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Andy McCoy

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Andy McCoy

Antti Hulkko (born October 11, 1962 in Pelkosenniemi, Finland), better known as Andy McCoy, is a Finnish musician. He is most famous for his role as the lead guitarist and main songwriter of Hanoi Rocks. He also wrote the song "Wild Talk" and played guitar on "Vietnamese Baby" for The 69 Eyes. He has also played with Iggy Pop.

Artistically McCoy's works cover a wide range of music forms, including rock 'n' roll, punk rock, flamenco, rhythm and blues, glam punk, blues and hard rock.

Biography

Early life

Antti Hulkko was born in Pelkosenniemi, Finnish Lapland to Finnish parents. At the age of 9 his family moved to Stockholm, Sweden, where he grew fluent in Swedish and basic English language (his neighbor was half-Jamaican). At the age of 14 his family remigrated back to Finland - this time to Helsinki. Hulkko has said that this was something of a cultural shock to him - he had started to forget the Finnish language. In Helsinki his family lived in the suburb of Vuosaari, where Antti went to Botby Högstadieskolan school.

Hanoi Rocks and other work

Main article: Hanoi Rocks

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 joined Monroe in Hanoi Rock, 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).

Band released their first album in 1981 titled Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks, with 8 out of 10 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 albums release the band moved to London the same year and fired drummer Gyp Casino and hired drummer and Hanoi Rocks fan Nicholas Dingley better known as Razzle. When Razzle joined the band, that line-up is considered the classic and definitive Hanoi Rocks line-up. 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 and got together with legendary producer Bob Ezrin, and released Two Steps from the Move, the bands biggest hit to date. Before this, McCoy had written most of the song's 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 the Razzle's tragic death, Sam Yaffa left the band due to personal differences with McCoy (amongst other reasons he was now engaged to Anna, McCoy's former girlfiend known from the Oriental Beat cover. The band tried-out new members (amongst them Clash ex-drummer Terry Chimes), but things didn't work-out so the band disbanded in 1985.

McCoy's next project was The Cherry Bombz together with guitarist Nasty Suicide of Hanoi Rocks, drummer Terry Chimes (Clash, Hanoi), bassplayer Dave tregunna (Sham 69, Lords Of The New Church)and vocalist Anita Chellemah of Toto Coelo popfame( a hit with I Eat Cannibals). The band broke up in 1987. McCoy also worked with Nasty Suicide under the moniker "The Suicide Twins" and released the album "Silver Missiles and Nightingales" in 1986. After this project, McCoy released some solo albums and toured with Iggy Pop. In the early 90's McCoy and his former bandmate from Cherry Bombz, Dave Tregunna, formed the band Shooting Gallery, made a record (1992) and toured as an opening act for Kiss during a U.S. tour of that band the same year. Unfortunately Shooting Gallery's record came out as alternative/grunge was taking over the airwaves, so it didn't stand much of a chance (not to mention the substance abuse problems of the band members). Shooting Gallery called it a quits in 1994.

In 2002 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). 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 3 of the last gigs.

After Hanoi officially ended, Andy McCoy formed a solo band called "The Real McCoy", but this band broke-up after just three shows, when guitarist Chris Shiflett returned to the US when his son got ill with swine flu.

McCoy's autobiograpy Sheriff McCoy: Outlaw Legend of Hanoi Rocks was published in September 17, 2009.

Discography

Solo

  • Too Much Ain't Enough (1988)
  • Aspects of Andy McCoy (1995)
  • Building on Tradition (1995)
  • Let It Rock (CDS including previously unreleased Candle Burnt Down) (1995)
  • The Real McCoy soundtrack (1999)
  • RnR Memorabilia, The best solo tracks so far (2003)

Hanoi Rocks

Briard

  • I Really Hate Ya - 7" (1977)
  • Fuck the Army - 7" (1978)
  • Chirpy Chirpy Cheap Cheap - 7" (1979)
  • Miss World - LP (1983)
  • Briard (1996)
  • Miss World - rerelease with 15 bonus songs (2005)

Suicide Twins

  • Silver Missiles and Nightingales (1986)

Cherry Bombz

  • Cherry Bombz/Hot Girls In Love - mini-LP (1985)
  • House of Ecstacy - EP (1986)
  • Live at the Marquee - Video (1987)
  • Coming Down Slow - live (1987)
  • House of Ecstacy, Japan Tracks from mini-LP, EP and live album (1990)
  • Live From London - DVD (re-release of Live at the Marquee video) (2005)
  • Shooting Gallery 1992 (Mercury records)


Visiting appearances

  • Maukka Perusjätkä: Ennen kolmatta maailmansotaa (1980)
  • Pete Malmi: Malmi Re-released 2005 (1981)
  • Urban Dogs: Urban Dogs (McCoy on guitar on A Bridge Too Far and Human Beings) (1983)
  • Fallen Angels: Fallen Angels (McCoy on additional guitar) (1983)
  • Fallen Angels: In Loving Memory (McCoy on additional guitar) (1986)
  • UK Subs: Killing time (McCoy plays guitar on Drag Me Down) (1988)
  • Snatches of Pink: Bent with pray (McCoy plays guitar on Screams) (1992)
  • The 69 Eyes: Savage Garden (Wild Talk with/by McCoy) (1995)
  • The 69 Eyes: Velvet Touch - EP (McCoy plays guitar on TV Eye) (1995)
  • XL5: Taas Mennään (CDS, guitar by McCoy) (1996)
  • 22 Pistepirkko: Downhill City (soundtrack - McCoy on the song Let The Romeo Weep) (1999)
  • Hidria Spacefolk: Balansia (McCoy on slide guitar on "Pajas") (2004)

References

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