The Misfits
Encyclopedia
The Misfits are an American rock
band often recognized as the progenitors of the horror punk
subgenre, blending punk rock
and other musical influences with horror film
themes and imagery. Founded in 1977 in Lodi, New Jersey
by singer and songwriter Glenn Danzig
, the group had a fluctuating lineup during its first six years with Danzig and bassist Jerry Only
as the only consistent members. During this time they released several EPs
and singles
and, with Only's brother Doyle
as guitarist, the albums Walk Among Us
(1982) and Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood (1983), both considered touchstones of the early-1980s hardcore punk
movement. The Misfits disbanded in 1983 and Danzig went on to form Samhain
and then Danzig
. Several albums of reissued and previously unreleased material were issued after the group's dissolution, and their music became influential to punk rock, heavy metal
, and alternative rock
music of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
After a series of legal battles with Danzig, Only and Doyle regained the rights to record and perform as the Misfits. They formed a new version of the band in 1995 with singer Michale Graves
and drummer Dr. Chud
. This incarnation of the Misfits had a sound much more rooted in heavy metal, and released the albums American Psycho
(1997) and Famous Monsters
(1999) before dissolving in 2000. Jerry Only then took over lead vocals and recruited former Black Flag
guitarist Dez Cadena
and former Ramones
drummer Marky Ramone
for a Misfits 25th Anniversary tour. This lineup released an album of cover songs
entitled Project 1950
and toured for several years. In 2005 Ramone was replaced by Robo, who had played with Black Flag in the early 1980s and had also previously been the Misfits' drummer from 1982 to 1983. This lineup released a single titled "Land of the Dead
" in 2009. The Misfits' current lineup of Only, Cadena, and drummer Eric "Chupacabra" Arce released a new album titled The Devil's Rain
in October 2011.
by Glenn Danzig
, who had previous experience performing in local bands. Naming the band after actress Marilyn Monroe
's final film The Misfits
(1961), Danzig recruited guitarist
Jimmy Battle, bassist
Diane DiPiazza
, and drummer
Manny Martínez to fill out the lineup while Danzig himself sang
and played the electric piano
. Both Battle and DiPiazza left the band after a month of practices. Martínez recommended his friend Jerry Caiafa
to Danzig as a replacement, as Caiafa had recently received a bass guitar
as a Christmas
gift. Caiafa was accepted into the band despite having only been practicing his instrument for two months. He and Danzig would remain the only consistent members of the Misfits until the group disbanded in 1983. The trio of Danzig, Martínez, and Caiafa rehearsed for three months without a guitarist, using Danzig's electric piano to provide the songs' rhythm. They recorded the band's first single
, "Cough/Cool
", which they released through their own label Blank Records in August 1977. Caiafa's surname
was misspelled on the record's sleeve, prompting him to insist that in the future he be credited as "Jerry, only Jerry". "Jerry Only" quickly became his pseudonym
, which he would continue to use for the rest of his career. The band played their first two performances at CBGB
in New York City
, followed by other local performances over the following two months.
In August 1977 guitarist Frank Licata
joined the band under the pseudonym Franché Coma. The addition of a permanent guitar player allowed Danzig to phase out the electric piano and focus on singing, and pushed the band's sound in a punk rock
direction. Danzig and Only ejected Martínez from the band in December, judging him to be unreliable, and replaced him with "Mr. Jim" Catania
. The band found themselves with a recording opportunity when Mercury Records
wished to use the name Blank Records for one of its subdivisions and offered Danzig thirty hours of free studio time in exchange for the trademark to the name. Danzig accepted, and in January 1978 the Misfits entered a New York recording studio to record their first album. Seventeen songs were recorded, fourteen of which were mixed for the proposed Static Age
album. However, the band were unable to find a record label interested in releasing the album. Instead they released four of the songs in June 1978 as the "Bullet" single on their new label Plan 9 Records, named after the 1959 science fiction
horror film
Plan 9 from Outer Space
. Static Age would not be released in its entirety until 1997.
Following the Static Age sessions the Misfits began a shift in songwriting and appearance, with Danzig writing more songs inspired by B
horror and science fiction films. He painted skeletal patterns on his performance clothing, while Only began applying dark makeup around his eyes and styling his hair in a long point hanging from his forehead between his eyes and down to his chin, a style that became known as a "devilock
" and which both Danzig and Only's brother Doyle would eventually adopt. This new style and musical direction would later be described as the subgenre "horror punk
". The band performed more frequently and went on short tours in support of the "Bullet" single. While in Canada
in October 1978 Franché Coma quit the band because he did not enjoy touring, and guitarist Rick Riley filled in temporarily to finish the tour. Jim Catania also quit following the tour, citing a distaste for the horror direction in which the band was heading. Within two months the pair were replaced by drummer Joey Poole
, under the pseudonym Joey Image, and guitarist Bobby Steele
. The new lineup of Danzig, Only, Image, and Steele began performing in December 1978 and continued to evolve the horror elements of the band. They released the "Horror Business
" single in June 1979, the cover of which featured a skeletal figure inspired by a poster for the 1946 film serial
The Crimson Ghost
. The figure became a mascot
for the band, and its skull image would serve as the Misfits' logo
for the rest of their career. The band also launched a fan club
named the "Fiend Club" which Danzig operated in a do-it-yourself
fashion from his mother's basement in Lodi, silkscreening
t-shirt
s, assembling records, mailing merchandise catalogs, booking shows for the band, and answering fan mail
.
In June 1979 the Misfits performed as openers for The Damned in New York City. Only spoke with singer Dave Vanian about the possibility of the Misfits touring the United Kingdom
with The Damned. That November the band released the "Night of the Living Dead" single and flew to England
to tour with The Damned. Upon arriving there, however, they learned that Vanian had not taken his conversation with Only seriously and had not planned on having the Misfits on the tour. Vanian attempted to arrange for the Misfits to take part in the tour, but the band members were unhappy with the situation and left the tour after only two shows. Image then quit the band and flew back to the United States. With their return flight not scheduled until late December, the remaining band members stayed in London. Only spent time with Sid Vicious
' mother Anne Ritchie, whom he had befriended after Vicious' death in February 1979. Danzig and Steele got into a fight with skinhead
s while waiting to see The Jam
, were arrested, and spent two nights in jail
in Brixton
; this experience inspired the later song "London Dungeon".
Upon their return to the United States the Misfits released the Beware EP
in January 1980, then took a four-month break before adding Joseph McGuckin
as their new drummer under the pseudonym Arthur Googy. During this time Only's younger brother Paul Caiafa, a longtime fan of the band who went by the nickname Doyle, began learning to play guitar with help from Danzig and Only. The Misfits began working on an album which they planned to release through their Plan 9 label, recording twelve songs in a studio in August 1980. Doyle practiced with the band and recorded his own guitar tracks for the songs, and Only began persuading Danzig that Doyle would fit into the band better than Steele. That October Steele was ejected from the band in favor of the sixteen-year-old Doyle. Steele went on to form The Undead
, while Doyle made his debut with the Misfits at their annual Halloween
performance at Irving Plaza in New York City. After several more performances the band took another hiatus for six months.
After reconvening, the band selected three of the twelve songs from their August 1980 album sessions and released them as 3 Hits from Hell
in April 1981. Throughout the rest of 1981 they continued to record tracks for a full-length album, to be titled Walk Among Us
. They had planned to release it through Plan 9 but instead accepted an offer from Slash Records
, deciding to rework the album before its release. In October 1981 they released two more tracks from the August 1980 sessions as the "Halloween" single. On November 20 they recorded a performance at On Broadway in San Francisco. Black Flag
were also performing that night at the Mabuhay Gardens
downstairs from On Broadway, and Black Flag singer Henry Rollins
, a longtime fan of the band, came up to watch the Misfits' soundcheck
. He stayed to watch the band's set and sang guest vocals on "We Are 138". The two bands crossed paths again on Christmas
in Lodi, where Black Flag wound up playing as the opening band for the Necros
and the Misfits.
Walk Among Us was released in March 1982 through Ruby
and Slash Records. It was the first full-length Misfits album to be properly released, and the only album to be released while the early incarnation of the band was still active. A national tour in support of the album followed, and the band's performances began to grow more intense and violent. Danzig and Googy clashed frequently during the tour, and after a heated argument at a McDonald's
restaurant Danzig kicked Googy out of the band, delaying their plans to record their next EP. They offered the vacant drummer position to their friend Eerie Von
, who had served as their occasional roadie and photographer, but he had already committed to drumming for Rosemary's Babies
. Henry Rollins recommended former Black Flag drummer Robo, who flew to New Jersey to join the Misfits in July 1982. Doyle graduated from high school and he and Only began working full-time at their father's machine shop, earning money to purchase new instruments, fund the band's tours, and press records, while Danzig ran the Fiend Club and continued writing new songs.
In September 1982 the Misfits embarked on a national tour, with the Necros as their opening act. During the tour they stopped at a studio to record the instrumental tracks for their next EP. They were arrested in New Orleans on charges of grave robbing
while attempting to locate the grave of voodoo
practitioner Marie Laveau
, but bail
ed themselves out of jail and skipped their court date in order to drive to their next performance in Florida
. Following the tour they released seven songs from the November 1981 performance in San Francisco in limited numbers only to members of the Fiend Club as the Evilive
EP.
By this time Danzig was growing increasingly dissatisfied with the Misfits and had begun writings songs for a new band project. In June 1983 he confided to Henry Rollins
that he planned to quit the group. In July 1983 the Misfits finished recording their EP, and Danzig decided to record two more songs that he had intended for his new project, turning it into a full album. Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood demonstrated the increased influence of hardcore punk
and heavy metal
on the band, though they would break up just two months before it was released. After a series of arguments with Danzig, Robo left the band in August and Danzig became further disenchanted, beginning to audition musicians for his next project. On October 29, 1983, the Misfits played their annual Halloween
performance at Greystone Hall in Detroit with the Necros. Danzig had selected Brian Damage
, formerly of Genocide and Verbal Abuse
, as the band's new drummer. However, Damage became drunk
before the show and could not play properly. After several songs Doyle escorted him off the stage and Todd Swalla of the Necros filled in for the remainder of the performance. Tensions came to a head and Danzig announced to the audience that it would be the band's final show. Upon returning to Lodi the band members went their separate ways.
, moving away from punk rock
and towards more experimental heavy metal
with a grim atmosphere. Several Misfits songs were re-recorded for Samhain albums, including "Horror Business" (as "Horror Biz"), "All Hell Breaks Loose" (as "All Hell"), "Halloween II", "Death Comes Ripping", and "London Dungeon". In 1987 the band signed to a major record label and Danzig replaced most of the rhythm section
, renaming the group Danzig
. He continues to front Danzig, who have released nine albums ranging in style from blues-rock
-influenced heavy metal to industrial rock
, and has also released two solo albums.
Jerry Only and Doyle, meanwhile, moved to Vernon, New Jersey
to work at their father's machine parts factory full-time. Only had married and had a daughter and became more serious about his Christian
faith, regretting some of the things he had done with the Misfits. In 1987 he and Doyle formed the short-lived Kryst the Conqueror
, a Christian heavy metal band with barbarian imagery.
Though the Misfits had not gained significant popularity during their seven years of activity, public interest in the band increased in the years following their breakup. The success of Danzig's post-Misfits' work led to interest in his past work, and several high-profile rock bands professed fondness for the Misfits. Most notably, Metallica
covered
the Misfits songs "Last Caress" and "Green Hell" on The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited
(1987), and Guns N' Roses
covered "Attitude" on "The Spaghetti Incident?"
(1993). Several albums of reissued and previously unreleased Misfits material were issued between 1985 and 1987, the first being the compilation album
Legacy of Brutality
(1985) which included many of the songs from the unreleased Static Age
album. Danzig overdubbed
many of the album's instrument tracks in order to avoid having to pay royalties
to the other former band members. Misfits
, more commonly referred to as Collection I, followed in 1986. The Evilive
EP was reissued as a full album in 1987 with five additional tracks.
Only contacted Danzig about receiving a portion of the royalties from these albums' sales, beginning a legal battle that lasted several years and involved other past members of the band. All of the Misfits material had been credited to Danzig, and though Only later conceded that Danzig had written nearly all of the lyrics and most of the music, he contended that he and Doyle "wrote 25% or maybe 30% of the music" and deserved compensation. Danzig, however, insisted that he had written all of the songs in their entirety and that the other members' creative input had been minimal. Eventually Only ceased his pursuit of songwriting credits and sought the rights to use the Misfits name and imagery. In 1995 the parties reached an out-of-court settlement that allowed Only and Doyle to record and perform as the Misfits, sharing merchandising rights with Danzig. Collection II
, a third compilation of Misfits songs, was released later that year.
, aka "Dr. Chud", who had worked with them in Kryst the Conqueror. Glenn Danzig rejected their offer to return as the band's lead singer. Dave Vanian of The Damned was also approached but declined. The band then held open auditions for a new vocalist. Nineteen-year-old singer Michael Emanuel
had recently recorded a demo tape in hopes of starting a music career, and the owner of the recording studio suggested that he audition for the Misfits. Being unfamiliar with the band, Emanuel listened to Collection I on a walkman
to learn the lyrics and melodies while working his job as a greenskeeper. He impressed the band with his audition and was accepted as the new lead singer under the pseudonym
Michale Graves, while Doyle adopted the new stage name "Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein". The new lineup made an appearance in the 1995 film Animal Room
.
In 1996 the Misfits Box Set was released, containing nearly all of the band's Danzig-era material recorded from 1977 to 1983 (with the exception of Walk Among Us
). The set included the complete fourteen-song Static Age album, released for the first time in its entirety, as well as the overdubbed and alternate versions of songs that had previously been released on Legacy of Brutality, Collection I, and Collection II. Static Age was also released as a separate album the following year, including all seventeen tracks that had been recorded during the January 1978 sessions. The release of the box set and Static Age made the Misfits' complete early catalog widely available for the first time. A tribute album
was also released in 1997 entitled Violent World
, featuring numerous punk rock
and hardcore
bands covering songs from the Glenn Danzig era. Another tribute album, Hell on Earth, was released in 2000 featuring death metal
, hard rock
, and gothic rock
acts.
The new incarnation of the Misfits released their debut album American Psycho
in 1997 and filmed music video
s for the songs "American Psycho" and "Dig Up Her Bones
". The band toured Europe and North America in support of the album and appeared as characters in World Championship Wrestling
. Graves took a hiatus from the band during 1998, during which Myke Hideous of The Empire Hideous filled in as singer during tours of South America and Europe. After Graves' return the band signed to Roadrunner Records
, releasing Famous Monsters
in October 1999 and filming a music video for the single "Scream!" They made additional film appearances in Big Money Hustlas
(2000), Bruiser
(2000), and Campfire Stories (2001) and continued to tour, but tensions between the band members began to grow. During a performance at the House of Blues
in Orlando, Florida
on October 25, 2000, Graves and Chud both quit the band and walked offstage. The two later released an album under the name Graves
before splitting up; Graves went on to sing for Gotham Road
and then launched a solo career, while Chud formed Dr. Chud's X-Ward
. Meanwhile, Doyle took an indefinite hiatus from performing as he divorced, remarried, had a fourth child, and dealt with tendinitis in his elbow.
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As the sole remaining member of the Misfits, Jerry Only took over lead vocal duties in addition to playing bass guitar and recruited veteran musicians Dez Cadena
, former guitarist of Black Flag
, and Marky Ramone
, former drummer of the Ramones
, for a Misfits 25th Anniversary Tour which lasted intermittently for nearly three years. Former Black Flag and Misfits drummer Robo filled in for Ramone during some stretches of the tour. Only released Cuts from the Crypt
in 2001, a compilation of demos and rarities covering the band's period with Graves and Chud from 1995 to 2001. This fulfilled the band's contractual obligations to Roadrunner Records, whom Only had grown dissatisfied with. Also in 2001 Caroline Records
announced that they would release recordings from the Misfits' August 1980 album sessions as 12 Hits from Hell
. However, both Only and Glenn Danzig
abruptly called off production of the album, citing concerns with the mixing, mastering, layout, and packaging.
Only and longtime collaborator John Cafiero
soon launched their own label, Misfits Records
, and released a split single featuring the Misfits and Japanese horror punk
band Balzac
. The Only/Cadena/Ramone lineup of the Misfits released the covers album Project 1950
in 2003, performing renditions of classic rock and roll
songs from the 1950s and 1960s. The album featured guest appearances from Ronnie Spector
, Jimmy Destri
, Ed Manion
, and John Cafiero. The band toured intermittently in support of the album until 2005, when Ramone left the band and was replaced by Robo. They booked a full European tour that year, but problems with Robo's visa
led to the cancellation of all dates in the United Kingdom. A rescheduled UK tour followed in September.
Doyle had meanwhile reunited with Glenn Danzig, joining Danzig
onstage during performances in December 2004 to play guitar for 30-minute sets of old Misfits songs midway through the band's setlist. It was the first time the two had performed together in over twenty years, and the first time Doyle had performed since his hiatus. Danzig called the performances "the closest thing to a Misfits reunion anyone is ever going to see". These sets featuring Doyle continued through Danzig's 2005 "Blackest of the Black" tour and 2006 Australian tour. Glenn Danzig had announced his intention to retire from touring following these, though he later contradicted this by announcing a Danzig 20th anniversary tour in 2008. In 2007 he produced Doyle's new project Gorgeous Frankenstein. Doyle later indicated that plans had been in place for the Misfits to reunite with Glenn Danzig beginning in 2002, but that Jerry Only and his manager had "put a fuckin' monkey wrench in it."
" was released October 27, 2009, marking the band's first release of new studio material in six years and the only release by the lineup of Only, Cadena, and Robo. Robo was dismissed from the band in 2010, with Only explaining that ongoing problems with his Colombia
n passport inhibited the band's ability to tour consistently. He was replaced by Eric "Chupacabra" Arce of Murphy's Law
, who had previously filled in with the band for tours in 2000 and 2001. The current lineup plans to release a new album, The Devil's Rain
, recorded with producer Ed Stasium
and titled after the 1975 film
starring William Shatner
. The album was released on October 4, 2011. During the latter quarter of 2011, former vocalist Danzig and guitarist Doyle will be performing Misfits songs on four different occasions as part of the Danzig Legacy tour. The first of the four shows, which took place on October 7th in Chicago, saw a sold-out crowd.
and science fiction film
-inspired themes and imagery, with makeup, clothing, artwork, and lyrics drawn from B movie
s and television serials, many from the 1960s and 1970s. Musically the band are often recognized as the progenitors of the horror punk
subgenre and have drawn from punk rock
, heavy metal, and 1950s rock and roll
and rockabilly
to inform their style. Rolling Stone
describes them as "the archetypal horror-punk band of the late 1970s and early '80s", and they are considered icons in punk music and culture.
The early incarnations of the Misfits are associated with the hardcore punk
movement of the early 1980s, though American Hardcore
author Steven Blush
notes that "though crucial to the rise of hardcore, [they] were in fact in a league of their own...The Misfits delivered a hyper-yet-melodic assault based in 50/60s-style rock, taking the Buddy Holly
/Gene Vincent
foundation and making it nuclear." Jon DeRosa of Pitchfork Media
describes how the band's sound was different from the punk rock coming out of New York at the time: "New York punk was just punk, simple and static. When Glenn started the Misfits, he mutated the punk sound and image into something darker and more sinister, a punk-metal hybrid that later found bloom in the quiet, boring suburbs of Oslo and the boggy backwaters surrounding Tampa. Punk belonged to the media/celebrity hubs of London and New York. Ghoul rock was for the kids in the suburbs where nothing ever happens." Andy Weller of the Necros
recalls the band's transition from traditional punk rock in the late 1970s to hardcore in the early 1980s: "[Y]ou could hear it on the records. It went from this Ramones
-type stuff, to nine months later, where they put out records that were so fast it's unreal." By the recording of Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood the band were playing faster, more aggressive material. According to Blush, "The Misfits' strengths as a hardcore group lay in non-[hardcore] attributes–melodic songs and larger-than-life-aura–but by the time of Earth A.D. Glenn was writing hyperspeed blasts that sounded very standard."
The new version of the Misfits launched by Jerry Only and Doyle in the 1990s had a style that was much more heavy metal
than punk, an outgrowth of the brothers' experience with their short-lived Christian metal act Kryst the Conqueror. Reviewing American Psycho
, Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic called the new incarnation "a kitschy goth-punk outfit that relies more on metal than hardcore", while Rolling Stone
remarked that the band's new style blended "some old-style punk, a little metal and an occasional all-out thrasher." Greg Prato, reviewing the 2001 album Cuts from the Crypt
, noted that "the latter-day Misfits are much more heavy metal based than in their earlier work – as their punk roots have all but been erased."
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band often recognized as the progenitors of the horror punk
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
subgenre, blending punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and other musical influences with horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
themes and imagery. Founded in 1977 in Lodi, New Jersey
Lodi, New Jersey
Lodi is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 24,136. The borough of Lodi is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law.Lodi owes its name to the Italian city of Lodi...
by singer and songwriter Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
, the group had a fluctuating lineup during its first six years with Danzig and bassist Jerry Only
Jerry Only
Jerry Only is an American bassist. He is the current bassist and vocalist for the Misfits. He is credited with creating the infamous hair style known as the devilock.-Life and career:...
as the only consistent members. During this time they released several EPs
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and, with Only's brother Doyle
Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein
Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein , is an American guitarist best known for his material with the horror punk band the Misfits.-Life and career:...
as guitarist, the albums Walk Among Us
Walk Among Us
-Band:* Glenn Danzig – vocals, guitar on "Vampira", "Devils Whorehouse", "Astro Zombies", overdubbed guitar on all tracks except "Mommy Can I Go Out & Kill Tonight?"* Jerry Only – bass, background vocals...
(1982) and Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood (1983), both considered touchstones of the early-1980s hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
movement. The Misfits disbanded in 1983 and Danzig went on to form Samhain
Samhain (band)
Samhain was an American rock band formed by singer Glenn Danzig in 1983, immediately following his departure from the Misfits. Samhain played in more of a deathrock and heavy metal-infused style of horror punk than Danzig's previous band. By 1987 Samhain's membership evolved into a new band,...
and then Danzig
Danzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
. Several albums of reissued and previously unreleased material were issued after the group's dissolution, and their music became influential to punk rock, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
music of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
After a series of legal battles with Danzig, Only and Doyle regained the rights to record and perform as the Misfits. They formed a new version of the band in 1995 with singer Michale Graves
Michale Graves
Michael Emanuel , better known by his stage name Michale Graves, is an American singer and songwriter, singing for the late 1990s re-incarnation of The Misfits from 1995 to 1998 and again from late 1998 until late 2000. Graves grew up in Dumont, New Jersey...
and drummer Dr. Chud
Dr. Chud
Dr. C.H.U.D. is an American rock drummer and singer.-Life and career:...
. This incarnation of the Misfits had a sound much more rooted in heavy metal, and released the albums American Psycho
American Psycho (album)
American Psycho is an album by the Misfits. Released May 13, 1997, it was the first to be recorded and released without founder and leader Glenn Danzig...
(1997) and Famous Monsters
Famous Monsters
-Chart positions:- Credits :* Michale Graves - vocals* Jerry Only - bass* Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein - guitar* Dr. Chud - drums...
(1999) before dissolving in 2000. Jerry Only then took over lead vocals and recruited former Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
guitarist Dez Cadena
Dez Cadena
Dez Paul Cadena is an American punk rock singer and guitarist. He was the third vocalist and later rhythm guitarist for hardcore punk band Black Flag. Since 2001 Cadena has played guitar with the Misfits...
and former Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
drummer Marky Ramone
Marky Ramone
Marky Ramone is an American musician. He is best known for being the drummer for the Ramones, but has also played in other notable bands like Dust, Wayne County and the Backstreet Boys, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, and the Misfits.Although he is not the original drummer , Marky is the only living...
for a Misfits 25th Anniversary tour. This lineup released an album of cover songs
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
entitled Project 1950
Project 1950
-Chart positions:-Bonus DVD:# "This Magic Moment"# "Dream Lover"# "Diana"# "Donna"# "Runaway"*Tracks 1-4, recorded at the Phillips US Open Snowboarding Championships*Track 5, recorded live, at The World in NYCBonus Material...
and toured for several years. In 2005 Ramone was replaced by Robo, who had played with Black Flag in the early 1980s and had also previously been the Misfits' drummer from 1982 to 1983. This lineup released a single titled "Land of the Dead
Land of the Dead (song)
"Land of the Dead" is a single by the horror punk band the Misfits, released October 27, 2009 through Misfits Records. It is the first release of new studio material from the band since the 2003 covers album Project 1950, and their first release of new, original material since 1999's Famous Monsters...
" in 2009. The Misfits' current lineup of Only, Cadena, and drummer Eric "Chupacabra" Arce released a new album titled The Devil's Rain
The Devil's Rain (album)
The Devil's Rain is the seventh studio album by the horror punk band the Misfits, released October 4, 2011 through their own label Misfits Records. It is the band's first album in eight years, following 2003's covers record Project 1950, and the first of original material since 1999's Famous...
in October 2011.
1977–1978: Formation and Static Age
The Misfits were formed in January 1977 in Lodi, New JerseyLodi, New Jersey
Lodi is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 24,136. The borough of Lodi is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law.Lodi owes its name to the Italian city of Lodi...
by Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
, who had previous experience performing in local bands. Naming the band after actress Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
's final film The Misfits
The Misfits (film)
The Misfits is a 1961 American drama film written by Arthur Miller, directed by John Huston, and starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter, and Eli Wallach. It was the final film appearance for both Gable and Monroe...
(1961), Danzig recruited guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Jimmy Battle, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Diane DiPiazza
Diane DiPiazza
Diane DiPiazza was the first bass player for The Misfits, although she does not appear on any album. She left the band, vacating the spot that was quickly filled by Jerry Only. Her name is often incorrectly spelled Diane DiPiaza...
, and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Manny Martínez to fill out the lineup while Danzig himself sang
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and played the electric piano
Electric piano
An electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
. Both Battle and DiPiazza left the band after a month of practices. Martínez recommended his friend Jerry Caiafa
Jerry Only
Jerry Only is an American bassist. He is the current bassist and vocalist for the Misfits. He is credited with creating the infamous hair style known as the devilock.-Life and career:...
to Danzig as a replacement, as Caiafa had recently received a bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
as a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
gift. Caiafa was accepted into the band despite having only been practicing his instrument for two months. He and Danzig would remain the only consistent members of the Misfits until the group disbanded in 1983. The trio of Danzig, Martínez, and Caiafa rehearsed for three months without a guitarist, using Danzig's electric piano to provide the songs' rhythm. They recorded the band's first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Cough/Cool
Cough/Cool
"Cough/Cool" is the first single released by the horror punk band the Misfits. It was released in August 1977 on singer Glenn Danzig's label Blank Records. 500 copies were produced on black 7" vinyl...
", which they released through their own label Blank Records in August 1977. Caiafa's surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
was misspelled on the record's sleeve, prompting him to insist that in the future he be credited as "Jerry, only Jerry". "Jerry Only" quickly became his pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
, which he would continue to use for the rest of his career. The band played their first two performances at CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, followed by other local performances over the following two months.
In August 1977 guitarist Frank Licata
Franché Coma
Frank LiCata , known by his stage name Franché Coma, is an American musician. He is best known for being the original guitarist of Misfits...
joined the band under the pseudonym Franché Coma. The addition of a permanent guitar player allowed Danzig to phase out the electric piano and focus on singing, and pushed the band's sound in a punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
direction. Danzig and Only ejected Martínez from the band in December, judging him to be unreliable, and replaced him with "Mr. Jim" Catania
Jim Catania
Jim Catania , commonly known as Mr. Jim, replaced Manny Martínez in The Misfits in the fall of 1977 and remained in the band until November 1978. Catania had been in an earlier band called Whodat And Boojang with Glenn Danzig. Mr. Jim is featured on the same songs as Franché Coma...
. The band found themselves with a recording opportunity when Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
wished to use the name Blank Records for one of its subdivisions and offered Danzig thirty hours of free studio time in exchange for the trademark to the name. Danzig accepted, and in January 1978 the Misfits entered a New York recording studio to record their first album. Seventeen songs were recorded, fourteen of which were mixed for the proposed Static Age
Static Age
-The Misfits:*Glenn Danzig - vocals*Franché Coma - guitar*Jerry Only - bass guitar*Mr. Jim - drums-Studio personnel:*Dave Achelis - producer, engineer, and mixer*Alan Douches - mixing of tracks 15-17, mastering...
album. However, the band were unable to find a record label interested in releasing the album. Instead they released four of the songs in June 1978 as the "Bullet" single on their new label Plan 9 Records, named after the 1959 science fiction
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...
. Static Age would not be released in its entirety until 1997.
1978–1981: Singles and early tours
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
horror and science fiction films. He painted skeletal patterns on his performance clothing, while Only began applying dark makeup around his eyes and styling his hair in a long point hanging from his forehead between his eyes and down to his chin, a style that became known as a "devilock
Devilock
The devilock is a hairstyle created by Misfits bassist Jerry Only in the late 1970s. In an early 1980s interview, Only claimed that the devilock was based on a "tidal wave" hairstyle seen among the 1970s skateboarding communities...
" and which both Danzig and Only's brother Doyle would eventually adopt. This new style and musical direction would later be described as the subgenre "horror punk
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
". The band performed more frequently and went on short tours in support of the "Bullet" single. While in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in October 1978 Franché Coma quit the band because he did not enjoy touring, and guitarist Rick Riley filled in temporarily to finish the tour. Jim Catania also quit following the tour, citing a distaste for the horror direction in which the band was heading. Within two months the pair were replaced by drummer Joey Poole
Joey Image
Joey Image is an American punk rock drummer. He joined the Misfits in November 1978 just before Bobby Steele did. He was the drummer for both the Horror Business and Night of the Living Dead sessions of 1979....
, under the pseudonym Joey Image, and guitarist Bobby Steele
Bobby Steele
Bobby Steele is an American punk rock musician. He is the current guitar player, songwriter, and sole original member of punk band The Undead. He has been a member of multiple other bands, most notably, as the second guitarist of The Misfits...
. The new lineup of Danzig, Only, Image, and Steele began performing in December 1978 and continued to evolve the horror elements of the band. They released the "Horror Business
Horror Business
"Horror Business" is the third single released by the horror punk band the Misfits. It was released on June 26, 1979 on singer Glenn Danzig's label Plan 9 Records....
" single in June 1979, the cover of which featured a skeletal figure inspired by a poster for the 1946 film serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
The Crimson Ghost
The Crimson Ghost
The Crimson Ghost is a Republic film serial directed by Fred C. Brannon and William Witney with Charles Quigley and Linda Stirling playing the leads. This was Witney's last serial, after a career that left him one of the most praised of all serial directors...
. The figure became a mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
for the band, and its skull image would serve as the Misfits' logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
for the rest of their career. The band also launched a fan club
Fan club
A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well-known person, group, idea or sometimes even an inanimate object . Most fan clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to supporting them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the person...
named the "Fiend Club" which Danzig operated in a do-it-yourself
Do it yourself
Do it yourself is a term used to describe building, modifying, or repairing of something without the aid of experts or professionals...
fashion from his mother's basement in Lodi, silkscreening
Screen-printing
Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. The attached stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfer ink or other printable materials which can be pressed through the mesh as a sharp-edged image onto a substrate...
t-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
s, assembling records, mailing merchandise catalogs, booking shows for the band, and answering fan mail
Fan mail
Fan mail is mail sent to a public figure, especially a celebrity, by their admirers or "fans".In return celebrities may send a poster or picture and usually a return letter.-Overview:...
.
In June 1979 the Misfits performed as openers for The Damned in New York City. Only spoke with singer Dave Vanian about the possibility of the Misfits touring the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with The Damned. That November the band released the "Night of the Living Dead" single and flew to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to tour with The Damned. Upon arriving there, however, they learned that Vanian had not taken his conversation with Only seriously and had not planned on having the Misfits on the tour. Vanian attempted to arrange for the Misfits to take part in the tour, but the band members were unhappy with the situation and left the tour after only two shows. Image then quit the band and flew back to the United States. With their return flight not scheduled until late December, the remaining band members stayed in London. Only spent time with Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
' mother Anne Ritchie, whom he had befriended after Vicious' death in February 1979. Danzig and Steele got into a fight with skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
s while waiting to see The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
, were arrested, and spent two nights in jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
in Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
; this experience inspired the later song "London Dungeon".
Upon their return to the United States the Misfits released the Beware EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in January 1980, then took a four-month break before adding Joseph McGuckin
Arthur Googy
Arthur Googy was a drummer for the horror punk band The Misfits.He was the longest running drummer of the bands original era, spanning the years 1980 - 1982, and was present during the "Master Sound Productions Sessions" that led to the Walk Among Us album...
as their new drummer under the pseudonym Arthur Googy. During this time Only's younger brother Paul Caiafa, a longtime fan of the band who went by the nickname Doyle, began learning to play guitar with help from Danzig and Only. The Misfits began working on an album which they planned to release through their Plan 9 label, recording twelve songs in a studio in August 1980. Doyle practiced with the band and recorded his own guitar tracks for the songs, and Only began persuading Danzig that Doyle would fit into the band better than Steele. That October Steele was ejected from the band in favor of the sixteen-year-old Doyle. Steele went on to form The Undead
The Undead
The Undead is a horror punk band formed in 1980 in New Milford, New Jersey by Bobby Steele , Chris "Jack" Natz , and Patrick Blanck . Bobby had just been fired from his previous band, The Misfits, when forming The Undead.They released their first EP 9 Toes Later in 1982...
, while Doyle made his debut with the Misfits at their annual Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
performance at Irving Plaza in New York City. After several more performances the band took another hiatus for six months.
After reconvening, the band selected three of the twelve songs from their August 1980 album sessions and released them as 3 Hits from Hell
3 Hits from Hell
3 Hits from Hell was the sixth release from the Lodi, New Jersey horror punk band The Misfits.The 7" EP was released in April 1981 as Plan 9 Records number PL1013...
in April 1981. Throughout the rest of 1981 they continued to record tracks for a full-length album, to be titled Walk Among Us
Walk Among Us
-Band:* Glenn Danzig – vocals, guitar on "Vampira", "Devils Whorehouse", "Astro Zombies", overdubbed guitar on all tracks except "Mommy Can I Go Out & Kill Tonight?"* Jerry Only – bass, background vocals...
. They had planned to release it through Plan 9 but instead accepted an offer from Slash Records
Slash Records
Slash Records is a record label in Los Angeles, originally specializing in local and punk rock bands.The label was formed in 1978 by Bob Biggs as an outgrowth of the Los Angeles-based fanzine, Slash. Biggs, a painter, initiated the label with a seven-inch single from The Germs in 1978. A full album...
, deciding to rework the album before its release. In October 1981 they released two more tracks from the August 1980 sessions as the "Halloween" single. On November 20 they recorded a performance at On Broadway in San Francisco. Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
were also performing that night at the Mabuhay Gardens
Mabuhay Gardens
The Mabuhay Gardens was a San Francisco nightclub located at , on the Broadway strip of North Beach, an area best known for its strip clubs....
downstairs from On Broadway, and Black Flag singer Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
, a longtime fan of the band, came up to watch the Misfits' soundcheck
Soundcheck
A soundcheck is the preparation that takes place before a concert, speech, or similar performance, when the performer and the sound crew run through a small portion of the upcoming show on the venue's sound system to make sure that the sound in the venue's "Front Of House" and stage monitor sound...
. He stayed to watch the band's set and sang guest vocals on "We Are 138". The two bands crossed paths again on Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
in Lodi, where Black Flag wound up playing as the opening band for the Necros
Necros
Necros were an early American hardcore punk band from Maumee, Ohio, although they are usually identified with the Detroit music scene. They are the first band to record for Touch and Go Records.-History:...
and the Misfits.
1982–1983: Albums and dissolution
Ruby Records
Ruby Records was a record label subsidiary of Slash Records, started in 1981.Ruby was distributed through the same independent distributors that handled its corporate parent, Slash. When Warner Bros...
and Slash Records. It was the first full-length Misfits album to be properly released, and the only album to be released while the early incarnation of the band was still active. A national tour in support of the album followed, and the band's performances began to grow more intense and violent. Danzig and Googy clashed frequently during the tour, and after a heated argument at a McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
restaurant Danzig kicked Googy out of the band, delaying their plans to record their next EP. They offered the vacant drummer position to their friend Eerie Von
Eerie Von
Eerie Von, born Eric Stellman on is a musician best known as the original bassist for the metal band Danzig. Eerie Von's preferred bass is the Fender Jazz.-Early life:...
, who had served as their occasional roadie and photographer, but he had already committed to drumming for Rosemary's Babies
Rosemary's Babies
Rosemary's Babies was an American hardcore punk band formed in Lodi, New Jersey in 1980. Its members included J.R. - vocals, Post Mortem - bass, CA Richie - guitar, and Eerie Von - drums. The band was active until 1983 and produced a 7" EP titled "Blood Lust", released on the band's own Ghastly...
. Henry Rollins recommended former Black Flag drummer Robo, who flew to New Jersey to join the Misfits in July 1982. Doyle graduated from high school and he and Only began working full-time at their father's machine shop, earning money to purchase new instruments, fund the band's tours, and press records, while Danzig ran the Fiend Club and continued writing new songs.
In September 1982 the Misfits embarked on a national tour, with the Necros as their opening act. During the tour they stopped at a studio to record the instrumental tracks for their next EP. They were arrested in New Orleans on charges of grave robbing
Grave robbing
Grave robbery, grave robbing, or tomb raiding is the act of uncovering a tomb or crypt to steal artifacts or personal effects. Someone who engages in this act is a grave robber or tomb raider...
while attempting to locate the grave of voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo, describes a set of underground religious practices which originated from the traditions of the African diaspora. It is a cultural form of the Afro-American religions which developed within the French, Spanish, and Creole speaking African American...
practitioner Marie Laveau
Marie Laveau
Marie Laveau was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of Voodoo renown in New Orleans. She was born free in New Orleans....
, but bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
ed themselves out of jail and skipped their court date in order to drive to their next performance in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Following the tour they released seven songs from the November 1981 performance in San Francisco in limited numbers only to members of the Fiend Club as the Evilive
Evilive
Evilive is a live album by The Misfits. It was initially released as a 7-song EP in December 1982 and later added 5 more songs and released as an album in October 1987. It was released on frontman Glenn Danzig's Plan 9 Records. The album title is a palindrome. The album is included in The Misfits'...
EP.
By this time Danzig was growing increasingly dissatisfied with the Misfits and had begun writings songs for a new band project. In June 1983 he confided to Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
that he planned to quit the group. In July 1983 the Misfits finished recording their EP, and Danzig decided to record two more songs that he had intended for his new project, turning it into a full album. Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood demonstrated the increased influence of hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
on the band, though they would break up just two months before it was released. After a series of arguments with Danzig, Robo left the band in August and Danzig became further disenchanted, beginning to audition musicians for his next project. On October 29, 1983, the Misfits played their annual Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
performance at Greystone Hall in Detroit with the Necros. Danzig had selected Brian Damage
Brian Damage
Brian Keats , known by his stage name Brian Damage, was an American punk rock drummer mostly known by his participation in the horror punk band Misfits.-Career:...
, formerly of Genocide and Verbal Abuse
Verbal Abuse
Verbal Abuse is a hardcore punk band, originally from Houston, Texas, but which became successful after moving to San Francisco.Verbal Abuse was started in Houston, Texas in 1981 after singer and songwriter Nicki Sicki quit the band Sick Pleasure and moved to Virginia, then back to Texas when he...
, as the band's new drummer. However, Damage became drunk
Drunkenness
Alcohol intoxication is a physiological state that occurs when a person has a high level of ethanol in his or her blood....
before the show and could not play properly. After several songs Doyle escorted him off the stage and Todd Swalla of the Necros filled in for the remainder of the performance. Tensions came to a head and Danzig announced to the audience that it would be the band's final show. Upon returning to Lodi the band members went their separate ways.
1984–1995: New projects and legal battles
Following the breakup of the Misfits, Danzig launched his new band SamhainSamhain (band)
Samhain was an American rock band formed by singer Glenn Danzig in 1983, immediately following his departure from the Misfits. Samhain played in more of a deathrock and heavy metal-infused style of horror punk than Danzig's previous band. By 1987 Samhain's membership evolved into a new band,...
, moving away from punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and towards more experimental heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
with a grim atmosphere. Several Misfits songs were re-recorded for Samhain albums, including "Horror Business" (as "Horror Biz"), "All Hell Breaks Loose" (as "All Hell"), "Halloween II", "Death Comes Ripping", and "London Dungeon". In 1987 the band signed to a major record label and Danzig replaced most of the rhythm section
Rhythm section
A rhythm section is a collection of musicians who make up a section of instruments which provides the accompaniment section of the music, giving the music its rhythmic texture and pulse, also serving as a rhythmic reference for the rest of the band...
, renaming the group Danzig
Danzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
. He continues to front Danzig, who have released nine albums ranging in style from blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
-influenced heavy metal to industrial rock
Industrial rock
Industrial rock is a musical genre that fuses industrial music and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...
, and has also released two solo albums.
Jerry Only and Doyle, meanwhile, moved to Vernon, New Jersey
Vernon Township, New Jersey
-Communities and neighborhoods:Communities and neighborhoods in Vernon Township include the following sections:*Vernon Village "Town Center"*Vernon Valley a.k.a...
to work at their father's machine parts factory full-time. Only had married and had a daughter and became more serious about his Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
faith, regretting some of the things he had done with the Misfits. In 1987 he and Doyle formed the short-lived Kryst the Conqueror
Kryst The Conqueror
Kryst the Conqueror was an American Metal project formed in August of 1987 by two former members of the horror punk band, The Misfits. The project was led by bassist Jerry Only, who adopted a new stage name, "Mo The Great" , and his younger brother, guitarist Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein...
, a Christian heavy metal band with barbarian imagery.
Though the Misfits had not gained significant popularity during their seven years of activity, public interest in the band increased in the years following their breakup. The success of Danzig's post-Misfits' work led to interest in his past work, and several high-profile rock bands professed fondness for the Misfits. Most notably, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
the Misfits songs "Last Caress" and "Green Hell" on The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited
The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited
At the end of "Last Caress"/"Green Hell" are a few bars of Iron Maiden's song "Run to the Hills", but is played out of key. Iron Maiden responded to this on a b-side cover of the Montrose song titled "Space Station No...
(1987), and Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
covered "Attitude" on "The Spaghetti Incident?"
"The Spaghetti Incident?"
"The Spaghetti Incident?" is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Guns N' Roses. The album is unique for the band, consisting entirely of cover versions, mostly of punk and glam rock songs of the late 1970s and early 1980s....
(1993). Several albums of reissued and previously unreleased Misfits material were issued between 1985 and 1987, the first being the compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Legacy of Brutality
Legacy of Brutality
-Credits:* Glenn Danzig - vocals, guitar and bass on tracks 9, 10, and 13, overdubbed guitar and bass on tracks 1-8, and 11, clapping on track 13* Franché Coma - original guitar for tracks 1-8, and 11* Bobby Steele - original guitar for tracks 9, 10 and 12...
(1985) which included many of the songs from the unreleased Static Age
Static Age
-The Misfits:*Glenn Danzig - vocals*Franché Coma - guitar*Jerry Only - bass guitar*Mr. Jim - drums-Studio personnel:*Dave Achelis - producer, engineer, and mixer*Alan Douches - mixing of tracks 15-17, mastering...
album. Danzig overdubbed
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
many of the album's instrument tracks in order to avoid having to pay royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
to the other former band members. Misfits
Collection I
Misfits is a compilation album of early songs from the American punk rock band the Misfits. The compilation is officially titled Misfits, but is commonly referred to as Collection I and was made up as the first half of a pair with the later release of the compilation album Collection II...
, more commonly referred to as Collection I, followed in 1986. The Evilive
Evilive
Evilive is a live album by The Misfits. It was initially released as a 7-song EP in December 1982 and later added 5 more songs and released as an album in October 1987. It was released on frontman Glenn Danzig's Plan 9 Records. The album title is a palindrome. The album is included in The Misfits'...
EP was reissued as a full album in 1987 with five additional tracks.
Only contacted Danzig about receiving a portion of the royalties from these albums' sales, beginning a legal battle that lasted several years and involved other past members of the band. All of the Misfits material had been credited to Danzig, and though Only later conceded that Danzig had written nearly all of the lyrics and most of the music, he contended that he and Doyle "wrote 25% or maybe 30% of the music" and deserved compensation. Danzig, however, insisted that he had written all of the songs in their entirety and that the other members' creative input had been minimal. Eventually Only ceased his pursuit of songwriting credits and sought the rights to use the Misfits name and imagery. In 1995 the parties reached an out-of-court settlement that allowed Only and Doyle to record and perform as the Misfits, sharing merchandising rights with Danzig. Collection II
Collection II
Collection II is the companion album to The Misfits' Collection I. Both compilations collect all the early singles and the entire Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood album, and are meant to complement Walk Among Us and Legacy of Brutality with little overlap...
, a third compilation of Misfits songs, was released later that year.
1996–2000: Reformation and new lineup
Only and Doyle immediately set about reforming the Misfits, bringing in drummer David CalabreseDr. Chud
Dr. C.H.U.D. is an American rock drummer and singer.-Life and career:...
, aka "Dr. Chud", who had worked with them in Kryst the Conqueror. Glenn Danzig rejected their offer to return as the band's lead singer. Dave Vanian of The Damned was also approached but declined. The band then held open auditions for a new vocalist. Nineteen-year-old singer Michael Emanuel
Michale Graves
Michael Emanuel , better known by his stage name Michale Graves, is an American singer and songwriter, singing for the late 1990s re-incarnation of The Misfits from 1995 to 1998 and again from late 1998 until late 2000. Graves grew up in Dumont, New Jersey...
had recently recorded a demo tape in hopes of starting a music career, and the owner of the recording studio suggested that he audition for the Misfits. Being unfamiliar with the band, Emanuel listened to Collection I on a walkman
Walkman
Walkman is a Sony brand tradename originally used for portable audio cassette, and now used to market Sony's portable audio and video players as well as a line of Sony Ericsson mobile phones...
to learn the lyrics and melodies while working his job as a greenskeeper. He impressed the band with his audition and was accepted as the new lead singer under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Michale Graves, while Doyle adopted the new stage name "Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein". The new lineup made an appearance in the 1995 film Animal Room
Animal Room
Animal Room is a 1995 American drama/science fiction film directed, produced, and written by Craig Singer and starring Neil Patrick Harris as a bullied drug-using teenager and Matthew Lillard as the bully who loves to torment Harris's character...
.
In 1996 the Misfits Box Set was released, containing nearly all of the band's Danzig-era material recorded from 1977 to 1983 (with the exception of Walk Among Us
Walk Among Us
-Band:* Glenn Danzig – vocals, guitar on "Vampira", "Devils Whorehouse", "Astro Zombies", overdubbed guitar on all tracks except "Mommy Can I Go Out & Kill Tonight?"* Jerry Only – bass, background vocals...
). The set included the complete fourteen-song Static Age album, released for the first time in its entirety, as well as the overdubbed and alternate versions of songs that had previously been released on Legacy of Brutality, Collection I, and Collection II. Static Age was also released as a separate album the following year, including all seventeen tracks that had been recorded during the January 1978 sessions. The release of the box set and Static Age made the Misfits' complete early catalog widely available for the first time. A tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
was also released in 1997 entitled Violent World
Violent World: A Tribute to the Misfits
Violent World: A Tribute to the Misfits is a tribute album to the horror punk band the Misfits released in 1997 by Caroline Records. It features primarily punk rock bands performing cover versions of Misfits songs from the band's early era, 1977 to 1983....
, featuring numerous punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
bands covering songs from the Glenn Danzig era. Another tribute album, Hell on Earth, was released in 2000 featuring death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
, hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, and gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
acts.
The new incarnation of the Misfits released their debut album American Psycho
American Psycho (album)
American Psycho is an album by the Misfits. Released May 13, 1997, it was the first to be recorded and released without founder and leader Glenn Danzig...
in 1997 and filmed music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s for the songs "American Psycho" and "Dig Up Her Bones
Dig Up Her Bones
"Dig Up Her Bones" is the seventh single by the horror punk band the Misfits. It was the first single released by the re-formed lineup of the band, after the original incarnation broke up in 1983...
". The band toured Europe and North America in support of the album and appeared as characters in World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
. Graves took a hiatus from the band during 1998, during which Myke Hideous of The Empire Hideous filled in as singer during tours of South America and Europe. After Graves' return the band signed to Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
, releasing Famous Monsters
Famous Monsters
-Chart positions:- Credits :* Michale Graves - vocals* Jerry Only - bass* Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein - guitar* Dr. Chud - drums...
in October 1999 and filming a music video for the single "Scream!" They made additional film appearances in Big Money Hustlas
Big Money Hustlas
The film's music was written by Psychopathic Records producer Mike E. Clark. A soundtrack album was released in 2001, and featured new music from the film, in addition to previously released tracks by Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, and the theme to the 1976 film The Human Tornado, performed by...
(2000), Bruiser
Bruiser (film)
Bruiser is a 2000 thriller film, which stars Jason Flemyng, it was written and directed by George A. Romero.-Synopsis:Henry Creedlow, a man who wakes up one morning to discover that his face has been replaced by a white featureless mask.-Plot:...
(2000), and Campfire Stories (2001) and continued to tour, but tensions between the band members began to grow. During a performance at the House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
on October 25, 2000, Graves and Chud both quit the band and walked offstage. The two later released an album under the name Graves
Graves (band)
Graves is the band that Michale Graves and Dr. Chud formed after they left the Misfits. Graves recorded and released one album, Web of Dharma....
before splitting up; Graves went on to sing for Gotham Road
Gotham Road
Gotham Road is a band formed after the demise of the band Graves by Michale Graves, Loki, JV Bastard and Paul Lifeless.-Formation:...
and then launched a solo career, while Chud formed Dr. Chud's X-Ward
Dr. Chud's X-Ward
Dr. Chud's X-Ward was formed in 2003 after Dr. Chud folded his other band Graves. Their first CD was released in 2004, it was be released on Dr. Chud's very own Bloodwork Records label, it was named Diagnosis for Death. The first 1000 copies of Diagnosis For Death are limited edition and were...
. Meanwhile, Doyle took an indefinite hiatus from performing as he divorced, remarried, had a fourth child, and dealt with tendinitis in his elbow.
2001–2008: 25th Anniversary and all-star lineup
Dez Cadena
Dez Paul Cadena is an American punk rock singer and guitarist. He was the third vocalist and later rhythm guitarist for hardcore punk band Black Flag. Since 2001 Cadena has played guitar with the Misfits...
, former guitarist of Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
, and Marky Ramone
Marky Ramone
Marky Ramone is an American musician. He is best known for being the drummer for the Ramones, but has also played in other notable bands like Dust, Wayne County and the Backstreet Boys, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, and the Misfits.Although he is not the original drummer , Marky is the only living...
, former drummer of the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, for a Misfits 25th Anniversary Tour which lasted intermittently for nearly three years. Former Black Flag and Misfits drummer Robo filled in for Ramone during some stretches of the tour. Only released Cuts from the Crypt
Cuts from the Crypt
- Band :* Michale Graves – vocals* Jerry Only – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Monster Mash"* Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein – guitar* Dr. Chud – drums- Additional musicians :* John Cafiero – vocals on "I Wanna Be a NY Ranger"...
in 2001, a compilation of demos and rarities covering the band's period with Graves and Chud from 1995 to 2001. This fulfilled the band's contractual obligations to Roadrunner Records, whom Only had grown dissatisfied with. Also in 2001 Caroline Records
Caroline Records
Caroline Records started out as a subsidiary of Richard Branson's Virgin Records label during the early to mid 1970s. The label originally specialized in putting out budget price LPs by mainly progressive rock and jazz artists generally not considered to have a great deal of 'mainstream' or...
announced that they would release recordings from the Misfits' August 1980 album sessions as 12 Hits from Hell
12 Hits from Hell
12 Hits From Hell is a cancelled studio album by the Misfits. It was recorded in 1980 but went unreleased. Caroline Records attempted to release it in 2001, but band members Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only called off production and the album was scrapped....
. However, both Only and Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
abruptly called off production of the album, citing concerns with the mixing, mastering, layout, and packaging.
Only and longtime collaborator John Cafiero
John Cafiero
John Cafiero is an American punk rock musician, film director and film producer. He is best known as the frontman for the punk supergroup Osaka Popstar, whose debut album was released the summer 2006...
soon launched their own label, Misfits Records
Misfits Records
Misfits Records is an independent record label founded in 2002 by Jerry Only of the Misfits as a division of his publishing company Cyclopian Music, Inc...
, and released a split single featuring the Misfits and Japanese horror punk
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
band Balzac
Balzac (band)
Balzac is a Japanese punk band formed in 1992 in Osaka. The band was founded by singer and songwriter Hirosuke Nishiyama, who has remained the only constant member of the band since its creation...
. The Only/Cadena/Ramone lineup of the Misfits released the covers album Project 1950
Project 1950
-Chart positions:-Bonus DVD:# "This Magic Moment"# "Dream Lover"# "Diana"# "Donna"# "Runaway"*Tracks 1-4, recorded at the Phillips US Open Snowboarding Championships*Track 5, recorded live, at The World in NYCBonus Material...
in 2003, performing renditions of classic rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
songs from the 1950s and 1960s. The album featured guest appearances from Ronnie Spector
Ronnie Spector
Veronica Yvette "Ronnie" Spector is an American rock and roll and popular music vocalist, and was the lead singer of the 1960s hit-making girl group, The Ronettes, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. She is known as the "original bad girl of rock and roll."-Personal...
, Jimmy Destri
Jimmy Destri
Jimmy Destri is an American musician. He played keyboards in the rock band Blondie, and is one of the principal songwriters for the band along with Chris Stein and Deborah Harry. Destri stopped touring with the band in 2004, but remained an official member of the band for several more years...
, Ed Manion
Ed Manion
Ed Manion , also known as Eddie "Kingfish" Manion, is an American saxophonist who plays both tenor and baritone sax. He is best known as a member of Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band Tour later called Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band with the release of the CD/DVD Bruce...
, and John Cafiero. The band toured intermittently in support of the album until 2005, when Ramone left the band and was replaced by Robo. They booked a full European tour that year, but problems with Robo's visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
led to the cancellation of all dates in the United Kingdom. A rescheduled UK tour followed in September.
Danzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
onstage during performances in December 2004 to play guitar for 30-minute sets of old Misfits songs midway through the band's setlist. It was the first time the two had performed together in over twenty years, and the first time Doyle had performed since his hiatus. Danzig called the performances "the closest thing to a Misfits reunion anyone is ever going to see". These sets featuring Doyle continued through Danzig's 2005 "Blackest of the Black" tour and 2006 Australian tour. Glenn Danzig had announced his intention to retire from touring following these, though he later contradicted this by announcing a Danzig 20th anniversary tour in 2008. In 2007 he produced Doyle's new project Gorgeous Frankenstein. Doyle later indicated that plans had been in place for the Misfits to reunite with Glenn Danzig beginning in 2002, but that Jerry Only and his manager had "put a fuckin' monkey wrench in it."
2009–present: Recent activity
In 2009 and 2010 the Misfits performed an extended 30th anniversary world tour. A new single, "Land of the DeadLand of the Dead (song)
"Land of the Dead" is a single by the horror punk band the Misfits, released October 27, 2009 through Misfits Records. It is the first release of new studio material from the band since the 2003 covers album Project 1950, and their first release of new, original material since 1999's Famous Monsters...
" was released October 27, 2009, marking the band's first release of new studio material in six years and the only release by the lineup of Only, Cadena, and Robo. Robo was dismissed from the band in 2010, with Only explaining that ongoing problems with his Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n passport inhibited the band's ability to tour consistently. He was replaced by Eric "Chupacabra" Arce of Murphy's Law
Murphy's Law (band)
Murphy's Law is an American hardcore band from New York City, New York, formed in 1982. While vocalist Jimmy Gestapo remains the only founding member of the band, the line-up has consisted of former members of bands such as Skinnerbox, Danzig, The Bouncing Souls, Mucky Pup, Dog Eat Dog, Hanoi...
, who had previously filled in with the band for tours in 2000 and 2001. The current lineup plans to release a new album, The Devil's Rain
The Devil's Rain (album)
The Devil's Rain is the seventh studio album by the horror punk band the Misfits, released October 4, 2011 through their own label Misfits Records. It is the band's first album in eight years, following 2003's covers record Project 1950, and the first of original material since 1999's Famous...
, recorded with producer Ed Stasium
Ed Stasium
Ed Stasium is an American record producer and engineer who has worked on albums by The Ramones, Talking Heads, The Smithereens and Living Colour.- History :Stasium first surfaced in 1970 fronting the band Brandywine, appearing on their sole LP Aged....
and titled after the 1975 film
The Devil's Rain
The Devil's Rain is a 1975 low-budget horror film, directed by Robert Fuest. The film is remembered primarily for its ending, in which most of the cast melts. It was one of several B-films in which William Shatner starred in the hiatus between the original Star Trek television series and Star Trek:...
starring William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
. The album was released on October 4, 2011. During the latter quarter of 2011, former vocalist Danzig and guitarist Doyle will be performing Misfits songs on four different occasions as part of the Danzig Legacy tour. The first of the four shows, which took place on October 7th in Chicago, saw a sold-out crowd.
Style
Each incarnation of the Misfits has made use of horror filmHorror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
and science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
-inspired themes and imagery, with makeup, clothing, artwork, and lyrics drawn from B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s and television serials, many from the 1960s and 1970s. Musically the band are often recognized as the progenitors of the horror punk
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
subgenre and have drawn from punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, heavy metal, and 1950s rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
to inform their style. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
describes them as "the archetypal horror-punk band of the late 1970s and early '80s", and they are considered icons in punk music and culture.
The early incarnations of the Misfits are associated with the hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
movement of the early 1980s, though American Hardcore
American Hardcore: A Tribal History
American Hardcore: A Tribal History is a book by Steven Blush detailing the history of the early hardcore punk music scene.The book was the basis of the documentary American Hardcore directed by Paul Rachman and written by Steven Blush....
author Steven Blush
Steven Blush
Steven Blush is an American author, publisher and promoter.His book American Hardcore: A Tribal History was released in 2001 through Feral House publishing. The film version, American Hardcore, was released September 22, 2006...
notes that "though crucial to the rise of hardcore, [they] were in fact in a league of their own...The Misfits delivered a hyper-yet-melodic assault based in 50/60s-style rock, taking the Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
/Gene Vincent
Gene Vincent
Vincent Eugene Craddock , known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly...
foundation and making it nuclear." Jon DeRosa of Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
describes how the band's sound was different from the punk rock coming out of New York at the time: "New York punk was just punk, simple and static. When Glenn started the Misfits, he mutated the punk sound and image into something darker and more sinister, a punk-metal hybrid that later found bloom in the quiet, boring suburbs of Oslo and the boggy backwaters surrounding Tampa. Punk belonged to the media/celebrity hubs of London and New York. Ghoul rock was for the kids in the suburbs where nothing ever happens." Andy Weller of the Necros
Necros
Necros were an early American hardcore punk band from Maumee, Ohio, although they are usually identified with the Detroit music scene. They are the first band to record for Touch and Go Records.-History:...
recalls the band's transition from traditional punk rock in the late 1970s to hardcore in the early 1980s: "[Y]ou could hear it on the records. It went from this Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
-type stuff, to nine months later, where they put out records that were so fast it's unreal." By the recording of Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood the band were playing faster, more aggressive material. According to Blush, "The Misfits' strengths as a hardcore group lay in non-[hardcore] attributes–melodic songs and larger-than-life-aura–but by the time of Earth A.D. Glenn was writing hyperspeed blasts that sounded very standard."
The new version of the Misfits launched by Jerry Only and Doyle in the 1990s had a style that was much more heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
than punk, an outgrowth of the brothers' experience with their short-lived Christian metal act Kryst the Conqueror. Reviewing American Psycho
American Psycho (album)
American Psycho is an album by the Misfits. Released May 13, 1997, it was the first to be recorded and released without founder and leader Glenn Danzig...
, Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic called the new incarnation "a kitschy goth-punk outfit that relies more on metal than hardcore", while Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
remarked that the band's new style blended "some old-style punk, a little metal and an occasional all-out thrasher." Greg Prato, reviewing the 2001 album Cuts from the Crypt
Cuts from the Crypt
- Band :* Michale Graves – vocals* Jerry Only – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Monster Mash"* Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein – guitar* Dr. Chud – drums- Additional musicians :* John Cafiero – vocals on "I Wanna Be a NY Ranger"...
, noted that "the latter-day Misfits are much more heavy metal based than in their earlier work – as their punk roots have all but been erased."
Discography
Studio albums- Walk Among UsWalk Among Us-Band:* Glenn Danzig – vocals, guitar on "Vampira", "Devils Whorehouse", "Astro Zombies", overdubbed guitar on all tracks except "Mommy Can I Go Out & Kill Tonight?"* Jerry Only – bass, background vocals...
(1982) - Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood (1983)
- American PsychoAmerican Psycho (album)American Psycho is an album by the Misfits. Released May 13, 1997, it was the first to be recorded and released without founder and leader Glenn Danzig...
(1997) - Static AgeStatic Age-The Misfits:*Glenn Danzig - vocals*Franché Coma - guitar*Jerry Only - bass guitar*Mr. Jim - drums-Studio personnel:*Dave Achelis - producer, engineer, and mixer*Alan Douches - mixing of tracks 15-17, mastering...
(1997) - Famous MonstersFamous Monsters-Chart positions:- Credits :* Michale Graves - vocals* Jerry Only - bass* Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein - guitar* Dr. Chud - drums...
(1999) - Project 1950Project 1950-Chart positions:-Bonus DVD:# "This Magic Moment"# "Dream Lover"# "Diana"# "Donna"# "Runaway"*Tracks 1-4, recorded at the Phillips US Open Snowboarding Championships*Track 5, recorded live, at The World in NYCBonus Material...
(2003) - The Devil's RainThe Devil's Rain (album)The Devil's Rain is the seventh studio album by the horror punk band the Misfits, released October 4, 2011 through their own label Misfits Records. It is the band's first album in eight years, following 2003's covers record Project 1950, and the first of original material since 1999's Famous...
(2011)
Filmography
The Misfits appeared as characters or in cameos in the following movies.- Animal RoomAnimal RoomAnimal Room is a 1995 American drama/science fiction film directed, produced, and written by Craig Singer and starring Neil Patrick Harris as a bullied drug-using teenager and Matthew Lillard as the bully who loves to torment Harris's character...
(1995), as The Misfits - Big Money HustlasBig Money HustlasThe film's music was written by Psychopathic Records producer Mike E. Clark. A soundtrack album was released in 2001, and featured new music from the film, in addition to previously released tracks by Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, and the theme to the 1976 film The Human Tornado, performed by...
(2000), as Misfits 1-4 (individually credited) - BruiserBruiser (film)Bruiser is a 2000 thriller film, which stars Jason Flemyng, it was written and directed by George A. Romero.-Synopsis:Henry Creedlow, a man who wakes up one morning to discover that his face has been replaced by a white featureless mask.-Plot:...
(2000), as The Misfits - Campfire Stories (2001), as The Misfits
Current members
- Jerry OnlyJerry OnlyJerry Only is an American bassist. He is the current bassist and vocalist for the Misfits. He is credited with creating the infamous hair style known as the devilock.-Life and career:...
(Gerald Caiafa) – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1977–1983, 1995–present), backing vocals (1977–1983, 1995–2000), lead vocals (2001–present) - Dez CadenaDez CadenaDez Paul Cadena is an American punk rock singer and guitarist. He was the third vocalist and later rhythm guitarist for hardcore punk band Black Flag. Since 2001 Cadena has played guitar with the Misfits...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals (2001–present) - Eric "Chupacabra" Arce – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2010–present)
Former members
- Glenn DanzigGlenn DanzigGlenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
(Glenn Anzalone) – vocals, electric pianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
(1977–1983) - Diane DiPiazzaDiane DiPiazzaDiane DiPiazza was the first bass player for The Misfits, although she does not appear on any album. She left the band, vacating the spot that was quickly filled by Jerry Only. Her name is often incorrectly spelled Diane DiPiaza...
– bass guitar (1977) - Jimmy Battle – guitar (1977)
- Manny Martínez – drums (1977)
- Franché ComaFranché ComaFrank LiCata , known by his stage name Franché Coma, is an American musician. He is best known for being the original guitarist of Misfits...
(Frank Licata) – guitar (1977–1978) - Mr. Jim (Jim Catania) – drums (1978)
- Bobby SteeleBobby SteeleBobby Steele is an American punk rock musician. He is the current guitar player, songwriter, and sole original member of punk band The Undead. He has been a member of multiple other bands, most notably, as the second guitarist of The Misfits...
– guitar (1978–1980) - Joey ImageJoey ImageJoey Image is an American punk rock drummer. He joined the Misfits in November 1978 just before Bobby Steele did. He was the drummer for both the Horror Business and Night of the Living Dead sessions of 1979....
(Joey Poole) – drums (1978–1979) - Arthur GoogyArthur GoogyArthur Googy was a drummer for the horror punk band The Misfits.He was the longest running drummer of the bands original era, spanning the years 1980 - 1982, and was present during the "Master Sound Productions Sessions" that led to the Walk Among Us album...
(Joseph McGuckin) – drums (1980–1982) - Doyle Wolfgang von FrankensteinDoyle Wolfgang von FrankensteinDoyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein , is an American guitarist best known for his material with the horror punk band the Misfits.-Life and career:...
(Paul Caiafa) – guitar (1980–1983, 1995–2001) - Robo (Roberto Valverde) – drums (1982–1983, 2005–2010)
- Brian DamageBrian DamageBrian Keats , known by his stage name Brian Damage, was an American punk rock drummer mostly known by his participation in the horror punk band Misfits.-Career:...
(Brian Keats) – drums (1983) - Dr. ChudDr. ChudDr. C.H.U.D. is an American rock drummer and singer.-Life and career:...
(David Calabrese) – drums (1995–2000) - Michale GravesMichale GravesMichael Emanuel , better known by his stage name Michale Graves, is an American singer and songwriter, singing for the late 1990s re-incarnation of The Misfits from 1995 to 1998 and again from late 1998 until late 2000. Graves grew up in Dumont, New Jersey...
(Michael Emanuel) – lead vocals (1995–2000) - Marky RamoneMarky RamoneMarky Ramone is an American musician. He is best known for being the drummer for the Ramones, but has also played in other notable bands like Dust, Wayne County and the Backstreet Boys, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, and the Misfits.Although he is not the original drummer , Marky is the only living...
(Marc Bell) – drums (2001–2005)