Will
he play on the new album?
Michael: Yeah, he plays on it.
Do
you consider yourself as a survivor?
Michael: I'm a survivor, yeah.
You
did record several covers of Stiv Bators' songs, with Hanoi Rock, GNR,
Demolition 23 and solo. Could you tell us about him?
Michael: I'm just tryin' to keep Steve's
name alive.
Andy: He was a beautiful guy
Could
you tell us about your involvement on Backyard Babies' 'Friends'?
Michael: I wrote with them a song, and
did it in the studio. I did a duet with the singer, they became our
fans, they covered, what was it, 'Taxi Driver', yeah, they played it
live, and I jammed with them, they're nice guys. That's a good band.
Do
you plan on working on another solo album?
Michael: No I won't. No, I just concentrate
on Hanoi Rocks.
What
do you think of the Scandinavian rock scene, with all these new young
bands that play sleaze rock? Do you know Private Line?
Michael: Good luck to them!
Andy: you took the two best guys and put
them in your band!
Michael: yeah, Hanoi Rocks is what's happening
in Scandinavia right now.
Do
you listen to some new bands?
Andy: new releases of old bands!
Conny: Argentinean tango
Andy: 70's disco, reggae
Do
you get inspiration from 70's disco?
Andy: yeah, we grew up at that time`
Michael: and reggae is the same idea as
rock n roll. The groove, and writing songs that mean something. They're
telling the truth.
There
are many connections with Adam Bomb & Hanoi Rocks. Do you plan on
releasing something together?
Michael: Not that many!
You
sometimes mention serious matters in your songs. What do you think of
the world in 2005? Are you an ecologist?
Michael: Ecologist? I think people take
responsibility for their own actions and doin' things that ought to
be right. That's my philosophy.
Do
you think that the revival of rock n roll has something to do with the
boredom of the youth about the politics, that there's something to rebel
against once more?
Michael: It's an outlet, there was always
a threat to the system, because, I think it's about being an individual
and think with your own brain. It's about being free, and we're not
just told about being free.
Andy: And if you're looking at the mass
media today, like MTV and stuff, it's all white washed, it's not real.
Most of the artists, I would personally consider them more as products,
they're not from the heart. The whole band here sing the music from
the heart, that's real, we don't like to fake.
Michael: the record business is just business
today.
Could
you tell us about the beginning of Hanoi Rocks? Were you outrageous?
Michael: I was outrageous maybe, but I'm
tired of telling about the old days. How about you Andy?
Andy: what you don't remember you don't
have to regret!
Michael: I don't know what happened, but
I was there.
Where
does the name 'Hanoi Rocks' come from?
Michael: It comes from the song 'Chinese
Rock' by Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers. I had a bell ring!
Could
you tell me where and when did you get your tattoos?
Michael: Bon Scott was one of my big idols.
Bon Scott had tattoos, I figured rockers had tattoos, so we had tattoos.
I got 'em in Stockholm.
Andy: Nobody had tattoos in those days.
It was just sailors, or ex-cons
Michael: Bon Scott had tattoos while he
was stayin' in jail.
Andy: I remember I was in a hotel in Japan,
the cleaner came into the room. Only the jacuza, or yazuka, whatever
you called 'em, had tattoos, I had just a towel on, I just took a shower,
and the cleaning lady walks into the room, saw my tattoos, she screamed
and ran out! It was a really different world.
Michael: But I don't like what tattoos
became, everybody has some now. They loose the impact.
What
are your memories from the 80's?
Andy: Razzle's death. One big dream got
crushed because of an idiot.
Michael: Rock n roll became very phony
there at the end, there was a lot of bands. Peolpe said we had something
to influence in them, because of the hair cut. The metal scene in LA,
I don' t think we have anything to do with it really. Most of the bands
acted that they knew who we were, and they don't have much to do with
us. Music became phony, some bands became so big, people think 'ah,
this is rock n roll', they really suck in. They sort of gave rock n
roll a bad name. So that's why after that, rock got whipped from the
face of the Earth.
Can
you give any names?
Michael: I don't mention any names. I think
they're not worth to mention.
What
do you think makes you last that long?
Michael: We definitely have a place here,
there's no band like us. We help save rock n roll. We're just doing
our thing, we're getting better all the time. You gotta do watcha do
better!
And
finally, do you plan on doing another tour once the album will be released?
Do we have a chance to see you again?
Michael: Yeah, I hope so. But it's weird
that we never played here before, in Paris. It's strange, we went to
play in Thailand, in India, in Honk Kong, and places like that, Japan,
Andy: we will hopefully be back very soon.
Alright,
thank you very much!
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