Seconds later, and with chilling realisation dawning, they returned to the scene to find Vince Neil in police custody and Razzle’s unconscious body being put into an ambulance.Īndy McCoy and Michael Monroe, circa 1983 (Image credit: Fin Costello/Redferns)Īpparently, shortly after setting off at 6.38pm, Neil lost control of his car in a wet spot while swerving around a stationary fire truck at 65mph in a 25mph zone. As they drove they passed a car wreck near Neil’s home in Redondo Beach. Vince Neil, heavily intoxicated but, inadvisably, keen to show off his orange-red 72 Ford Pantera sports car, set off for the liquor store with Razzle as his passenger.Īlmost an hour later McCoy became concerned that the pair still hadn’t returned and, along with the band’s road manager, set about retracing their steps. Sketchy memories from those in attendance suggest that three to four days into the party, on the evening of December 8, with supplies depleted, a trip to buy more booze was mooted. With Monroe laid up in his hotel room, McCoy, Razzle, bassist Sam Yaffa and guitarist Nasty Suicide embarked on a mammoth drinking binge with the Crüe that was always destined to end in total, unmitigated disaster. It came as little surprise, then, that as soon as the – temporarily derailed – Hanoi Rocks touring machine arrived in LA, Mötley Crüe held an impromptu welcome party for them. And although the two bands were never the closest of friends, they did share an unhealthy appetite for cavalier self-destruction.
Hanoi’s ebullient drummer Razzle vaguely knew Crüe vocalist Vince Neil, and while in London Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee had crash-landed at Andy McCoy’s flat to hang out and watch an AC/DC video. But thumb twiddling was something they were never particularly good at.īirds of a feather flock together, and Hanoi Rocks’ unquenchable desire for partying had previously, and almost inevitably, brought them into LA band Motley Crue’s orbit. Ari Väntänen’s Razzle biography is a touching and funny read.” - Jouni Hirn, ”It feels like a large group of those who knew Razzle had gathered together to reminisce him… Razzle was a lovable rogue and the glue that kept Hanoi Rocks intact.” Kimmo Rantanen, TS ”The book flows smoothly and answers a lot of questions.” Vilho Rajala, ”Throughout the book, the atmosphere is sad and beautiful… A book of memories like this is the best way to capture Razzle’s story.The remainder of the band, after flying down to Los Angeles, routinely ripped to the gills on a variety of intoxicants, were forced to kick back and twiddle their thumbs while Monroe recovered. Razzle lived fast and died young, but he affected countless lives.
Together with old interview quotes, their stories create an image of a lovable rascal who was always up for a practical joke, kept his band together, and loved his rock’n’roll lifestyle from the bottom of his soul. But who really was Razzle, and what was his life like? To answer these questions, the author of this book interviewed dozens of people who knew Nicholas “Razzle” Dingley. His life ended in a car accident involving the singer in Mötley Crüe.
A funny and wistful saga of a mythical cult icon.