Knock 'Em Dead, Kid: The Night Vince Neil Killed Razzle
Dear Gen Xer,
Maybe you’ve heard of Hanoi Rocks. Nobody would blame you if you haven’t. In December of 1984, however, the glam rock band was poised for the big time. They’d scored a record deal with CBS and had just delivered their finest album: Two Steps From The Move. Hopes were high as Hanoi Rocks left their hometown of Helsinki and embarked on their first American tour.
They were welcomed with goat horns and bangings of heads. The crowds were great. The shows were packed. The band’s potential was growing.
Then one night in Syracuse, a beer bottle fell off one of the amps. Michael Monroe, Hanoi Rocks’ acrobatic singer, jumped off a PA during his performance and slipped on the pool of beer that had formed on the right-hand side of the stage.
Monroe finished the show and was rushed to hospital, where he was diagnosed with a severe ankle sprain. Hanoi Rocks went on to perform in Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, and Cleveland before the pain became too much to bear. Monroe sought out a second opinion when the band touched down in Atlanta. Turns out his ankle sprain was more like a fracture. Monroe was fitted with a cast. Concert dates were cancelled.
Hanoi Rocks flew to L.A. to enjoy the city’s decadent nightlife while Monroe recovered. Mötley Crüe heard they were in town and decided to throw them a party.
Mötley Crüe were the kings of L.A. in 1984. Their previous record, Shout at the Devil, had been released the year before and sold 200,000 copies in its first two weeks alone. The title of the album, along with the pentagram gracing its cover, caused great concern amongst scandalized Christians. One of the songs - Bastard - breathed new life into the argument for parental advisory labels, a fight that was spearheaded by the always delightful Tipper Gore and her righteous coven of hausfraus, the PM-fucking-RC.
Hanoi Rocks’ Michael Monroe stayed behind in his hotel room, bored out of his mind and pissed at his ankle, while the rest of the band - Sami Yaffa, Andy McCoy, Nasty Suicide, and Nicholas ‘Razzle’ Dingley - embarked on a three-day binge that would change all of their worlds forever.
The party wasn’t one of those orgiastic affairs Mötley Crüe was famous for. Just a few friends and rock ‘n’ rollers getting high and drunk. Drummer Tommy Lee and bassist Nikki Sixx drifted in and out. Groupies appeared here and there to provide Hanoi Rocks with American hospitality.
Vince Neil and his then-wife Beth (who was seven months pregnant at the time) played the perfect hosts. They were staying in a two-bedroom apartment in a ten-story high-rise on Redondo Beach. The view was beautiful. The vibes were immaculate. Everybody was happy.
Party supplies began to dwindle on December 8th. Vince Neil offered to go to the liquor store. He invited Hanoi Rocks’ drummer Nicholas ‘Razzle’ Dingley to come along. Neil wanted to show him his new set of wheels: a 1972 Ford Pantera.
“I could have walked there, but I’d been partying for three straight days, you know — walking there was out of the question, too much reality to deal with, if you know what I mean.” – Vince Neil, from his book Tattoos & Tequila: To Hell and Back with One of Rock's Most Notorious Frontmen
Neil didn’t think twice about his decision.
“We’d drive the four blocks to the store, get some supplies, be back home in a flash. I’d been driving drunk for about as long as I’d been driving. It had never been a problem before. The coke kind of evened things out.” – Vince Neil
Neil and Razzle made it to the liquor store without any problems. They bought hundreds of dollars worth of alcohol and headed back home. The Pantera was cool, but it didn’t have a backseat. Razzle held the bottles of booze in his lap.
“We were driving along, chatting about this and that, two long-haired guys out on a booze run, me in my customary Hawaiian shirt and shorts, Razzle in his high-tops, leather jeans, and frilly shirt." – Vince Neil
Neil was showing off the Pantera’s muscle. He swerved at one point to avoid slamming into a stationary fire truck. That’s when the Pantera hit a wet spot and lost its grip on the asphalt. Neil tried turning into the skid as the car drifted into the oncoming lane. Two cars were bearing down. One of them, a Volkswagen, struck the passenger side of the Pantera.
It was determined later that Neil was doing 65 mph in a 25 mph zone. The impact of the crash killed Razzle instantly. He was 24.
“I was holding him. There were broken booze bottles everywhere. Later I’d hear the cop saying something about how bad we reeked. Well, of course we reeked — Razzle had been holding a party’s worth of liquor in his lap.” – Vince Neil
Both people in the Volkswagen were seriously injured. 18-year-old Lisa Hogan and 20-year-old Daniel Smithers were rushed by emergency services to Little Company of Mary Hospital - 3 miles away in Torrance.
The driver of the second vehicle - 25-year-old Karimi Khaliabad - escaped with minor injuries. Ditto Vince Neil, who walked away with scrapes and bruises. He registered a .17% blood-alcohol level. Back then, a driver was considered legally intoxicated at .10%. Today it’s .08%.
Neil was arrested and taken into custody. He was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence. Neil faced up to eight years in prison.
He was released on $2,500 bail. Neil pled guilty and was eventually sentenced to 5 years’ probation, 200 hours of community service, and 30 days in jail. Neil served 18.
“If he would have been a broke Afro-American guy or Latino he would have been doing life in San Quentin.” – Andy McCoy, guitarist for Hanoi Rocks
Lawyers argued that the sentence was fair. Neil was more valuable if he was out and touring. How else was he supposed to make good on the $2.6 million in damages he was ordered to pay?
18-year-old Lisa Hogan suffered a broken arm and two broken legs, as well as psychomotor seizures that left her with permanent brain damage. She received $1.8 million.
$571,000 went to her 20-year-old boyfriend Daniel Smithers, who also suffered broken limbs and was left with permanent brain damage.
The remaining $229,000 went to the estate of Nicholas Dingley, which was administered by his parents, Henry and Irene.
"I walked out the doors of the jail after 18 days. That's what Razzle's life, and the permanent health of those other two kids, was worth, according to the judicial system. ... It was kind of hard to deal with the fact that I caused so much damage in a lot of people's lives and basically all I got was a slap on the wrist. ... While I was [in jail] I drank and got laid and got a nice suntan. Putting me in jail didn't, it didn't do anything." – Vince Neil
Two years after Razzle’s death, Vince Neil and the rest of the Crüe appeared in the pseudo-doc, Motley Crue – Uncensored. In it is an interview with Vince Neil, who’s drunk and high and flanked by strippers as he cruises around in a limo jacuzzi. Neil cracks jokes and chats with L.A.’s finest, who happen alongside him while on patrol.
“And after that, Motley Crue made those fucking videos with car crashes and shit. Imagine a kid paralyzed because of this guy, and he’s on TV hitting a burning car? That to me is totally ignorant, insensitive and stupid.” – Michael Monroe, singer for Hanoi Rocks
There was also the ignorant, insensitive, and stupid decision to name Mötley Crüe’s box set, Music to Crash Your Car To.
Here’s what else Neil’s been up to since Razzle died.
July 2002: Neil punches record producer Michael Schuman outside the Rainbow Bar & Grill in Los Angeles. He’s charged with misdemeanor battery and pleads no contest. Neil is sentenced to community service and ordered to pay restitution.
Aug. 2003: Neil assaults a sex worker at the Moonlite BunnyRanch in Nevada. He’s charged with misdemeanor battery and pleads no contest. Neil is sentenced to a 30-day suspended jail term, a $1,000 fine, and anger management.
Oct. 2004: Neil knocks soundman Michael Talbert unconscious during a solo show in Dallas. He’s charged with misdemeanor assault. A warrant is issued for Neil’s arrest. He settles out of court.
2004: Neil fails to pay federal income taxes. He pleads guilty to charges of tax evasion and agrees to pay over $1 million in back taxes.
June 2007: Neil is arrested in Las Vegas and charged with driving under the influence. He works out a deal with prosecutors where he pleads no contest to reckless driving in exchange for having the DUI dropped. He’s sentenced to 15 days in jail, 15 days house arrest, participation in DUI school, and pays a fine of $585.
June 2010: Neil is arrested in Las Vegas for driving under the influence. Neil pleads guilty and is sentenced to 15 days in jail, 15 days house arrest, and participation in DUI school. He also pays a fine of $585.
April 2011: Neil assaults his ex-girlfriend Alicia Jacobs. He’s charged with battery domestic violence and disorderly conduct. Neil pleads guilty to disorderly conduct. He’s fined $1,000, instructed to go to anger management, and sentenced to 6 months of "staying out of trouble".
Dec. 2015: Neil is cited by the East Bay area of San Francisco for violating the daily water cap of 1,000 gallons after his home in Danville is discovered to be wasting over 2,200 gallons a day. Neil is fined $2 per gallon over the cap, totaling over $150,000. He claims on his Facebook page that he hasn’t even lived in that house for over five years.
April 2016: Neil assaults a woman seeking an autograph from his lunch companion Nicholas Cage. He pleads guilty, is sentenced to 6 months of probation, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.
I’m sure Vince Neil was fun to party with. And obviously it wasn’t his intention to have Razzle die in his lap.
But it also seems clear that Neil’s a dick. From driving drunk to assaulting women, it’s as if he hasn’t learned a thing since that night in Redondo Beach.
He’s still living like it’s 1984. Like December 8th never happened. Like Nicholas Dingley never died and Hanoi Rocks never broke up. Like Lisa Hogan and Daniel Smithers never lost their chance to pursue a meaningful existence.
“He never apologised… The other Mötley Crüe guys apologised, but the other guys didn’t do anything wrong. They were fucking so pissed off with him that Motley Crue almost broke up that day… He’s got ‘PMUSA’ tattooed on his ass – prime meat from the United States; fucking hell, I’d say prime piss… prime pussy USA.” – Andy McCoy, guitarist for Hanoi Rocks
I was in L A at that time and was aware of the events of which you write. I also did some work for The Crue which ended rather unceremoniously. You’ve documented some of Vince’s issues well. I can provide a couple more stories if you’re interested.
Vince Neil illustrates to me that the rock and roll ethos has destructive elements that can morph into antisocial behavior. Netflix made a movie about the Crue and I think the intent of the creators was to show the Vince Neil as an "insouciant rock god." I merely found him, and his bandmates repellent and vapid. Good post Sonny, about what is ultimately a tragic, horrible, life altering (and, in one case, life ending) event. We don't think enough about the permanent suffering/aftermath of individuals involved in these accidents. You highlighted that sensitively and thoughtfully.