy. And everybody was saying that I should play just before Iggy, but, I dunno...maybe...whoever, but, I played with Iggy, also, in Finland in 1986 at a festival he was headlining and I played there at my first-ever solo appearance, coming back after, y'know, I moved to Finland, I played this festival. And Iggy was there headlining. Andy played with Iggy on the road for about a year on the "Instinct" tour. So they were on tour for a long time, and we have always thought very highly of Iggy. He's always been, in my opinion, one of the greatest performers ever. Right there with Jim Morrison and Mick Jagger.

MICHAEL MONROE: Actually, uh, thank you very much, heh heh, I'm very flattered you'd say that. As a matter of fact, I must say, there was a bit of a--there was a reason for me not to be before him on the German tour, I'm sure, because it was so weird, cos this band, the Killer Barbies, I mean, they were nice and great and stuff, and it was funny, the girl was like-oh, what was she doing? Like, breathing fire and stuff I think? However, people were wondering why was this arrangement like this, and apparently, one time, uh, Iggy's sound engineer came to our sound engineer, at this big hall where the walls were like, huge brick walls...really like a concrete dungeon, you know? A big hall, a nightmare to mix, it was impossible, so it was gonna be echoing all around, so my sound guy managed to get a really good sound for us, ha ha, and Iggy's manager or somebody representing Iggy came in and said, "Look, man, we can't have this", basically saying, it sounds too good. I mean, Iggy is LOUD, when he plays he makes sure that he's the...anyway, he's really loud, almost painfully loud, but it was still, y'know, I'm a fan, so I was still diggin' it. It was great to be seeing Iggy every night! Having a gig, myself, and then, getting to experience Iggy every night, it was a great little tour. However, we didn't have no hotels, we'd just sleep in the bus and go to the next gig when the gig was done. Y'know? Iggy, though-a very key person in rock'n' roll...as important as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Jim Morrison, Little Richard, Stiv Bators, Johnny Thunders....

MICHAEL MONROE: Yeah, everybody's saying it's great, somebody sent a copy of it to me and I checked it out, and it is...it's cool, it's different from uh,uh, the previous couple of albums were very heavy, extremely heavy, like I'm laughing when I hear it, and it's cool, I liked that, what was it? "Brutal Planet". It had some cool stuff, I mean, the little things that I liked on that, but it was incredibly heavy, the music goes with whoever is writing with Alice. Alice is writing, I think, mostly lyrics, and I mean, the old band! OF COURSE! That was the thing for me...Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce. Michael Bruce came up, actually, to see our show in London, in November of 2,002 when we were touring the U.K., he came and actually filmed the show from the side. I was just ranting and raving to the audience about him! "Do you know who's here? Michael Bruce, man, he wrote those song!", and this and that, he's a fuckin' legend, man! Alice Cooper Band! "Billion Dollar Babies"! "Killer"! Hey, look, man, we're in the presence of greatness, here...it was great to be able to meet him. Apparently, Sami has gotten somebody who knows Neil Smith and Dennis Dunaway, he's gotten a Billion Dollar Babies, whatever, CD or vinyl, signed by all of them. Including Alice, except for, of course, Glen Buxton is dead. That band was one of my all-time favorites. "Love It To Death" was the second rock album that ever got into the family when I was a kid. The first one, I think, my Dad bought my brother, Led Zeppelin II. Then, Alice Cooper came out, and I was, "Oh, Wow!" Y'know? Love it. "Caught In A Dream", "Ballad Of Dwight Frye", "Second Coming". Really, really brilliant stuff!

So, how's Detroit these days? Korey Clarke from Warrior Soul actually played drums in the opening band when we played there with Hanoi in '84. He had something to do with Angie Bowie, too, I don't know what it was, I never asked him about it, but I think she was there. Whatever! But he played drums in the opening band in '84 and that was one of the last gigs, because my ankle was already broken, then. I didn't know it, we just did Chicago, I think, and then, Cleveland, and then, I demanded to see another doctor who said, "Let's check this out, this is fractured. You should have it cast here", and then, we went to L.A. to do press, and unfortunately, the accident happened, and the rest is history, but anyways, Detroit Rock City is a happening place. We always like playing there, cos there's always a great crowd there. So the "Not Fakin It Tour"-you were at that show...

PEPSI SHEEN: Yeah some local punk band opened, I remember cos they did, "When The Whip Comes Down". My friend, Monique Ozimkowski, this photographer from Detroit, has some really great pictures of you and me singing into the mic together and afterwards, you called me up on the bus and put your sparkling top hat on me for a buncha pictures, but this flakey poseur chick I was dating had loaded the same roll twice, so all the pictures of us together are superimposed over my old band practice, so our bands were kind of blurred together.

MICHAEL MONROE: Wow! That's amazing! Did you get any cool ones? Cos sometimes, there's cool ones that come out of that. I had a roll of film happen like that at some rehearsal I had with the Secret Chiefs (?) band in '86, we were rehearsing at the Irving Plaza in N.Y., and Jude Wilder, who later became my wife who passed away a couple of years ago, she took pictures, and there was a picture of her, on the roll that somebody else had taken, and she was like, on my chest, on the other picture, when I was onstage, singing, I had, like, my shirt open, and she was like, where my heart was! Looking very much like, y'know, she's in my heart, and that was before we knew we were even going to end up living together. So they can be very telling, also, sometimes...You get some funny combinations, whenever that happens, it's always sort of magical, I think.

MICHAEL MONROE: In Finland? Yeah, I was going to, but they wimped out, they were actually trying to change it to, well, it started out they were interested, the idea started when we were on tour in the U.K. in 2002 doing that tour there, and I was bein', uh, luckily, I had my compilation tapes with me, cos there was no CD player on the bus and just the tape player that worked when it wanted to (* Once again, proving mine 'n' Sleaze's long-held old theory, about how the more "rock" someone is, the crappier their sound system! -Pepsi) ...so however, I keep playing these compilations I've put together over the years and it's just my favorite songs of all-time, and everybody from all the roadies, to the tour manager were saying what a great, "Ohhh--I remember this song! This is cool stuff, Mike, you should do this, fuckin' D.J. You're the greatest D.J., you should do a show on radio", So then, uh, one of the guys, the tour manager, the old guy workin' with us, he had connections in radio, and he started pursuing this and, uh... I was ready to do it. I said, okay, if I get my own show. One hour a day. I mean, one hour at a time, whatever. Once a week. Then, I'll be happy to play y'know, educate people about this great music that nobody ever hears anymore. Fuck, people like Stiv Bators and Johnny Thunders, or even more recent stuff like, Warrior Soul, which is brilliant, whatever, the first three, four records are fuckin' brilliant.

MICHAEL MONROE: (Starts singing it!) "I've seen the Ruins! I Know we're losin'!" "I've Seen The Ruins", "Downtown", "Wasteland", and whatchamacallit? (Singing,) "So What, maggot, you rockstar moron...you make me vomit, so pass the bourbon...um, er, uh, I don't take shit from uh," Korey's the greatest. Greatest lyrics, greatest everything. "Drugs, God, and the New Republic", the intro, and the other song goin' into that- just classic. Everybody I play that stuff to goes, "Waitaminute! What's this stuff?" To me, Korey's right up there with you know, William Burroughs and Jim Morrison and Iggy Pop and Black Sabbath's first album meets the Sex Pistols first album. You know? All in one. (Laughs.)