Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm (born 17 June 1962), better known by his stage name Michael Monroe, is a Finnish rock musician who rose to fame as the vocalist for the

glam punk Glam punk is a term used retrospectively to describe a short-lived trend for bands which produced a form of proto-punk that incorporated elements of glam rock, initially in the early to mid-1970s. History Glam punk has been seen as a backlash to ...

band

Hanoi Rocks Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish rock band formed in 1979. They were the first Finnish band to chart in the UK and they were also popular in Japan. The band broke up in June 1985 after drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley died in a drunk driving accide ...

, and has served as the frontman for all-star side projects, such as Demolition 23 and Jerusalem Slim (with

Steve Stevens Steve Stevens (born Steven Bruce Schneider; May 5, 1959) is an American guitarist. He is best known as Billy Idol's guitarist and songwriting collaborator, and for his lead guitar work on the theme to ''Top Gun'' – " Top Gun Anthem" – for ...

Early life

Michael Monroe was born Matti "Makke" Fagerholm on 17 June 1962. His father, Pentti Fagerholm (1935–2015), was a very well known Finnish radio personality and reporter. Monroe states in the

autobiography ''All Those Wasted Years'' that one of the first times he was exposed to

rock n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

was when he saw

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...

's 1970 Paris performance on television. Some other favourite bands of Monroe's at the time included:

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...

The New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succ ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...

, and

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

. From 1976 to 1979, Monroe played in a band called Madness. During this time, while rehearsing in a basement of a church in Töölö, Monroe met guitarist Andy McCoy (then known as Antti Hulkko); McCoy's band, Briard, was also rehearsing there at the time. Later, Monroe and McCoy played together for a short time in a band called Bolin. Monroe then went on to play saxophone in Maukka Perusjätkä's band, where he also met guitarist Nasty Suicide. Monroe auditioned as a bassist for Pelle Miljoona Oy but, even though the audition went well, they chose bassist

Sami Yaffa Sami Yaffa (born Sami Lauri Takamäki; 4 September 1963) is a Finnish bass guitarist best known for his work in New York Dolls, Michael Monroe's bands, and Hanoi Rocks. He is currently the bassist for the Michael Monroe band and The Compulsions ...

Career

Michael Monroe of Hanoi Rocks playing sax September 05

Hanoi Rocks (1979–1985)

was a band that Monroe and his friend, guitarist Andy McCoy, had thought of, but because McCoy was in the Finnish punk band Pelle Miljoona Oy, he told Monroe to start the band without him. From the very first Hanoi line-up only one member (besides Monroe) remained, rhythm guitarist Nasty Suicide, who would stay in the band until 1985. Andy McCoy left Pelle Miljoona Oy and joined Hanoi Rocks in 1980. McCoy also brought bassist

with him. The band later recruited drummer Gyp Casino. The band released their first album in 1981 titled '' Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks'', with most of the songs written by McCoy. The album was produced by Andy McCoy and Michael Monroe, who were known as "The Muddy Twins". In 1982 Hanoi Rocks moved to London and released their second studio album ''

Oriental Beat ''Oriental Beat'' is the second studio album by the Finnish glam punk band Hanoi Rocks, recorded in London and released in 1982. ''Oriental Beat'' also opened markets in the UK and Japan, where Hanoi eventually became very popular. Background R ...

'', which the band later dismissed as a failure, stating that the album was mixed badly by the producer Pete Woolcroft. After the album's release, the band fired drummer Gyp Casino and hired Nicholas Dingley, better known as Razzle. This line-up, consisting of Michael Monroe, Andy McCoy, Nasty Suicide, Sami Yaffa and Razzle, has often been cited as the classic and definitive line-up. The band has said that Razzle revitalised them. Later that year, the band released ''

Self Destruction Blues ''Self Destruction Blues'' is the third album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 1982. Although often listed as a studio album, ''Self Destruction Blues'' is a compilation of singles and B-sides that the band recorded in 1981 and ...

'', which had Razzle on the cover, but he didn't play on the album because it was actually a compilation of old singles. The tour for the album took the band to Asia for the first time. The next year, 1983, the band released ''

Back to Mystery City ''Back to Mystery City'' is the fourth studio album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 1983. It was produced by ex-Mott the Hoople members Dale Griffin and Pete "Overend" Watts, and was the first with Razzle on drums. Besides Han ...

''. In 1984, the band got together with producer

Bob Ezrin Robert Alan Ezrin (born March 25, 1949) is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, best known for his work with Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Kiss, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, Andrea Bocelli and Phish. As of 2010, Ezrin's car ...

and started work on their fifth studio album ''

Two Steps from the Move ''Two Steps from the Move'' is the fifth studio album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 1984. This is their last album to feature drummer Razzle, before he was killed in a car accident on 8 December 1984. Album information Befo ...

'', which was their first recording deal to US markets. The original title of the album was "Silver Missiles and Nightingales", but this was changed before release. The album has been cited as one of the best glam rock albums, and Monroe has said that he "is very proud of it". In 1984, Michael Monroe and Hanoi Rocks were among the most popular performers in the UK. The readers of the '' Sounds'' magazine voted Hanoi Rocks as the second best band in the world just after

Marillion Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becoming the most ...

. The Hanoi Rocks single release "Underwater World" and the album ''Two Steps from the Move'' were voted as the fifth best single and album of the year. The televised concert which Hanoi Rocks recorded in England was voted as the second best concert video, and as stage performers, the group was voted No. 3. Michael Monroe was voted as "The Sex Symbol of the Year". ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication '' Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a on ...

'' magazine readers voted Hanoi Rocks as the ninth most important newcomer, and their album was chosen as the tenth best album of the year. The readers of ''Kerrang!'' also voted Michael Monroe the seventh sexiest performer in the music business. While on their first large tour in the US, Monroe fractured his ankle, and some dates had to be pushed back. The band traveled to Los Angeles to spend some free time and to prepare for their two upcoming sold-out gigs. Some of the band members joined in with the members of Mötley Crüe to have a party at the home of Mötley Crüe singer

Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961), best known by the stage name Vince Neil, is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 format ...

while Monroe decided to stay in his hotel room and rest. During the party Razzle and Neil got into a car crash that resulted in Razzle losing his life. After Razzle's death, the band performed in Helsinki, Finland, in a concert which was partly televised all over Europe as part of the 'Europa Go Go' project. The show had over 500 million viewers across Europe and it was the first public concert with their new drummer,

Terry Chimes Terence Chimes (born 5 July 1956, Stepney, London, England) is an English musician, best known as the original drummer of punk rock group The Clash. He played with them from July 1976 to November 1976, January 1977 to April 1977, and again f ...

. It was also the last performance of Hanoi Rocks with Sami Yaffa who left the band due to personal differences with McCoy. The band tried to record some demos with the new members, Rene Berg and Terry Chimes, but according to Michael Monroe, things "didn't feel the same anymore", and the band disbanded after a short tour of Poland. One of the shows in Poland was recorded and later became the ''Rock and Roll Divorce'' album, released after the band had already split up.

Solo years and other projects (1985–2001)

After Hanoi Rocks broke up in 1985, Monroe decided to start his solo career, but first he got to work with his good friend Stiv Bators. In the Fall of 1985, Bators and Monroe were asked by

Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandoli ...

to record backing vocals in London and then fly to New York to appear on his song " Sun City" and its music video. Both agreed and recorded backing vocals for the song, and both can be seen in the music video. In December 1985, Monroe announced that he would move to New York, and in 1986, Monroe founded his first solo band. In 1987, he released his first solo album, ''

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...

. In 1989, Monroe's second solo album was released, titled ''

Not Fakin' It ''Not Fakin' It'' is the second studio album by Hanoi Rocks singer Michael Monroe, released in September 1989 through PolyGram;Ginsberg, Geoff"Not Fakin' It - Michael Monroe" '' AllMusic''. RhythmOne. Retrieved 12 April 2020. a remastered editio ...

''. The album featured guest appearances by Monroe's friends and fellow musicians, including

, Ian Hunter and Nasty Suicide. The album reached number 161 on the US Billboard Charts, and was Monroe's first album to be distributed internationally. The album also got good reviews from critics. Music videos were shot for the singles "Dead, Jail or Rock 'N' Roll" and "Man With No Eyes". Axl Rose appeared in the music video for "Dead, Jail or Rock 'N' Roll". At that time, Michael Monroe hosted MTV's

Headbangers Ball ''Headbangers Ball'' is a music television program that consisted of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV and its global affiliates. The show began on MTV on April 18, 1987, playing heavy metal music videos from both well-known and more ob ...

where he introduced the new music video to the world. When ''

'' was released, the Guns N' Roses record label,

UZI Suicide Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...

, was re-releasing Hanoi Rocks albums in America. Guns N' Roses guitarist

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...

also made a guest appearance on Monroe's Los Angeles shows in December 1989, performing the song "Looking at You".

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...

's lead singer

Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...

had also taken notice of Monroe and asked him to perform with Aerosmith at Les Paul's 75th birthday at the

Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and r ...

in New York. Monroe played saxophone on the song "Big Ten Inch Record." He mostly spent the rest of 1989 and 1990 touring. In the turn of the decade, Monroe performed along with

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...

Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as " Witchy Woman", "Des ...

Huey Lewis Hugh Anthony Cregg III (born July 5, 1950), known professionally as Huey Lewis, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Lewis sings lead and plays harmonica for his band, Huey Lewis and the News, in addition to writing or co-writing many o ...

and

Loudness In acoustics, loudness is the subjective perception of sound pressure. More formally, it is defined as, "That attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet to loud". The relation of ph ...

in two New Year's shows at the 70,000-seat Tokyo Dome in Japan, on December 31, 1989 and January 1, 1990. Monroe's solo career didn't prove to be as successful as he'd hoped, so in 1990 he decided to put together a new band. The band was called Jerusalem Slim, and was completed by former

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

-guitarist

, Sami Yaffa, Greg Ellis and

Ian McLagan Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was i ...

. In 1991, Monroe was asked by Guns N' Roses to appear on their ''

Use Your Illusion I ''Use Your Illusion I'' is the third studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released on September 17, 1991, the same day as its counterpart ''Use Your Illusion II''. Both albums were released in conjunction with the Use Your Illu ...

'' album, where he plays the harmonica and saxophone on the song "Bad Obsession". Monroe also later appeared on GNR's 1993 album, ''

"The Spaghetti Incident?" ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'' is the fifth studio album by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. The album is composed of covers of older punk rock, hard rock, and other songs. ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'' is the only studio album to ...

'', where he sang on the cover of The Dead Boys' " Ain't It Fun". At the time, Monroe also joined Guns N' Roses on stage performing Honky Tonk Women together with the band members and

Ronnie Wood Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as an official member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, playing guitar with a ...

of the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

. Jerusalem Slim released an album titled ''Jerusalem Slim'' but broke up in 1992, due to Monroe and Stevens' musical disagreements. Next, Monroe tried to form another band called Demolition 23. with Yaffa, Jimmy Clark and ex Star Star Guitarist Jay Hening, who was eventually replaced by Nasty Suicide. Demolition 23. did release an album, titled ''Demolition 23.'' and they toured successfully, for example, in Japan and Europe, but the band broke up after Suicide announced that he would be retiring from the music business. During the rest of the 1990s and the early 2000s, Monroe released four more solo albums before re-forming Hanoi Rocks with Andy McCoy.

Reformation of Hanoi Rocks (2002–2009)

In 2002, McCoy and Monroe started working together again and decided to reform Hanoi Rocks with two new members on guitar and bass, and with Michael Monroe's solo career drummer, Lacu. Hanoi Rocks released ''

Twelve Shots on the Rocks ''Twelve Shots on the Rocks'' is the sixth studio album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 2002, however it was their first studio album since the band's break-up in 1985. Critical and commercial acclaim for the album exceeded ex ...

'' in 2003. In 2005 Hanoi Rocks released '' Another Hostile Takeover'' replacing the two former members with Andy Christell on bass and Conny Bloom on guitar (both formerly of the

Electric Boys The Electric Boys are a Swedish band founded in Sweden in 1987 playing funky hard rock with roots in the 70s groove rock and 60s pop and psychedelia. Career They were formed by Conny Bloom (real surname: Blomqvist) (guitar/vocals) and Andy Ch ...

). In 2007 the band released the album '' Street Poetry''. In 2008 Andy McCoy and Michael Monroe stated that they had taken the band as far as they could, and so they decided to end the band. In April 2009, Hanoi Rocks played 8 sold out farewell gigs in 6 days at the

Tavastia Club The Tavastia Club ( fi, Tavastia-klubi) is a popular rock music club in Helsinki, Finland. The house is owned by Hämäläis-Osakunta, one of the student nations at the University of Helsinki, but since 1991 the club has been operated by a privat ...

, in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

. The band's original guitarist Nasty Suicide appeared as a special guest on 3 of the last gigs. Ari Väntänen's, Michael Monroe's and Andy McCoys's book ''All Those Wasted Years'' was published later in 2009 in Finland, telling the story of Hanoi Rocks from the beginning to the end. In June 2009, Monroe performed in Helsinki and in Tampere, on Sauna Open Air -festival with

Duff McKagan Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964), sometimes credited as Duff "Rose" McKagan, is an American musician. He played bass for twelve years in the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late ...

s Loaded band. On 3 July 2009, Monroe also performed in Finland, at the Ruisrock -festival with Ginger's band,

The Wildhearts The Wildhearts are an English rock band, formed in 1989 in Newcastle upon Tyne. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as the Beatles and 1980s- ...

. At the end of July, Monroe also shared the stage for the first time in many years with

when his band, the New York Dolls, were performing in Helsinki. After these performances with Yaffa and Ginger, Monroe and Yaffa started discussing the possibility of working together again. In December 2009, Monroe met Ginger again while he was playing in Alice Cooper's band. Monroe joined

on stage at Cooper's concert in Espoo, Finland, to play " School's Out". After the show, Ginger and Monroe discussed the possibilities of working together, and soon afterwards, Monroe, Ginger and Yaffa decided to line up a band together.

New band (2010–present)

On 25 January 2010 Michael Monroe held a press conference in Los Angeles, where he unveiled his new band featuring

on bass, guitarist Ginger from

Todd Youth Todd Schofield (May 15, 1971 – October 27, 2018), known as Todd Youth, was an American guitarist, best known for his work with Warzone, Murphy's Law and Danzig. Biography Schofield was born and raised in Passaic County, New Jersey, and ...

from Danzig and

Samhain Samhain ( , , , ; gv, Sauin ) is a Gaelic festival on 1 NovemberÓ hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth Legend and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition''. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. p. 402. Quote: "The basic Irish division of the year ...

on a second guitar, and Jimmy Clarke on drums. The press conference was hosted by

Bam Margera Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera ( ; born September 28, 1979) is an American former professional skateboarder, stunt performer, television personality, and filmmaker. He rose to prominence in the early 2000s as one of the stars of the MTV reality ...

of '' Jackass''. The Michael Monroe band started touring on 11 March at San Francisco's Paradise Lounge and toured the US until 21 March. After some of the first shows Todd Youth and Jimmy Clark were replaced by guitarist Steve Conte of New York Dolls and drummer Karl Rosqvist. During the summer of 2010 Michael Monroe band played a number of festival gigs all over the world, including Helsinki Live in Finland together with Guns N' Roses, the Sweden Rock Festival and the Download Festival in England. The band also performed at Ruisrock festival in Turku, Finland, where

was also performing. Monroe joined Slash on stage for a performance of "We're All Gonna Die" (from Slash's solo album) and " Up Around the Bend." At the

Ankkarock Ankkarock was a Finnish rock and metal festival held annually in Korso, Vantaa, in the Greater Helsinki area. It literally translates into Duckrock. The first Ankkarock was held in 1987. The festival was free of charge until 1998. In 2006 the ...

festival in Finland, Steve Conte couldn't perform and he was replaced for this one show with the ex-Hanoi Rocks guitarist, Nasty Suicide. Since the early 1990s and the Demolition 23 tour this was the first time of these three members of the original Hanoi Rocks to perform on the stage together. Michael Monroe also performed on

Summer Sonic The , also known as Supersonic, is an annual two- or three-day rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba, Japan. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa. The line-up co ...

festivals in Tokyo and Osaka, where Slash was also performing. The two got together again sharing a stage for a couple of songs. During the performance of the song "We're All Gonna Die" Monroe broke two of his ribs while hitting a metal barrel in front of the stage. On 28 June 2010, it was announced that the Michael Monroe band would be supporting

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

on their 35th anniversary UK tour. The first album of Michael Monroe's new band, the live album Another Night in the Sun was released in September 2010. The album was recorded at the

in Helsinki, Finland and mixed in Los Angeles by

Niko Bolas Niko Bolas is an American music producer, sound engineer, and consultant and business developer in the fields of virtual reality and Internet radio. In 1989, Bolas founded Fakespace Music with Mark Bolas, Ian McDowall and Christian Greuel, which, ...

(

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

, Spinal Tap). The album was mastered by Grammy winner Richard Dodd, who had worked with

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...

and

The Dixie Chicks The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and E ...

. In September 2010, the band went into a studio to record their first studio album, ''

Sensory Overdrive ''Sensory Overdrive'' is the sixth studio album by the Finnish glam rock singer Michael Monroe, released on 14 March 2011 through Spinefarm Records. It is Monroe's first studio album with his new backing band formed in early 2010, as well as his ...

''. The album was recorded in Los Angeles and it was produced by producer Jack Douglas (

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

). The first single, "78", was released in January and the album was set for release on 14 March 2011. The band had also booked an extensive UK tour for April 2010, taking in venues in London, Brighton, Birmingham, Leeds and Exeter among others. In September 2010, Monroe signed a recording deal with

Spinefarm Records Spinefarm Records is a Finnish independent record label focusing mainly on heavy metal artists. It is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. History Spinefarm Records was originally founded in 1990 by Riku Pääkkönen as a mail-order distrib ...

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

, to distribute Monroe's upcoming albums. On 9 November 2011, ''Sensory Overdrive'' won the "Album of the Year" award at the 2011

Classic Rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prima ...

magazine awards. In fall 2012, Michael Monroe announced that the band would be back in the studio recording a new album to be released in 2013. By July Steven Van Zandt played the well-received lead single, "Ballad of the Lower East Side", on his radio show almost weekly. On 23 August 2013 the band released '' Horns & Halos'', which went straight to number 1 in the Finnish album charts and was certified Gold in four days in Finland. On 6 March 2014, it was announced that guitarist

Dregen Dregen (born Andreas Tyrone Svensson; 12 June 1973) is a Swedish musician best known as the guitarist of The Hellacopters, as well as Backyard Babies. As of March 2014, Dregen has also served as the newest member of Michael Monroe's solo band, ...

was leaving the band to focus on his solo career. He would be replaced by former Black Halos,

Amen Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jewish, Christian, and ...

and

Ginger Wildheart Ginger Wildheart (born David Leslie Walls; 17 December 1964 in South Shields, England), sometimes known simply as Ginger, is an English rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career as a guitarist in The Quireboys, b ...

guitarist Rich Jones

Personal life

Unlike other members of Hanoi Rocks in the 1980s, Monroe was never a big drug user or a big drinker although in the band's book ''All Those Wasted Years'', Monroe tells about being addicted for a short while to amphetamine and heroin in the 1980s while living in London, and to amphetamine between 2000 and 2002 after his first wife died. During his years in music business, Michael Monroe has established a close friendship with many music business icons including the late Stiv Bators and Johnny Thunders – both idols of Monroe's,

who produced Monroe's album with Demolition 23,

Deborah Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

Axl Rose W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose Jr.; born February 6, 1962) is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its incep ...

and

. Michael Monroe and Hanoi Rocks have influenced many rock'n'roll artists and bands:

had bought tickets to the sold-out gigs in Los Angeles which were cancelled because of the death of Razzle.

and

Nikki Sixx Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna Jr.; December 11, 1958) is an American musician, best known as the co-founder, bassist, and primary songwriter of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a me ...

of Mötley Crüe and bands like Guns N' Roses have said in public that they were all inspired by Hanoi Rocks. In the Hanoi Rocks autobiography ''All Those Wasted Years'', Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett says "The Hollywood scene changed in just one night after people saw the pictures of Hanoi Rocks. After that everyone was wearing the same kind of hair, clothes and make up as Monroe." Michael Monroe and Hanoi Rocks have often been mentioned as the founding fathers of the Hollywood's glam-rock scene, which was then adopted and developed by many 1980s glam-, punk-, and hard rock bands like Mötley Crüe,

Jetboy This is a list of characters from the ''Wild Cards'' book series. Astronomer The Astronomer is a character from the ''Wild Cards'' series of books. He first appeared in the short story "Pennies from Hell" by Lewis Shiner in ''Aces High (book), ...

LA Guns L.A. Guns is an American glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1983. The lineup currently consists of Tracii Guns (lead guitar), Phil Lewis (lead vocals), Ace Von Johnson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Johnny Martin (bass, backing vo ...

and Poison. Monroe met his first wife Jude Wilder in 1985 while she was working at CBS for Hanoi Rocks' ''Two Steps From The Move'' project. After they married in 1989, the couple moved to Los Angeles and then to New York. Later on the couple moved to

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

, a city in Finland, where Monroe relocated after many years in the United States. Wilder died of intracranial hemorrhage on 19 June 2001. Michael Monroe married his current wife, Johanna, on 3 July 2003.

Discography

;Solo albums *''

Nights Are So Long ''Nights Are So Long'' is the first studio album by singer Michael Monroe, released in 1987 through Yahoo! Records; a remastered edition was reissued in 2004 through Warner Music.Not Fakin' It ''Not Fakin' It'' is the second studio album by Hanoi Rocks singer Michael Monroe, released in September 1989 through PolyGram;Ginsberg, Geoff"Not Fakin' It - Michael Monroe" '' AllMusic''. RhythmOne. Retrieved 12 April 2020. a remastered editio ...

'' (1989) *'' Peace of Mind'' (1996) *'' Life Gets You Dirty'' (1999) *'' Take Them and Break Them'' (2002) *'' Whatcha Want'' (2003) *'' Another Night in the Sun: Live in Helsinki'' (live album) (2010) *''

'' (2011) *'' Horns and Halos'' (2013) *'' Blackout States'' (2015) *''

One Man Gang George Gray (born February 12, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, (The) One Man Gang. For two years in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he was Akeem "The African Dream". Prior to this, he w ...

'' (2019) *'' I Live Too Fast to Die Young!'' (2022) ;Singles *"Keep It Up" (1987) *"Nights Are So Long" (1987) *"She's No Angel" (1987) *"Dead, Jail or Rock 'N' Roll (1989) *"She's No Angel" (1989) *"Not Fakin' It" (1989) *"Man With No Eyes" (1989) *"While You Were Looking At Me" (1990) *"Magic Carpet Ride" (Featuring Slash, 1990) *"Make It Go Away" (1996) *"Stranded" (2003) *"Superpowered Superfly" (2010) *"'78" (2011) *"Trick Of The Wrist" (2011) *"Ballad Of The Lower East Side" (2013) *"Eighteen Angels" (2013) *"Stained Glass Heart" (2013) *"Old King's Road" (2015) *"Goin' Down With The Ship" (2015) *"One Foot Outta The Grave" (2017) *"One Man Gang" (2019) *"Last Train To Tokyo" (2019) *"Murder The Summer Of Love" (2022) *"Can't Stop Falling Apart" (2022) *”Everybody’s Nobody” (2022) ;Hanoi Rocks albums *'' Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks'' (1981) *''

'' (1982) *''

'' (1983) *'' All Those Wasted Years'' (Live) (1983) *''

'' (1984) *'' Rock & Roll Divorce'' (Live) (1985) *''

'' (2002) *'' Another Hostile Takeover'' (2005) *'' Street Poetry'' (2007) ;Jerusalem Slim albums *''Jerusalem Slim'' (1992) ;Demolition 23. albums *''Demolition 23.'' (1994) ;Guest appearances * London Cowboys: ''Street Full of Soul'' (1983) * Hook, Line and Sinker: ''Hook, Line and Sinker'' and ''Saigon'' (1983) * Tall in the Saddle (1984) * It Takes Time (1985) *

Artists United Against Apartheid Artists United Against Apartheid was a 1985 protest group founded by activist and performer Steven Van Zandt and record producer Arthur Baker to protest against apartheid in South Africa. The group produced the song " Sun City" and the album ' ...

: '' Sun City'' (1985) * Que Sera Sera – Johnny Thunders album (1985) * Long Time Coming (1986) * Dance Crazy (1987) * Guns N' Roses: ''

'' (1991) * WOW! WOW! OUI! OUI! (1992) * Chinese Rocks – Ultimate Thunders Live Collection (1993) * Guns N' Roses: ''

'' (1993) * Various artists: ''Coneheads: Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (1993) * Warrior Soul: ''Chill Pill'' (1993) * Johnny On Rocks featuring the whole Hanoi Rocks (1996) * Dogtown Balladeers: ''A Tale Worth Hearing'' (1996) * Countdown Love (1997) *

Backyard Babies Backyard Babies are a Swedish rock band originally from Nässjö and currently based in Stockholm. The band was formed in 1989 and over the years they have released seven studio albums and won two Swedish Grammy Awards. They are largely at ...

: ''Total 13'' (1998) on the bonus track 'Rocker' * Kerma: ''Kerma plays Rolling Stones'' (1998) * I Only Wrote This Song For You – A Tribute to Johnny Thunders (2003) * White Flame: ''Swimsuit Issue Centerfold'' (single) (2007) * Mikko Herranen: ''Kylmä Maailma'' (album) (2012) * Tarja Turunen: "Your Heaven and Your Hell" (2016) * Lordi: '' Killection'' (2020) on the track "Like a Bee to the Honey"

Literature – books about Michael Monroe

*Michael Monroe ardcover Ari Väntänen and Michael Monroe (2011) *All Those Wasted Years ardcover Ari Väntänen, Andy McCoy and Michael Monroe (2010) *Sheriff McCoy: Outlaw Legend of Hanoi Rocks ardcover Andy McCoy (English edition 2010) *1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Quintet Publishing Limited. Macdonald, Bruno; Harrington, Jim, Dimery, Robert. ed. (2006) *Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal. HarperCollins. Christe, Ian (2003) *Boulevard of Broken Dreams ardcover 1987

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Monroe, Michael 1962 births 20th-century Finnish male singers 21st-century Finnish male singers 21st-century saxophonists Finnish heavy metal singers Finnish saxophonists Male saxophonists Hanoi Rocks members Living people Singers from Helsinki Glam rock musicians Finnish rock singers Glam punk musicians Finnish harmonica players