Antti Hulkko (born 11 October 1962), better known as Andy McCoy, is a Finnish musician. He is best known for his role as the lead guitarist and main songwriter of the rock band Hanoi Rocks,[2] but has also played with Iggy Pop and a variety of other groups. McCoy's works cover a wide range of music genres, including rock 'n' roll, punk rock, flamenco, glam punk, glam rock, blues rock and hard rock. He is also an avid painter.
Before Hanoi Rocks, McCoy had become well known in his home country, Finland, due to his work in the punk rock band Pelle Miljoona Oy. During this time McCoy was talking with Matti Fagerholm (better known as Michael Monroe) to start a band of their own, but because McCoy was currently in Pelle Miljoona Oy, he told Monroe to start the band without him in 1979. After McCoy left Pelle Miljoona Oy, he then joined Monroe in Hanoi Rocks, with another former-Pelle Miljoona Oy member, Sam Yaffa. At this point, the Hanoi Rocks line-up consisted of Michael Monroe (lead vocals), Andy McCoy (lead guitar), Nasty Suicide (rhythm guitar), Sam Yaffa (bass) and Swedish Gyp Casino (drums).
Hanoi Rocks released their first album in 1981 titled Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks, with nine out of ten tracks written by McCoy. The album was produced by Andy McCoy and Michael Monroe who were known as "The Muddy Twins". In 1982 Hanoi Rocks recorded and released their second studio album Oriental Beat in London. The original cover's back side featured Andy McCoy's then girlfriend Anna's naked breasts painted blue and red with "Hanoi Roxx" written across it. After the album's release, the band moved to London the same year, and subsequently fired drummer Gyp Casino before hiring Hanoi Rocks fan Nicholas Dingley, better known as Razzle, as drummer. The line-up with Razzle is considered the definitive version of Hanoi Rocks. Later that year the band released Self Destruction Blues, which had Razzle on the cover, but he didn't play on the album, because it was actually a compilation of old singles. The tour for the album took the band to Asia for the first time. The next year 1983, the band released Back to Mystery City and after that, in 1984, the band worked with producer Bob Ezrin, and released Two Steps from the Move. Before this, McCoy had written most of the songs by himself, but for this album Bob Ezrin helped McCoy with the writing, along with Monroe. He also got some help with the lyrics from legendary Ian Hunter (of Mott The Hoople). After Razzle's death, Sam Yaffa left the band due to personal differences with McCoy (amongst other reasons he was now engaged to Anna, McCoy's former girlfriend known from the Oriental Beat cover). The band tried out new members (amongst them The Clash ex-drummer Terry Chimes and bassist René Berg), but things didn't work out, so the band disbanded in 1985.
In 2001 McCoy and Michael Monroe started working together again and decided to reform Hanoi Rocks with two new members on guitar and bass, with Michael Monroe's solo career drummer, Lacu. They released Twelve Shots on the Rocks that same year. In 2005 they released Another Hostile Takeover with new members Andy Christell on bass and Conny Bloom on guitar (both formerly of the Electric Boys).[3][citation needed] In 2007 the band released the album Street Poetry. In 2008 Andy McCoy and Michael Monroe stated that they had taken the band as far as they could and so they decided to end the band. Hanoi Rocks played 8 sold out farewell gigs in 6 days at Tavastia Club, Helsinki. The original guitarist Nasty Suicide appeared as a special guest on three of the last gigs.
Other work (1985–1999, 2009–2019)
McCoy in 1988
After Hanoi Rocks' break-up in 1985, McCoy continued with his next project "The Cherry Bombz" which featured the last Hanoi line-up (except Michael Monroe), which consisted of Nasty Suicide, drummer Terry Chimes, bass player Timo Kaltio and vocalist Anita Chellemah of Toto Coelo fame (previously scoring a hit with "I Eat Cannibals"). The band was perceived as being the next stage of Hanoi Rocks. The music of The Cherry Bombz was actually very similar to that of Hanoi Rocks. The band played a handful of shows in Europe and in the United States in 1985 and 1986 and released two EPs and a live album and video, but never a full-length studio album. In 1986, Timo Kaltio was replaced by bassist Dave Tregunna (Sham 69, Lords of the New Church), but the group broke up the next year.
McCoy also worked with Nasty Suicide under the moniker "The Suicide Twins" and released the album Silver Missiles And Nightingales (which was the original working tile for Two Steps from the Move) in 1986, which also featured a guest appearance by René Berg. "The Suicide Twins" project disbanded in 1987
McCoy spent the rest of 1987 not doing much, except releasing his memoir titled "Andy McCoy – From Hanoi to Eternity", but nothing else. In 1988 McCoy released his first solo-album titled Too Much Ain't Enough. For the rest of 1988 McCoy did some acoustic gigs in Finland, moved to London and then to Los Angeles. Next McCoy struck a record deal with BMG. McCoy also became the first Finnish artist to have a gold record in the US, when Samantha Fox recorded a cover of The Suicide Twins' song "The Best Is Yet to Come". The rest of 1988 and some of 1989 McCoy spent touring as the guitarist for Iggy Pop. In 1989 McCoy appeared on the U.K. Subs' album Killing Time.
In the beginning of the 1990s, McCoy lived in Los Angeles with his son and new girlfriend, Johnny Thunders' cousin Angela Nicoletti (former girlfriend of Izzy Stradlin). McCoy formed the band Shooting Gallery and married Angela in October 1991. Shooting Gallery toured as an opening act for Kiss during a U.S. tour and also released an album in 1992, before breaking-up that same year. Shooting Gallery shortly came back and toured in Finland with Gyp Casino on drums in 1994, but again disbanded that same year.
In 1995 McCoy's second solo-album Building on Tradition was released and, aside from Hanoi Rocks, it became McCoy's biggest success. The album's biggest hit "Strung Out" was originally meant for Shooting Gallery, but it was not recorded until the second solo-album. For the tour for Building on Tradition, McCoy assembled the band Live Ammo, which featured McCoy (guitar, vocals), Angela McCoy (vocals), Dan Lagerstedt (guitar, vocals), Andy Christell (bass), Gyp Casino (drums) and Christian André (keyboards). Christell had to soon leave the band for family reasons, so Lagerstedt started to play bass. André was also fired from the band, and they soon disbanded.
Also in 1995, McCoy appeared on The 69 Eyes' songs "Vietnamese Baby" and the song "Wild Talk" from the album Savage Garden. Next McCoy returned to his childhood passion: painting (which he still does).
In 1996, McCoy and Pete Malmi reformed their old band Briard after 20 years. The new Briard (which also included Angela McCoy) released a new album simply titled Briard. That same year filmmaker Pekka Lehto started the filming for the movie The Real McCoy, a half-real, half-fictional bio-pic on McCoy. The film was released in 1999.
After Hanoi officially ended in 2009, Andy McCoy formed a band called "The Real McCoy Band", but this band broke up after just three shows, when guitarist Chris Shiflett returned to the US after his son contracted swine flu.
After 2009, McCoy was recruited as lead guitarist for Grease Helmet,[4] a new Helsinki-based band. The first album of the band was released in September 2012. Besides working with Grease Helmet, McCoy has also performed with several other bands including the new band for a Finnish punk singer, Pelle Miljoona (which he had played before joining Hanoi Rocks) as well as Bam Margera's band in which he toured in Australia in 2015.
McCoy released an EP "Soul Satisfaction" in December 2018 and toured with Pelle Miljoona Oy from November 2018 to late August 2019. The band released a new EP called "Anna soihtusi palaa" (Let your torch burn) in October 2018 with McCoy on the guitar.[5] McCoy released a new single "Seven Seas" on 15 August 2019, with the announcement of a tour starting in 2020 and a full album release on 27 September the same year.[6] He also hosted an art exhibition with an acoustic gig at Hard Rock Cafe in Helsinki on the release day of the single Seven Seas.[7]
Personal life
McCoy was born in Pelkosenniemi, Finland, but grew up in Stockholm, Sweden. His mother was Finnish and Swedish,[8] and McCoy has stated that his paternal grandfather was a Romani musician who taught him "gypsy and flamenco guitar" in his childhood,[8] but in a 2012 interview his brother Ilkka Hulkko denied the Roma roots and described their ”grandfather Eino” as ”a good accordion player but not a Romani”.[9]
Besides music, Andy McCoy is an avid painter and he also makes a lot of his own and his wife's clothes, along with designing jewellery, scarfs and other accessories.[10][citation needed] McCoy held his first Art Exhibition McCoy Hits Canvas at The Cable Factory in Helsinki in 2010.[11]
On 27 July 2009 a statue of McCoy (sculpted in wood by Matti Hulkko) was erected in the main square of Pelkosenniemi.[12] All proceeds went to charity for newcomers in the music business.
McCoy's autobiography Sheriff McCoy: Outlaw Legend of Hanoi Rocks was published in English translation on 17 September 2009 by Bazillion Points Books.[13]
McCoy was previously married to Anastasia Maisonneuve, the ex-girlfriend of his Hanoi Rocks bandmate Michael Monroe, and the former common-law wife of musician Stiv Bators. She and McCoy have a son together named Sebastian. McCoy was married to Angela Nicoletti between 1991 and 2021.[14]
When Acey Slade was asked "Who is the best guitarist in rock right now?" He replied: "Andy McCoy. Period. When Dave Grohl met Andy McCoy, he said 'I have met my first rockstar.' That's a pretty good reason."[16]
McCoy is a friend of Bam Margera (professional skater and Jackass star). McCoy made appearances in Viva la Bam and Bam Margera Presents: Where the#$&% Is Santa?, and appeared several times on radio Bam. Margera has a tattoo of McCoy on his right arm.[17][18]
Discography
McCoy performing in 2008
Solo
Too Much Ain't Enough (1988)
Building on Tradition (1995)
The Real McCoy – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1999)
R'n'R Memorabilia – The Best Solo Tracks So Far! (2003)
22 Pistepirkko: Downhill City (McCoy on the song Let The Romeo Weep) (1999)
The 4 Faces: Best Of Both Worlds b/w Poison Heart (single) (2002) [19]
Hidria Spacefolk: Balansia (McCoy on slide guitar on "Pajas") (2004)
Related Research Articles
Hanoi Rocks were a Finnish rock band formed in 1979. They were the first Finnish band to chart in the UK and they were also popular in Japan. By 1984, the band was considered to be on the verge of an international breakthrough when they released their first major label album for CBS and headed for their first US tour. The tour was however cut short when their drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley died in a drunk driving incident with Vince Neil behind the wheel in December 1984. The band never recovered from the loss and announced their split in June 1985. After their initial break-up, lead singer Michael Monroe became the first Finnish artist to chart on the American Billboard 200 in 1989. Monroe and original lead guitarist Andy McCoy reunited in 2001 with a new lineup that lasted until 2009. Although musically closer to traditional rock n' roll and punk, Hanoi Rocks has been cited as a major influence in the glam metal genre for bands such as Guns N' Roses, Skid Row and Poison.
Nasty Suicide is a Finnish musician. He is most famous for being one of the founding members of Hanoi Rocks, the group's rhythm guitarist between 1979 and 1985. Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish rock band that combined elements of punk, glam rock, rock and roll, and blues. Before his tenure in Hanoi Rocks, Suicide played guitar in a Finnish punk band called Briard in the late 1970s. Suicide replaced Andy McCoy in Briard after McCoy joined Pelle Miljoona Oy. After the breakup of Hanoi Rocks in 1985, he and his former bandmate Andy McCoy recorded an acoustic album under the name The Suicide Twins which was released in 1986 and was titled Silver Missiles and Nightingales. At the same time McCoy and Suicide started The Cherry Bombz, which included Timo Caltio on bass, Terry Chimes on drums and singer Anita Chellemah. The Cherry Bombz released two EPs: The Cherry Bombz (1985) and House Of Ecstasy (1986) as well as a live album, Coming Down Slow (1986). After The Cherry Bombz Nasty went on to form his own band Cheap and Nasty, which was active from 1990 to 1994.
Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm, better known by his stage name Michael Monroe, is a Finnish rock musician who rose to fame as the vocalist and saxophonist for the glam punk band Hanoi Rocks, and has served as the frontman for all-star side projects, such as Demolition 23 and Jerusalem Slim.
Pelle Miljoona, real name Petri Samuli Tiili is a Finnish punk rock legend, author and musician, He was part of the first wave of Finnish punk rock. Pelle's music has been strongly influenced by bands like The Clash, Sex Pistols, Stooges and MC5. Pelle has also recorded reggae and acoustic folk music.
Self Destruction Blues is the third album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 1982. Although often listed as a studio album, Self Destruction Blues is a compilation of singles and B-sides that the band recorded in 1981 and 1982. None of the tracks on Self Destruction Blues, however, appear on their previous albums. Guns N' Roses were rumoured to have recorded a cover version of "Beer and a Cigarette" for their 1993 release "The Spaghetti Incident?". Of note is the fact that although Gyp Casino plays on the LP, his replacement Razzle actually appears on the cover.
Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks is the first studio album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 1981.
Oriental Beat is the second studio album by the Finnish glam punk band Hanoi Rocks, recorded in London and released in 1982. Oriental Beat also opened markets in the UK and Japan, where Hanoi eventually became very popular.
Back to Mystery City is the fourth studio album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 1983. It was produced by ex-Mott the Hoople members Dale Griffin and Pete "Overend" Watts, and was the first with Razzle on drums. Besides Hanoi Rocks, the album also features keyboardist Morgan Fisher, and Miriam Stockley on backing vocals, who had also sung with Pink Floyd.
Two Steps from the Move is the fifth studio album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 1984. This is their last album to feature drummer Razzle, before he was killed in a car accident on 8 December 1984.
All Those Wasted Years is the first live album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released in 1984. In initial pressing of this album's name was misspelled as "All Those Waisted Years", while correct spelling has been used with later releases of this album, but the original release with the misspelled title is very rare. The album was recorded in December 1983 at The Marquee Club in London, about a year before the death of Hanoi Rocks' drummer Razzle. The live engineer was Mick Staplehurst, the longtime FOH Engineer for Hanoi Rocks.
Sami Yaffa is a Finnish bass guitarist best known for his work in New York Dolls, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Pelle Miljoona Oy, Michael Monroe's bands, and Hanoi Rocks. He is currently the bassist for the Michael Monroe band and is also concentrating on his solo career.
"Don't You Ever Leave Me" is a song by Finnish glam metal band Hanoi Rocks, released as the third and final single from their 1984 album Two Steps from the Move.
This One's for Rock'n'Roll – The Best of Hanoi Rocks 1980–2008 is a 2CD retrospective compilation album by Finnish hard rock band Hanoi Rocks, and also the band's last album before their second breakup, released on 26 November 2008 in Japan and 17 December 2008 worldwide. The album features 33 songs from both the original incarnation of the band and the incarnation from the new millennium since the 2002 reunion.
"Malibu Beach Nightmare" is a single and EP released only in the UK by the Finnish rock and glam punk band Hanoi Rocks. The song is from their 1983 album, Back to Mystery City, but the single was released just before the album in the UK. The song was written by the band's guitarist and primary songwriter, Andy McCoy.
"Until I Get You" is a single by the Finnish rock and glam punk band Hanoi Rocks. The band's guitarist and primary songwriter Andy McCoy wrote this song at the band's manager Seppo Vesterinen's house in Helsinki. McCoy hated the song but the band's drummer Razzle loved it, and wanted it on their next record. Ultimately McCoy also fell in love with the song. The song is a kind of ballad that explains Hanoi Rocks' own melodic style very well. Also, the arrangement for the song was inspired by Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen".
The Best of Hanoi Rocks is the first compilation album by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks. The record was released in 1985, the same year the original Hanoi Rocks broke up. The band's founders, vocalist Michael Monroe and guitarist Andy McCoy, would ultimately reunite in 2001 and reform Hanoi Rocks, until the band's final break-up in 2009.
"Keep Our Fire Burning" is a single by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks, released exclusively in Finland.
"Dead by X-Mas" is a song by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks. The single was released prior to the band's 1982 album Oriental Beat but neither the A- or B-side were featured on an album until the band's third album, Self Destruction Blues.
Buried Alive is a concert music video by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks. The video was recorded at the Tavastia Club in Helsinki of the band's final show. This is also the band's last release. The DVD spent eight weeks at number 1 on Finland's DVD charts.
"Million Miles Away" is a ballad by the Finnish hard rock band Hanoi Rocks.
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