It was a dark and gloomy night. As if manipulated by an unknown entity, the mass of destruction scrolled across the skies in reaction to the baneful union that was soon to form. The fury hurled fierce lightning and ear-bursting thunder but ceased its advance when it found its destination, the reason for its creation: a small town located in New Jersey called Lodi. It was on that night in the summer of 1977 that the chosen three - singer Glenn Danzig, bassist Jerry Only and drummer Manny - took the title from Marilyn Monroe's last movie. And with that first, pre-guitar recording of the 7-inch single "Cough/Cool," released on their own Blank Records, the Misfits were born. Two decades later, and after a lengthy hiatus, the Misfits are back. Their new album, American Psycho (Geffen Records), released May 13, 1997, re-establishes them as one of the most aggressive outfits in rock and speaks volumes about their influence on today's neo-punk bands. In order to fully understand the significance of this record, however, it's important to trace the arduous path the Misfits were forced to take in getting to it. Shortly after the band's inception, guitarist Franche Coma joined them, Manny was replaced by Mr. Jim, and the Misfits began to gather material in hopes of recording a full-length album. In a dispute with a pre-existing Blank Records, the band was offered free studio time under the stipulation that they change the name of their label. The Misfits agreed to the terms, renamed their label Plan 9, and recorded their first LP, Static Age, in 1978. Coma and Mr. Jim left shortly after the LP was recorded; Coma was replaced by Bobby Steele and Mr. Jim by Joey Image. By early 1980, Steele himself had been replaced by Doyle (Jerry Only's younger brother). The band thus coalesced around Glenn Danzig, Jerry and Doyle. The Misfits were never graced with the good fortune of a steady drummer; perhaps best remembered by fans are Arthur Googy and Robo, formerly of Black Flag. Meanwhile, Static Age was rejected by every major record company, so the band buried the gem - but not their spirit. From early 1978 to 1983 the Misfits spawned a rampage of singles, EPs, a live album and two other full-length LPs: Walk Among Us (1982) and Earth A.D./Wolf's Blood (1983). The Misfits' music was primitive, punk-style rock. What separated the band from their hardcore peers, however, was their inspired fixation on horror movies. They created a total world from their passion for the genre. From the B-movie-style artwork, to the band's appearance - with their slick, black devil locks - to the Crimson Ghost (a death's head that became the official symbol of the group) painted on leather jackets, boots and equipment, the Misfits cast a fiendish aura of mystery bewitched by ghoulish charm. But then, after a Halloween show in 1983, the Misfits broke up. Nonetheless, though the band had been largely ignored by the music industry and dismissed by critics who scorned their "gimmick," the fans spoke - the Misfits' posthumous popularity exploded with a force that slit the throat of logic. Original Plan 9 releases began to fetch inordinate sums (mint-condition 45s can earn as much as $700 each). Two compilations, Legacy of Brutality (1986) and Misfits (1987), an unofficial greatest hits, fueled the Misfits fever. Asked why this hunger for all things Misfits endured, group leader and bassist Jerry Only ventures: "If you look at what was happening with music in the '80s, a lot of it didn't make sense. I think we filled a niche; we stuck to what we did, and did it well. We never tried to pull something over on people - we just tried to rock 'em real hard." (Also keeping the Misfits flame burning was the band's genius for - merchandising; their T-shirts, collectible model kits - the Jerry kit figurine has just been unveiled - and wall plaques are highly prized among fans.) As Misfits mania continued into the 1990s, prominent cover versions of the band's songs began to emerge: "Last Caress," by Metallica, "Attitude," by Guns N' Roses, and "Skulls," by the Lemonheads. In February 1997, Caroline Records released Violent World: A Tribute to the Misfits, which featured Misfits material interpreted by the likes of Therapy?, Goldfinger, Pennywise, NOFX, Prong and Sick of It All. The growing legion of Misfits fans could only wonder - what had became of the band? Glenn Danzig had moved on to a new outfit, Samhain, and later to fame with the band Danzig. This left Jerry and Doyle embroiled in a lawsuit with Danzig over back royalties and rights to the Misfits name. Jerry comments on his resolve to reclaim the Misfits moniker: "I didn't know how long it was going to be before I could get the Misfits back on track. But I was going to keep trying, and I wasn't going to give up until we got our name back and got back in the game, because I knew we had something good, and we had to get it back." In 1987, the lawsuit pending, Jerry and Doyle formed Kryst the Conqueror. An album was recorded but shelved after the litigation was concluded in Jerry and Doyle's favor; the struggle to retain their name had dragged on for almost nine years. Misfits once again (as of Jan. 1, 1995), the bassist and guitarist set out to find a singer. Drummer Dr. Chud (formerly of Dan Kidney, Sacred Trash and Sardonica) had been asked to join the band two years before the settlement was finalized. Confident that the Misfits would eventually win back their name, Dr. Chud accepted the invitation. After some 200 auditions, Michale Graves (ex-Valmont) was awarded the job of singer in October 1995; the band was particularly impressed by his energy. In 1996, on their first world tour in over 13 years, the Misfits demonstrated renewed vigor with shows even more spontaneous and incendiary than those of the earlier Misfits. Armed with a bass and guitar they crafted themselves, Jerry and Doyle were wild wolves, thrashing and crashing. Already having proven his vocal skills, Michale displayed a dynamic stage presence (he's been known to climb venue walls without ever missing a lyric). Dr. Chud proved himself "a master behind the drum kit," as Jerry calls him. And new songs like "Mars Attacks," "Blacklight," "The Haunting" and "The Hunger" (all of which appear on American Psycho) thrilled the faithful. The year 1996 saw two monstrous Misfits releases from Caroline Records: Compilation II and a coffin-shaped box set comprising virtually the band's entire output (minus the LP Walk Among Us) - including their previously unreleased first album, Static Age. Few who snapped up these collections, however, knew the Misfits would soon be recording new material. Geffen A&R rep Michael Alago had been following Jerry and Doyle's activities since the Kryst the Conqueror days. In July of '96, he saw the revamped Misfits perform. Convinced by this show and the band's new material that the Misfits were more vital than ever, he signed them to Geffen. Says Jerry of their decision to align themselves with a major label after years of independent releases: "I knew what we could do - we've done it all along. I break my ass from sun up to sun down every day of my life to make this band go. If I can team up with a company like Geffen to make sure our albums are heard, so be it. They let us do everything we wanted; every step of the way we had control. Now I can say, 'If you don't like a song or the way the artwork looks or you think we're a bunch of sissies, you come talk to me; if you can't get our record at your local record store, you talk to Geffen.'" In December 1996, the Misfits recorded basic tracks for American Psycho at Woodstock, N.Y.'s Dreamland Recording Studio in two and a half weeks; Jerry and Dr. Chud laid down the rhythm tracks in two days (that's 17 album cuts and B-sides and bonus tracks). The album was produced by Daniel Rey, known for his extensive collaboration with the Ramones. Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Slayer) mixed. "We had 35 songs to choose from," Jerry relates. "We narrowed those down and then really analyzed what we were doing; we tightened everything up as much as possible [the longest song on the album is three minutes; nine cuts are under two]. We've still got the classic Misfits backup vocals, the '50s-sounding stuff, the different beats - 4/4 time can turn into a major thrash beat in the same song. But the sound of our instruments is so much better than on our previous records. We worked really hard. We're not trying to show off, but there aren't many musicians out there who could play this album from beginning to end without their arms falling on the floor. It's good; I'm proud of it." Thematically, American Psycho is a return to time-honored Misfits concerns: "Vampires, monsters, alien invasion, Frankenstein - we got it all covered," assures Jerry. Of the band's refusal to address weightier issues, he explains: "People who buy our records and come to see us - from the guy all the way back in the balcony, to the guy getting his head banged around in the front - come to have a good time. And we make sure they do; you can hear about politics and social problems somewhere else. When you come to our show, you get a bunch of guys who go out there and give 110 percent [they've been known to rip through 55 songs a night] - take it or leave it. That's the way we've always been. At a show, everyone's just part of the crowd; there's no them and us; we're all us." This fits with what Jerry says is the key to the new Misfits: team effort. Having seen firsthand the evils of ego in a band setting, he's pleased to report that all the Misfits participated in the creation of American Psycho, in terms of songwriting as well as performance. "When we decided to come out and play as the Misfits again," Jerry says, "I didn't want to just play old stuff. This wasn't about coming back and picking up my paycheck and playing a couple of old tunes for the sake of playing a few old tunes. It was all about this whole new band." "We've survived for 20 years," Jerry reflects. "Maybe the times have finally caught up with us. But 40 years from now, people will still be playing our albums because we won't water down what we do. Our goal is to keep perspective on who we are and where we're going; I want our potential to be even greater than we think it is right now. When we started playing, I expected to see a much larger amount of older people at our gigs, but we don't have that; we've got a young crowd. It shows that we can stay true to ourselves and still grow and move forward as a band." So with that, kill the lights, let the candles burn behind the pumpkins' mischievous grins, and let the skeletons dance, for one thing is certain: The Misfits have returned - and everyday is once again Halloween.
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