Although they never received the accolades of The Clash, the reputation of The Ramones,
or the fame of The Sex Pistols, The Misfits definitely made a mark on punk rock. This
is the untold truth of The Misfits.
Born Glenn Anzalone on June 23, 1955, in Lodi, New Jersey, Glenn Danzig, like many disaffected
suburban kids in the 60s, grew up hooked on comics and horror movies. A self-described
outsider, Danzig had little patience for his peers or their tastes. In a 2013 interview
with The Stranger, Danzig had this to say about his youth:
"Growing up, while everyone else was reading stupid [stuff], I was reading Edgar Allan
Poe and Baudelaire. I loved horror movies, and I really liked underground comics."
After graduating from Lodi High School in 1973, Danzig developed an interest in music.
As the Danzig frontman told The Stranger, his "hatred of everything" spurred his entry
into music. With a taste for heavy music like Black Sabbath, the singer joined his first
band in 1975. By 1976, he was ready to realize a new musical vision, one that would incorporate
his offbeat interests and obsessions. New York's rising punk rock movement seemed the
perfect vehicle.
Naming his new band The Misfits after Marilyn Monroe's final film, Danzig recruited bassist
Diane DiPiazza and drummer Manny Martinez. Failing to show up for rehearsals, DiPiazza
was soon replaced by Jerry Caiafa.
With Caiafa on bass, a guitarless Misfits featuring Danzig on vocals and electric piano,
released their first single, "Cough/Cool," backed with "She," an ode to heiress turned
Symbionese Liberation Army bank robber Patty Hearst, in August of 1977.
Released on Glenn Danzig's label, Blank Records, "Cough/Cool" was limited to a modest pressing
of 500 copies. Still, the short run was enough to attract the attention of a major label,
but not in the way that Danzig and The Misfits might have hoped. According to American Hardcore:
A Tribal History, Mercury Records wanted Blank as an indie imprint and were willing to make
a deal to get it. In exchange for 30 hours of studio time, The Misfits gave up Blank
Records and rechristened their label Plan 9 in a nod to Ed Wood's infamous movie.
In early 1978, The Misfits, which consisted of Danzig, Jerry Caiafa, who was now known
as Jerry Only, drummer Jim "Mr. Jim" Catania, and guitarist Frank "Franché Coma" Licata,
entered the studio to record what they intended to be their debut album, Static Age. Over
the course of 20 hours, the band recorded 17 songs, including early versions of "Teenagers
From Mars," "Hybrid Moments," and "Last Caress." However, the band was unable to generate studio
interest in the album. Danzig would wind up releasing many of the recordings as singles
and E.P.s. Static Age was finally released in 1996 as part of the Misfits Box Set, followed
by a 1997 standalone release featuring newly mixed versions of "She," "Spinal Remains,"
and the rarity, "In The Doorway."
Fueled by Glenn Danzig's creativity and funded by Jerry Only's day job at his father's machine
shop, The Misfits developed a loyal following playing shows in New Jersey and New York.
Entrenched in a diehard do-it-yourself ethic, Danzig designed the artwork for The Misfits
self-released records, folding and gluing the sleeves by hand.
With the 1978 departure of Franché Coma and Mr. Jim, The Misfits again found themselves
in need of a guitarist and drummer. The next lineup featured Bobby Steele, a veteran of
the New York punk scene, and drummer Joey Image. As recounted in American Hardcore,
it was during this era that the band began incorporating horror elements into its image.
A typical Misfits gig began with horror movie trailers projected onto a huge roll of seamless
paper draped in front of the stage.
As the last clip ended, the band would strike their first ear-splitting chord and smash
through the screen. The look of the band also became more cohesive. Danzig, clad in a homemade
skeleton shirt, and Only in leather and spikes, were now sporting exaggerated, chin length,
Dracula-style widows' peaks that would come to be known as devillocks.
According to Misfits Central, the flyer for the band's final show at New York's Max's
Kansas City featured The Misfits first use of the iconic Crimson Ghost. Lifted from the
1946 Republic film serial of the same name, the Crimson Ghost would become The Misfits'
mascot and the image most associated with the band.
The Misfits opened for British punk band The Damned at a New York club called Hurrah in
June of 1979. Prior to taking the stage, Misfits bassist Jerry Only discussed the possibility
of opening for The Damned on a United KIngdom tour with the band's vocalist Dave Vanian.
From this point, the details of The Misfits' ill-fated tour of Britain become somewhat
murky.
According to American Hardcore, Glenn Danzig and Only booked the tour through England's
musician's union and received a contract outlining tour dates and pay from The Damned's manager.
On Nov. 21, 1979, The Misfits arrived in England. Only went to Vanian's home to work out some
final details. The visit came as a complete surprise to Vanian, who hadn't taken Only's
offer seriously. Compounding the confusion, Only had neglected to sign the contracts drawn
up by The Damned's management.
The Misfits were hurriedly added to The Damned's tour, but frustration over lack of pay, likely
stemming from the unsigned contracts, and frustration with rented gear led the band
to quit after one show. Stranded in England and surviving on Only's father's credit cards,
The Misfits nearly fractured.
"Welcome to the party honey!"
Drummer Joey Image booked a flight back to the United States, effectively quitting the
band. While Only went sightseeing with the late Sid Vicious' mother, Bobby Steele and
Danzig landed in jail after a violent confrontation, allegedly with local skinheads. Their two-night
stay in London's Brixton jail was immortalized by Danzig in The Misfits song, "London Dungeon."
In 1980, The Misfits replaced guitarist Bobby Steele with Jerry Only's towering 16-year-old
brother, Paul Caiafa. Rechristened "Doyle," the younger Caiafa's entry into the band was
marked with controversy. According to Only, Bobby Steele was unreliable and often missed
practice. In an interview with American Hardcore author Steven Blush, Only gave this reason
for Steele's firing:
"The problem was that Bobby's problems were bigger than the band problems. If Bobby had
something to do, then the band came second."
The Misfits finally recorded a full length debut album in 1981. Released in 1982, Walk
Among Us featured the lineup of Glenn Danzig, Doyle, Jerry Only, and new drummer Arthur
Googy. Considered by many as the definitive Misfits album, Walk Among Us represents the
pinnacle of the band's melodic, horror punk style. Their next album would mark a near
total change in direction.
Featuring a hardcore sound in the vein of Black Flag and Bad Brains, Earth A.D. was
initially met with a tepid response from critics and fans. Although it has since come to be
considered a classic, many originally felt that the band was merely jumping on the hardcore
bandwagon. As documented in This Music Leaves Stains: The Complete Story of The Misfits,
longtime fans disliked the new sound. According to American Hardcore, Danzig is no fan of
The Misfits' final album, telling Blush,
"I didn't like Earth A.D. at all. The songs were played too fast. […] and the album
ended up sounding like one long song. That's because the guys in the band couldn't play."
The last incarnation of the original Misfits played their last show on Oct. 29, 1983, at
Detroit's Graystone Hall. In the months before, the band had lost two more drummers. Arthur
Googy quit over an alleged altercation after ordering two cheeseburgers on a tour stop
— an offense that angered budget conscious Glenn Danzig. Ex-Black Flag drummer Robo took
over in time to record Earth A.D. Robo, who had been booted from the Caiafa's home, moved
in with Danzig. Unable to get along with the temperamental singer, Robo soon quit.
With a Halloween show and a tour of Germany looming, The Misfits were once again in search
of a drummer. As recounted in This Music Leaves Stains, Jerry Only contacted Googy about returning
to the band. When Danzig discovered Only's overtures to their ex-drummer, he vetoed the
idea. Instead, he recruited Brian "Damage" Keats of the band Genocide.
Damage's performance at the Detroit Halloween show was a disaster. The drummer, suffering
from a case of frayed nerves, began drinking before the show. By the time the band hit
the stage, Damage was too inebriated to play and was tossed offstage by an incensed Doyle.
Todd Swalla of The Necros filled in for the remainder of the night. At the show's end,
Danzig announced that The Misfits were over. Demoralized, the band shared a tense van ride
back to New Jersey. Danzig wouldn't speak with Doyle and Only again for decades.
By 1986, The Misfits had attained a level of notoriety far beyond anything they had
experienced as a functioning band. Their growing cult fame was due largely to the success of
Metallica, who championed the underground band in interviews, wore Misfits T-shirts,
and covered their songs "Last Caress" and "Green Hell" on the 1987 E.P, Garage Days
Re-Revisited.
The band's late bassist, Cliff Burton, was a Misfits superfan who turned the rest of
the band on to Glenn Danzig's infamous horror band. The bassist, who was killed in a bus
accident while on tour in Sweden in 1986, even sported a prominent Crimson Ghost tattoo
on his right arm. In an interview with music journalist Joel Gausten, Misfits guitarist
Doyle credited Burton with the band's fame:
"I think Cliff Burton turned the whole world on to The Misfits. If he didn't, we wouldn't
be doing these reunions. He enlightened people to it."
In 1995, Jerry Only and Doyle aimed to resurrect The Misfits for a new generation. Glenn Danzig
soundly rejected an offer to return, opening the door for a new vocalist. Just 19 years-old
when he joined the band, Michale Graves brought competent vocal chops to the new Misfits while
consciously avoiding Danzig's distinctive "Evil Elvis" crooning.
Along with drummer Dr. Chud, Graves, Only and Doyle, now known as Doyle Wolfgang Von
Frankenstein, released two back-to-back metal-infused albums, American Psycho and Famous Monsters.
"Does it suck to play music? No."
With a more polished sound and an increased focus on horror movie imagery, the band divided
fans into two camps — Danzig loyalists and new fans who enjoyed the band's new, cartoonish
approach. Misfits founder Danzig summed up the feelings of many original fans to Steven
Blush, author of American Hardcore, declaring,
"The band you see now as The Misfits is not The Misfits. It's one guy trying to relive
something and make some money because punk is fashionable again."
After years of rumors and well-documented bad blood, the likelihood of a Glenn Danzig-led
Misfits comeback still seemed slim. While some remained cautiously optimistic, many
fans feared an implosion before the band set foot on a stage. The Misfits proved the naysayers
wrong on the evening of Sept. 4, 2016, when they took the stage at Denver's Riot Fest.
The reunion continued two weeks later in Chicago where The Misfits played for an estimated
30 to 50,000 fans.
"It's nice when people are singing and you don't have to sing, really, if you don't want.
Just put the mike out and they're singing every word."
Sold-out shows in Los Angeles and Las Vegas followed. The Original Misfits played arena
shows through 2019. Although Danzig publicly announced that their Oct. 19, 2019, Madison
Square Garden show would be The Misfits swan song, the veteran horror punks were back on
stage in Philadelphia just two months later.
Reflecting on years of animosity, Jerry Only told Rolling Stone that he and Danzig were,
quote, "never not friends," likening their relationship to the rivalry between basketball
greats Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. Only told the outlet,
"We went in there wanting to cut each other's throats. [...] We walked out the door knowing
we were going to play together. It's a very cool thing."
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