It’s fair to say that 2011 has been a bit of a stellar year for former Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael Monroe. It would have been easy following the break-up of his old outfit in 2009 for Monroe to simply rest on his laurels, enjoy a bit of downtime and then plan his next move. But as any of his fans will tell you, that’s not Monroe’s way. Instead, he went out and assembled a fearsome supergroup of musicians including his old Hanoi bandmate Sami Yaffa, New York Dolls six-stringer Steve Conte and Wildhearts frontman Ginger and came roaring back with a series of storming live shows in 2010 which led nicely up to the release of his comeback solo album “Sensory Overdrive” in April this year.
A storming mix of everything that made the guys who wrote it’s old bands such a blast to listen to, it’s gained well-earned critical acclaim right across the board with Monroe even picking up the coveted Classic Rock magazine “Album Of The Year” award last month. And even though the group has lost Ginger, who’s opted to return to recording solo albums while remaining on good terms with the rest of the band, they’ve quickly drafted in former Backyard Babies six-stringer Dregen to replace him which leads them back over here for a pre-Xmas tour.
As I settle down for a quick chat with him in the attic dressing room at the Electric Ballroom on a cold early December afternoon in Camden, Monroe is in a cheerful mood (if slightly subdued by a cold, something that’s in no evidence when he puts on a storming set at the Ballroom a couple of hours later). And so without further adieu ladies and gentlemen, the living legend that is Michael Monroe…
PR: I guess we should start at the beginning here – you formed the band after Hanoi Rocks split in 2008. Have you had much contact with (Hanoi guitarist and general all-round axe hero) Andy McCoy since the split?
MM: Not really, no, I mean we’re not enemies or anything but we’re just not working together anymore so I don’t really see him very much. He’s doing his thing nowadays and I’m doing mine, you know.
PR: I think it’s fair to say the band line-up is one heck of a rock ‘n’ roll supergroup – how did you manage to get the other guys on board?
MM: Well they’re all old acquaintances, they’re all good friends actually. I mean Sami has always been a dear friend and a blood brother to me and Dregen I’ve known for a very long time as well. Karl (Rockfist, drums) and Steve have become really good friends of mine since they joined the band as well and I think that really helps, it makes us a really tight unit. I mean, I consider myself very lucky to know guys like this.
PR: One thing I noticed about the album is that all five band members were contributing ideas on the lyrics front – did that make the writing process more difficult at all or did it all go fairly smoothly?
MM: No, I wouldn’t say it was too difficult, I mean it was an exciting time putting that record together and it was a lot of fun writing and recording that album and I definitely think that shows through when you listen to it.
PR: I’d definitely agree with you there and I think a lot of other people would as well – it certainly got a lot of good press across the board and you even won “Best Album Of The Year” at the Classic Rock awards the other week – does that feel like validation for all the time and effort you put into it?
MM: Yeah, definitely. Getting album of the year at the Classic Rock Awards was amazing, I mean I’d never even been to that event before! It was a really great honour and I really appreciate it.
PR: As well as the new material, the last couple of years has seen you add quite a few songs from your late ’80s and ’90s solo albums and the Demolition 23 project back into your live set – has it been fun playing them again after so long?
MM: Oh totally! I have to be honest, I really did miss playing them during the Hanoi years, especially the Demolition 23 stuff. There were some killer songs on that album and it’s been an absolute blast to be able to play them again.
PR: You had a line-up change over the summer with Dregen replacing Ginger – has that changed the sound of the band at all?
MM: I think what Dregen’s brought to the table is he’s made our live shows a lot more hyperactive! He’s very similar to me in that he’s very manic and jumps about a lot when he’s onstage so it’s cool to have someone else like that in the band. It was always gonna be difficult replacing Ginger but Dregen’s got his own style, he’s maybe a bit trashier, a bit punkier but he fits in perfectly.
We’re still on good terms with Ginger though – he was at the show in Manchester and he got up onstage with us and played a couple of songs and he said afterwards that he thought the band was sounding perfect now. And we’re still gonna be working with him as a songwriter in the future so everything’s cool there.
PR: So does that mean we can expect to see a new Michael Monroe album next year then?
MM: Well we’re just sounding ideas out at the moment but yeah, we’re working on it and it’ll be on its way soon.
PR: Is it gonna be a continuation of the sound you guys had on “Sensory Overdrive” or can we expect a few changes in there?
MM: Well there’s definitely gonna be some new ideas in there – I mean with Dregen in the band now, the sound is gonna be a little bit different but it’s definitely gonna have a lot of similarities to the first. I mean I thought that album was a good statement from us, you know?
PR: London was Hanoi Rocks’ adopted hometown for quite a few years in the early to mid-’80s – is it good to be back? Do you notice a lot of changes each time you visit?
MM: I think you notice changes everywhere you go over time! But London’s always great, I love the place. I mean I lived in New York for ten years and London for five and they’re both very special to me, they both feel like home. Plus today it’s Razzle (late Hanoi Rocks drummer)’s birthday so it definitely feels a bit special to be playing here in London for it.
PR: So how has the tour been so far?
MM: Good thanks. It’s been interesting being out on the road with Crashdiet and Wednesday 13 because it’s three very different sounding bands touring together which is the way I prefer it rather than having a group of bands touring together who all sound the same. It makes it refreshing for people so you don’t get bored!
PR: You’ve always been someone who’s come across as very forthright with his views on the music scene – what are your views on it now? Are there any bands you’d like to point our readers towards?
MM: Well I’d hardly call them a new band but I really like the Foo Fighters, I think it’s great that a band like that’s got as big as they have. I mean there’s a lot of good bands out there but it’s the same as it always was, you have to go out and look for them because you’re not gonna read about them in the mainstream press and media.
I still really like Kory Clarke actually, I’ve been listening to his new album a lot recently and the new Alice Cooper and Motorhead ones which I’ve really enjoyed. I think bands like that are great.
PR: So what does the future hold for Michael Monroe after this tour’s over? Are you heading in to record the new album or are you touring some more?
MM: Both! We’re gonna be working on the new album in 2012 but we’re gonna continue touring the current one as well. We’ll definitely be back in Britain to do a few dates at some point. I was hoping to sort something out for February but it looks like that’s been postponed unfortunately. But we definitely will be back at some point.
PR: Last question – 2011 is the 30th anniversary of the first Hanoi Rocks album (“Bangkok Shakes Saigon Shocks Hanoi Rocks”) coming out, what are some of your favourite memories looking back on things after all this time?
MM: Well I can honestly say right now that one of my favourite memories is this band, this album and all the killer shows we’ve been doing to support it. The Classic Rock awards was a great moment too, getting some recognition for the album.
Other than that, being invited to the Finnish President’s castle to play the Independence Day Gala was pretty special, it’s the first time I’ve done that so that was a great honour. And I’ve got my own yellow star in the Walk of Fame in Turku, my hometown. So it’s great to get that sort of recognition after all this year, it really makes it feel as if it’s all been worthwhile.
Words by Andy James Close, images by Trudi Knight and Sophie Garrett. For tour dates and news, visit www.michaelmonroe.com
