The original lineup of the Misfits, the horror punk band of the late 70s and early 80s, are finally reuniting after 33 years, as reported by Teamrock. They will be headlining this year’s Riot Fests in Denver (on Septermber 2-4) and in Chicago (on September 16-18).
Band bassist Jerry Only says that he understands what the fans of the band are expecting from the Reunion show and that the band plan on delivering to their expectations.
Jerry Only will be on stage alongside Glenn Danzig and Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein as the Misfits for the first time in 33 years. And you won’t believe what it is that has brought them together. Only revealed earlier in May that the reunion was the result of an ongoing lawsuit in an interview with Rolling Stone.
Only spoke in the interview about how they had set up a legal meeting between Dangiz and the band in order to avoid any further court-related drama. Only met with vocalist Danzig along with the Misfits management team in January, and according to the bassist, despite their difficult relationship over the years, once they sat together to talk, they decided that things we’re as bad as they’d imagined it to be.
“We went in there wanting to cut each other’s throats. It was turning into another court battle and it turned into a reunion. We walked out the door knowing we were going to play together. It’s a very cool thing.”
One thing led to another and they decided they would be doing reunion concerts in order to avoid further drama in court.
“We were never not friends – we were just adversaries. Larry Bird might not have liked Michael Jordan on the court, but when they go out to a bar they’re cool.
Only didn’t reveal who reached out to whom about the Misfits reunion, but says that everybody present there in the meeting agreed that if there were to be a reunion than they would all be happy to be a part of it. And so it just happened.
Only also says in the interview that he believes the lawsuit has made Danzig a better musician and that this would be a perfect time for the members to pull a reunion. The Misfits basist believes that the band members, including himself, are in their prime and that the reunited band, which they have promoted as the Original Misfits, would be giving the fans a show to remember.
Only believes that singer Glenn Danzig has matured as a singer and is in the pinnacle of his career. [Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images]
“We’re doing well both on our own. If we do it and it don’t work, f**k it – we did it. But that’s not the case. I think we’re going to get out there and back it up. And we’re going to be the best band ever. That’s my guess. It’s going to be fun.”
Next year marks the 40th anniversary of the Misfits. A feud between vocalist Danzig and bassist Only split the band in 1983, and Only and Doyle subsequently won the rights to the band’s name following a lawsuit. The band reunited without original vocalist Danzig in the 90s and released several reissues of their classics. The latest lawsuit between Danzig and the band was concerning their merchandising rights, which almost miraculously instead turned into a reunion of the trio.
Glenn Danzig (R) and Doyle von Frankenstein (L) of punk band The Misfits perform onstage at Spirit March 1, 2005 in New York City. [Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images]Only says that there will be no further problems from his end and that he wants to do these concerts in a professional manner. He says that he wants his manager to be in between Glenn and him so that they can work together without any issues of the past haunting them and possibly damaging their performances.
“When you put two tigers in the cage, it’s an issue. It took me 39 years to realize that.”
The tickets for the show as well as a list of other artists who will be performing along with the Misfits are available at the Riot Fest website.
[Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images]
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