Line #37 Music/TheMisfits


1	[[quoteright:302:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2011_tour_misfits_dates_13033920243365_6225.png]]
2
3	The Misfits are a PunkRock band formed by [[strike: Glenn Allen Anzalone]] Glenn Danzig in 1977 in Lodi, UsefulNotes/NewJersey. The line-up was constantly in flux for most of its existence, with its main members consisting of Glenn Danzig and the bassist Jerry Only. Eventually the classic line-up of Glenn, Jerry, Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein (Jerry's younger brother) and Arthur Googy was settled upon to record ''Walk Among Us.''
4
5	The band made a distinct sound combining the buzz saw guitar of Music/{{Buzzcocks}} with lyrical content mostly about B-Horror movies, Pulp Novels, and trashy pop culture in general. They are the progenitors and still reigning kings of Horror Punk.
6
7	The Misfits are commonly considered one of the most influential underground bands of their generations; laying the groundwork for continuing trends in PunkRock, GothRock, ThrashMetal, and PostHardcore style Music/{{Emo}} (especially Music/MyChemicalRomance who share the same fascination with horror and the undead, but apply it in a much more emotional and theatrical way).
8
9	On May 12, 2016 it was announced that Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only, and Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein will perform together [[CueTheFlyingPigs for the first time in 33 years]] in September 2016. Since then, they've been playing together alongside new members [[Music/{{Slayer}} Dave Lombardo]] and Acey Slade whenever they have any free time, and Jerry has stated he's open to making an album.
10
11	Not to be confused with one of the two {{Fake Band}}s from ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}''. They also have nothing to do with [[Film/TheMisfits the final film]] Creator/MarilynMonroe (and Creator/ClarkGable) made (though [[ShoutOut that's where they got their name from.]])
12	----
13
14	!! Members:
15
16	Current members in '''bold.''' Members who performed on a full-length studio release in ''italic.''
17
18	* '''''Glenn Danzig''''' - Vocals, keyboards, studio guitar (1977-1983, 2016-present)
19	* Diane [=Di=]Piazza - Bass (1977)
20	* Jimmy Battle - Guitar (1977)
21	* Manny Martinez - Drums (1977)
22	* '''''Jerry Only''''' - Bass (1977-1983, 1995-present), vocals (2001-2016)
23	* ''Franche Coma'' - Guitar (1977-1978)
24	* ''Mr. Jim'' - Drums (1978)
25	* ''Bobby Steele'' - Guitar (1978-1980)
26	* Joey Image - Drums (1978-1979)
27	* ''Arthur Googy'' - Drums (1980-1982)
28	* '''''Doyle''''' - Guitar (1980-1983, 1995-2001, 2016-present)
29	* ''Robo'' - Drums (1982-1983, 2005-2010)
30	* Brian Damage - Drums (1983)
31	* ''Dr. Chud'' - Drums (1995-2000)
32	* ''Michale Graves'' - Vocals (1995-2000)
33	* ''Dez Cadena'' - Guitar (2001-2015)
34	* ''[[Music/TheRamones Marky Ramone]]'' - Drums (2001-2005)
35	* ''Eric Arce'' - Drums (2010-2016)
36	* Jerry Caiafa Jr. - Guitar (2014-2016)
37	* '''Acey Slade''' - Guitar (2016-present)
38	* '''[[Music/{{Slayer}} Dave Lombardo]]''' - Drums (2016-present)
39	----
40
41	!! Studio Albums:
42
43	* ''Static Age:'' Recorded in 1978, released in 1997.
44	* ''12 Hits from Hell:'' Recorded in 1980, released in 2001. [[note]] Though only handful of copies exist as Danzig and Only cancelled the release [[/note]]
45	* ''Walk Among Us'' (1982)
46	* ''Earth A.D.'' (1983) [[note]] Also known as ''Earth A.D. / Wolfs Blood'' [[/note]]
47	* ''American Psycho'' (1997)
48	* ''Famous Monsters'' (1999)
49	* ''Project 1950'' (2003)
50	* ''The Devil's Rain'' (2011)
51	----
52
53	!! "Mommy, Can I Go Out and Trope Tonight?:"
54
55	* AntiLoveSong: "Die Die My Darling."
56	%%* TheBigGuy: Doyle, have you seen him?
57	%%* BodyHorror: "Helena."
58	* BigGuyLittleGuy: Ripped, 6'3 Doyle, and 5'3 Danzig... who's admittedly also ripped.
59	%%* CarefulWithThatAxe: "Helena" during the thrashy verses.
60	* ClusterFBomb: From the chorus of "Where Eagles Dare":
61	-->"I ain't no goddamned son of a bitch"
62	* CoverVersion: They have an album dedicated to this -- ''Project 1950.'' Aside from that, they also recorded "Rat Fink" and "Day the Earth Caught Fire."
63	** [[InvertedTrope They are largely covered themselves,]] as Website/{{Wikipedia}} [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cover_versions_of_Misfits_songs can attest.]]
64	* DarkerAndEdgier: Glenn Danzig's ''Samhaim'' was darker and not as "fun" as ''The Misfits.''
65	** Also the final first era album, ''Earth A.D.'', which took on a more intense HardcorePunk sound and actually featured a couple of songs originally written for ''Samhain''.
66	* DarkIsNotEvil: Despite having pretty gruesome lyrics, the songs can be remarkably poppy and fun.
67	* [[BlackComedy Dead Baby Comedy]]: Literally, in "Last Caress":
68	-->"I got something to say\
69	I killed your baby today"
70	* DemBones: Their logo.
71	* DownerEnding: Their first run ended with their new drummer getting so shitfaced he couldn't finish half the set, Glenn so fed up he broke up the band on stage then and there, and then a several-year legal battle when he rerecorded Jerry and Doyle's parts for a compilation album rather than actually pay them royalties.
72	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Their first single, "Cough / Cool" b/w "She:" Both songs were stylistically similar to later material, but featured Glenn Danzig on both vocals and electric piano, as they lacked a lead guitarist at the time.
73	* EmoMusic: {{Unbuilt\|Trope}} version. Horror lyrics intermixed with SillyLoveSongs with pop-punk[=/=]hardcore punk tones as ''The Misfits'' started were later something emo bands like Music/{{AFI}} and Music/MyChemicalRomance would be influenced by.
74	* ExtraEyes: "20 Eyes"
75	* GentleGiant: Despite his imposing appearance, Doyle comes across as a very laid-back and well-spoken individual in interviews. [[BerserkButton Don't you dare mess with him on stage, though.]] [[YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry He'll make sure you never make that mistake again.]]
76	* HalloweenSongs: They have practically made a career of making Halloween-themed punk music, which makes sense considering they are often held as the progenitors of the horror punk subgenre.
77	* HardcorePunk: At least ''Earth A.D.''
78	* HeroicBuild: ''Doyle'', even into his ''fifties'' the man is one of the most ripped guys in the whole music business
79	** Danzig as well, although not so much these days.
80	* HellHotel: ''Horror Hotel.''
81	* {{Pun}}: ''Ghouls Night Out.''
82	* IconicItem: Doyle's signature guitars. Which of course look like huge, spiky bat wings.
83	* IndecipherableLyrics: It's impossible to understand Danzig on ''Earth A.D.'' without having lyrics in front of you. Other albums have this too, just not as much. The fact, that lyrics, that circulated the web prior to Danzig releasing Lyrics of the Left Hand Vol. II book was incorrect, doesn't help. For example, lyrics to "Devilock" are often written as:
84	-->"So make this demon offering\
85	Best demon offering\
86	Curious about the eye of death, oh...
87
88	But the actual correct lyrics, according to [=LotLH=] are:
89	-->"Don't mess with demon offspring\
90	The virgin's demon offering\
91	Their fury has no master\
92	I am cancer
93
94	* LighterAndSofter: The '90s era had better production values and therefore was easier on the ears. They no longer wrote songs about sex and senseless violence (though violent horror movies were still the primary theme to sing about), and a handful of songs were inspired by Jerry Only and Doyle's Christian faith.
95	* LyricalDissonance: Most of their lyrics are about murder, rape, and destruction (sometimes inspired by B-sci-fi / horror movies), but had rockabilly influenced beats and Glenn Danzig's deep baritone bluesy voice.
96	* MetalScream: Inverted. While most of his [[Music/HenryRollins contemporaries]] in punk scream, Glenn has a pleasant and powerful baritone.
97	* MurderBallad: "Mommy Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?"
98	* NothingButSkulls: "Skulls."
99	* [[NonIndicativeName Non-Indicative Title]]: Usually their songs about horror movies are also titled after the movie itself, so you would think "Shining" would be a song about ''Film/TheShining''... It's about ''Film/{{Poltergeist\|1982}}.''
100	* OurZombiesAreDifferent: In "Night of the Living Dead" it describes zombies and later criticizes people's fascination with them.
101	* PintSizedPowerhouse: Glenn Danzig is ''5Ft2In'', and in his younger years he was [[HeroicBuild quite buff]].
102	* ThePowerOfHate: Actually deconstructed by "Hatebreeders," which aims to show how destructive being raised to hate really is.
103	-->"Murder one inborn into your every cell (whoa oh oh)\
104	It's in your blood and you can't shake it\
105	Because you were bred to take it\
106	Next stop annihilation\
107	They bred the hate right in your bones"
108	* RedOniBlueOni: Constantly angry occultist Danzig, and relatively mellow Christian Jerry, with Doyle being the required SurroundedByIdiots OnlySaneMan stopping them from killing and/or suing each other.
109	* RevolvingDoorBand: Classic era ''Misfits.''
110	** To clarify, the band has had 19 members total, with 13 of those during the "classic" era (1977-1983).
111	** Although "new" ''Misfits'' also change their members, just not as constantly as "classic" ''Misfits.''
112	* ShoutOut: Mostly involving horror movies:
113	** Patty Hearst.
114	** "Film/{{Night of the Living Dead\|1968}}"
115	** "Film/WhereEaglesDare"
116	** ''[[Film/TheAstroZombies Astro Zombies]]''
117	** "We are [[Film/{{THX1138}} 138!]]
118	** On their ''Walk Among Us'' album, the rat bat spider like creature looks like it comes from ''Film/TheAngryRedPlanet.''
119	* RockTrio: They became this since Jerry took over lead vocals position.
120	* SequelSong: "Dying On Sunday Night", from Michele Graves' solo project is a sequel to "Saturday Night".
121	* SillyLoveSongs: In a way, quite a few:
122	** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP7wHOHYCdc Hybrid Moments]]"
123	** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQjOt2yo12k Some Kinda Hate]]"
124	* SpiritualSuccessor: Glenn Danzig's ''Samhain'' was his continuation of exploring the darker themes and sound on the ''Earth A.D.'' album. ''The Misfits'' themselves can be considered a punk version of Music/AliceCooper or ''Screaming Lord Sutch.''
125	** Michale Graves' solo works are essentially darker and more socially relevant successors to his works with The Misfits, with songs about among other things, the Columbine tragedy, and on his latest album, [[TheSingularity Elon Musk's creations becoming sentient and monstrous.]]
126	** The 90s era of Misfits could be considered one to Jerry and Doyle's spiritually themed punk metal band Kryst the Konqueror.
127	* PopPunk: The Michale Graves era Misfits definitely counts, although with a much heavier edge
128	* StageNames: Most of them.
129	** Gerald Caiafa Jr turned into "Jerry Only" after they misspelled his name on an early single, so he just wanted "Jerry, Only Jerry."
130	** Doyle is named after the family dog.
131	** Gerald Caiafa III was known as "Jerry Other"
132	** Glenn "Danzig" Anzalone
133	* StepUpToTheMicrophone: Prior to becoming lead vocalist, Jerry sang on their {{cover\|version}} of "Monster Mash" (later re-recorded for ''Project 1950'').
134	** Dez Cadena sings on "Jack the Ripper" and "Death Ray."
135	* TheThemeParkVersion: The more disturbing and violent features of the original band are shorn off in the revived version, which features a more cartoonish image and has lyrics focused almost exclusively on vintage horror and science fiction films.
136	* ThreeChordsAndTheTruth: Some of their earlier records are so raw that they sound as if they were recorded in a public bathroom.
137	** Doyle states that all he knows are downstrokes and power chords. Some would assume that he's ripping off [[Music/TheRamones Johnny Ramone]]'s playing style, but Doyle openly admits that he he knew nothing about playing guitar.
138	** Ironically, Doyle later turned into a guitar nerd, and built his own guitar to help maintain his style of playing by borderline punching the strings without it constantly going out of tune on him or slicing his hand open.
139	* TitleTrack: Present on ''Static Age,'' ''Earth A.D.,'' ''American Psycho,'' and ''The Devil's Rain.'' {{Averted\|Trope}} with ''Walk Among Us,'' while they have both an album and a song by that name, the song would not be written and recorded until several years later (it appears on ''American Psycho'').
140	* TheVonTropeFamily: Doyle Wolfgang Von Franchise/{{Frankenstein}} is a Type 2.
141	* WalkingShirtlessScene: Doyle is very rarely seen wearing a shirt. Most likely to show off how ripped he is.
142	** Danzig infamously so

Context Music / TheMisfits