BIOGRAPHY – Nasty Suicide

Published on September 1, 2011 by Christian Sellers   ·   No Comments

When metal fans discuss Hanoi Rocks one of two names are usually mentioned; Michael Monroe or Razzle. Yet during an all-too-brief time in the early 1980s the Finnish glam rockers were on the verge of international success and each member played a significant role in their unique sound. While the majority of the material was written by lead guitarist Andy McCoy, what is now considered by fans as the classic line-up also consisted of bassist Sam Yaffa and rhythm guitarist Nasty Suicide. Born Jan Stenfors on February 27th 1963, Suicide was the son of a musician-turned-teacher and raised in both Helsinki and Sipoo, Finland. Perhaps it was inevitable that Stenfors would take interest in the guitar from a young age and, while still in high school, became friends with another music enthusiast called Antti Hulkko.

The two would become inseparable and would often skip school, staying at home to drink beer and developing a mutual love of rock music. Eventually they decided to form a group which they dubbed The School Boys, performing locally at churches and even their school, but soon Hulkko decided that he no longer wanted to treat music as a hobby and had already formed a band with his older brother, Ikke, and a friend and called themselves Briard. The group would enjoy modest success and also became the first punk band to release a single in Finland when their track debuted in 1977. Meanwhile, Stenfors had become good friends with a young blonde singer called Matti Fagerholm, who had performed in several local bands and wanted to form his own. Fagerholm soon adopted the name Michael Monroe, while Stenfors opted for the alias Nasty Suicide and Hanoi Rocks was formed. At this point they were both still teenagers but, fuelled by their passion for heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, were eager to leave their studies and day jobs behind and set their sights on stardom.

Hulkko, now performing under the name Andy McCoy, had enjoyed further success with Pelle Miljoona but had decided to quit just before embarking on a tour. By this point Monroe and Suicide had gathered together a full line-up for Hanoi Rocks, which also consisted of guitarist Stefan Piesnack (who had played in Pelle Miljoona prior to McCoy), drummer Peki Sirola and bassist Jesu Hämäläinen, although he was soon replaced by Nedo Soininen. Once again McCoy, who would often refer to Suicide as Nasse, would step into Piesnack’s shoes when he took over as the band’s lead guitarist. Agreeing that if they were to take their music seriously they would need to relocate, the band relocated to Stockholm in Sweden. With Hämäläinen leaving, McCoy contacted Sami Takamäki (also known as Sam Yaffa), whom he had played with in Pelle Miljoona. They soon found a small rehearsal space and began writing and practising, while struggling to find food and somewhere to sleep at night. With manager Seppo Vesterinen representing them, Hanoi Rocks struck a deal with Johanna Kustannus, an independent label, to release their first single, I Want You/Kill City Kills.

Following the release of their debut album, 1981′s Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks, the band soon began to attract the attention of the local press and, following a small tour in their home country opening for the U.K. Subs, returned to the studio to record their follow-up. Much like with its predecessor, the majority of the material was written by McCoy, with the occasional contribution from Monroe, while Suicide and his bandmates had little input in the composing of the songs. This would continue throughout their career, which would result in four studio albums, a compilation of B-sides and rarities and a live album recorded at London’s Marquee.

By this point Gyp Casino, who had joined the band as the drummer prior to the recording of their first album, had been fired and replaced by Nicholas Dingley, more commonly known as Razzle. Hanoi Rocks had become known for their outrageous lifestyles, which included frequent heroine use, of which Suicide was the most frequent offender. As McCoy recalled in his autobiography Sheriff McCoy; “A shirtless Nasse stood in front of me, his body covered with deep, bloody scratches. It looked fuckin’ serious. I was like, “Shit, man, how can you let anybody do that to you? It doesn’t matter how good-looking the chick is, that’s fuckin’ painful!” Nasse mumbled sleepily: “It was no fuckin’ chick. It’s the motherfuckin’ opium that makes me itch.” When you do opium you get the urge to scratch yourself and you feel almost no pain at all. Nasse had scratched himself raw.” In 1983, shortly after the release of their third album Back to Mystery City, Suicide, Yaffa and Razzle formed a side project with Ian “Knox” Carnochan, the frontman of UK punk band the Vibrators, called the Fallen Angels.

The group recorded a self-titled album, which would also feature an appearance from McCoy (under the name The Cosmic Ted) and Monroe (as the Psychedelic Kid), but with Hanoi Rocks gaining momentum Carnochan continued with a new line-up. Hanoi Rocks‘ final studio effort was to be their breakthrough, signing with a major label, CBS, and teaming up with acclaimed producer Bob Ezrin (Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd) to record something more commercial and accessible. Their cover of the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic Up Around the Bend would bring them their first hit single, while a re-recording of the track Don’t You Ever Leave Me (first released on their debut album) also brought the band some exposure. But during a tour of the United States in December 1984 the band arrived in Los Angeles for two sell-out shows but, while partying with members from Mötley Crüe, Razzle was killed in an automobile accident and soon afterwards Hanoi Rocks fell apart.

Following the band’s split each of the surviving members remained active, with Suicide making an appearance on Johnny Thunders’ fourth album Que Sera Sera. This would be significant as Thunders’ previous band, the New York Dolls, had been a major influence on Hanoi Rocks during the early years. Other musicians to contribute to the album were Monroe, who played saxophone and harmonica, and the Lords of the New Church frontman Stiv Bators. On July 11th 1975 Suicide married his girlfriend Simone Stenfors (born Kalmowicz Vel Alexandrowiez), a model and dancer who during the 1980s was involved with such musicians as Rat Scabies from The Damned, Chris Carter from Throbbing Gristle and Nils Stevenson, who managed both the Sex Pistols and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Among his guests at the ceremony were former Hanoi Rocks bandmates Monroe and McCoy, as well as Chimes and Chellamah. Stenfors would accompany Suicide throughout 1986 and his toured with numerous artists.

Around this time McCoy had made the acquaintance of Anita Mahadervan, who had enjoyed minor success as the singer of new wave act Toto Coelo, before changing her name to Anita Chellamah and forming a new group, The Cherry Bombz, with McCoy. The band would also serve as Hanoi Rocks reunion of sorts, as the line-up would also feature bassist Timo Kaltio, who had acted as a rodeo for Hanoi Rocks for several years, as well as Terry Chimes (formerly of The Clash), who had played drums for the band during their last few shows following the death of Razzle. The Cherry Bombz would be short-lived and the project would not result in a full length album, although it would result in the live EPs Coming Down Slow (which saw McCoy and Suicide recording once again at The Marquee) and Live From London. Kaltio was later replaced by Dave Tregunna of the Lords of the New Church but The Cherry Bombz split soon afterwards.

McCoy and Suicide collaborated once again on another project, The Suicide Twins, which resulted in an acoustic album entitled Silver Missiles and Nightingales, which had been the working title for Two Steps From the Move. Reaching out to their friends, the album saw appearances from Tregunna and Chellamah, as well as Patricia Morrison, best known for her work on the Sisters of Mercy album Floodland. Teaming up with Buttz, the vocalist from the Babysitters, Suicide formed a “supergroup” called the Gang Bang Band, which also featured Spike from the then-unsigned Quireboys and René Berg, who had replaced Yaffa during the final months of Hanoi Rocks. Much like Fallen Angels and The Cherry Bombz this project would be short-lived, as would his next two groups, Weird Things, which would see Suicide reunite with Tregunna, and Westend Central (who could evolve into the Soho Vultures), which would once again see Suicide collaborating with Berg.

In 1987 Monroe had recorded his debut solo album, Nights Are So Long, which had featured covers of the Heavy Metal Kids and Johnny Thunders, as well as original material, and the following year he sent an invite to Suicide to collaborate on his follow-up, Not Fakin’ It. The album would also feature an appearance by Little Steven, while songwriting contributions came from both Stiv Bators and Suicide, who would co-write the tracks Smoke Screen and the single Dead, Jail or Rock ‘N’ Roll. Following his visit to New York to work with Monroe, Suicide returned to London but became frustrated following a conversation with Yaffa, who had joined Jetboy in 1987 following the death of bassist Todd Crew and had since enjoyed modest success, with three of their tracks being used for the soundtrack to the Tom Hanks comedy the ‘burbs.

Following an appearance alongside Stenfors in the music video Guns N’ Roses‘ 1988 hit Paradise City, Suicide decided to relocate to Los Angeles to start over again. Kaltio had been in California for some time and had been performing with numerous artists since his departure from The Cherry Bombz, such as Marc Ford of The Black Crowes, Yaffa and Izzy Stradlin from Guns N’ Roses (he would co-write the track Right Next Door to Hell for their 1991 album Use Your Illusion I). Enthusiastic and feeling creative, Suicide and Kaltio formed a group called Cheap and Nasty with bassist Mike Finn and drummer Les Riggs. This new project would be a milestone for Suicide as it marked the first time that he would perform in a band as the lead singer. The group began recording demos and performing around Los Angeles, inviting guest musicians such as Slash from Guns N’ Roses onstage with them. The decision is soon made for Cheap and Nasty to uproot and move to London but Finn states that he wants to remain behind in Los Angeles, forcing Suicide to find a suitable replacement.

Having returned home from a tour with Iggy Pop, former U.K. Subs bassist Alvin Gibbs is approached and agrees to join the band. Ironically, Pop and Gibbs had been accompanied by McCoy during the tour, while McCoy had also performed on a U.K. Subs album. Following years of drug and alcohol abuse, Suicide was finally sober and focused solely on his music, and Cheap and Nasty provided the perfect platform for him to flex his new frontman muscles. Upon arriving in London, the band were soon able to attract the attention of China Records, who also handled The Dogs D’Amour and were distributed by Polydor Records. The first release from Cheap and Nasty was a single called Mind Across the Ocean (not to be confused with The Mission track Hands Across the Ocean, released the same year), which was self-produced by the band and saw co-written by all four members. For the second time in his career one of Suicide’s singles would be released in 3D; the 12″ picture disc of Don’t You Ever Leave Me in 1984 had included this gimmick, while the front cover painting for Mind Across the Ocean would feature a 3D ocean wave.

While the single had been released in 1990, the band’s full length album would surface the following March. Beautiful Disaster would feature all three tracks from the Mind Across the Ocean 12″ (the two B-sides being Midnight Emperor and Queen Bee), as well as eight exclusive tracks that the group had been perfecting in their live shows. One of these songs, Retribution, was inspired by a poem that notorious London gangster Reggie Kray had given to Suicide as they were writing the album. But Beautiful Disaster would receive mixed reviews, with some feeling that it lacked the attitude and sleaze of Suicide’s work with Hanoi Rocks. Regardless, Cheap and Nasty became a popular act and appeared in such legendary venues as London’s The Marquee.

Although China Records had supported The Dogs D’Amour for several years their relationship with Cheap and Nasty soon came to an end and by 1994 the band searched for a new home. They eventually signed a contract with Japanese label Pony Canyon and commenced work on their second album, Cool Talk Injection (which would include a cover of the Kill City Dragons track Devil Calling, originally released in 1990), once again acting as their own producers. But the poor performance of the album convinced Suicide that the group had run its course and announced that he was going to leave to pursue other projects, much to the frustration of his bandmates. On April 23rd 1991 Johnny Thunders had died at the age of just thirty-eight, prompting numerous tributes from his peers and admirers. Two years later American singer Alison Gordy organised a tribute in memory of Thunders entitled Blonde and Blue, which featured contributions from Suicide, Monroe and Yaffa. Their performance at London’s Camden Underworld on July 30th is captured on film and becomes a sought-after bootleg for fans.

In 1993 Monroe and Yaffa formed new band together in New York called Demolition 23, with drummer Jimmy Clark and guitarist Jay Hening. The band became noted for featuring guests during their shows, including Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach and Warrior Soul‘s Kory Clarke. Demolition 23 then made their way to Power Station Studios in New York with producer Little Steven to record their self-titled debut album, which would feature re-workings of songs by Johnny Thunders and The Dead Boys. Stiv Bators, the singer of both The Dead Boys and the Lords of the New Church, had died in Paris in 1990 and Monroe had decided to dedicate the album to his memory, as Bators had contributed to Not Fakin’ It several years earlier. Due to complications Hening was forced to leave the band and so Monroe and Yaffa were reunited with their former Hanoi Rocks bandmate Suicide. But the group soon began to struggle and Suicide’s time with them would be brief, eventually announcing his decision to leave in 1995, effectively bringing the band to an end.

Following his split from Demolition 23 and the release of his solo album, Vinegar Blood, Suicide decided to step back from the music industry and returned home to continue his studies, eventually graduating in 1998 and pursuing a new career in pharmacy, while the following year he became the father to a baby girl called Jasmin Josefina. Despite his newfound profession, Suicide has occasionally returned to the stage to perform with his friends, joining Hanoi Rocks for a New Year’s Eve show in Turku, Finland in 2003 and then Monroe in Helsinki in April 2010, where he made a guest appearance for a cover of The Stooges classic I Feel Alright.