After 33 years apart, Glenn Danzig and The Misfits have shocked punk rock fans everywhere by announcing a reunion this fall. Danzig will be reuniting with bassist Jerry Only and guitarist Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein to headline Riot Fest in Denver and Chicago as “The Original Misfits.” The Denver shows will take place Sept. 2-4, with the Chicago shows taking place Sept. 16-18.
The Misfits first formed in 1977 and quickly became known for establishing the subgenre “horror punk” by blending punk rock with lyrics inspired by horror movies like “Night of the Living Dead.” After two EP releases, the band broke through in 1982 with their debut album, “Walk Among Us.” As they rose to underground stardom, they created a skeletal mascot called “Fiend Skull” that has become one of the most iconic images in rock history and has graced shirts worn by rebellious teens ever since.
The Misfits’ success was short-lived, however. In 1983, Danzig had a falling out with the rest of the band, and after a disastrous show on Halloween, they split up. While the rest of the band largely moved away from music, Danzig went on to reach even greater heights. His solo success renewed interest in the Misfits, and soon Danzig and Only entered a prolonged legal battle over songwriting credit and the right to use the band’s name and imagery.
Finally in 1995, Only got the rights to use The Misfits name and brought the band back together with a new lineup. Danzig meanwhile, continued work on his solo career. In the past decade, he has performed occasionally with Doyle, but the relationship between him and Only remained acrimonious. In 2014, Danzig sued Only for allegedly entering into deals with retailers like Hot Topic that cut Danzig out of any profits for Misfits merch sales. The lawsuit was dismissed by a California judge.
Now Danzig and Only seemed to have reconciled and formed a reunion even more unlikely than the Guns N’ Roses reunion between Axl Rose and Slash. For all the teens in Colorado and Illinois wearing Fiend Skull shirts, this is going to be a can’t miss show.
Many would say this is only reunion that matters. #Misfits pic.twitter.com/wxL6yBNjPZ
— Chris Rucker (@cwrucker) May 12, 2016