It was our tour manager that went to identify him, and he never got over it. I’m glad that I wasn’t there because I probably would have demanded to see him. “Razzle was dead on arrival at the hospital,” says Monroe, who at the time was Hanoi Rocks’ singer.
The vehicle careered into the path of oncoming traffic and smashed into two other cars. Michael Monroe could have been famous had his friend not been killed by a rock star. On December 8 1984, Nicholas ‘Razzle’ Dingley, the drummer with Hanoi Rocks, was a passenger in an orange-red 72 Ford Pantera sports car driven by Vince Neil, the front man with Mötley Crüe, when Neil lost control on a stretch of road near Redondo Beach in California. How did lead singer Michael Monroe carry on? He talks to Ian Winwood Hair metal pioneers Hanoi Rocks were destined for stardom – until fate intervened.
#HANOI ROCKS THE BEST OF HANOI ROCKS SERIES#
The music is always most important to me, what it comes down to is the songs.Behind the music: A weekly series celebrating music's untold stories, from band-splitting feuds to the greatest performances of all time. Hanoi, it was more 50/50, image and attitude, attitude and lifestyle. I have some songs left over, but I’m not gonna put out the next one until it’s the right time. Monroe: Get the album out and play live, then start working on the next album. The more people I meet, the more I like my cat. Actually, I’m not desperately looking for someone in my life. Monroe: My private life is nobody’s business and it shouldn’t make any difference. Friends are really important, but I only have a few close friends. I don’t mind talking to people but it’s kind of a drag if you want to relax. Monroe: I like to watch movies or videos. Billion Dollar Babies is my all-time favorite album. Monroe: Rock ‘n’ roll, old blues, Creedence Clearwater. I leaned to think twice before signing my name to a paper. We signed ridiculous deals and got ripped off. If you don’t have the right manager and the right people, no matter how great you are you can just fall through the cracks. But we broke up now and I feel like I’m just starting. I grew up with Hanoi, it was like a family, it was a way of life. Just great songs, real unpretentious, straight ahead, no gimmicks. Monroe: I just wanted to make a killer rock ‘n’ roll album – all killers, no fillers. They’ll learn a bit more about the band’s they’re into now. But imitation is the best form of flattery, right? Now the Hanoi catalog is coming out on Geffen, it’s only right that people should know where the original idea came from. You can try to rip people off but it never works in the long term. Monroe: A lot of them are just watered-down versions of Hanoi Rocks. How do you feel about the bands that borrow from Hanoi Rocks? ‘Who are these guys? They’re faggots, they’re junkies, they wear makeup.’ People didn’t get it till later. Do you think the band was before its time? Hanoi Rocks was a critically praised, influential band, but never did as well – especially in the States – as its imitators have. If you build your hopes too high you’re even more crushed when something goes wrong. If you don’t expect anything you don’t get disappointed. Nothing to lose, things can only get better. But it was one of the happiest times in my life. Monroe: I cleaned toilets, begged on the streets. She wanted me to go to school and get a job. Monroe: Mom and dad got divorced when I was about seven. But I know I have a purpose here on this planet. But I thought I might have to at one point when I was waiting for a work permit. Have the last few years since Hanoi Rocks broke up been rough for you?
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