CHILLER THEATRE ISSUE #8, p.62-63, 1998
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MISFITS ENTER THE STATIC AGE  
  by JOSEPH LAVARELLO

	BEWARE FIENDS, LEGENDARY HORROR PUNKS THE MISFITS ARE 
BACK TO WREAK HAVOC, AND TERRORIZE A NEW LEGION OF FANS WITH 
THE RELEASE OF THEIR CURRENT CD "AMERICAN PSYCHO" (GEFFEN 
RECORDS).  THE DIENYAMIC DUO, JERRY ONLY AND DOYLE WOLFGANG 
VON FRANKENSTEIN HAVE NEARTHED TWO NEW GHOULS, DRUMMER "DR. 
CHUD," AND FRONT MAN M. GRAVES.  THE SPOOKTACULAR ALBUM IS 
TRUE TO MISFITS FORM AND THEN SOME.  NOT SUPRISING, THE FOCUS OF 
THE MUSIC IS ON B HORROR AND SCI-FI MOVIES.  TRACKS SUCH AS "THIS 
ISLAND EARTH" (INSPIRED BY THE FILM OF THE SAME NAME), "FROM 
HELL THEY CAME" (INSPIRED BY "FROM HELL IT CMAE") AND "DAY OF 
THE DEAD" (WHICH TRIBUTES ROMERO'S ZOMBIES IN A HARD EDGED 
ROCKABILLY TUNE THAT WOULD EVEN ROCK THE DEAD KING HIMSELF).  
BASSIST AND MISFITS LEADER ONLY STATES, "WE DON'T JUDGE BY STYLE 
OF MUSIC, WE JUDGE BY GOOD SONGS.  IF IT'S A GOOD SONG WE'RE 
GOING TO PLAY IT".
	THE RECORD HAS ALREADY SPAWNED TWO MUSIC VIDEOS.  THE 
FIRST FOR THE SINGLE "DIG UP HER BONES" MARKS THE DEBUT MUSIC 
VIDEO FROM THE FITS.  THE VIDEO FEATURES CREEPY CLIPS FROM THE 
HORROR CLASSIC "THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN," AS THE FILM 
PROVIDED INSPIRATION FOR THE SONG.  SARAH KARLOFF (DAUGHTER OF 
BORIS KARLOFF), GAVE HER PERSONAL CONSENT FOR THE USE OF HER 
FATHER'S IMAGE IN THE VIDEO.  SARAH BECAME AWARE OF THE MISFITS 
AS ONLY VOICED SUPPORT OF THE IMMORTALIZATION OF BORIS KARLOFF 
ON THE U.S. POSTAGE STAMP.  THE MISFITS RECRUITED SIGNATURES FOR 
THE MONSTER STAMPS FROM LOYAL FIEND CLUB MEMBERS (THE MISFITS 
FAN CLUB IS CALLED THE FIEND CLUB).
	THE VIDEO CONSISTS OF LIVE CONCERT FOOTAGE, COMBINED 
WITH SCENES OF THE BAND PERFORMING IN A GRAVEYARD SET.  IN TRUE 
MISFITS FORM, THE EERILY LIT GRAVEYARD SCENES WERE SHOT AT 
NIGHT.  THE LIGHTS ON THE SET, ATTRACTED NOT ONLY THE ATTENTION 
FROM CURIOUS ON-LOOKERS, BUT PEAKED THE INTEREST OF OTHER 
"NIGHT CREATURES" AS WELL.  IT SEEMED LIKE EVERY INSECT KNOWN 
TO MAN SHOWED UP TO MAKE CAMEOS IN THE VIDEO," LAUGHS CAFIERO.  
"LUCKILY, WE BUDGETED FOR ECONOMY SIZED CANS OF "OFF."  BASSIST 
JERRY ONLY AGREES, "MY LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT MAKING THE 
VIDEO WAS BEING ATTACKED BY BUGS, THEY WERE EVERYWHERE."  ONE 
VERY AMBITIOUS DESCENDENT OF "MOTHRA," MAKES HIS SCREEN DEBUT 
WITH SINGER MICHALE GRAVES; "HE JUST FLEW ON TO MY HAND AND 
WOULDN'T GO AWAY.  I GUESS HE REALLY WANTED TO BE IN THE VIDEO" 
SAYS GRAVES.  CAFIERO ADDS, "THE MOTH WAS ONE OF THOSE 
UNEXPECTED EXTRAS THAT SOMETIMES DROP IN YOUR LAP, BUT WORK 
OUT PERFECTLY.  IT WAS COMPLETELY NATURAL, SO WE STARTED TO GO 
WITH IT, HE FLEW AWAY AND THEN ACTUALLY CAME BACK FOR 
ANOTHER TAKE!"
	CAFIERO SHOT ALL OF THE LIVE FOOTAGE UTILIZING THE "HAND-
HELD" METHOD.  MOST OF THE TIME HE WAS ON STAGE WITH THE BAND 
(IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL FOR HIM TO LIE ON THE FLOOR WITH HIS HEAD 
RESTING ON DOYLE'S AMP WITHOUT EAR-PLUGS, WHICH WAS STARTLING 
FOR MOST!)  THE ROAD AND FILM CREW EXPRESSED AMAZEMENT THAT 
THIS DID NOT BOTHER CAFIERO, (A GUITAR PLAYER, WHO IS "USED TO 
IT").  ACCORDING TO CAFIERO, IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR HIM TO POSITION 
HIMSELF TO GET GOOD SHOTS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME NOT BE INTRUSIVE 
TO THE BAND.  THIS IS HOW HE IS USED TO WORKING, AND HIS 
PHOTOGRAPHY IS A TESTAMENT TO THE LOVE OF HIS CRAFT.  HE WAS 
ABLE TO CAPTURE THE PURE ENERGY AND INTENSITY OF THE BAND'S 
LIVE PERFORMANCE, AND REACTIONS OF THE FIENDS.  WHEN ASKED 
ABOUT HIS METHODS JOHN RESPONDED, "I THINK THERE'S AN 
INCREDIBLE ENERGY CREATED AT THE MISFITS LIVE PERFORMANCES.  
IT'S CREATED BY AN INTENSITY BETWEEN THE BAND AND THE CROWD 
THAT SETS THE ATMOSPHERE.  THE PRESENCE IS THERE.  YOU CAN FEEL 
IT.  THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO CAPTURE ON FILM AT THE GIGS.   WHEN 
YOU'RE THERE, YOU KNOW YOUR PART OF SOMETHING SPECIAL".
	THE VIDEO ALSO FEATURES A SKELETAL SIGN AS A NOD TO THE 
FANS IN THE "FIEND CLUB."  CAFIERO STATES, "THE FIEND CLUB SIGN 
WAS BROUGHT TO LIFE STRAIGHT OUT OF MY CONCEPT ART FOR THE 
VIDEOS.  I FELT IT COULD NOT ONLY BE A HORRIFIC INTERPRETATION OF 
A SID & MARTY KROFFT PRODUCTION, BUT ALSO ALLUDE TO A 
FICTITIOUS PLACE IN WHICH THE MISFTS AND ALL THE RELATED GHOULS 
AND FIENDS COULD HANG OUT OR EXIST IN.  THE SIGN IS ESSENTIALLY A 
HYBRID OF A REAL WODDEN SIGN AND A PUPPET THAT I HAD CREATED 
FROM MY CONCEPT SKETCHES AND STORYBOARDS.  I THOUGHT THE SIGN 
WOULD BE SOMETHING FUN FOR HARDCORE FANS OF THE BAND TO PICK 
UP ON, YET STILL MAINTAIN THE INTEREST OF THOSE WHO WERE SEEING 
THE MISFITS FOR THE FIRST TIME".
	"AMERICAN PSYCHO", THE TITLE TRACK OF THE GEFFEN RELEASE, 
IS THE SECOND VIDEO TO EMERGE.  AN AUTHENTIC PIPE ORGAN (CIRCA 
1920) WAS CUSTOMIZED IN MISFITS FASHION (THE PIPES HAVE A BAT-
WING FORMATION).  MISFITS FRIEND AND FAN ROB ZOMBIE (OF THE BAND 
WHITE ZOMBIE), SHOWED HIS SUPPORT OF TE VIDEOS BY RECOMMENDING 
CELEBRATED MAKE-UP FX ARTIST NORMAN CABRERA TO SCULPT THE 
SKULL-FACED FIEND AND CREATE  THE MASK.  FOR THE FIRST TIME THE 
MISFITS ICONIC MASCOT HAS BEEN BROUGHT INTO THE LIVE ACTION 
WORLD.  A TRADITIONAL PIPE ORGAN VERSION OF THE MISFITS' TRACK 
"THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES" (WHICH LEADS INTO "AMERICAN 
PSYCHO" ON THE CD) WAS RECORDED AND MIXED INTO THE ORIGINAL 
TRACK AS THE FIEND PLAYS THE ORGAN IN THE VIDEO, TO EXHUME THE 
FEARSOME FOUR.
	THE COVER ART FOR THE CURRENT CD WAS PAINTED BY ARTIST 
EXTRAODINARE, BASIL GOGOS OF "FAMOUS MONSTER" FAME.  THE 
ARTWORK IS LITERATELY BROUGHT TO LIFE IN THE "AMERICAN PSYCHO" 
VIDEO.  THE BAND SITES WORKING WITH GOGOS TO BE A CHILDHOOD 
DREAM COME TRUE.  CAFIERO STATES, "I WANTED THE VIDEOS TO HAVE 
THE LOOK OF A LIVE ACTION, COMIC BOOK, HORROR FILM.  I WOULD 
MANIPULATE THE LIGHTS TO WORK AS COLORS DO IN THE PANELS OF A 
COMIC BOOK.  I WAS THRILLED AT THE OPPORTUNNITY TO BRING BASIL 
GOGOS' ARTWORK TO LIFE AND FELT THE PAINTING ITSELF SHOULD BE 
PROMINENTLY FEATURED IN THE VIDEO, AND THE MISFITS AGREED.  I 
ALSO WANTED TO MAINTAIN THE LOOK AND FEEL OF THE ARTWORK IN A 
LIVE ACTION SETTING.  I LOOKED AT THE PAINTING AND TRIED TO 
IMAGINE WHAT ELSE WAS GOING ON IN THE ROOM BEYOND WHAT YOU 
COULD SEE, AND THE CONCEPTS FOLLOWED.  WHEN BASIL SAW THE 
VIDEO FOR THE FIRST TIME AND REACTED SO POSITIVELY I WAS 
HONORED.  I FEEL IN ANY PRODUCTION TWO THINGS ARE KEY, GREAT 
CONTENT AND GREAT VISUALS TO SHOWCASE THAT CONTENT.  NO ONE 
KNOWS GREAT VISUALS BETTER THAN BASIL GOGOS SO IT REALLY 
MEANT A LOT TO ME."  JERRY ONLY STATES, "I THINK THE  "PSYCHO" 
VIDEO IS A MASTERPIECE THAT REALLY EPITOMIZES WHAT WE'RE DOING 
HERE."
	OTHER INFLUENCES WERE DERIVED FROM JOHN'S LOVE OF FILMS 
LIKE BRIAN DEPALMA'S "PHANTOM OF THE PARADIES," GEORGE A. 
ROMERO'S "CREEPSHOW," AND HONG KONG FANTASY FILMS.  "I'M A BIG 
FAN OF TSUI HARK, AND I'M ALSO INTO ANIME (JAPANESE ANIMATION).  I 
FEEL THAT ASIAN FANTASY FILMS TEND TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF 
REALITY A BIT MORE THAN THE AMERICAN MARKET.  I TRY TO INTERJECT 
A BIT OF THAT UNCONVENTIONAL SENSIBILITY IN MY WORK.  I KNEW I 
WANTED TO MAKE FILMS LIKE THIS EVER SINCE I FIRST SAW THE ROCKY 
HORROR PICTURE SHOW WHEN I WAS 10 YEARS OLD."
	"DIG UP HER BONES," WAS RELEASED TO TELEVISION IN 
SEPTEMBER '97 AND HAS GONE ON TO REPEATED SHOWING ON "MTV'S 120 
MINUTES" AS WELL AS BEING FEATURED ON THE SCI-FI CHANNEL.  IT HAS 
RANKED IN THE TOP FIVE MOST REQUESTED VIDEOS ON NATIONAL MUSIC 
VIDEO PROGRAM "THE BOX," HAS BEEN IN ROTATION ON CANADA'S 
"MUCH MUSIC," MTV LATINO AND COUNTLESS OF OTHER SHOW 
INTERNATIONALLY.
	THE NEW VIDEO "AMERICAN PSYCHO" IS CURRENTLY IN RELEASE 
TO ALL MUSIC VIDEO SHOWS/CHANNELS (INTERNATIONALLY), AND BOTH 
WILL BE FEATURED ON AN UPCOMING MISIFTS HOME VIDEO RELEASE.
	BOTH VIDEOS WERE CONCEIVED AND EXECUTED THROUGH 
CAFIERO'S NEW YORK BASED INDIE PRODUCTION COMPANY:  NON-
HOMOGENIZED PRODUCTIONS LTD. P.O. BOX 560, RADIO CITY STATION, 
NYC, NY 10101-0560.  FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MISIFTS, OR TO 
JOIN THE "FIEND CLUB" CONTACT "FIEND CLUB" P.O. BOX 310, VERNON, 
07462.


[pictures with article:  
 pg 62 JERRY w/CAFIERO & CG - labeled as 
      JERRY ONLY & THE FIEND WITH DIRECTOR:  JOHN CAFIERO ON THE SET OF 
      THE MISFITS "AMERICAN PSYCHO VIDEO"
 pg 63 DOYLE ON GUITAR - still from "DIG UP HER BONES" VIDEO
 pg 63 MICHALE w/MOTH - still from "DIG UP HER BONES" VIDEO - labeled as M. 
 GRAVES]