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Glenn Danzig

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Glenn Danzig

Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone on June 23, 1955 in Lodi, New Jersey, USA), is an American singer, songwriter and musician who is largely considered to be one of the fathers of the Horrorpunk genre of music. He is the founder of The Misfits (original lineup 1977-1983), Samhain, and Danzig. He is often associated with the Devilock, a distinctive hairstyle for which he and fellow band members of The Misfits and Samhain were known. He also owns the Evilive record label and Verotik, an adult-oriented comic book publishing company.

His musical career spans nearly thirty years, encompassing a range of genres from punk rock, heavy metal and industrial to blues and classical, and has influenced most notably Rob Zombie, Melissa Auf der Maur, Metallica, AFI and countless others. His songs have been covered by Metallica, Behemoth, Guns N' Roses, and AFI, among others. He has also written songs for long-time idols Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison.

As a singer, he is noted for his powerful and broad vocal range. [1][2][3] As an author, he is known for his fascination with horror, gore, occult, adult and religious themes.

His distinctive vocal style, which is reminiscent of Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison and Howlin' Wolf, coupled with his image and lyrical subject matter, have made him a controversial figure throughout his career; earning him the nickname of "Evil Elvis" along the way.

Early years

Glenn Danzig was born into a Protestant family of Italian, German, and Scottish-American heritage alongside two older brothers and one younger brother. Their father was a strict Marine Corps veteran of World War II and the Korean War who worked as a television repairman. Within this setting, Glenn was introduced to hard rock music at an early age when one of his older brothers played him an album by Blue Cheer.

He became an avid collector of comic books (especially Golden Age comics), rare Japanese toys, occult books, horror related articles, b-movie posters, Japanese Animation videos, (especially Astro Boy, Black Jack, Captain Harlock and Devilman) and the skulls of deceased animals. He was an outsider and often teased in school.

He graduated from Lodi High School in 1973 aspiring to become a comic book writer and/or photographer.

Musical career

Danzig started in the music business at the age of 11 - first as a drum roadie, and then as a bass player in a few local garage bands. He had never taken vocal lessons, but the first time he auditioned for the role of a vocalist, he was surprised at the powerful voice he could achieve. His vocal prowess soon got him noticed in the local scene. Throughout his teenage years he sang for several local bands, such as Talus and Whodat And Boojang - most of which played half original songs and half Black Sabbath songs.

In 1977, at twenty-one years of age, Danzig started The Misfits, taking the band's name from Marilyn Monroe's last film. The Misfits combined Danzig's harmonic vocals with camp-horror imagery and lyrics, all backed by chaotic punk thrashing.

In 1983, after releasing several singles, two albums, and gaining a small, but devoted underground following, Danzig disbanded The Misfits due to increasing animosity among the band members and his dissatisfaction with their musical abilities.

After The Misfits, he began work on a new band project - Samhain. In 1987, Samhain was signed to a major label by producer Rick Rubin and the name of the band was changed to Danzig. The band consisted of lead guitarist John Christ, bassist Eerie Von, and former D.O.A. drummer Chuck Biscuits.

In 1987 Danzig, owing to his association with Rubin, was asked to write as song for Roy Orbison. The result was "Life Fades Away", featured in the 1987 movie Less than Zero. Danzig also contributed to the film's soundtrack with "You and Me (Less than Zero)". Eerie Von has said that the song was a salute to the 1950s song "To Sir, with Love" by LuLu, and the tracks have similar instrument changes. On the soundtrack's sleeve, the song is credited to "Glen Danzig and the Power and Fury Orchestra" [sic], which actually featured the same membership as the initial lineup of Danzig, the band, with the exception of Eerie Von. Since Von did not like the way producer Rubin wanted the bass played on the song, George Drakoulias played the bass instead.

In 1988, the band Danzig's self-debut titled album Danzig (album) followed on from the essentially heavy-metal Samhain sound. Stand-out tracks included "Twist of Cain", "Am I Demon", "Mother", and "She Rides". This last song, along with "End of Time" and "Soul on Fire", signalled Danzig's prowess with softer melodic vocalizations.

In 1990, their follow-up album Danzig II: Lucifuge marked an immediate change of musical direction. Featuring a strong Blues influence, it has often been cited as the most popular Danzig album among fans. Stand-out tracks included the bluegrass dobro of "777", the hard-rocking "Girl" and "Her Black Wings", as well as the lilting, Elvis-inspired "I'm The One" and "Blood and Tears".

In 1992, Danzig once again musically about-faced, releasing the fast, power-chord driven Danzig III: How the Gods Kill. Of the 10 songs, only the sad and soft "Sistinas" diverges from the unrelenting, dominant guitar riffs and angry lyrical content of songs like "Left Hand Black", "Godless" and "Bodies".

In 1993-1994, Danzig reached the height of their popularity and broke into the mainstream when the live video of "Mother '93" became a hit on MTV, seven years after the original song was recorded.

In 1994, the release of Danzig 4 saw a revisiting of the hard-Blues sound and further development of his vocal range; most notable in songs like "Let It Be Captured" and the haunting "Cantspeak".

In 1996, the band underwent a complete overhaul. The original lineup had fallen apart, as had Glenn Danzig's relationship with their record label, American Recordings. He enlisted new band mates, signed to a new label and recorded Blackacidevil. Once again, he explored a new musical direction; this time infusing heavy metal with industrial rock.

Danzig's subsequent three albums; the 1999 6:66 Satan's Child, the 2002 I Luciferi, and the 2004 Circle of Snakes; all musically and lyrically evolved to a more stripped down, heavier Goth metal. The Danzig lineup continued to change with each album, while Danzig's voice started to show the strain of nearly 30 years of touring.

Although Danzig's later releases never got the mainstream attention that the single "Mother" achieved, the band has maintained a growing worldwide cult following.

In 2005, Glenn Danzig's tours to support the Circle of Snakes album and the Blackest of the Black festival, were highlighted by the special guest appearance of Doyle, The Misfits guitarist. Doyle joined Danzig on stage for a 20 minute set of classic 'Misfits' songs. Afterwards, Danzig stated that this would be the closest anyone would see him to a 'Misfits' reunion. [citation needed]

Immediately afterwards, he took a break from touring to work on other projects and produce other bands. He is currently producing and directing his first feature film, "Ge Rouge", as well as releasing his second solo album Black Aria II (the follow-up to the Classical album Black Aria) on October 17, 2006.

Trivia

  • It is believed by fans that Nathan Explosion of the fictional Metal band Deathklok on the Adult Swim TV show Metalocalypse is modeled after Glenn.
  • He has a fascination with art, and did some of the illustrations on The Misfits' "Horror Business" EP, Samhain's "November-Coming-Fire" LP, and Danzig's self-titled LP, as well as the Danzig 4 LP.
  • He was approached a few times by 20th Century Fox in the late 1990's for the part of Tinky Winky in the film adaptation of Teletubbies. When Fox finally decided on a director/producer team, he had to turn down their offer due to the condition that he was expected to be on the set for nine consecutive months, putting his band and touring on hold.[4][5][6]
  • He often likes wearing diapers, a baby bonnet, a pacifier tied around his neck with a blue silk ribbon and a bib. When dressed like this, he'll hire prostitutes to dress up like 50's television character June Cleaver and feed him baby food.
  • He has a large tattoo on his left arm that depicts skeletons in a bonfire feast, a bat, and a wolf with the words "Wolf's Blood" emblazoned around it. [1] Most of these tattoos are pictures from his various Misfits and Samhain album covers. His lower back features a tattoo that says "Devilman" in Japanese characters. [citation needed] Danzig's tattoos, along with those of former bandmates Eerie Von, Jerry Only, Doyle, and friend Henry Rollins, were completed by tattoo artist Rick Spellman. [7]
  • Danzig has been the subject of speculation regarding two backstage confrontations in his musical career. The first is an incident where he is alleged to have yelled at the wife of Def Leppard's Vivian Campbell to "Get the fuck out of the way!" while carrying a bowl of soup, wherein was then allegedly kicked in the rear end and knocked down, dropping his soup. Joe Elliot and Vivian Campbell claimed this in an interview with MuchMusic, though did not disclose who did the alleged kicking. [2] After the incident was brought to public attention, Def American issued a press release in which Danzig states "This story is a total fabrication. Anyone who knows me or my past knows that I never walk away from a fight. It's true that an altercation occurred, but we never came to blows, as reported."
  • Additionally, a physical confrontation that took place at the end of a July 3, 2004 concert in Tuba City, Arizona between Danzig and Danny Marianinho of North Side Kings was captured on video. The argument started when technicians at the venue raised the lights and began taking the stage apart after Danzig's set, ostensibly ending the concert before North Side Kings and Rapid Fire (band), who claim they had agreed to later set times, could begin their scheduled sets. Danny approached Glenn to talk about the stage issue, and Glenn shoved Danny Marianinho who retaliated with a punch that knocked Danzig down.

References

  1. ^ Craig Lee. "Horror-movie rock from Misfits". L.A.Times. 15. April 1982
  2. ^ Mike Gitter. "Live Metal". RIP Magazine. 1988
  3. ^ Mike G. "Interview with Danzig". Metal Maniacs. December 1999.
  4. ^ MTV News. June 3 1997
  5. ^ Adrian Breeman. Interview with Glenn Danzig. WHSR Loud Rock music. October 28 1999
  6. ^ "Heavy Metal's Dark Angel". EntertainmentPress. December 21 1999
  7. ^ http://www.americanvamp.com/id23.html

Discography

The Misfits

Studio albums

Singles

Live albums

Samhain

Studio albums

E.P.

Compilations

Danzig

Studio albums

E.P.

Singles

  • "Mother" (1988) - promotional CD single
  • "Her Black Wings" (1990) - promotional CD single
  • "Killer Wolf" (1990) - promotional CD single
  • "A Taste Of Danzig III" (1992) - promotional CD single
  • "Dirty Black Summer" (1992) - CD single
  • "How The Gods Kill" (1992) - promotional CD single
  • "It's Coming Down" (1993) - promotional CD single
  • "Mother '93" (1993) - promotional and wide-release CD singles
  • "Until You Call On The Dark" - (1994) - promotional CD single
  • "Brand New God" (1994) - promotional CD single
  • "Cantspeak" (1994) - CD single
  • "I Don't Mind The Pain" (1995) - CD single
  • "7th House" (1996) - promotional CD single
  • "Sacrifice" (1996) - CD single
  • "Unspeakable" (1999) - promotional CD single

Soundtracks

Live albums

Official Videography

Solo

Other

Glenn Danzig & the Power and Fury Orchestra

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