The metal midget, the dark Elvis, Glenn Danzig has spoken to Undercover about Danzig's first Australian tour in thirteen years, and the fake Misfits.
"If I took no for an answer, there'd be no Misfits," Danzig chuckles, "I took demos around and was told by everybody that the Misfits sucked and it was the worst thing they'd heard in their lives and that it was a wall of noise, which I thought was good at first. You have to stick to your guns."Danzig has had to stick to his guns for his whole career, from the Misfits, to Samhain, until the success of the Danzig single 'Mother'. "For some reason I've always been able to strike a chord with the fans," he notes, "that's not the problem, it's the people in charge who hate what I do."
Glenn scoffs at the belated MTV appropriation of punk and metal, "I see that stuff and think 'Oh yeah, whatever." So many recent bands have cribbed the gothic punk aesthetic of the Misfits, most notably AFI. Glenn has actually shared the stage with AFI and respects them because they're honest about their influences, so much so that the band reportedly pulled a Wayne's World-esque 'We're Not Worthy' act when they met. "I thought they were nice guys," he laughs.
He agrees that no other band has truly managed to succeed in emulating the gothic punk of the Misfits or the dark blues-metal of Danzig. "You have to really grow up with blues to understand it," he agrees, "When I see some bands and they tell me their frame of reference I think 'That's awful!' I was affected by a range of stuff, from classical to blues to heavy, loud, obnoxious music."
Danzig promises a setlist comprising something from every album, from their early brooding blues metal to the more industrial-tinged albums of the mid to late '90s. In Hollywood, he says they did two shows around New Year's Eve where they played every song Danzig had ever recorded, so they're more than willing to make the fans happy.
He also promises somewhat of a Misfits reunion, with a mid-set collection of Misfits songs with original guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein joining him on stage. As for the resurrected Misfits, consisting of only one original member Jerry Only, Danzig scoffs at it. He even laughs, "There are better Misfits tribute bands here in LA. There's even a girl tribute band called The Msfits, and they're probably better."
He contends that he and Doyle are more of a Misfits reunion than the current Misfits line-up. "I always thought that it was understood that without each other, we wouldn't call it the Misfits," he says, "It's kinda sad that they have to resort to using that because they don't have the confidence in themselves, or in something they would do, that people would want to hear it."
Glenn's also annoyed about the ludicrous amount of merchandising the resurrected Misfits are involved in, challenging KISS by branding everything from eight different car air fresheners to two different lightswitch plates to four different shot glasses. "Some of that shit is embarrassing," he sighs, "I don't endorse that kind of thing."
Australian audiences can see Danzig (and the feted Misfits interlude) for the first time in thirteen years on the following dates
September 8 - The Palace, Melbourne
September 9 - The Arena, Brisbane
September 10 - Luna Park, Sydney
