Michael Monroe recalled his reaction when Lemmy Kllmister offered him a way to keep his career going just after Hanoi Rocks collapsed in 1984.

The split was a result of drummer Razzle Dingley’s death in a traffic accident caused by Motley Crue’s Vince Neil. In the aftermath, Monroe felt there was no way for the group to continue.

“What we had with Razzle was really special, you see,” the singer explained to author Matt Stocks (via LouderSound).  “Then Sami [Yaffa] also left, so all of a sudden we didn’t have a drummer or a bass player. It was just me, Andy [McCoy] and Nasty [Suicide]… they were all the way down there and I was all the way up there. There was no connection anymore. To me, the most important thing was to end and maintain the integrity of the band.”

That’s when Lemmy made his suggestion. “He said, ‘You know what, mate? We’ll back you up.’ And he offered to have Motorhead back me up as a band because he was so upset about Razzle dying."

The offer stunned Monroe. "I was like, ‘Woah. Do you know how much that means to me?’ Talk about honor.” Still, the rocker also saw a potential downside. “I was so young and baby-faced back then, I’m sure his fans would have eaten me alive. But what a big heart he had. And always so consistent; always the same wonderful, lovely guy. I was very lucky to have known him.”

Monroe's tale is one of a collection of stories in Stocks’ book Life In The Stocks, Volume 1: Veracious Conversations with Musicians & Creatives, which is on sale now via Rare Bird.

 

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