The Misfits
 

These guys are, seriously, one of the greatest bands of all time. Let's talk about 'em. (I know Matt'll be all up in this one) :)

Some people don't like the "newer" Misfits stuff after Glenn Danzig left but I do. In fact, I like the last two Misfits records way more than I like the last two Danzig records. (Danzig seems to have kinda lost his magic) Plus, I loved when they were in WCW for a few weeks hanging out with Vampiro. That was funny stuff.

Plus I met Jerry Only and he's a helluva nice guy.

Anyone else have any Misfits praise/comments/experiences? Someone must love 'em as much as I do.

Hell yeah! I like all of their music, new and old. You met Jerry Only? What was he like?

Ah, gather 'round, my son, and I shall tell you a tale. A tale that began this past December at the famed Birch Hill Nightclub in New Jersey, home of the Misfits...

Was quite cold out, people standing on line around the building for hours waiting to get in. The place was packed tight, and I was right in front of the stage. When the latest version of The Misfits (Jerry, Marky Ramone, and Dez Cadena from Black Flag) came out, the place went nuts. They played tons of older stuff, Danzig-era, and a few off of American Psycho, and a lot of old Ramones songs. They also played their cover of "Day the Earth Caught Fire", a song by Japanese horror-rock band Balzac, and finished with a Christmas song that I missed the name of but I think it'llbe on their new album which comes out at the end of July.

At one point during the show I turned to the guy next to me and was like "If I shook Jerry's hand, I swear that'd be so awesome". Well, at the end of the show, Jerry came off the stage and jumped up on the metal guardrail, stood there in the "Jesus pose", then reached out and grabbed MY hand first out of all the people clawing at him. Then he stepped down, took out a Sharpie and just started signing aurographs for everyone. EVERYONE. Every person there who wanted an autograph, or a photo, got one. At one point early on people got kinda pushy, as people often do, and Jerry's like "Hey, relax, you guys are my home crowd, I aint leavin' til you're all taken care of."

He even let me and Mary hang out with him and talk to him while he signed for people. He explained the Devilock hairstyle ("Lotta hairspray, man, lotta hairspray"), how often he works out ("Every day, if I can help it." You don't realize it until you stand next to him how HUGE Jerry Only is), and we even talked about wrestling a bit. He said they had fun in WCW but that he hasn't been following it lately, and that he and Vampiro don't get along anymore.

I had to ask him why MicHale Graves isn't in the band anymore, and surprisingly he was very open about it. "Mike's a good kid, he's a great singer, but he has a lot of growing up to do, and he needs to do it on his time, not mine. I can't be postponing the start of a tour because my singer didn't bother showing up opening night. It's my band, it's my way or no way." I can understand that. He did speak very highly of Mike in general, though.

I also asked him who the "permanent singer" would be, and he did say something very interesting: "Me or Glenn, nobody else. If Glenn wants to do it, the door's open. I don't think so, but never say never, you know?"

Apparently Doyle is taking time out to be with his family, as his wife recently had a baby girl, but he will be back soon supposedly.

Dez Cadena was a cool guy as well. Mary yelled out "you're hot!" as he walked by, so Jerry grabbed him and gave him a hug and was like "C'mere cutie." All in all they seemed like they were all in good spirits, like they all got along well and were having fun being The Misfits. I think Marky was sick, he only came out and mingled briefly. Jerry had just gotten over a ten-day bout of strep throat, so it's possible.

Mary also kept slapping Jerry's ass. He didn't seem to mind. She just explained she has a thing for hugely-muscled guys in spandex. :lol: He had someone take his picture with us and the kid was supposed to mail it to us but he never did. :(

All in all it was a great experience. I became a bigger Misfits fan after meeting them (and I was already a huge fan) just because Jerry is one of the legitimately nicest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet, and he genuinely cares about the fans.

Good story. I Hope someday that I will get to see them live. I would be surprised if Danzig rejoined the group though; considering his history with Jerry and all. What do you think about the 'Project 1950' CD that's coming out? I'm afraid of what it will sound like.

Yeah that's the one coming out at the end of this month. You know, I'm honestly more trepidatious based on the fact I'm not familiar with the songs rather than Jerry and Co.'s ability to *play* them. They're all talented, they ought to do decent versions. I'm one of the people who "got" what GNR was doing with "The Spaghetti Incident?!", and I enjoy that album tremendously, so maybe I'll enjoy this little project as well. I hope so, at any rate.

Got any favorite Misfits songs or albums? Do you tend to lean towards Danzig era or the newer stuff?

It's hard to say which albums of the old stuff I like the best, seeing how there are several versions of most of the old songs. Of the new stuff; American Psycho is by far the best. Famous Monsters is ok, but I only like a handful of songs off of it though. As for a favorite song, at the moment it's Dust to Dust. My 'favorite' song of theirs' changes every week. How about you?

I have pretty much similar feelings. I have the box set with the coffin containing the "classic" stuff, but sadly, it lacks "In the Doorway", which is a really good song. "Hybrid Moments" is one of my very favorite classic Misfits songs. Of course there are all the famous songs like "Attitude", "Last Caress" and "Die Die My Darling", but the fact that some really good covers of those songs have been done in recent years exposes how limited their recording equipment was back in 1980, and kind of makes them sound weak. I would love to hear those songs re-recorded.

That's one of the things that makes newer Misfits stuff sound as good as it does, the newer recording technology. I bought "Famous Monsters" first but "American Psycho" does have more good songs. "The Haunting" is by far my favorite new Misfits song. I just love that line, "Cut my wrists and watch me bleed"... The demo version of it has different lyrics but is just as good a song. You know Vampiro used "Kong at the Gates" as his theme music for a while?

But yeah they have so much good stuff that my favorites rotate rather frequently, there are a few that stand out at the top of my list. You hear "Day the Earth Caught Fire" yet?

Most people say the best way to listen to the older songs is to buy the LPs and crank up the sound. I have the Collection II LP, and it sounds better then the CD. Of the old songs Hate Breeders, Horror Business, and Skulls are probably my all time favorites.

I don't remember Vampiro using Kong at the Gates as his entrance theme, I could have sworn it was Abominable Dr. Phibes that he used.

Just downloaded Day the Earth Caught Fire, sounds a lot like the old stuff to me; which is good.

He may have jumped back and forth a few times but I have one PPV tape where it was definitely Kong at the Gates. He had a lotta music. I liked "Take It" by ICP, too, after he wasn't with the Misfits anymore.

I remember when they debuted against Dr. Death and he almost killed Jerry :lol: That angle was so cool, it's a shame it was all a backdrop for the "Oklahoma" gimmick. I woulda liked to see Jerry and Doyle go after the Tag belts. :lol: Well hey, Alex Wright and Disco Inferno had 'em.

Ever get the "Cuts From the Crypt" CD?

I couldn't stand the Inane Clown Posse. I also remember when they first appeared on Nitro, Tony Shivonnie acted like a moron when they came out.

I don't have the Cuts from the Crypt CD, but I have heard the version of Mars Attacks that is on it. I seriously need to buy me a copy of that CD because I can't find any of those songs online.

Yeah definitely do, the demos are great, a few have alternate lyrics, and there's some songs like "Bruiser", "10,000,000 Years B.C." and "Fiend Without a Face" that just rock. Plus there's "Monster Mash" :D

I'm not a big ICP fan myself but "Take It" is a good song. I liked Vampiro better with the Misfits by far though.

Oh, and "Dead Kings Rise", that one is equally awesome.

I liked Vampiro better when he was with the Misfits too. I read somewhere that the reason the band and Vampiro got on bad terms was because the Misfits logo was used without permission on some WCW toys.

It's possible. There was also an issue regarding Vampiro skipping matches to go and be on-stage at Misfits shows. Words were exchanged, blame got shifted back and forth... at one point Vampiro posted a *really* scathing message on his website attacking Jerry Only and saying he dressed as a sheep and had sex with little boys. After that they kind of stopped talking. Vampiro later retracted it and kind of sort of apologized but said he had no desire to hang out with them anymore.

I hear a lot of bad things about Vampiro, rumor has it he's kind of a jerk.

He sounds like a jerk.

I can't believe me a Leo are the only people on this forum that like the Misfits.

That's really a shame. It really is. People are so closed-minded.

I bet more than half of the people who bought Metallica's "Garage Inc." CD have never even bothered to go find out what the originals sounded like.

Personally, I think Metallica does a good job covering Misfits stuff, how about you?

I like their song "Am I Evil". But the Metallica version sounds better, mainly because its newer. Have you all heard the live version with Both of those bands doing the song. Its cool...

The Misfits didn't do Am I Evil, that song was by Diamond Head. I can't remember which Misfits song Metallica covered on Garage Inc, I think it was Last Caress.

I thought AM I Evil was a danzig song? Or, is it a different one? (I never heard the Metallica cover to be honest)

I give Matt credit, he knows his stuff. On the original release of "Kill 'Em All (I believe), the song "Am I Evil" was included. The song was originally recorded by Diamond Head for the 1980 album "Lightning to the Nations".

On 1987's "Garage Days Re-Revisited", Metallica included a medley of two Misfits songs crammed into one, "Last Caress/Green Hell". Each of the songs are about a minute and a half long, and Metallica squeezed them into one song for the simple fact that they didn't feel like recording anything that short.

Then in 1998 on "Garage, Inc.", Metallica included another Misfits cover, "Die, Die My Darling".

Metallica got into the Misfits because the late Cliff Burton, their old bass player, was a huge Misfits fan and he played his Misfits tape constantly while they were on the road. At first the other guys hated it, but like anyone else, they realized that the Misfits songs are too catchy to be ignored, and fell in love with the band as Matthew and I have.
They're probably the catchiest band ever to write songs about death, murder, aliens and monsters that I, personally, have ever heard. :D

AH! That was the song... "Die My Darling". That song is also great...
But I swear I hear him say "Dont cry tomato baby". Heh. Or at least it sounds like it...

Sigh... nobody ever understands Misfits lyrics... :P

Die Die My Darling


Die, die, die, my darling
Don't utter a single word
Die, die, die, my darling
Just shut your pretty mouth

I'll be seeing you again
I'll be seeing you in hell

Don't cry to me, oh baby
Your future's in an oblong box
Don't cry to me, oh baby
Should have seen it a-coming on
Don't cry to me, oh baby
I don't know it was in your power
Don't cry to me, oh baby
Dead-end girl for a dead-end guy
Don't cry to me, oh baby
Now your life drains on the floor
Don't cry to me, oh baby

Die, die, die my darling
Don't utter a single word
Die, die, die my darling
Just shut your pretty mouth

I'll be seeing you again
I'll be seeing you in hell



Any other Misfits songs anyone's confused about? I have the lyrics to every Misfits song (including "Day the Earth Caught Fire", which I finally found two days or so ago). :evilgrin:

There's this kid I know, and apparently one day he was having a discussion with a friend of mine about music. He was claiming that my friend never listened to anything not from the 80's, (which isn't true) and after some more discussing, my friend asked him what he listened to. The kid said "punk and stuff" and he named off Blink-182 and Sum 41, (no offense to anyone who likes these bands, but they're not exactly the first thing I think of when I think punk). My friend then informed him that he listened to punk, and he named off Offspring, Bad Religion, and The Misfits. The kid said that Bad Religion and The Misfits "don't count because they're too old." When my friend told me this, I nearly had an aneurysm. My vision went temporarily red, as I realized what I would have done had I been having the conversation with the kid. Kid didn't even know who Danzig was, and he claimed to listen to punk! This is what's wrong with punk music today, you get all these kids listening to pop-punk, thinking it's the real thing, and writing off the "real" punk bands like BR and Misfits, because "they're too old," which is an argument that simply makes my head bleed thinking about it. Man, at my old school, (which had a big punk following) he would have gotten the crap kicked out of him. Anyway, just thought I'd share that.

I don't consider Offspring punk either.

A lot of people don't nowadays, not without some reasons, but I won't risk getting into an argument about it, as I often used to, (The Offspring are one of my top-favorite bands of all time, and the band that got me and a lot of others into punk in the first place). I'll simply say that Offspring started out as punk, helped it reach a wider audience, and don't adhere to a strict punk philiosophy--they expand their musical tastes, and basically play both punk and whatever they feel like. Offspring aren't punk the same way say, Bad Religion is, but they're sort of a punk hybrid.

Basically. The Offspring started out as almost pure punk similar to bands like The Descendants (who they "borrowed" their name from) and then they sort of evolved away from that over time. Bad Religion isn't exactly pure punk anymore either, but they're still one of the best bands around.

Offspring are one of my favorite bands as well. I met them and AFI back in '97. It's cool that AFI are getting more popular now, when a band you like starts getting known by people it's kinda like watching your kids grow up.

o_O I knew the lyrics. I knew he said "Dont cry TO ME oh baby"
..but it sounds like TOMATO when Metallica does it.... O_o

It does kind of sound like tomato. :lol:

K, today I picked up the semi-controversial brand new Misfits album, "Project 1950". The basic theme is, the Misfits doing punk covers of old 1950s rock songs in their own inimitable style. And while I was apprehensive at first, after giving it a listen I'm gonna have to go thumbs up on this one. Here's a breakdown, song by song:

"This Magic Moment" (originally recorded by The Drifters)-
A fairly well-known song even today, they did a really good job on this one. It really shows just how much Jerry Only has improved as a singer. Ronnie Spector shows up on backing vocals.

"Dream Lover" (originally recorded by Bobby Darin)-
Another one I'm familiar with, appearing in many movie soundtracks (including "Hot Shots" if I'm not mistaken). The background vocals sound a little off, but overall it sounds decent. John Cafiero guests on backing vocals.

"Diana" (originally recorded by Paul Anka)-
I've never heard the original, but I like the way the Misfits did it. Some cool saxophone. I found myself singing along by the end. Catchy tune.

"Donna" (originally recorded by Ritchie Valenz)-
Probably one of the top three most recognizable songs on the album, at least to anyone who knows Ritchie Valenz or has seen "La Bamba". It's about ten times faster than the original, it almost feels like it's a bit *too* fast in some places, but it's still a good song if you like covers that sound vastly different from the originals.

"Great Balls of Fire" (originally recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis)-
Easily the most well-known song on the album, and maybe the best. They really made it sound like a Misfits-style song. Definitely one of the stronger tracks, and Only sings it really well. Jimmy Destri does keyboards in this one.

"Latest Flame" (originally recorded by Elvis Presley)-
I like Elvis, but never heard this song. It's another catchy song though, Jerry seems to enjoy giving an Elvis-type twang to his vocals in this one. Maybe that's where the inspiration for his trademark sneer came from. Marky Ramone plays the piano parts.

"Monster Mash"-
A Misfits staple for years, this is an all-new recorded version, different from the version on the "Cuts From the Crypt" CD. In a way it's a much faster, harder version that sounds more like an actual Misfits song. Jerry says he prefers this version over any of their earlier recorded versions, but that's for the listener to judge. Still, an easy pick for Top 3. John Cafiero once again does backing vocals.

"Only Make Believe"-
Another one I've never heard. Pretty much the closest to an actual "1950s sound" the record actually gets. Good song, and again, Jerry's vocal delivery has me almost forgetting Michael Graves was ever even in the band.

"Runaway" (originally recorded by Del Shannon)-
Actually recorded in 1961, but why nitpick? Another one I've never heard, but they're really batting a thousand as far as picking catchy, sing-along style songs to cover. Jimmy Destri reappears on keyboards.

"You Belong to Me"
Not my favorite song on the album, but then again since almost all the covers are really strong it's not saying much when one falls short. I don't know why this one just didn't appeal to me that much. Ronnie Spector again does backing vocals.

Inside the sleeve, each band member gives comments about each song, be it reflections about growing up with the music (Jerry's notes tend to lean towards this), or how the songs were musically "adjusted" to be more "Misfits style" (Marky Ramone's comments tend to drift in this direction). The art by Tony Squindo is very stylish and cartoony. The last few pages of the booklet are a lesson in "Rock N Roll DNA", how seemingly old songs like the ones contained on the album are still incredibly relevant from a songwriting formula standpoint, and explaining the "building blocks" of rock n roll music, things like scale and chord progression and other technical music stuff.

The set also contains a second bonus disc, a DVD of live performances:
"This Magic Moment"
"Dream Lover"
"Diana"
"Donna"
(recorded live in Stratton Mountain, VT, The U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships, March 15, 2002)
"Runaway"
(recorded live at WWE The World, NYC, October 31, 2002)
"Day the Earth Caught Fire" (Misfits w/Balzac, Live in NYC)
"The Haunting/Don't Open Till Doomsday" (Balzac w/Misfits, Live in Japan)
"Day the Earth Caught Fire" (Balzac w/Misfits, Live in japan)
"The Haunting/Don't open Till Doomsday" (promotional music video)
"Out of the Blue" (promotional music video)

I haven't watched the DVD yet, so no comment on it yet.

Overall, I recommend it to any Misfits fan or a fan of punk covers in general. If you're open-minded enough to enjoy "oldies songs" with a new twist, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised. I know I was. I'll probably be back with a comment on the DVD after I watch it, whenever I get to it.

Easy thumbs up.

i know im coming into this late but ....metallica has nothing on the misfits andsum41 and blink182 are not..and if u think they are then u dont know what real punk is

What about when Metallica covered a Misfits song? That means they have something to do with the misfits.

yeah but they in no way compare to how good the misfits are

Heh, you notice I didn't argue with you for saying Blink and Sum aren't punk, because that is sooooo correct lol.

Project 1950 sounds good to me, I can't wait to pick up a copy. I just gotta hear that cover of Dream Lover. :D

Preach it.
I REALLY want to pick that CD up.

Glad I was able to generate interest, because it really is a good CD. After hearing it about 6 times (it's very short) all the songs grew on me more, and I started to like "You Belong to Me" a lot more.

Finished watching the Bonus DVD, good stuff overall. Only complaint really is that as for typical live performances with bands like the Misfits, the instruments are way louder than the vocals so it's nearly impossible to understand the singing. Still, Jerry and the boys put a ton of energy into every performance. One of the things I love about Jerry Only is how much fun and enthusiasm he puts into everything he does. Surprisingly the two music videos are by Balzac and not the Misfits, but pretty cool nonetheless. Funny moment in their duet with Balzac at The World: As they're playing "Day The Earth Caught Fire", a chick dressed as Harley Quinn runs across the stage in the background at one point. :lol:

Sounds good to me. :thumbsup:

Jerry Only is a shmuck. I listened to them, mostly the Graves stuff (I like it a lot better than the original stuff) a while back, but I haven't touched any of their CDs in like at least a year or two.