Artist description Michael Monroe is rare breed of performer. He is at once a mysterious rock n' roll enigma, an androgynous glam prince, a hardened streetwise punk, and a heavy metal hero. His work with glam rock legends Hanoi Rocks made him an international cult hero, while his subsequent his solo albums cemented his credibility as a hard rockin', hard workin' singer/songwriter with a knack for catchy tunes, and his live shows furthered his reputation as one of the best frontmen on the planet. Despite his consistently top-notch albums and over the top stage shows, Michael has remained a relatively unknown figure in the world of both heavy metal and punk rawk. His best post-Hanoi work has only recently surfaced in the United States, with the re-release of his last album Peace Of Mind and the imminent release of his latest masterwork Life Gets Your Dirty. Those who are aware of him, worship him as the rock god he is. But many are unaware and uneducated in the ways self-proclaimed "Flashing Psychedelic Kid." Let's change that.

Music Style Metal, Punk

Musical Influences Stiv Bators, Hanoi Rocks, Les Paul,

Similar Artists Guns & Roses, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Skid Row,Alice Cooper, Slade, Sweet, T-Rex, Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Clash

Artist History From 1979 to 1984, Michael fronted the incredible and incredibly underrated gutter rock icons Hanoi Rocks before their dream of worldwide domination went to pieces in a car wreck that killed their drummer Razzle. The Finnish bad boys were way ahead of their time, pre-dating the late-'80s glam movement by several years, and became a huge influence on any band that ever teased their hair or lowered their guitar strap to Johnny Thunders-inspired preposterously low level length. Hanoi were one of the few bands to wear the glam rock tag well, one of the only to make wearing lipstick and make-up look cool and not laughable. Guns N' Roses may have perfected it and Poison may have made it swallowable to Joe Public, but Hanoi were the best at it. With a dash of Iggy Pop inspired raw power, a hint of Alice Cooper sleaze, a splash of New York Dolls pomp, and a smidgeon of Aerosmith boogie, Hanoi Rocks were poised to be the next Rolling Stones before their premature breakup. They released four criminally overlooked, brilliant studio albums (including the brilliant Back To Mystery) and one smoldering live effort in Europe before being signed to a worldwide deal with CBS and collaborating with famed producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd's The Wall, Lou Reed, Alice, Kiss, etc) and Mott The Hoople's Ian Hunter on their swan song opus, Two Steps From The Move. They hit the road to support their first majot label album but the tour was cut short when Razzle was killed at the drunk driving hands of Motley Crue vocalist Vince Neil. After the groups demise, the members went their separate ways, occasionally crossing paths in the studio or on tour. Lead guitarist/chief songwriter Andy McCoy went on to tour with Iggy Pop, formed a band called Shooting Gallery, reformed his pre-Hanoi band Briard, and recorded two solo albums (he also is the subject of a recent Finnish documentary called The Real McCoy). Rhythm guitarist Nasty Suicide collaborated with McCoy on a gypsy blues album under the moniker The Suicide Twins before forming his own band Cheap & Nasty and later joining Monroe and bassist Hanoi Sam Yaffa in Demolition 23 (probably the closest thing to a Hanoi reunion we'll ever get). In addition, Suicide released a solo album under his real name Jan Stenfors two years ago. Yaffa went on to play in the Hollywood glam band Jet Boy before joining Demolition 23 and, later, moving to New York, where he resides today. Monroe, however, has been the most high profile of the Hanoi survivors - and the most prolific. Most metalheads remember him from his critically acclaimed solo album Not Fakin' It, his major label debut (he actually recorded one hard to find album before that called Nights Are So long) that featured the searing single "Dead, Jail or Rock 'N' Roll" and a video that featured Michael and Axl Rose cavorting around in all their rock n' roll glory around a battlefield of police tape and squad cars. The GN'R connection continued when the Gunners re-released the pre-CBS albums on colored vinyl and CD. Michael also played sax and harmonica on the Guns' albums Use Your Illusion and sand a duet with Axl on The Spaghetti Incident. He went on to form the short-lived band Jerusalem Slim with Billy Idol guitar wiz Steve Stevens, only to find, in a bizarre twist of fate, Stevens jumped ship to join Vince Neil's band. Never one to let fate stand in the way of rock, Monroe forged ahead, forming the fantastic band Demolition 23 with Sam Yaffa. The band made one absolutely crushing self-titled album before launching a Japanese tour that found ex-Hanoi guitarist Nasty Suicide joining the ranks. However, the band dissolved soon afterwards and the singer found himself once again without a band. Time to go solo again…. In 1996 Michael released the album Peace Of Mind, a hard rockin' tour de force that featured the killer original tracks " Relationshipwrecked" and "Where's The Fire John?" Also included were covers of influential bands such as The Damned, The Dead Boys, and the MC5. The album also marked Michael's first attempt to handle all the guitar duties himself, playing both lead and rhythm on most every song. The album was very well received throughout Europe but barely made a scratch in the States, where it has only recently been released (on Cleopatra, with two bonus tracks featuring the late, great Stiv Bators from the Dead Boys and Lords of the New Church on vocals). "I've evolved and my music reflects that. By the time you're 40 you have the face you deserve. I believe in growing younger and I think I'm getting' better all the time. I don't believe in aging." Michael continued writing with collaborator/life partner Jude Wilder and began writing his latest album Life Gets You Dirty, released in 1999. The album is his best solo work yet, a super charged, high octane hard rock affair with enough punk riffing and metal pounding to keep his fans happy, headbangin' and thoroughly rocked. Returning to the Hanoi-style sound he helped create, the album swaggers and struts with confidence and attitude. Songs like "Just Because You're Paranoid," "Love And Light" and " Since When Did You Care?" find Michael in top form, alive, well, kickin' and screamin'. Around this time, he also hooked up with Swedish hard rock sensations the Backyard Babies, whom he collaborated with on a song called "Rocker" that appeared on the American release of the sophomore album Total 13. In September, Michael will hit the road for a slew of tour dates in Germany with Iggy Pop, one of his rock n' roll idols. He also has an American tour in the works and some other European dates in the next couple of months.

Group Members Michael Monroe

Instruments Guitars

Albums Life Gets You Dirty,Peace Of Mind,Demolition 23.,Jerusalem Slim

Press Reviews b. Matti Fagerholm, 17 June 1960, Helsinki, Finland. When Hanoi Rocks folded following the death of drummer Razzle in December 1984, Monroe took several years break before deciding to start again with a solo career. After recording several demo tracks with Stiv Bators he moved to New York where he worked on his debut album with producer Craig Goetsch. Nights Are So Long was only released in Scandanavia and Japan, two locations where members of Hanoi Rocks continue to be worshipped. The album featured a mixture of originals and cover versions of songs by the Heavy Metal Kids, Johnny Thunders, MC5 and the Flamin' Groovies. This low-key comeback was a soul-cleansing process for Monroe, before he signed a major label deal with PolyGram Records, and threw himself back into the spotlight with all guns blazing. Recruiting Phil Grande (guitar), Tommy Price (drums), Kenny Aaronson (bass) and Ed Roynesdal (keyboards), he recorded Not Fakin' It, a streetwise selection of sleazy rock 'n' roll numbers, delivered in Monroe's inimitable, alley cat style. The album was well received and the tour to support it was a further triumph, proving easily the most successful of the Hanoi Rock spin-off projects. Disastrous sessions for the follow-up, Jerusalem Slim, saw Monroe at loggerheads with PolyGram and publically disowning the album. In 1993, he appeared on the Johnny Thunders tribute album I Only Wrote This Song For You, and collaborated with Guns N'Roses on a cover version of the Dead Boys' 'Ain't It Fun', a UK Top 10 hit from the former's The Spaghetti Incident album. Monroe then put together Demolition 23 with former Hanoi Rocks bandmates Nasty Suicide and Sam Yaffa, releasing a well-received album in 1994. Monroe then relocated to his native Finland to record Peace Of Mind, which was released in Scandanavia and Japan in summer 1996. He signed a deal with the German label SPV Records for the release of 1999's Life Gets You Dirty. Listen.com

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