JERSEY BEAT #40, Summer 1990
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KRYST THE CONQUEROR: EX-MISFITS METAL MELTDOWN
by Sal Cannestra

Old punk rockers never die.  They just change their look and go
metal.  So now in the tradition of Brian Baker, Glenn Danzig, Gang
Green, Social Distortion, et. al. comes Kryst The Conqueror,
featuring ex-Misfits Jerry Only (now known as "Mo The Great") and
Doyle (still known as "Doyle").

Before you take that opening statement as harsh or critical, let me
explain that I still enjoy Danzig and Social Distortion, and even
some of Junkyard's tuneage is thoroughly listenable in a L.A.
cock-rock sort of way.  It just seems the longer people stay in the
business (and it IS a business, kids) the more aware they become of
where the money's going.  So how can I begrudge Jerry and Doyle
their share of the pie?  They've been playing the game too long not
to want some of the glory their ex-bandmate is getting.

So with a 5-song EP under their belts, Kryst The Conqueror begins
their quest for world domination, the first step of course being 
the all-important Jersey Beat interview.  After speaking with Mo,
I came away with newfound respect for the guy, if not an
all-consuming love for his music.  He believes in what he's doing
and puts a high level of importance on being honest with his fans. 
And honesty is something sorely missing in heavy metal today.

Q:  So, do you prefer Jerry or Mo?

Mo: Uh...  Mo's what everybody calls me.  Always did.

Q:  All right, Mo.  I've been seeing Kryst The Conqueror ads for a 
year now but I still haven't seen the record in stores.  What
gives?

Mo: Well, basically, the thing is .... distributors suck.  That's
it really. I won't deal with assholes.  So what happens is that the
EP winds up opening doors for us.  It's not there for us to get it
out to everyone and make money.  If people want it, they call me on
the phone.  Distributors want 60-day terms, they want to take
200... I tell 'em I'm not gonna nickel 'n dime it.  If you want it,
bite it.  If you don't, then fuckin' swim away.  Now you've got it,
what do you think of the way it sounds?

Q:  I was really surprised by it actually.  The stuff is really
Metallic sounding.  There isn't anything on it I'd call punk rock. 
Was this a conscious effort to move away from punk?

Mo: Well, in a way, but to be honest this is just what came out
when we sat down.  I mean, me and Jerry didn't know if we could
write music or not because in the Misfits, we never did.  Glenn
wrote the stuff and he'd bring it down and we'd jazz it up.  Put in
all the fancy cuts and slides and all that shit.  The best thing
about the EP is that it's the Hardest substance out there.  We got
the muscle, the pure brute force to do the job.

Q:  There are a lot of rumors flying around as to who Kryst The
Conqueror (vocals) really is.

Mo: Well, let me hear 'em and I'll tell you the truth.

Q:  One is that the guy used to sing for Yngwie Malsteem a few
years ago...

Mo: l'm not at liberty to say.  I gave the man  my word.  You see,
he was on the top. of our list,  but he's under contract to
somebody else.  He was happy to do the job [sing on the EP].

Q:  So will you be working with this guy in the future?

Mo: I made him a substantial offer for the beginning of next year. 
If his project doesn't happen, he's mine.

Q:  So we're not going to see any live Kryst The Conqueror untiI at
least 1991?

Mo: No. First we want to shoot a couple of tremendous videos
because we have the ultimate futuristic/barbarian look.

Q:  How different is it from your old Misfits look?

Mo: These guys could eat the Misfits for breakfast.  The Misfits
were sort of like a bikers-type deal.  But these guys are just
savages.

Q:  Do you think you'll get a big crossover of Misfits fans to the
new stuff?

Mo: I think we'll get 'em all . Unless they're into the Devil, in
which case they'll listen to Glenn.  That's the only problem wee
got, people who ... uh, want to wind up in Hell.

Q:  Will you guys put out an album on your own or will you wait to
see if there is any label interest?

Mo: We will be releasing this record Halloween come hell or high
water.  This band will only sign a deal that is substantial.  It's
gotta have big money for videos, big money for merchandise.  I
don't want anything that sucks for the rest of my life.  I mean,
those [Misfits] bootlegs out there... you look at 'em, you hear
'em, you throw up.  I wouldn't mind if they were great quality but
they're crap.  Kids call me up and tell me they spent 40 or 50
bucks on a record and I tell them they got ripped off.  I played in
the band, I know.  They bought garbage for 50 bucks.

Q:  Well, you know, James Hetfield's got all of them.

Mo: Well, maybe James Hetfield's got 50 bucks to blow on a record.

Q:  Now you know I have to ask you a question about Glenn.

Mo: Shoot.

Q:  When's the last time you spoke to him?  Do you know if he's
heard your new stuff?

Mo: I haven't spoken to Glenn since the Misifts' last show on
Halloween, 1983.

Q:  Really?

Mo: We've got no reason to talk.  Glenn forgot the first rule: The
music comes first and all the bullshit is for later.  You don't
sacrifice your music for a look.  We went out to Detroit to do and
he wouldn't pay Googy, so Googy quit and we got Robo. But Glenn
would pick on Robo, act tough around him.  So then Robo quit.  So
here we are with a German tour and a Halloween show in Detroit with
the Necros and no drummer. I told Glenn to get Googy back but
instead he picks up this kid because he likes his haircut!  You
don't pick someone to be in your band on the basis of what the fuck
he looks like.  We went to Detroit, the kid played one song. Doyle
went over, tapped him on the shoulder, and led him off the stage.
The guy from the Necros jammed the rest of the set. And that was
that.  We said, "cancel the German tour." It was then that I
realized he wasn't competent enough to run things. He just wants to
be on the cover of some magazine.

Q:  What do you think of his new stuff (Danzig, on Def Jam
Records)? 

Mo: I think he's way off track. He has caused us more damage by
being the FLOP that he is. Atlantic was really interested in us
until Glenn flopped.  Then Glenn bombed, everyone backed out. You
try to explain that this is a different type of music, but they
don't care.  They only care about dollars and cents.  The first
question the guy from Atlantic asked was, "Do you own the rights to
the Misfits stuff?"  They immediately wanted to jump on that but
I'm washing my hands on it.  Glenn and Bobby (Steele) are trying to
bank off the Misfits, but I'm not interested.  We're beyond that.
I mean, you have to have some responsibility for your audience. 
You can't lead people into destruction.  That's what I never liked
about Glenn and the whole Satanic trip.  He's dragging people down
and he doesn't care as long as he's making a buck.

Q:  One last question: You and Doyle have been plugging away at
this for so long but you still work out of Jersey.  Why haven't you
relocated to New York or Los Angeles?

Mo: We don't play music to eat. I mean, we pay to play.  That's the
difference between an artist and a parasite.