“Interviewers were telling me that I started the whole glam rock, hair metal scene. I said, ‘What? Don’t blame me for that!’” Drugs, guitars, triumph and tragedy – the inside story of Hanoi Rocks

Hanoi Rocks' Andy McCoy [left] and Michael Monroe. Monroe wears a bright gold jacket and has blonde, '80s rock-sized hair. McCoy is cradling a black Gibson Firebird and weats a wide-brimmed hat.

Are Hanoi Rocks the most underrated rock band of all time? The Finnish rockers had everything – anthemic songs, an unrivaled live show and a killer guitarist in Andy McCoy. And then there was singer Michael Monroe, the most charismatic, photogenic frontperson, male or female, since Elvis Presley.

Taking their cue from the New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders’ Heartbreakers, cut through with the snotty attitude of classic U.K. punk, they distilled their own uniquely potent brand of sleaze-fueled, take-no-prisoners rock ’n’ roll.