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Misfits | |
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 The Misfits performing live in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Original Misfits (2016–present) |
| Origin | Lodi, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Works | Discography |
| Years active |
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| Labels | |
| Spinoffs | |
| Members | |
| Past members |
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| Website | misfits |
TheMisfits are an Americanpunk rock band, often recognized as pioneers of thehorror punk subgenre, blending punk and other musical influences withhorror film themes and imagery. The group was formed in 1977 inLodi, New Jersey, by vocalist, songwriter, and keyboardistGlenn Danzig. Shortly after, bassistJerry Only joined, and the pair remained the core members through numerous personnel changes over the next six years. During this period, they released severalEPs andsingles, and with Only's brotherDoyle on guitar, the albumsWalk Among Us (1982) andEarth A.D./Wolfs Blood (1983) were released—both considered touchstones of the early-1980shardcore punk movement. Over the years, the band has undergone many lineup changes, withJerry Only serving as the group’s only constant member.
The Misfits disbanded in 1983, and Glenn Danzig went on to formSamhain and thenDanzig. Several albums of reissued and previously unreleased material were issued after the group's dissolution, and their music later became influential to punk rock,heavy metal,hard rock, andalternative rock, including high-profile acts such asMetallica,Guns N' Roses,Marilyn Manson,Green Day,the Offspring,NOFX,AFI,Avenged Sevenfold,My Chemical Romance andCradle of Filth.[1][2][3][4] 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 singerMichale Graves and drummerDr. Chud. This incarnation of Misfits had more of a heavy metal sound, and released the albumsAmerican Psycho (1997) andFamous Monsters (1999) before dissolving in 2000. Jerry Only then took over lead vocals and recruited formerBlack Flag guitaristDez Cadena and formerRamones drummerMarky Ramone for a Misfits 25th anniversary tour.
This lineup released an album ofcover songs in 2003, titledProject 1950, and toured for several years. In 2005, Marky was replaced byRobo, who had previously drummed for the Misfits (1982–1983) andBlack Flag. This lineup released a single titled "Land of the Dead" in 2009. The Misfits' lineup of Only, Cadena, and drummer Eric "Chupacabra" Arce released a new album,The Devil's Rain, in October 2011. In 2015, Cadena announced he would be taking a break from music after receiving a cancer diagnosis and was replaced by Only's son, Jerry Caiafa III (stage name Jerry Other). That same year,Soulfly'sMarc Rizzo joined the band on guitar, temporarily filling in for Cadena before Caiafa became the sole guitarist.
In September 2016, for the first time in 33 years, Danzig, Only, and Doyle reunited for two headlining shows as the Original Misfits at that year's edition ofRiot Fest, along with drummerDave Lombardo and second guitaristAcey Slade. The Original Misfits lineup has continued performing sporadically.
The Misfits were formed in 1977 inLodi, New Jersey, byGlenn Danzig, who had previous experience performing in local cover bands.[5] The band was named after actressMarilyn Monroe's final film,The Misfits (1961). Danzig's first recruit to the Misfits was drummerMr. Jim and bassist Diane DiPiazza, however, DiPiazza never showed up. Mr. Jim was replaced by Manny Martinez shortly after. The two practiced in Martínez's garage, with Danzig on electric piano and Martínez on drums. The duo soon encounteredJerry Caiafa, who was dating a neighbor of Martínez's and had just received abass guitar for Christmas.[6] Although he was still new to the instrument, he joined the band; Caiafa and Danzig would remain the only consistent members of the Misfits until the group's dissolution in 1983.[6][7]
Danzig, Martínez, and Caiafa rehearsed for three months without a guitarist, using Danzig's electric piano to provide the songs' rhythm. The band played their first performance atCBGB in New York City in April 1977, followed by other local performances over the following months.[6] In May that year, they recorded their first single,Cough/Cool, which they released through their own labelBlank Records that August.[8] 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" became his pseudonym for the rest of his career.[9]
In August 1977, guitaristFrank Licata joined the band under the pseudonym Franché Coma, allowing Danzig to phase out the electric piano and focus on singing while pushing the band's sound in apunk rock direction. Danzig and Only deemed Martínez unreliable and was replaced by Mr. Jim. The band found a recording opportunity whenMercury Records wished to use the name Blank Records for one of its subdivisions and offered Danzig thirty hours of studio time in exchange for rights to the name. Danzig accepted, and in January 1978 the Misfits entered a New York recording studio to record 17 songs, 14 of which were mixed for the proposedStatic Age album. The band were unable to find a record label interested in releasing it, so they released four of the songs in June 1978 as theBullet single on their own labelPlan 9 Records, named after the 1959 science fiction horror filmPlan 9 from Outer Space. The other songs would see release on various compilation albums throughout the 1980s and 90s, butStatic Age was not released in its entirety until 1996.[citation needed]
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Following theStatic Age sessions, the Misfits began a shift in songwriting and appearance, with Danzig writing more songs inspired byB 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 thesubgenre "horror punk".
The band performed more frequently and embarked on short tours in support of theBullet single. While in Canada in October 1978 Coma quit the band because he did not enjoy touring, and guitarist Rick Riley filled in temporarily to finish the tour. Mr. Jim 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 drummerJoey Poole, under the pseudonym Joey Image, and guitarist Robert Kaufhold, also known asBobby 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 theHorror Business single in June 1979, the cover of which featured a skeletal figure inspired by a poster for the 1946film serialThe Crimson Ghost.
The figure became amascot for the band, and its skull image would serve as the Misfits' logo for the rest of their career. The band also launched afan club named the "Fiend Club" which Danzig operated in ado-it-yourself fashion from his mother's basement in Lodi,silkscreeningT-shirts, assembling records, mailing merchandise catalogs, booking shows for the band, and answeringfan mail.
In June 1979, the Misfits performed as openers forThe Damned in New York City. Only spoke with singerDave Vanian about the possibility of the Misfits touring the United Kingdom with The Damned. That November the band released theNight 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 withSid Vicious' mother, Anne Ritchie, whom he had befriended after Vicious' death in February 1979. Danzig and Steele got into a fight withskinheads while waiting to seeThe Jam, were arrested, and spent two nights in jail inBrixton. This experience inspired the later song "London Dungeon". Although in an interview on podcast San Clemente Punk, Bobby Steele tells a completely different version of the events.
Upon their return to the United States the Misfits released theBewareEP in January 1980, then took a four-month break before addingArthur McGuckin as their new drummer under the pseudonym Arthur Googy. During this time Only's younger brotherPaul 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 loaned the band his gear for recording. That October Steele was ejected from the band, when Steele no-showed a scheduled recording session, in favor of the sixteen-year-old Doyle. Steele went on to formThe Undead, while Doyle made his debut with the Misfits at their annualHalloween performance atIrving 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 as3 Hits From Hell in April 1981. Throughout the rest of 1981 they continued to record tracks for a full-length album, to be titledWalk Among Us. They had planned to release it through Plan 9 but instead accepted an offer fromSlash Records, deciding to rework the album before its release. In October 1981 they released two more tracks from the August 1980 sessions as theHalloween single. On November 20 they recorded a performance at Broadway in San Francisco.
Black Flag were also performing that night at theMabuhay Gardens downstairs on Broadway, and Black Flag singerHenry 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 theNecros and the Misfits.
Walk Among Us was released in March 1982 throughRuby 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 aMcDonald'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 friendEerie Von, who had served as their occasionalroadie and photographer, but he had already committed to drumming forRosemary's Babies. Henry Rollins recommended former Black Flag drummerRobo, 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.[citation needed]
In September 1982 the Misfits embarked on a national tour, with theNecros as their opening act. During the tour they stopped at a studio to record the instrumental tracks for their next EP. They were arrested inNew Orleans on charges ofgrave robbing while attempting to locate the grave ofvoodoo practitionerMarie Laveau, but bailed themselves out of jail and skipped their court date 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 theEvilive EP.[citation needed]
By this time Danzig was growing increasingly dissatisfied with the Misfits and had begun writing songs for a new band project. In June 1983 he confided toHenry Rollins that he planned to quit the group.[10] 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 ofhardcore punk andheavy 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.[citation needed]
On October 29, 1983, the Misfits played their annualHalloween performance at Greystone Hall in Detroit with the Necros. Danzig had selected Brian Damage (real name Brian Keats), formerly ofGenöcide andVerbal Abuse, as the band's new drummer. However, Damage becamedrunk before the show and could not play properly. After several songs Doyle escorted him off the stage and Todd Swalla ofThe 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.[citation needed]
Following the breakup of the Misfits, Danzig launched his new bandSamhain, moving away frompunk rock, and toward more experimentalheavy metal with a grim atmosphere. Several Misfits songs were rerecorded for Samhain albums, including "Horror Business" (as "Horror Biz"), "All Hell Breaks Loose" (as "All Hell"), and "Halloween II". In 1986, the band signed to a major record label and Danzig replaced most of therhythm section, renaming the groupDanzig. He continues to front Danzig, who have released ten albums ranging in style fromblues rock-influenced heavy metal toindustrial rock, and has also released two solo albums.[citation needed]
Jerry Only and Doyle, meanwhile, moved toVernon, New Jersey to work at their father's machine parts factory full-time. Jerry 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-livedKryst the Conqueror, aChristian heavy metal band with barbarian imagery.[citation needed]
Although the Misfits' popularity did not extend beyond the underground punk scene during their six 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,Metallicacovered the Misfits songs "Last Caress" and "Green Hell" onThe $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited (1987), andGuns 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 thecompilation albumLegacy of Brutality (1985) which included many of the songs from the unreleasedStatic Age album. Danzigoverdubbed many of the album's instrument tracks to avoid having to payroyalties to the other former band members.Misfits, more commonly referred to asCollection I, followed in 1986. TheEvilive EP was reissued as a full album in 1987 with five additional tracks.[citation needed]
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"[11] 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, including the now-famous "Crimson Ghost" skull face logo.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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Only and Doyle immediately set about reforming the Misfits, bringing in drummerDavid Calabrese, also known as Dr. Chud, who had worked with them in Kryst the Conqueror. Glenn Danzig refused to return as the band's lead singer.Dave Vanian ofThe Damned was also approached but declined. The band, now reformed with one original founding member, Jerry Only, held open auditions for a new vocalist. Nineteen-year-old singerMichael 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 toCollection I on awalkman 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 full name Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein. The new lineup made an appearance in the 1995 filmAnimal Room.[citation needed]
In 1996,The Misfits coffin box set was released, containing nearly all of the band's Danzig-era material recorded from 1977 to 1983 (with the exception ofWalk Among Us). The set included the incomplete fourteen-songStatic Age album, released for the first time in its entirety on CD, as well as the overdubbed and alternate versions of songs that had previously been released onLegacy of Brutality,Collection I, andCollection 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 andStatic Age made the Misfits' complete early catalog widely available for the first time.[citation needed]
Atribute album was also released in 1997 titledViolent World: A Tribute to the Misfits, featuring numerouspunk rock andhardcore bands covering their songs. Another tribute album,Hell on Earth: A Tribute to the Misfits, was released in 2000 featuringdeath metal,hard rock, andgothic rock acts.[citation needed]
The new incarnation of the Misfits released their debut albumAmerican Psycho in 1997.[12] They filmed music videos 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 inWorld Championship Wrestling as tag team for wrestlerIan "Vampiro" Hodgkinson.[13] Graves took a hiatus from the band in 1998, during which Myke Itzazone ofEmpire Hideous filled in as singer during tours of South America and Europe. After Graves' return the band signed toRoadrunner Records, releasingFamous Monsters in October 1999 and filming a music video for the singleScream! They made additional film appearances inBig Money Hustlas (2000),Bruiser (2000), andCampfire Stories (2001) and continued to tour, but tensions between the band members began to grow. During a performance at theHouse of Blues inOrlando, Florida on October 25, 2000, Graves and Chud both quit the band and walked off stage. The two later released an album under the nameGraves before splitting up; Graves went on to sing forGotham Road and then launched a solo career, while Chud formedDr. Chud's X-Ward. Meanwhile, Doyle took an indefinite hiatus from performing as he divorced, remarried, had a fourth child, and dealt withtendonitis in his elbow.[citation needed]
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As the sole remaining founding member of the Misfits, Jerry Only took over lead vocal duties in addition to playing bass guitar and recruited veteran musiciansDez Cadena, former guitarist ofBlack Flag, an idea Doyle was not fond of, leading him to quit. AlsoMarky Ramone, former drummer of theRamones, joined for a Misfits 25th anniversary tour which lasted intermittently for nearly three years. Former Black Flag and Misfits drummerRobo filled in for Ramone during some stretches of the tour. Only releasedCuts 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.[citation needed]
Also in 2001Caroline Records announced that they would release recordings from the Misfits' August 1980 album sessions as12 Hits from Hell. However, both Only andGlenn Danzig abruptly called off production of the album, citing concerns with the mixing, mastering, layout, and packaging.[citation needed]
Only and longtime collaboratorJohn Cafiero soon launched their own label,Misfits Records, and releaseda split single featuring the Misfits and Japanesehorror punk bandBalzac. The Only/Cadena/Ramone lineup of the Misfits released the covers albumProject 1950 in 2003, performing renditions of classicrock and roll songs from the 1950s and 1960s. The album featured guest appearances fromRonnie Spector,Jimmy Destri,Ed Manion, andJohn 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'svisa led to the cancellation of all dates in the United Kingdom. A rescheduled UK tour followed in September.[citation needed]
Doyle had meanwhile reunited with Glenn Danzig, joiningDanzig 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".[14] These sets featuring Doyle continued through Danzig's 2005Blackest 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.[15] In 2007, he produced Doyle's new projectGorgeous 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."[16]
In 2009 and 2010, the Misfits performed an extended 30th anniversary world tour. A new single, "Land of the Dead" 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.[17] Robo was dismissed from the band in 2010, with Only explaining that ongoing problems with his Colombian passport inhibited the band's ability to tour consistently.[18][19] He was replaced by Eric "Chupacabra" Arce ofMurphy's Law, who had previously filled in with the band for tours in 2000 and 2001.[18] The Only/Cadena/Arce lineup released a new album,The Devil's Rain, recorded with producerEd Stasium and titled afterthe 1975 film starringWilliam Shatner.[18][19][20] The album was released on October 4, 2011.[21] During the latter quarter of 2011, former vocalist Danzig and guitarist Doyle performed Misfits songs on four occasions as part of the DanzigLegacy tour. The first of the four shows, which took place on October 7 in Chicago, saw a sold-out crowd.[22]
In 2013, the Misfits released their third live album,Dead Alive!. In October, they released a 12" single fronted by a new recording of "Descending Angel", backed by a cover of "Science Fiction/Double Feature", a song they previously only played live. Meanwhile, Danzig and Doyle continued to regularly play Misfits songs and included a set on Danzig's 25th anniversary tour.[23][24] In October 2013, publisherRowman & Littlefield publishedThis Music Leaves Stains by James Greene, an unofficial Misfits biography, which tells the story of each incarnation of the band as well as spin-off projects such asSamhain andDanzig.[citation needed] In late 2015, the Misfits released the songs "Vampire Girl" and "Zombie Girl" as a single.
In May 2016, Danzig, Only, and Doyle announced that they would perform together for the first time in 33 years, under the name The Original Misfits.[25][26] Only toldRolling Stone that the reunion stemmed from a legal discussion that "was turning into another court battle and it turned into a reunion."[27] Court documents show that Danzig and Only discussed a reunion as part of settlement negotiations as early as 2014.[28] In June of that year, the Misfits released theFriday the 13th EP featuring material written by Only with his son Jerry Other on guitar and Chupacabra on drums.[29] In September the Misfits lineup of Danzig, Only and Doyle, along with guitaristAcey Slade and drummerDave Lombardo, headlined their two reunion shows, performing 25-song sets at theRiot Fest inChicago andDenver.
In an interview withRolling Stone following the first reunion show Only was asked about the future of the Misfits, and if there were plans to continue and possibly record new music. "I want it to continue. I know Doyle wants it to continue. I know Glenn wants it to continue. We just have to be big-enough people to make it continue. And that's where we're at. Whatever it takes. We're going into our 40th anniversary so the timing couldn't be more perfect. Eventually Doyle's got to write a new album; I've got to write a new album; Glenn's got to write a new album. Why don't we work together and make the greatest album ever? Now we've got different elements. We've got Doyle playing more of a metal kind of thing. We've got Dave, who we're trying to figure out what the fuck he's doing. And Glenn's got his own thing. And Acey (Slade, second guitar) fills in good, too. And I've got the band where it is today. So it's a matter of re-molding and using all the different elements that I've got." When asked if Danzig would want to record new music Only said, "I think it's got to evolve naturally. The thing is we've tried to plan things, and then we stand there and wait, and as it comes we'll just do it. When we go back – I don't know about Glenn – but I canceled our touring and everything for this, so I'm going to go home and write and lift."[30]
In December 2017, the reunited lineup performed two concerts at theMGM Grand Garden Arena inLas Vegas andThe Forum inInglewood, California.[31] In 2018, the band played at thePrudential Center inNewark, New Jersey and in 2019 at theAllstate Arena in suburban Chicago.[32][33] In a June 2019 interview, Danzig indicated that the reunion period might be drawing to a close, saying that, "We're not gonna do many more."[34] The news from Danzig came on the heels of an in-depth article fromMetalSucks analyzing legal documents related to the original reunion planning that revealed other details, including the statement, "The parties agree to perform no fewer than ten Misfits reunion shows to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the band."[35] Despite Danzig's pessimism, it was announced that same month that the Original Misfits would be replacingMegadeth at the Psycho Las Vegas event in August due toDave Mustaine's throat cancer diagnosis. Following the Las Vegas show, the reunited lineup was booked for concerts at theFiddler's Green Amphitheatre inGreenwood Village, Colorado, at theOracle Arena inOakland, atSeattle'sWhite River Amphitheatre, at New York'sMadison Square Garden, atPhiladelphia'sWells Fargo Center and atDiscovery Park in Sacramento.
In May 2021, it was announced that the Original Misfits would playRiot Fest as co-headliners withMy Chemical Romance alongsideNine Inch Nails.[36]
In August 2022, they announced an Original Misfits lineup would perform its second headlining show of 2022 on Halloween weekend in Dallas, at Dos Equis Pavilion on October 29, with special guestsAlice Cooper andFEAR.[37]
Former Misfits drummer Manny Martinez died on December 16, 2023, aged 69.[38]
In November 2024, it was announced that the Original Misfits would perform atCoachella on April 12 and April 19, 2025. The band was listed on the official tour poster with their original font logo.[39]
Each incarnation of the Misfits has made use ofhorror film andscience fiction film-inspired themes and imagery, with makeup, clothing, artwork, and lyrics drawn fromB movies and television serials, many from the 1950s through 1970s. Musically the band are often recognized as progenitors of thehorror punk,psychobilly andpunk metal subgenres and have drawn frompunk rock, heavy metal, and 1950srock and roll androckabilly to inform their style.[40]Rolling Stone describes them as "the archetypal horror-punk band of the late 1970s and early '80s",[41] and they are considered icons in punk music and culture.[42][43] The Misfits have also been described aspop-punk.[44][45][46]
The early incarnations of the Misfits are associated with thehardcore punk movement of the early 1980s, thoughAmerican Hardcore: A Tribal History authorSteven 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 theBuddy Holly/Gene Vincent foundation and making it nuclear."[47] Jon de Rosa ofPitchfork 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 thequiet, boring suburbs of Oslo and theboggy 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".[48]
Andy Weller of theNecros recalls the band's transition from traditional punk rock in the late 1970s to hardcore in the early 1980s: "(You) could hear it on the records. It went from thisRamones-type stuff, to nine months later, where they put out records that were so fast it's unreal."[49] By the recording ofEarth 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 ofEarth AD Glenn was writing hyperspeed blasts that sounded very standard."[50]
The new version of the Misfits launched by Jerry Only and Doyle in the 1990s, kept the horror punk themes, but went in a moreheavy metal direction with blasting drums and crunchy guitars.[51] ReviewingAmerican Psycho, Stephen Erlewine ofAllMusic called the new incarnation "a kitschy goth-punk outfit that relies more on metal than hardcore",[52] whileRolling Stone remarked that the band's new style blended "some old-style punk, a little metal and an occasional all-out thrasher."[53] Greg Prato, reviewing the 2001 albumCuts 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."[54]
The devilock is ahairstyle created by Misfits in the late 1970s.[55] In a devilock, the sides and back of the hair are kept short, while the front is kept long and combed forward.[56]
In an early 1980s interview, Jerry Only claimed that the devilock was based on a "tidal wave" hairstyle seen among the 1970sskateboarding communities. In the same interview, former Misfits vocalistGlenn Danzig explains that his version of the hairstyle developed from an imitation ofEddie Munster's hairstyle. A style similar to the Devilock was sported earlier - for instance the elephant trunk hairstyle of the 1950s, the Surfari's cover picture of 'Gum-dipped Slicks' (1964) shows a member of the band with a devilock-like quiff,[57] as did the guitarist from the contemporaneous Tornadoes of Bustin' Surfboards fame.[58]
Current members
The Misfits appeared as characters or in cameos in the following films:
Remember the Santa Monica Civic show? I quit that night. That was June 1983. I told those guys, 'That's it.' As a matter of fact, I told Henry Rollins that night too. He said, 'Wow, I've seen it coming though.'
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