The Misfits

Biography

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The Misfits (1977-1983, 1995-present): a Punk band from Lodi, New Jersey, USA.

ominated by the sneering and crooning of Glenn Danzig (Real Name: Glenn Allen Anzalone; vocals) and joined by Jerry Only (Real Name: Jerry Caiafa) on bass, the Misfits emerged from the efforts of the pair. The Misfits are often recognized as the progenitors of the horror punk sub-genre by blending punk rock and other musical influences with horror film themes and imagery. The act started out by gigging at the usual New York City hot spots like CBGB's, with Bobby Steele (Real Name: Robert Charles Kaufhold; guitar; who had replaced Franché Coma (Real Name: Frank Licata)) and Joey Image (Real Name: Joey Poole; drums; who had replaced Manny Martínez) completing the line-up. They released their first single,Cool Cough (1977), on the self-financed 'Plan 9' label. This was followed up by another single titled Bullet (1977) featuring a sleeve picture depicting JFK's assassination.

The EPs Horror Business and Night Of The Living Dead (1978) (in reference to the George A. Romero film), and Three Hits From Hell (1981) followed with Arthur Googy (Real Name: Joseph Arthur McGuckin) on drums. A special Halloween single recorded in October 1980 titled Halloween was also completed.

Glenn and team would then embark on a European tour supporting The Damned, but it would be on this tour that the band became more known for Danzig falling into fisticuffs with the roadies than anything else. To further complicate the issue, Joey's narcotic habits worsened, causing him to be replaced by the aforementioned Googy (a.k.a. Eerie Von). Steele would leave to join the Undead, and was replaced by Jerry's brother Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein (Real Name: Paul Caiafa). This line-up would play for the mini-album Beware (1981). Their belated debut proper album Walk Among Us (1982; one of their only albums released in the UK) would follow. It was here that they adopted Danzig's horror Sci-Fi obsession and turned it into a comic book B-movie style look with song titles like I Turned Into A Martian and Astro Zombies.

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1982 would see Robo (Real Name: Julio Roberto Valverde Valenci) assume drums to replace Googy.

We Are 138 was the track on 1993's Evil Live that guest featured Henry Rollins. Earth A.D./Wolfsblood (1984) was their final effort under the original configuration and saw them take a more serious and more brutal audio attack. Although their career was only a short six years, and none of the patchy albums succeeded in capturing their live act, it was nevertheless enough to catapult them into cult status by getting acclaim by such modern acts as Marilyn Manson, Metallica and Guns N' Roses.

Danzig, on the other hand, was plotting his independence as far back as 1981 with his own solo single Who Killed Marilyn, later forming Samhain with drummer Eerie Von. He would later get his minute of fame with his own Danzig outfit of the late '80's and on into the 1990s with the help of Skid Row (USA) guitarist David Sabo. Jerry and Doyle, for their parts, formed Kryst the Conqueror after the Misfits split; they only released one 5 track EP. Two posthumous compilation releases, Legacy Of Brutality (1985) and The Misfits (1986), emerged. A various artists compilation was completed in 1997 as a tribute called Violent World.

The Misfits would reform a decade later, with Dr. Chud (Real Name: David Calabrese; drums), Michael Valmont (a.k.a. Michael Graves; Real Name: Michael Emanuel; vocals), with original members Doyle and Jerry Only to release American Psycho in 1997 without Danzig; an album followed up with Famous Monsters (1999), Project 1950 (2003) and The Devil's Rain (2011). This period in the act's history, the period without Danzig, is often referred to by fans as "the bullshit version". Long after the demise of the original act, their original works were still fetching large sums of money in collecting circles.

In 2016 a reformation would happen again, this time Danzig would rejoin. Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, and ex-Slayer founder and drummer Dave Lombardo would also join. Only would leave.

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