St. Andrew's Day

I'm not a religious man, but I like the idea of a 'national' day. I would of course prefer the angle to be 'what it means to be Scottish' but for now I will do with wishing I could wear my kilt at work and personal reflection on my Nationality.

What Hanoi means to me.

As you may or may not know, a couple of years ago I had a story published in a book called 'What Motley Means To Me'. This was a short tale of how I got into Motley Crue and how it all fell into place for me. After last night being the final Hanoi Rocks show I will ever see, I thought it only right and fair that I commit to a similar tale for them. So here it is. Paul had a Finnish pen-pal and so was sent various music over the years of local and national Finnish bands. One of them was called Hanoi Rocks and had that glam/punk/rock and roll groove to them. Before I knew it, I was hearing a band that I was to develop an inexplicable emotional attachment to. The first album (Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks) was the first one to stick in my head. I guess it was the combination of the music, the hairspray and the unashamed saxophone that grabbed me. The attitude was punk, it was fun, it was serious and intelligent. The music was the same. It was practically impossible to pick their stuff up over here, so it was exciting waiting to see what Paul would get next. Stay tuned for part 2!

Hanoi Roxx

Tonight I saw, for the 5th and last time, the magnificent Hanoi Rocks. Technically Hanoi mark 2, I never got a chance to see the originals, but damn, Andy and Mike on the same stage is awesome. More to appear on MySpace when I recover.