Part 9/11
Discovering punk rock was one of the single greatest things that ever happened to me. And while I had listened to some punk in elementary and middle school, I didn’t pursue the genre in earnest until I was in high school. It was great because 1999 was the year that gave us Blink 182’s Enema of the State, AFI’s Black Sails in the Sunset, Anti-Flag’s A New Kind of Army, The Dropkick Murphys’ The Gang’s All Here, H20’s F.T.T.W., New Found Glory’s Nothing Gold Can Stay and Pennywise’s Straight Ahead.
Throughout my high school years, I spent my time learning about more punk bands through the likes of Epitaph Records’ Punk-O-Rama compilations, Hellcat Records’ Give ‘Em the Boot compilations and the Vans Warped Tour compilation albums that were released each year. I would also listen and learn from my friends who had been in the scene longer. I was already very familiar with classic punkers like the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and the Clash but these friends would introduce me to the Dead Kennedys, the Dead Boys, the Damned and the Voidoids to name just a few.
If you’ve kept up with this blog for any amount of time, you’ve read my numerous stories about my friend Matt who not only introduced me to a wide variety of extreme music but also hooked me up with it, sometimes on the back pew of the Presbyterian church we both attended. One of those albums he brought to class for me to hear was the Misfits’ Michale Graves fronted record American Psycho (1997). If you talk to enough Misfits fans, you’ll find that most of them hate all things produced by the Misfits after their famed frontman Glenn Danzig left. I, too, am a die-hard Danzig-era fan but as a fan of music, American Psycho is still a powerhouse.
Tracks like “American Psycho,” “Walk Among Us,” “The Hunger,” “Dig Up Her Bones,” “Crimson Ghost” and “Don’t Open ‘Til Doomsday” are everything you could ever want in cheesy horror-punk music. It’s fast and definitely punk, the lyrics are about as kooky as a comic out of Creepy Magazine so it’s just all-around spooky fun. And while it was American Psycho that introduced me to the concept of the Misfits, my world wasn’t truly rocked until I visited my local record store to see what other Misfits records they had available.
They, of course, had 1999’s Famous Monsters, but I was more intrigued by the 1996 release Static Age, an album that probably impacted my taste in music more than any other.
9) The Misfits – Static Age
Released February 27, 1996 (Recorded January-February 1978); Produced by Dave Achelis and Tom Bejgrowicz
In 1977, cover band frontman Glenn Danzig started a band with Jim Catania (known as Mr. Jim). They named themselves the Misfits after the 1961 Marilyn Monroe film of the same name. Danzig would sing and use his electric piano for the rhythm while Mr. Jim would drum. The first year was a chaotic one with original bassist Diane DiPazza quitting before she started, Mr. Jim being replaced by Manny Martinez on drums and Jerry Caiafa (aka Jerry Only) joining as bassist despite not knowing how to play.
As a three-piece composed of Danzig, Martinez and Only, the band played their first shows and released their first single “Cough/Cool” on Danzig’s indie label Blank Records. Shortly after, Frank Licata (known as Franché Coma) joined as guitarist, Danzig retired his piano, Martinez was kicked out and trusty Mr. Jim was back in. It was during this time Mercury Records, subsidiary of Universal Music Group, offered the band time in a recording studio in exchange for the rights to Danzig’s Blank Records name. The guys agreed and hit the studio in early 1978 to record an album they intended to call Static Age.
The guys ripped through 17 songs for the proposed new record, recording mostly live and including few overdubs due to time constraints. At the end of their recording sessions, they had an album to be proud of that would go on to become an image of horror-punk royalty, one of the greatest albums ever made. Despite this, however, no record label was interested in releasing it, so rather than shelving the project, the band proceeded to release the recorded tracks over the course of several years and included them on other records. “Bullet,” “We Are 138,” “Attitude” and “Hollywood Babylon” were released on the Bullet single released in 1978. These tracks were joined by “Last Caress” on the Beware EP (1980).
In 1983, after a disastrous concert in Detroit, Danzig announced the dissolution of the band from the stage and the Misfits that are so fondly looked upon in the modern day were no more. After the breakup, Danzig overdubbed some guitar parts on the original recordings and released new versions of “Static Age,” “TV Casualty,” “Hybrid Moments,” “Come Back,” “Some Kind of Hate,” “Theme for a Jackal,” “Angelfuck,” “Spinal Remains” and “She” on the 1985 compilation Legacy of Brutality. Finally, “We Are 138,” “Attitude,” “Last Caress” and “Return of the Fly” were remastered and released on the Misfits’ Collection II compilation in 1995.
Then in 1996, a full 18 years after the songs were recorded, Static Age was released in its entirety on CD with the release of the Misfits Box Set. The album consisted of the original 14 tracks mixed in 1978 and three tracks mixed in 1997 by Douches and Bejgrowicz, including “In the Doorway,” that was never released and remained unmixed until 1996.
Strong Points
Spinal Remains
Originally titled “Feline Nursery,” “Spinal Remains” is a classic Misfits’ weird-spooky-sex-themed song. Also, just like many other classic Misfits songs, the imagery and overall meaning remain an enigma. On the surface, it sounds like a pretty typical BDSM relationship, however possibly not consensual. This makes sense but I’m then left confused by the song’s original title and wonder how it applied. Is it another weird fetish reference? Either way, Danzig isn’t cutting his ass by sitting on glass and “Spinal Remains” is a ripper of a song.
Teenagers From Mars
You don’t have to like or even appreciate b-movies to love the Misfits but it’s a lot better if you do! “Teenagers From Mars” harkens back to a number of sci-fi flicks from the 50s and beyond and it perfectly encapsulates the spirit of what makes horror/sci-fi films. These genres’ primary demographic are teenage boys looking for gruesome violence and sexy girls with undertones of misunderstanding and awkwardness. This is a mid-tempo song with a fun hook – it’s easy to imagine kids from all generations dancing at the high school’s sock hop while Danzig belts out lyrics about how even on Mars, teenagers “don’t care.”
Theme for a Jackal
“Theme for a Jackal” seems to be a song about the evil, primitive nature in humanity, represented by the Jackal. While the song’s meaning can be open to many different interpretations, it’s the instrumental aspect that keeps me hooked. Danzig’s aforementioned keyboard runs throughout with a repeated four-note bassline that, when combined, is reminiscent of classic horror films of yore. I especially love the piano solo that is being banged out as the song fades.
Favorite Songs
Hybrid Moments
This is my favorite song by my favorite band. When I hear that intro drum fill, I’m ready to rage! Highly bass-driven though it may be, I also love the pronounced ride cymbal clanging throughout as it keeps perfect time. Again, the song is open to a vast number of interpretations, not least of which is a very compelling parallel with the film Alien (though Alien was released in 1979 and “Hybrid Moments” first released in 1978). The lyric “Ooh baby when you cry, your face is momentary; you hide your looks behind these scars,” makes me visualize a beautiful woman who, despite having everything going for her, consciously decides to be a product of a rough past, defined by her scars. I love the imagery of it so much that I have it tattooed on my back.
Bullet
In reference to this song, I recently heard someone say (paraphrased), “Bullet is a crazy song – it starts and you’re like hell yes, the president is dead! but by the time the bridge kicks in you’re thinking okay, this is getting weird.” I can’t think of a better way to sum up this track. Hardly open to interpretation this time, “Bullet” is a song about making Jackie Kennedy more-or-less a sex slave after her husband’s assassination. While I hardly think the concept is cool or admirable in any way, the song’s fast pace and the way all elements – bass, guitar, drums and vocals – all start at the same time make this one of their most energetic tracks. Is it inappropriate? Highly. But whatever, just pick up something heavy and hang on for the next 90 seconds if you can.
She
In 1974, 19-year-old Patty Hearst (granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst) was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army. The far-left-leaning urban guerilla organization would keep her blindfolded in a closet as they threatened her with death and filled her mind with the group’s propaganda. Call it brainwashing or even Stockholm Syndrome, but either way Hearst eventually sympathized with the group and volunteered to join their ranks. Over the course of the next year, she would participate in a high-profile bank robbery, attempted to murder a sporting goods store manager, stole multiple vehicles and participated in a shootout with the police once they surrounded the SLA’s headquarters. She helped make explosives intended to kill police and was the getaway driver in yet another bank robbery. With her arrest happening in September of 1975, there’s no doubt the news of her story was front-and-center in the mind of Glenn Danzig during this era and this song is about her. There’s no hook, just two verses and a bridge that tell her tale in a very glamorous way in less than 90 seconds.
From what I can tell, Static Age didn’t chart in any country but the box set it was finally released on sold 125,000 copies in the US, making it a certified gold release for the band. They’re not hurting, however, since they’re the masters of marketing. Their merchandising savvy and die-hard fan base have given the band an estimated net worth of nearly $160 million.
But it isn’t their cool merch or their high-selling records (obviously) that make me love the band. It’s their energy, their tongue-in-cheek approach to punk rock and how they single-handedly created the mold for what would be known as horror-punk for all eternity. They’ve been my favorite band for the majority of my life and likely will continue to be. I’ll introduce my children to them and they will love them and so on and so on and so on. They have many great releases but for me, Static Age is quintessential and is a must-have for punks, horror freaks and music connoisseurs the world over.
Beard Hair In My Coffee 5.0 