by black francis » Thu Aug 13, 2009 9:47 am
The Misfits are beyond amazing. Some of the lyrics were silly but that's part of Danzig's talent. His whole career (with maybe the exception of Samhain) has always been part nudge, nudge, wink, wink. If you accept the Misfits for what it is: mindless fun, terrific tunes and Danzig's beyond amazing voice then maybe you'll see why so many people enjoy it. I mean Danzig was some Jersey kid who read comics and listened to Black Sabbath and The Ramones. And the Ramones lyrically could be silly as well. Earlier Misfits (which is my favorite was probably the closest Danzig let anybody in as far as how he really felt. Songs like "Comeback" and "Angelfuck" are punk rock love song classics in my opinion.
Come on I mean how awesome is:
"Let those bastards believe. Dry your eyes and we'll leave. She isn't loving you anymore"
Next to The Killing Moon these are my favorite lyrics.
I love Danzig as well. Again catchy melodies, Danzig's powerful voice but originally bluesy type rock (a brief awful foray into industrial) moving to darker metal. In recent albums Danzig has taken the focus from his voice and melody to moods and atmospherics which I disagree with but he is still capable of churning out about half a great albums worth of material. His evil/Satantic heavy metal frontman theatrics can be tough for some to swallow but again I don't believe it's to be taken entirely serious. I do wish his lyrics were more personal but when you're a teen and think your rebelling those lyrics sure seemed evil and naughty and I thought for sure my eternal soul was in grave danger! Thrilling stuff! Of course you get older and all that threat and mystery seem to disappear. But not for Danzig. He's still that same teenager reading comics in his basement. I see him at Comic-Con every year and he has no entourage. He's just walking around like a kid buying stuff and checking out the exhibit hall. It's pretty cool.
I get why people don't like him or his persona but he has been hugely influential and at least for me something that made my teenage years more exciting and less painful.
With the Force as his ally he did battle with the Dark Lord. And he showed the measure of a true Jedi at a place called "The Death Star" where hope for the Galaxy was reborn. May all who struggle against tyranny hold his memory in their hearts