Nasty Suicide

Nasty Suicide is the stage name of Jan-Markus Stenfors. Born in Sipoo, Finland on February 27, 1963, he is most well-known for his tenure as rhythm guitarist for the Finnish-formed glam-rock band, Hanoi Rocks.

Nasty began his music career when he replaced Antti Hulkko (Andy McCoy) as a member of what is often considered the first Finnish punk-rock band, Briard. He went on to join Michael Monroe and Andy McCoy’s (Antti Hulkko) new band, Hanoi Rocks, in 1979. For the first six months, Nasty, Monroe (lead singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist), and Sami Yaffa (bassist) lived on the streets together, begging for change and relying on the kindness of strangers to survive. Their hardship was not in vain. After securing their manager, Zeppo, they began booking gigs and making some money. Eventually, Hanoi Rocks became a worldwide success, with Nasty remaining a member of the group until it’s 1985 dissolution.

After the band’s breakup, he and former bandmate, Andy McCoy, recorded and released an acoustic album – ‘Silver Missiles and Nightingales’ – under the name The Suicide Twins, in 1986. They then formed The Cherry Bombz, releasing two EP’s and one live album. In 1989, Nasty appeared on Michael Monroe’s second solo album, “Not Fakin' It” as a guitarist and songwriter.

In 1990, Nasty created his own band, Cheap and Nasty, which lasted until 1994. They put out two albums – 1991’s Beautiful Disaster and 1994’s Cool Talk Injection. During that time, he was also playing with ex-Hanoi Rocks' frontman Michael Monroe’s band, Demolition 23. After the break-up of these ventures, Nasty recorded his first solo album, 1996’s ‘Vinegar Blood’, which was only released in Finland.

Around this time, ‘Jan’ went back to school and obtained his high school diploma. Aside from a few guest appearances with Michael Monroe, and the reformed Hanoi Rocks, he mostly retired from the music business after becoming a pharmacist.

However, in 2022, Jan teamed up with his musically inclined family to release the appropriately titled rock and roll album, ‘Family Album’. That same year, Michael Monroe threw a 60th birthday party for himself and his fans. On September 23, a historic and much anticipated one-time reunion took place when ‘Nasty Suicide’ performed a 9-song set with what is considered the original five-member Hanoi Rocks lineup: Michael Monroe, Andy McCoy (lead guitarist, songwriter), Sami Yaffa, Gyp Casino (drummer), and Nasty Suicide.

(Hanoi Rocks is considered by many the most successful Finnish-formed rock band of all time. A number of high-profile bands were influenced by Hanoi Rocks, including Motley Crue, Poison, Guns N' Roses, and Skid Rowe, among others.)