ASSASSIN OF YOUTH, Volume 1 #5, Fall 1982

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LOVE AND KISSES TO EERIE VON STELLMAN FOR USE OF HIS MISFITS PHOTOS.

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NECROS

This interview was conducted through tthe U.S. Postal system with Barry
Hennsler.

How did the Necros get to be good friends with the Misfits?

We'd been big fans for a long time, and they came and played in Detroit in
September '81, we opened for them, hung out with them, became friends,
etc... Corey and I are on the inner sleeves of their album, I'm making a
really stupid face.  I hate that picture.

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The Misfits...the band everyone loves to hate...seems anyone who
comes across them loves 'em or hates 'em.  Are they genuine or
Kiss clones?  Their horror infatuation is for real; Glen Danzig, main
force behind the 'Fits has been collecting comics, movie posters, and
skulls, among other things, since his youngblood days.  The Pit, where
practices are held, is full of glued-together monsters made from kits,
sci-fi stuff, there's a couple of skulls; one is real, a dead tarantula sent
by an admirer, a chair that's shaped like a hand, really more neato
stuff.  There's a song on the Misfits album, WALK AMONG US, called Vampira.
She was a 50's-60's horror movie goddess; this mysterious woman must've had
some impact on Glenn for him to write a song about her.  While the 'Fits
were touring California, they searched her out.  Refusing to see them at
first, they left an album.  Persistent, they went back, and brought her
into the public spotlight and out of her recluse.  Needless to say, she
"approved" of their image and liked the album!
     This interview too place in The Pit, located in a nondescript 
house in suburban Lodi, New Jersey, home for the Misfits.  Present were
Glenn Danzig, vocals, Jerry Only, bass, and Doyle, guitar, who didn't
say one word.  All were in relaxed, good moods, and looking quite normal.
They had lots to say, so we had to cut it down to size.
     The Misfits have been together since 1977, playing underground
joints in New Jersey and the legendary defunct Max's Kansas City, where
they got banned from.  "They thought we were too punk, too violent, they
also said we drew a bad element."  Then-guitarist Bobby Steele who now fronts
his own band, The Undead, was also banned from Max's.  "Well, Bobby used to
sit downstairs and pop onto people's tables that he didn't know, and go
"Can I eat your french fries, man? (!!!!-ED).  Bobby Steele's split with
The Misfits was an agreed-upon thing, and eventually Jerry's brother Doyle
(Paul) was incorporated into the band.  "Bobby wasn't showing up for
rehearsals, and then we were recording an album for Armageddon/Cherry Red..."
Bobby never showed up for that, either.  "Finally, Bobby says, let Doyle
play for you....Doyle was always out in the garage when we practiced."
     From garage band to present day headlining, but why so long to bring
The Misfits out in the open?  Says Glenn: "We went through a period where
places just wouldn't book us.  Everybody would say, "Oh the Misfits never
play", nobody would book us.  Every band we knew, who were a punk band, were
all switching over to doing ska, (says ska contemptuously, as thought it were
a bad word-ED) and saying "You guys can't stay a punk band...you should go
New Wave Disco and Powerpop".  I wouldn't want to do it, if I had to do
that."  In that vein comes more personnel problems, drummer Googie split
with the Misfits (new drummer is Robo, ex-Black Flag)  "Googie wanted to go
new wave disco...and we want to go even more grittier.  We'd say "Goog, don't
wear that flowered shirt", and he'd say, "How come you guys always wear
black?   I had a long talk with my mom, and she said we should to this and
that."  If anyone out there ever wondered why Googie looked funny on the
cover of the 'Fits lp, like I did, here's the scoop: "He wouldn't do his
hair black...we used a white backdrop to take pictures of the album, and he
has no head!  He bleached his hair white, he had big, choppy, billy idol
kinda-looking hair, and his hair blends in with space...they did the cover
over later, and saw the pictures inside on the sleeve, where he's sort of a
skinhead...so they just drew it round, but it didn't come out too well!"
How did the 'Fits get their cross-eye provoking hairdo's?  They just evolved
that way, sez Glenn.  Hey, didja know there's a tribe in Africa that do their
hair that way?  Believe it or not!
     Lots of touring, hard work, and determination, that's what made the
Misfits in their transition from local cult band to their now-nationwide
reputation.  On touring, Glenn says: "it's really hard, when you get a band
together, you don't know who's gonna last or who's not gonna, you find out
who wants to do it for real, and who wants to be a weekend star band.  They
don't want to starve on the road, which you usually end up doing."  Jerry
adds "we haven't had to do that lately, but we DID it."  Glenn: "Cos we put
our dues in.  Now we can sorta ease, and if we stay by people's houses
instead of a motel room...it's great.  I get a kick out of it, they're just
like friends, most of the kids are fiend club members."  The 'Fits have 500
in the fiend club at last count........
     Touring has held some surprizes for the Misfits.  During an English
(U.K.) tour of 1979, with the Damned, and a separate tour with the Clash,
their old drummer took off for the States, leaving them stranded.  That
tour was also the reason why London Dungeon was written.  Says Glenn "I got
in a fight with, like, seven skins.  At that time, skin meant ska.  They
started a fight with me in a bar, and we go side the Rainbow, so I seen this
broken window (with glass around), and they backed away, then all of a
sudden, two British cops grab me, put me in this fuckin' ticket booth, and I
was arrested.  I said to Bobby, "Call the manager right now and get me out of
this."  Then the cops start kicking Bobby around on the ground, meanwhile I
end up in jail.  He wound up getting locked up too.  They put me in Brixton,
that was the worst jail in England.  The cops don't carry guns, so what they
do is hit you, to kinda set their point."
     We talked awhile on their California tours, the basic feeling was that
the feedback was excellent and made for some great gigs.  But then again
there's the incident in San Francisco where the custom is to throw beer cans
at bands who are playing.  The 'Fits didn't understand or like this,
something got fucked up, and Doyle ended up hitting a kid on the head with
his guitar, cracking his head open, requiring many stitches.  By the time I
got around to asking the band about this, my batteries had run down to
nothing (this whole interview sounded like Mickey Mouse on speed, no easy
feat trying to get this down on paper), and therefore, even though I got the
Misfits side on what happened, speech at 100 miles per hour is impossible to
understand.  At the risk of misquoting, I chose not to print anything...even
what I remember.  Everyone's got rights, especially the accused.
     Just about the only bad vibes the 'Fits got was from some press and
misunderstandings.  Glenn: "Alot of people say, "Wow, that's great", and
then you get other people that will misinterpret...we're not out to make a
joke of anything."  Jerry: ".....you get all these bands that everybody's
comparing you with."  Glenn: "I pretty much think they're fake.  We're not
trying to be...it's just what we sing about.  To me, it's alot about
survival.  I read all the time about people getting chopped up, and found
dead."  Little did they know they just walked into my faavorite question!
Lodi, the town the 'Fits live in, was the center of attention a while ago.
This guy killed a cop or two, and another killed a friend, where an ESP
person found the body.  I asked if they've ever lived close to anyone who
killed someone.  Jerry: "I know those guys!  He was in my class all through
grammar school.  I used to hang out with him.  He murdered one of his
friends; it was over money.  This kid who he supposedly killed, I don't know
what happened 'cos I wasn't there; him and his friends ripped off his
friend's brother's credit card, and went spending all this money.  So what
happened was that the brother came down and grabbed this kid, and he got back
and killed the guy's brother and buried him out in the swamps.  He's doing
time for it."
     In the future, the Misfits plan to release older material; songs from
their singles sessions.  Glenn: "We have 19 songs from the Bullet sessions
that you'll never hear...we're gonna do a greatest hits type record, and
we're gonna put WHO KILLED MARILYN on it, and a version of EAGLES DARE from
that session, others from the HORROR BUSINESS sessions, and we're gonna put
SPOOK CITY U.S.A. on it, all kinds of stuff, 'cos we don't want to repress
the singles...whenever I used to listen to the Misfits, I used to think,
shitty production, but it was always good, it's like listening to L.A.M.F.,
you sit there and curse out how bad it sounds."
     When confronted with myself telling them they're not hardcore, but punk,
this was their reaction: Glenn: "I don't know.  Maybe our attitude, to me
hardcore..."  Jerry: "Is what punk should've been!"  Glenn: "Like nobody
selling out, to me, that's what hardcore means, no fucking around, just go
out there...the real stuff."

[ interview includes 4 photos with caption: "pic by Eerie Von Stellman"]

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"EERIE THINGS"
Custom T-Shirts
1 White Oak Drive
Lodi, New Jersey 07644
843-4129

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September 8/the debut performance by locals Mourning Noise...at the Dirt
Club?  Whatsis, thoguht this new wave-rockabilly-original joint didn't want
hardcore...friends and curiousity-seekers came for support...Mourning boys
play good, melodic, sing-a-long type stuff that ya really can't thrash to...

September 30/on ho not them against! Yep, Mourning Noise strikes again with
Code Of Honor and T.D.V. (Thirteen Day Vacation) at Club Mod...this was
T.D.V. first gig with their new bassist...Larz is a hot guitarist, Adam is a
hard-hitting drummer, their bassist, well, uh, he could use some work...
they've got a good sound...Code of Honor, from San Francisco, are a very
political band, and very good, too...bassist Dave is a wildman, vocals by
Johnithin has many good points...Mourning Noise...their set got fucked by
two members of Drunk Driving, who lived up to their name...the singer of D.D.
was being totally obnoxious moaning, singing into the spare mike while the
bnad was trying to play, who were getting very pissed ff...then! the
guitarist of D.D. fell headfirst into Steve's drum set, oh shit.  The poor
dude got his nose broken by a Club Mod bouncer outside...tra la la.

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[includes Mourning Noise photo and logo with: "pic by Lingunie"]

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On the subject of radio, Mourning Noise and our idols, Adrenalin O.D. played
live over de airwaves in WFMU's studio.  All I want to know is what does
Tommy's ass look like?  He was mooning A.O.D. during their set...mmm, my
mouth is watering.

Misfits new lp to be out also around Christmas, to be titled "Earth A.D.".
Rosemary's Babies have recorded their demo, yet another Lodi, NJ based band.
Should be real good.

This has nothing to do with this line of thought, but did you know that
Jerry/Misfits and Jack/A.O.D. both became fathers of girls born on the same
day...

Pat Clarke, the man responsible for the short-lived gigs at Silver Dollar
Saloon, is back again with his "Tonks Wonks Mondays" at CBGB.  His first
one was an all-out spectacular jam with members of Heart Attack, Even Worse,
Kraut, Beastie Boys, Drunk Driving, Pleasure Grounds, Red Decade, Bush
Tetras, The Outsets, Glorious Strangers, La Guapa Papa, Social Climbers,
Reagan Youth, The Undead, Young and the Useless, Mental Nomands, 4/4...phew!
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