It all started out in a basement in Warren, MI ~ where Mike Alonso usedta lay down heavy intricate rhythmic double bass drum riffs to the boogie bluesy rockin jammin guitar style of high school bud Jac Glasgow ~ until they posted an ad in local music stores sayin in big loud letters, "Hey Longhair" n some other mentionings of Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Van Halen, etc ~ so one day, while at work givin bass lessons, Matt Mansour saw it, laughed his ass off, n answered, won the audition, n got his buddy n former Out of Hand bandmate Tommy Roeck, a screamin vocalist from Arkansas who moved to Detroit for the jam scene, to join the group. A couple weeks later they had about 10 originals n about 15 covers down cold n tight together, so off they went.

They started out just warmin' up for their buddy's bands around town, like Mike's old group Mommie's Dearest or even Seduce, the town's biggest act n heaviest hardest thing, already with quite a following ~ it was a helluva scene n people were comin out in droves. A few months passed, n they were definitely a hit. People started cheerin at the *beginning* of their original tunes ~ and the famous "after the bar" parties replaced the Denny's midnight breakfast runs n grew larger n larger with groupies n closer friends n often went on til dawn or noon the next day, or even into the next gig, (those poor roadies didn't get any sleep) ~ but showtime wasn't until 10:30, so living backstage before the shows evolved into a lifestyle of the itchy n infamous .......

They'd often open the night with some heavy hard ass mega monster like Deep Purple's "Speed King" which immediately let everybody in the place know they were in for a night of rockin reality. Being Detroit, anything by Ted Nugent was instant gold, n they chose "Wang Dang, Sweet Poontang" n "Motor City Madhouse" to kick off the night right n send the skeptics screamin off into it.

Totally ~ Mike n Jac, the heart of the band with their loose, raw approach to rockin blues, n Matt with his John Paul Jones meets Geezer Butler approach n attack to the blues based rock roots, n Tommy Rock with his natural Sammy Hagar impersonation on the Montrose classics "Bad Motor Scooter" n "Rock the Nation" n other classic rock covers ~ they were truly a local supergroup.

Guns n Roses were brand new then, n "Welcome to the Jungle" n "It's So Easy" were natural covers for the Hunk. The AC/DC staples "Whole Lotta Rosie" n "Girl's Got Rhythm" always got the night off to a groovy start too. Also, about a dozen Aerosmith tunes like "Toys in the Attic," "Rats in the Cellar," "Lick and a Promise," "Come Together" n the always show stoppin "Seasons of Wither" which would inspire a sea of lighters as the first few chords faded in ~ besides the more commin mandatory staples like "Walk This Way," "Aint Got You," "Mama Kin" n "Walkin the Dog," which just about every up n comin' band back then did, but their version was arguably the most polished n professional ~ all helped to make the whole scene somethin' worth seein' n inspired other aspiring musicians to form bands of their own. This at a time when Aerosmith made their pre-grunge comeback, when rap was threatening to take over the spotlight, and when videos had just started tellin FM radio what to play.

They did a Zeppelin medley which included "Whole Lotta Love" "Dazed and Confused" n "How Many More Times" ~ also "Communication Breakdown" n a rocked up version of "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" branded them as rockers who could do just about anything kick ass. Jac woulda done the whole Physical Graffitti album if he'd had his way ~ which woulda been fine with the rest of the band, but they were mostly playin clubs that had DJs n dancefloors ~ meat markets where fake IDs reigned supreme.

They were always tryin' somethin new. Tommy Rock wailed through the classic bluesy Janis Joplin jam, "Move Over" Jac n Matt both did harmony backup vocals on The Beatles` version of "I'm Down" ~ and Mattley got a chance to shine n show his awesome technical bass ability on The Who's "The Real Me" n the classic "Summertime Blues" where he'd, on cue (at the more informal gigs), substitute the odd surprise parody lines like, "I can't help ya ma'am, cuz I'm too drunk to fuck" ~ n he even sang n played "La Grange" by ZZ Top, but the best cover of them they did was "Cheap Sunglasses," when everybody n the band n half of the crowd pulled their shades out n wore em for the whole tune. Van Halen's "Ice Cream Man" was always a universal favorite too, while Tommy got all goofy n introduced the band ~ n "Hot For Teacher" was often the highlight of the night, with Mike's gonzo double bass onslaught starting it out, n Jac perfectly mimicing the licks we heard on the radio, n improvising through his completely honed skill ~ whether it was Nugent or Hendrix or Page, the dude pulled it off n went three n a half steps beyond into the upper stratosphere. But they weren't just a cover band .......

Original Tunes like "Feels so Good," "Ready to Go," "Feeling Hungry" were boogie beyond blues n plugged in to the infinity of cosmic groove, with wailin solos n heavy rock riffs written by Jac accompanied by Mike's jungle stompin jammin spacey ready for the big time rock rhythms ~ the dude had an eleven piece set! The hard rockin, almost metal approach n contact of "Skrew You Up" n "Kid Sister" further allowed Mattley to implement his bass of destruction into the cosmic mix ~ but they were not just freaky hippies, they had balls too. "Puttin on the Moves" n "Attitude" came later, n were an amalgam of their rock n blues sides ~ then tunes like "Circles" n "Can You Stay?" showed they could be creative n still commercial enough for the radio at the same time.

Everybody was waitin for them to be the next big thing outta Detroit. The tunes racked up, and after only a year in the trenches, they definitely had enough for an album of their own. They played the monster setlist out locally every weekend n toured the greater metro area during the week ~ n before too long they were headlining packed houses in prime venues, got a little airplay here n there, n there was even talk of gettin signed n movin out to LA, but the money was scarce, n time ticked on by. They'd arrived, but they were still there .......

New bands formed in n around the area, like Sheer Heart, Red Hush, n Sweet Teaze ~ n compared themselves on the Hunky Dory scale. They sounded like Aerosmith, n Zeppelin, n Guns n Roses, with a little bit of AC/DC thrown in for good measure. People started comparin em to Bob Seger n Ted Nugent n Alice Cooper, when they were comin up outta Detroit. So they got their shit together n got themselves a manager, who naturally took a percentage. They started playin gigs further out of their domain like Blondies and The Token Lounge on the west side of Detroit, where the more working class local fans were more into a totally hard drivin real rock band. But instead of leavin about 9 for the gig, dressed ~ west side gigs were an all day event.

They were still way welcome in their home scene thoough, n even moreso now that they had conquered afar ~ but they had yet to show a profit, n real studio time was expensive and always just out of reach. It was possible to win studio time at "Battle of the Bands" nites, but those were purely promotional gigs. They finally gave in to pressure from music biz professionals n donned, if temporarily, a look that the experts thought they could sell, but it wasn't them. Just about everybody felt immediately ridiculous in the gawdy gothic pseudo disco garb ~ but they were in this for the long haul.

Steadfast in their "anti-poser" attitude n sound, the A&R reps were lookin for something they could sell, n so tended to look elsewhere ~ this was also a time of dance clubs, and some of the places that they ruled on the weekends, or quarter beer nites, the owners were much particular to the more lucrative post-disco era young professional dance crowd. The economy was such that most rock fans didn't have a whole lotta money to spend on booze n tickets. Even the most loyal fans could only get a chance to see the band about once a month. It was gettin depressing. Imagine playin the show of yer life, sweatin under hot lights, n lookin out into a crowd of about twenty or so screaming fans.

"I'm not a trend, baby ....." ~ Burn "Black lace wrapped around her thighs" ~ Skrew U Up

What to do? Play bigger clubs n do better shows. Beyond places like The Ritz and New York New York (and the smaller circuits that cost as much to put on as they were likely to get for playin even the whole weekend), was the biggest rock club in Detroit, Harpo's! Yay, the big time (if on a real shitty side of town). Well, the crowds there were mostly usedta bands they'd actually heard of before, n so usually didn't turn out to see some local suburban gods, no matter how promising, especially during the week ~ n on the weekends, everybody came to see the national headliner. It's not like they got booed off the stage or anything, more like most people hadn't showed up yet, n about half of those who had, were busy gettin a good buzz on before the party started.

They were real. They were raw. They were ahead of their time. They emerged at the crux between two distinct eras in modern music ~ modern metal n grunge. Today their style would go over great, and it does in cities n small towns all across America. ~ not as a comeback, but as a return to real honest rock that's as natural as pickin up a guitar n just jammin out. They were an overgrown garage band, justa buncha restless young hippies ~ they were local heroes. But as much as they may have deserved attention, they didn't survive the storm that was to come.

At one point, Tommy wanted to start playin guitar in the band, which he was totally capable of. He had recently been (for three years) the frontman for The Out of Hand Band, handling both vocals n lead guitar, with Mattley bringin up the heavy bottom n a vastly Bonzo Bonham influenced Dave Lyon, aka Mongo, on excellent drums. Near the end of their days, they brought in a second lead guitarist, Paul Wright, aka Clobber Unit, n more jams were possible. But Jac thought, at least for right now, that they should keep things they way they were, ~ so they told Tom they didn't want a singer that plays guitar. Mattley remembers: "We were too poserish and guitar playing singers wern't cool then. We thought it was faggy. And Tom kinda was too much of a shredder." This woulda been awesome tho ~ collaboration of styles n sensory overload. Tom n Matt hadda buncha cool killer jams from The Out of Hand Band daze. Tom was also sick of just writin the words. He was, n still is, a prolific songwriter ~ n felt understandably a little stifled. So, Tommy looked at Jac n said, "yer nuts, Dude - I wail!" ~ to which Jac replied, "yer almonds, Dude - I dolphin." This is the kind of band they were. But as funny as it was, this pissed Tom off a little, n he secretly began lookin for other bands to front, while the rest of the band contemplated a replacement too.

So back to their home turf, for what would be the final few months of the age n era of Hunk-Ra. They went through the motions, now headlining the The Ritz n New York New York on weekends ~ showcases, opening for national acts like Robin Trower n Humble Pie at the Ritz. They had achieved the pinacle of fame the right to rock anywhere they wanted ~ n a few epic parties, some for hundreds of people. One outdoor bash in the summer of `88 included several local acts equally disallusioned with the local scene. It was an unofficial mini rock festival and was attended by over 1000, at a derelict farm just outside the suburban sprawl, held mainly to raise mortgage money ~ and was broken up by the cops soon after they finished, cuz of all the cars parked on the highway.

They rocked. Everybody knew it. They were stars. But they were too frustrated with the lack of universal appeal that they'd surely earned payin dues for about two years, that friendly rival bands like the more metal Seduce and the glam rock heavy dance band Mommie's Dearest (aka: The Big, The Reign) which were hugely popular within their own genre, n so attracted a much larger crowd (if only to be among a much larger crowd). Other bands along the same lines as Hunk like Sheer Heart (Beer Fart), Sweet Teaze (Sheet Fleas), Red Hush (as in: Head Rush), were becoming more popular in their own rights ~ they were also more willing to play the game, n thus challenged their positions as the top rock act in town ~ n maybe they deserved that (they were turnin into total slackers).

They were resltess. If something more magical didn't happen real soon, if they didn't get a break or the cash for some studio time, it'd be all over with. They'd be in the archives. Being friends, members of "rival" bands got together for a gig under the name "The Big Red Hush" and included an all star line up from about ten local bands ~ and it kinda looked for a time like everybody was gonna be band sluts n choose up teams fresh n start over with new bands. This woulda been fine with the fans, they were there for the music, but the bar scene was a little more demanding. They didn't care who you were, or how good your music was ~ they wanted to sell beer, alot of beer.

Yep, as much as the roadies n girlfriends loved em, the scene was becomin too lame to live on much longer. Maybe if they just took a short hiatus, n went into the studio, they woulda come back stronger than ever. They almost opened up for Cheap Trick at the Michigan State Fair. Matt remembers: "We were asked, then Jac Kicked out Tom. I was pissed though. I wanted to play with Cheap Trick. We were dorks. Posers. All of us."

The search for a new singer proved fruitless, even Tom's (n eventually Matt's) new bands didn't take off well enough. The dream died of neglect, n movin out to California was what everybody had individually wanted to do for a long time. For the roadies n groupies n fans n friends n family ~ it took awhile to set in that their favorite band was no more. Even the reality of "So, what ever happened to Hunky Dory?" "Oh, they're out in LA, dude!" only served to fuel the hope that these local heroes were still well on their way to international stardom. Most of em, even knowing the truth, half expected them to get together out there after awhile, or even come back home n play better than ever. They coulda done it, too ~ the local rock scene (partially thanks to them) found its second wind n took off again.

Within a year everyone in the band had moved out to Hollywood, to stay ~ and had pretty much all joined seperate bands. Mike was first, n soon was jammin with former Fastway vocalist n cronies in a short lived experiment called Katmandu. It got some airplay, n they even made a video which appeard on M-tv for awhile, but grunge was soon to be on its way. Then Tommy headed out there n quickly formed a successful act called Beggers Day n even played some choice gigs. Then Jac n Matt drove out together in 89, it took em about a week in the same car Matt had when he first joined the band. But Cali had no shortage of young rockers lookin to make it big.

They stayed with friends from Detroit, fellow jammers from the band Mommie's Dearest (everyone workin all day n in bands at night), n eventually got into the Hollywood scene with the successful band Feast of Joy for a couple of years (with fellow Detroit rocker Tom Hernandez, the drummer for Mommie's Dearest) ~ they made a CD n everything! Then Mike hooked up with some fellow former Detroit cronies n formed Speedball (one of em, Chuck Burns, the former drummer for Seduce, now frontman on lead vocals n lead guitar) ~ n eventually moved back to Detroit where this proved highly fruitful, n they went on national n world tours supporting bands like Dio and Motorhead.

Mike currently lives back home in Detroit n jams with Speedball to packed houses, and a strong cult following locally n abroad. They have about five CDs out now, but most of the band is spending more time with various side projects lately. Jac is married out in LA, has short hair now, n a kinda respectable job. Matt is also out in LA, jams occasionally with the popular Black Sabbath tribute band Slack Babbath, n currently does websites for rock radio stations. Tom went home to Arkansas n formed a string of bands, like Alias Jones n Area 51 ~ the current n most successful is Deep. He's married with three kids, gives guitar lessons during the week, n is thinkin about opening up his own music store soon.

Whether they ever end up makin it (or even want to anymore), there's still some great music yet to be comin from these dudes. ~ n they still know how to rock, n it's still not too loud. If anything like that ever does happen, or if any old tapes happen to emerge, ~ this website will be where they'll be posted! So if you have any memories of "Drum Mike," "Jac Plug," "Rack Tom" or "Hair Matt" (either in sonic, pic or text form), email hunk@dudeman.net and feel free to contribute to these further evolving adventures entitled The Funky Hunky Dory Story !!!!!

Maybe they were too close to the madness to see the magic. Maybe they were just too Hunny Dorky. Maybe they were just too hot to make it to see what they had right in front of em, n that with a little more work they coulda been just as worthy gods as Aerosmith or Pearl Jam. Maybe they didn't believe in any of that, or maybe they just didn't believe in themselves enough. Maybe they looked back at the last couple of years n thought they weren't any closer to realizin their dreams n gave up. Maybe they just got discouraged n sick of practicin n playin out the same old tunes at the same lame places. Maybe they thought that if they just got another thing goin real quick it'd all work out right this time. Either way, besides livin in different states, a reunion is not likely anytime soon ~ but everybody still jams, n that's what's important. Maybe they'll get back together someday (look in on em when they go home for the holidays) ~ it'll be awesome! And now, on to the "Blackmail Pix" .......