Music Is My Weapon

The Misfits are a punk rock band formed in 1977 and led by singer and songwriter Glenn Danzig and later, bassist Jerry Only. They were highly influential on the genres of heavy metal, punk and rock music in general. Though they ceased recording and performing in 1983, a new version of the band (led by Only and without founder and former frontman Danzig) began operations in 1995.

The early Misfits were often quite melodic, featuring Danzig's versatile singing, which had a style rooted in Italian tenors such as Mario Lanza and in 1950s doo-wop. Musically, the band has also displayed some Rockabilly influences (but not as much as Psychobilly bands). Early Misfits songs tended to have catchy, sing-along choruses, initially backed by Danzig's distorted keyboard accompaniments and later by willfully crude guitar-rock. The band began as a largely untrained ensemble. After several lineup changes and increasing international acclaim, Danzig disbanded the original Misfits in 1983.

The band often wore corpse paint when performing, and bassist Jerry Only reputedly invented a hairstyle called the devilock (a variation of the "tidal wave" hairstyle) with the front coming to a point in front of the nose or chin, a style still worn by fans (a.k.a. Fiends) today and contributed to the foundation of Horror punk.

When the band originally reformed, it featured Michale Graves on vocals, Jerry Only on bass, Dr. Chud (Cannibalistic Human Underground Drummer) on drums, and Jerry's brother Doyle on guitar. Doyle is currently estranged from the group and is working with a new group named Gorgeous Frankenstein, which formed in 2005. Doyle recently reunited with Glenn Danzig's band Danzig to perform special sets of Misfits songs on Danzig's Blackest of the Black 2005 and 2006 tour.

A third, touring incarnation of the band, without Danzig, is presently led by the only other constant original member, bassist Jerry Only. Members of the touring group have included Marky Ramone (of the Ramones), and both drummer ROBO (who was a member of the original band), and guitarist Dez Cadena of Black Flag fame.