The Misfits are a Punk rock band formed in 1977 and led by singer and songwriter Glenn Danzig and later, bassist Jerry Only. They were highly influential on the genres of heavy metal, punk and rock music in general. Though they ceased recording and performing in 1983, a new version of the band (led by Only and without founder and former frontman Danzig) began operations in 1995.

The early Misfits were often quite melodic, featuring Danzig's versatile singing, which had a style rooted in Italian tenors such as Mario Lanza and in 1950s doo-wop. Musically, the band has also displayed some Rockabilly influences (but not as much as Psychobilly bands). Early Misfits songs tended to have catchy, sing-along choruses, initially backed by Danzig's distorted keyboard accompaniments and later by willfully crude guitar-rock. The band began as a largely untrained ensemble. After several lineup changes and increasing international acclaim, Danzig disbanded the original Misfits in 1983.

The band often wore corpse paint when performing, and bassist Jerry Only reputedly invented a hairstyle called the devilock (a variation of the "tidal wave" hairstyle) with the front coming to a point in front of the nose or chin, a style still worn by fans (a.k.a. Fiends) today and contributed to the foundation of Horror punk.

When the band originally reformed, it featured Michale Graves on vocals, Jerry Only on bass, Dr. Chud (Cannibalistic Human Underground Drummer) on drums, and Jerry's brother Doyle on guitar. Doyle is currently estranged from the group and is working with a new group named Gorgeous Frankenstein, which formed in 2005. Doyle recently reunited with Glenn Danzig's band Danzig to perform special sets of Misfits songs on Danzig's Blackest of the Black 2005 and 2006 tour.

A third, touring incarnation of the band, without Danzig, is presently led by the only other constant original member, bassist Jerry Only. Members of the touring group have included Marky Ramone (of the Ramones), and both drummer ROBO (who was a member of the original band), and guitarist Dez Cadena of Black Flag fame.

Legacy

The influence The Misfits have had on punk rock, and rock music in general, sometimes seems disproportionate to the publicity and critical attention they have received. Myriad bands have embraced The Misfits' style, such as Balzac, Blitzkid, and Calabrese, and these bands have become known as Horror punk. Psychobilly has various similarities with Horror punk.

A number of bands have recently surfaced which, although in some cases less obviously horror punk, are still strongly visibly and audibly influenced by The Misfits. These include, most notably, bands such as Aiden, AFI, Alkaline Trio, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Avenged Sevenfold, Wednesday 13 and the Murderdolls. Many musical groups whose resemblance to The Misfits seems far removed also cite the band as crucial influences, such as Metallica, Megadeth, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N' Roses, and Marduk. Other bands who hold The Misfits in high regard are Slayer, Pantera, NOFX and more recently, Slipknot. Many local New Jersey hardcore, punk, and alternative rock acts such as My Chemical Romance, Monster Squad, A Midnight Tragedy, and The Banner, cite The Misfits as a main influence. In July of 2004, former Misfits drummer Dr. C.H.U.D performed classic Misfits song, "Astro Zombies" at Club Krome in South Amboy NJ with the band Monster Squad (now A Midnight Tragedy) and was even going to record and produce the bands' album until tension arose and the band split. Today 4 out of 6 the members have formed A Midnight Tragedy who is also highly influenced by the Legendary group, occasionally using coffins and horror themed makeup and lighting in their performances. Winnipeg born Breakcore artist Venetian Snares considers the Misfits a huge influence, inspired by the subtle, but frequent use of 3/4 time. These underground 80s punk groups have used the lyrics from many Misfits songs as basis for the lyrics of their own songs.

The Misfits' far reaching influence is also evident in the vast number of fans from all different facets of the music world who follow the band. Wildly popular among Punk rock fans, the band has also received much exposure to the heavy metal community from Metallica's numerous Misfits cover songs. Misfits fans themselves can often be easily discerned, as many completely immerse themselves in the band's imagery. At underground shows, and especially at Halloween, it is not uncommon to see many punks and metalheads dressed in black with Crimson Ghost facepaint and the devilock hairstyle. Black leather jackets, oversized leather boots, as well as gloves and bodysuits printed with the skeletal structure are also common.

The Misfits have greatly influenced the Grenade snowboard apparel company run by the two-time Olympic silver medalist and professional snowboarder Danny Kass, and his brother Matt. The Kass brothers grew up in New Jersey and are long time Fiends. Danny is a good friend of Jerry Only's son and used to skateboard on a halfpipe in the Only's back yard. Numerous Grenade products are Misfit tributes using or drawing from Misfits imagery. In classic Misfits tradition, Grenade allows 'soldiers' to enlist in their 'Army' to receive stickers and other items, following along the lines of the Misfits' Fiend Club. Grenade follows in the vein of DIY mentality displayed by the Misfits and many punk bands, and reflects its influence on snowboarding today. A Vans footwear commercial featuring Kass also featured the song "American Nightmare".

Misfits posters and shirts have been spotted in numerous films and TV shows, such as Click, Men in Black, Detroit Rock City, Shorties Watchin' Shorties, as well as Saved by the Bell and CSI, and most recently, Michael Bay's Transformers. also in Freddy vs. Jason

Recently My Chemical Romance did a cover of the song "Astro Zombies" for the Tony Hawk's American Wasteland videogame. The band Aiden did a cover of "Die, Die My Darling" for the Kerrang! magazine compilation. AFI have covered several Misfits songs, including "Halloween" on All Hallows E.P, "Last Caress" on the vinyl edition of Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes and "Demonomania" on A Fire Inside E.P . Cradle of Filth covered "Death comes Ripping" on their 1999 EP 'From the Cradle to Enslave'. Also Australian band Me You and the Other Two covered Halloween. Also in the Red Hot Chili Peppers video, "Dani California", lead singer Anthony Kiedis represented the Misfits by dressing like Glenn Danzig in a portion of the video. A Green Day side project known as The Network recently did a cover of the song "Teenagers From Mars" which originally appeared on the Misfits album Static Age. The Mexican rock band Molotov did a cover of the song "I turned into a Martian" with the song "Marciano" on their cover album Con Todo Respeto. On November 2000 Finnish punk group "The Fiends" recorded a CD-ep "Evil is as Evil Does", that contained 4 Misfits songs (Horror Hotel, Halloween, I turned into Martian, Death Comes Ripping). The Massachusetts-based deathcore band The Texas Chainsaw Mascara covered "Halloween" for their MySpace in celebration of the holiday in 2006.

Caroline Records released an album titled "Violent World - A Tribute to the Misfits" that paid homage to the band with covers by various punk, hardcore and metal bands. It included the bands: Snapcase, Pennywise, Shades Apart, Tanner,Therapy?, Prong, 108, The Bouncing Souls, Goldfinger, Deadguy, Sick of it All, NOFX, Earth Crisis and Farside.

In 2002, during their Halloween show at the Metro, Alkaline Trio gave away 7" records to attendees. The two tracks on them were covers of Halloween and Children in Heat. Derek Grant, the drummer of Alkaline Trio once auditioned to be in the Misfits, but the spot was taken by Michael Graves. Both Derek Grant and Matt Skiba have admitted to being influenced by The Misfits. Derek Grant can often be seen with a devilock.

In 2006 the band Sum 41 recorded a cover of the song "Attitude" for their MySpace and as a B-side for their new album expected to be released in early 2007.

In May 2007, a cover song of London Dungeon was released by Throwdown.

Brodie Foster Hubbard has not only performed Misfits songs at his live shows, but fronts a Misfits tribute band called 138 with members of Night Wolf. The title and album cover of his second CD release, Legacy of Sentimentality, was an homage to the Misfits collection Legacy of Brutality. His third CD release, Don't Screw Up Like I Did, concludes with a cover of "Astro Zombies".

In common with the Ramones, The Misfits have had some of their songs covered by The Nutley Brass - on the album The Misfits Meet The Nutley Brass Fiend Club Lounge - in a lounge music style.

In the Lamb of God DVD Killadelphia, D. Randall Blythe, the band's vocalist can be seen wearing Misfits slip-on shoes in one of the hidden features when the band records their commentary.

The Band DoomHammer's Guitarist Andy Stevenson has admitted to being heavily influenced by the Misfits and can often be seen wearing a Misfits T-Shirt

Claudio Sanchez, Singer, guitarist for Progressive Rock band, Coheed and Cambria first learned guitar to play Misfits songs.

Dropkick Murphys covered Halloween on their second singles collection, as well as finished their set on their 2006 tour with Bad Religion with the song.

Discography

"Original" Misfits

Studio albums

• Walk Among Us (1982)
• Earth A.D. (1983)
• Static Age (1997, recorded in 1978)
• 12 Hits From Hell (2001, recorded in 1980, not properly released)

Live albums

• Evilive (1982)

EPs

• Bullet (1978)
• Horror Business (1979)
• Night of the Living Dead (1979)
• 3 Hits from Hell (1981)
• Die, Die My Darling (1984)

Singles

• Cough/Cool (1977)
• Teenagers From Mars (1978)
• Halloween (1981)
• Who Killed Marilyn? (1981)

Compilations

• Beware EP (1980)
• Legacy of Brutality (1985)
• Collection I (1986)
• Collection II (1995)
• Box Set (1996)

Video

• Braineaters VHS (1983)

"Resurrected" Misfits

Studio albums

• American Psycho (1997)
• Famous Monsters (1999)
• Project 1950 (2003)
• Untitled Misfits Album (2008)

Live albums

• Evillive II (1998)

Singles

• Dig Up Her Bones (1997)
• I Wanna Be A NY Ranger (1998)
• Scream! (1999)
• Monster Mash (1999)
• Day the Earth Caught Fire (2002)
• Psycho in the Wax Museum (2006)

Compilations

• Cuts from the Crypt (2001)

Video

• Dig Up Her Bones VHS (1997)
• Abominable Dr. Phibes/American Psycho VHS (1998)
• American Psycho Videos VHS (1998)
• Monster Mash Internet Video (1998)
• Scream! (1999)

Tribute albums

Filmography

The Misfits appeared as characters or in cameos in the following movies.

• Animal Room (1995), as The Misfits
• Big Money Hustlas (2000), as Misfits 1-4 (individually credited)
• Bruiser (2000), uncredited
• Campfire Stories (2001), as The Misfits

Members

1977 – 1983 (Original)

The original line-up according to Misfits Central?UNIQ7f6967701a8d06f4-ref-00000001-QINU?.

• Glenn Danzig – lead vocals (1977 – 1983)
• Jerry Only – bass (1977 – 1983)
• Jimmy Battle – guitar (1977)
• Manny Martínez – drums (1977)
• Franché Coma – guitar (1977 – 1978)
• Bobby Steele – guitar (1978 – 1980)
• Joey Image – drums (1978 – 1979)
• Arthur Googy – drums (1980 – 1982)
• Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein – guitar (1980 – 1983)
• ROBO – drums (1982 – 1983)

1995 – 2000 (Resurrected)

The 'Resurrected' line-up according to Misfits Central?UNIQ7f6967701a8d06f4-ref-00000002-QINU?

• Jerry Only – bass (1995 – 2000)
• Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein – guitar (1995 – 2000)
• Michale Graves – lead vocals (1995 – 1998, 1999 - 2000)
• Dr. Chud – drums (1995 – 2000)
• Myke Hideous – lead vocals (1998, South American and European Tour)
• Zoli Teglas – lead vocals (2000, Various tour dates in 2000) ^{[citation needed]}

2001 – Present (25th anniversary and beyond)

The line-up from the 25th Anniversary to present according to Misfits Central?UNIQ7f6967701a8d06f4-ref-00000003-QINU?

• Jerry Only – bass/lead vocals (2001 – present)
• Dez Cadena – guitar (2001 – present)
• Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein – guitar (2001)
• ROBO – drums (2001 – 2002, 2005 – present)
• Marky Ramone – drums (2001 – 2005)
• Eric "Goat" Arce (Murphy's Law) – drums (2006, played on the British part of the 2006 tour) ^{[citation needed]}
• Michale Graves - Lead vocals (Some shows, East coast tour, early 2001)
• Matt Johnson- Drums (Select shows)

References

See also

• Horror punk
• Samhain
• Balzac
• The Bitchfits - a Misfits tribute band

External links

• Official Misfits Website
• Misfits Central
• One Thirty Eight
• TVCasualty.com
• The Misfits discography at MusicBrainz
• Misfits Photo Gallery
• The Misfits live in Michigan (1983)
• Flipside Interview - Misfits interview from 1982
• Myspace Page