Sadly, it’s been reported that the Misfits (classic Jerry/Danzig lineup), will perform their final show at New York’s Madison Square Garden on October 19, 2019. While many have speculated as the reasons why this show will be their last (slow ticket sales, ticket prices too high, contractual agreements, etc.) given the drama upon drama that circles the classic lineup, it’s not surprising that this might be their final hurrah. And I use the term “might” because we all know that Glenn Danzig has promised “finales” before – only to change his mind later on.
But if this IS the final show for the Jerry Only/Glenn Danzig classic lineup, I have a proposal for Jerry Only, who clearly loves the Misfits and, I would imagine, wants to keep playing music. Here’s my proposal… reunite the Michale Graves fronted version.
The Misfits released two REALLY FREAKIN’ GREAT records in the 90’s, American Psycho and Famous Monsters.
The lineup of Graves on vocals, Doyle on guitar, Jerry Only on bass and Dr. Chud on drums was electrifying live and embraced slightly more of a metal sound. The production on those records is quite decent and there was a lot of effort that went into the songwriting. Those are two solid records and if you think otherwise, you’re probably kidding yourself.
I STILL get chills when I hear the opener/title track to American Psycho two plus decades later.
Tell me you wouldn’t want to hear “Dig Up Her Bones” live again??
Or perhaps “Scream?”
This lineup worked on so many levels and these guys would pack many of the larger clubs on the coasts.
Now we all know there was tons of drama that led to the break up of this lineup. And there’s been drama and legal issues since. I’m not looking to rehash it all here as a google search will yield thousands of pages of results on this. Rehashing the past isn’t the point. And all iterations of the Misfits have had issues. The point though is the music. The point is the stage performance. The point is that many fans want to see this and will pay for it.
And yes, because the internet is the internet, people will compare Graves to Danzig over and over again. But so what? Quite honestly, they are almost two different bands with two different legacies. Of course, there’s a ton of overlap, but the Graves era Misfits has more than enough original history and material to stand on its own and outside of Danzig’s shadow.
Doyle can still have his solo project and charge $50 for meet and greets. He can still be vegan. Graves can still do his solo tours. Chud can still have X-Ward and sell baseball shirts online. Jerry Only, we know is passionate about this band and is all about the entire Misfits legacy. Jerry and Chud still live near each other.
While there have been tons of older fans at the Misfits reunion shows, at the same time, there have been many younger fans in tow with parents, friends, etc. They’re now first really experiencing the Misfits for the first time. Why limit these fans to only a portion of the legacy?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUqYLyJFIPY
Danzig, meanwhile, as he puts his energies back into Danzig, the band, could reunite the Danzig I-IV classic lineup for one more go…
