“This is a different story in a good way”

One of Finland’s most famous rock stars Michael Monroe61, opens up in his new documentary film what rocker life is really like.

Monroe, who has influenced the music world for six decades, tells Iltalehti that she always knew that a documentary would be made about her, as long as the time was right.

– You have to do something like this once in your life, and since it’s only done once, it has to be good. We started doing this three years ago and decided that we would do this until it was finished. Now it was successful, Monroe describes the film that premieres next week.

The movie is directed by Pete Eklund and produced by Patrick Sigmund. Monroe says that a lot of details of the film have been filed, because there was a huge amount of material.

– There were more than 100 hours of interviews and 60 people whom we interviewed. After all, we chose the interview clips we used based on what people said, not who the people were. I also had a lot of photos that I wanted to include in the film.

Monroe is grateful for the contact with Eklund. Monroe had a precise vision of what the film would be like and Eklund was also aware of it.

– Pete knows that I am quite strict and I must be able to stand behind the film one hundred percent. It has to be that I am satisfied and everyone else is satisfied too. Of course, Pete also has a vision, which looks good in the movies, I know nothing about them.

Death

The film deals not only with the birth of Hanoi Rocks and career stages, but also with the twists and turns, losses and joys and sorrows of Monroe’s personal life.

Monroe has experienced the loss of two close people in her life. First in 1984, the drummer of Hanoi Rocks Razzlethe tragic death of real name Nicholas Dingley in a car accident that eventually led to the band’s breakup.

Another life-shattering loss occurred in 2001, when Monroe, who had moved to Finland from New York, and his first wife by Jude Wilder the marriage ended with Wilder’s death. Wilder, who died of a cerebral hemorrhage, was Monroe’s life partner for 16 years, and the rocker openly talks about his fear in the documentary that he would not find new love in his lifetime. In the end, however, he found his current wife, Johanna, to whom he has been married for 20 years.

– Johanna is the greatest love of my life, says Monroe.

Monroe says that the tragic events were particularly difficult when they happened, but it is important to talk about them.

– They were tough when they happened and yes, they always make you quiet when you think about them. Of course, it’s okay to talk about them and go through them. It didn’t bother me that they were talked about, this was a cleansing experience and put life into perspective.

It was also interesting for Monroe to listen to the stories of other people interviewed for the documentary and compare them with his own memories.

– I didn’t want any shiny image or any list of my merits or what I’ve done. I didn’t want some famous guys to come just to praise how good a guy I am, on the contrary. Let’s dig deeper into my personality and what this is all about.

Monroe is especially happy that the documentary brings out the rock world and rockers in a new way.

– You can do it this way too. I’ve always been kind of an exception, even in the music world. For many big stars, for example, from America, it’s quite natural to do certain things that I couldn’t imagine myself doing, which are thought to belong to the rock ‘n roll life. I take my own rock ‘n roll thing differently. Each in a way, but this is a different story in a good way.

Religion and guidance

In the documentary, Monroe’s mother Marjatta Kaistila tells about Monroe’s childhood, or Makke in the family circle, and how religion and Jesus have been a part of Monroe’s life.

In the documentary, it appears that Monroe has read the Bible and especially the New Testament in his childhood. Higher powers and guidance have always guided Monroe.

– It is natural to me and there has always been guidance in my life. I believe that other people have similar guidance and signs in their lives, but some see them and some don’t. Everyone can interpret them however they want.

– After things like this, I get the feeling that I’m on the right path. Your guardian angels and guides will show you where to go. If you have déjà vu or other moments, they are just signs that you are on the right path in life.

According to Monroe, a higher power and guidance have also been involved in the making of the documentary.

– There were a lot of coincidences. We were filming in New York at the door of my old apartment and suddenly a man comes and says that he lives in my old apartment. It was so genuine. We reached my old staircase and my front door.

– After this, I told Pete that I have a lot of videotapes at home that we filmed with my late wife in New York, but you can’t use them, since I don’t even have that camera. Pete said of course you can use them! From there we got footage of me walking with my late wife in the stairwell and in the same rooms. What is the probability of this also happening? It was clearly a higher power, he continues.

It was clear to Monroe that certain points would be left unplanned and a higher power would be allowed to write the film itself.

– During the last year, when I turned 60, a lot of such significant things happened in my life.

Monroe found the tapes of the second LP of Hanoi Rocks, which were supposed to be lost, in his stashes. The album was re-mixed, and the band returned to the stage at Monroe’s 60th anniversary concert at the Helsinki Ice Hall. After 40 years, the band members hugged each other and were together again.

At least for a while.