Michael Monroe On Demolition 23.’s Debut Album, His Upcoming Documentary, Hanoi Rocks, Future Career Plans & More

Michael Monroe, who turned 60 in June, celebrated that birthday milestone in a big way last month. The focal point of a three-hour concert at Finland’s Helsinki Ice Hall, Monroe reunited the original line-up of Hanoi Rocks — one of Finland’s most significant rock bands of all time — for the first time since July 27th, 1982. An influential band on the Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses and Skid Row alike, Hanoi Rocks made classic rock and comic book website headlines earlier this year when the group’s legacy factored into dialogue by John Cena’s character in the HBO Max Original series Peacemaker.

At the “60th anniversary show,” Michael Monroe also reunited musicians from his post-Hanoi Rocks band Demolition 23. Stevie Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records recently announced plans to reissue the sole album from Demolition 23. — as co-founded by Monroe, ex-Star Star guitarist Jay Hening, Monroe’s Hanoi Rocks bandmate Sami Yaffa on bass and Jimmy Clark on drums — digitally for the first time ever, beyond CD and “blue smoke” vinyl editions. Set to hit physical and digital outlets later this week on October 14, 2022, this reissue includes three bonus demos, while its physical versions of the album also feature a booklet with photos and liner notes from Monroe, plus additional notes written by all of the living band members; the vinyl edition also includes a download card for the bonus tracks.

On October 11, 2022, I had the pleasure of speaking with Michael Monroe again, this time via Zoom and embedded below. Beyond Demolition 23., Monroe also spoke about future plans for his career, his upcoming documentary and Van Halen. More on Monroe can be found here, here and here.

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Tags: Demolition 23., Finland, Guns N’ Roses, Hanoi Rocks, HBO, John Cena, Michael Monroe, Wicked Cool Records

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."