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Glenn Danzig
Background information
Born	June 23, 1955 (1955-06-23) (age 52) Lodi, New Jersey, U.S.
Genre(s)	Punk rock Horror Punk Hard rock Heavy metal
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	Vocals Guitar Keyboards Bass guitar Harmonica Drums
Years active	1977–present
Label(s)	Plan 9 Evilive
Associated acts	The Misfits Samhain Danzig
Website	http://www.danzig-verotik.com/

Glenn Danzig is an American singer, songwriter and musician who is largely considered to be the founding father of the Horrorpunk genre of music. He is the founder of The Misfits (original incarnation, 1977-1983), Samhain, and Danzig. He also owns the Evilive record label and Verotik, an adult-oriented comic book publishing company.

His musical career spans thirty years, encompassing a range of genres from punk rock, heavy metal and industrial to blues and classical. He has written songs for long-time idols Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison.

As a singer, he is noted for his vocal range and distinctive style, which has been compared to that of Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Howlin' Wolf, and Italian Tenor Mario Lanza. ^{[1][2] [3]} As an author, he is known for his fascination with horror, gore, occult, erotic and religious themes.

Contents 1 Early years 2 Musical career 3 Discography 3.1 The Misfits 3.1.1 Studio albums 3.1.2 Singles 3.1.3 Live albums 3.2 Samhain 3.2.1 Studio albums 3.2.2 E.P. 3.2.3 Compilations 3.3 Danzig 3.3.1 Studio albums 3.3.2 E.P. 3.3.3 Singles 3.3.4 Compilations 3.3.5 Soundtracks 3.3.6 Live albums 3.3.7 Official Videography 3.4 Glenn Danzig & the Power and Fury Orchestra 3.5 Solo 3.6 Other 3.7 TV 4 References 5 External links

Early years

Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Anzalone) 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 in school.

Glenn Danzig once worked in a comic book store in New York when he first began writing music.[1]

Glenn Danzig graduated from Lodi High School in 1973, aspiring to become a comic book writer and/or photographer. He eventually started an adult-oriented comicbook company, Verotik, in the 90s.

Sometime in the late 80's or early 90's, Danzig began training by Jerry Poteet the world-renowned martial artist in Jeet Kune Do.^[4].

Considering that he has received this training, some people find the fact that Danzig has been punched by Danny NSK (lead singer of the Phoenix based metalcore band North Side Kings), inside Tuba City, Arizona, hard to believe. That altercation was posted on the internet, proving a popular download. Many rumors abound among internet users about the incident in question, as well as a previous incident with Vivian Campbell, guitarist from Def Leppard, in which the two were separated backstage prior to an altercation in the mid '90's. Danzig is rumoured to have been kicked in the rear by the guitarist.

Regardless, Danzig has a long history of physical altercations, dating from before his tenure with The Misfits until at least 2004.

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 local garage bands. He had never taken vocal lessons, but the first time he auditioned for the role of a vocalist, his vocal prowess gained him attention 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, when he was 21, 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, backed by punk thrashing.

In 1983, after releasing several singles, three 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 to avoid any legal problems. The band consisted of guitarist John Christ, bassist Eerie Von, and former Circle Jerks/D.O.A./Black Flag drummer, Chuck Biscuits.

In 1987, Danzig, owing to his association with Rubin, was asked to write a 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 1960s song "To Sir, with Love" by the English singer, 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 newly formed band Danzig released their eponymous debut. Its sound showed a progression from the gothic/deathrock sound of Samhain, to a slower, heavier, more blues-based heavy metal sound. Stand-out tracks included "Twist of Cain", "Am I Demon", "Mother", and "She Rides". Songs such as "End of Time" and "Soul on Fire" displayed 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 driving "Long Way Back From Hell", the bluegrass dobro of "777", the hard-rocking "Girl" and "Her Black Wings", as well as the lilting, Presley-inspired "I'm the One" and "Blood and Tears".

In 1992, Danzig once again changed musical direction, 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 broke into the mainstream when the live video of "Mother '93" became a hit on MTV, six 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 bandmates, 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, 6:66 Satan's Child (1999), I Luciferi (2002) and Circle of Snakes (2004), all musically and lyrically evolved to a more stripped down, heavier goth metal sound. The Danzig lineup continued to change with each album, while Danzig's voice started to show strain after years of touring.

Although Danzig's later releases never got the mainstream attention that the single "Mother" achieved, the band has maintained a worldwide 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 Misfits guitarist Doyle. Doyle joined Danzig on stage for a 20-minute set of classic Misfits songs. "To do this right, I invited Doyle to join Danzig on stage at 'Blackest Of The Black' for a special guest set. This is the first time we will be performing on stage together in 20 years. It's the closest thing to a Misfits reunion anyone is ever going to see", Danzig said in 2004 interview with KNAC.com.

On October 17, 2006, he released his second solo album Black Aria II (the follow-up to his first classical album Black Aria).

In November 2006, Danzig toured the west coast with Samhain bassist Steve Zing. They played 3 Samhain songs including "All Murder All Guts All Fun." In Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Doyle joined the band onstage for the encore and played two Misfits songs, "Skulls" and "AstroZombies."^[5]

Discography

The Misfits

Studio albums

• Walk Among Us (1982) - LP
• Earth A.D. (1983) - EP
• Legacy of Brutality (1985) - Compilation
• Misfits (1986) - Compilation
• Collection II (1995) - Compilation
• Misfits Box Set (1996) - Compilation
• Static Age (Recorded 1978. Released 1997) - LP
• 12 Hits From Hell (2001) - CD (deleted prior to official release)

Singles

• Cough/Cool (1977) - 7" single
• Bullet (1978) - 7" EP
• Horror Business (1978) - 7" EP
• Night of the Living Dead (1979) - EP
• Beware (1980) - 12" EP
• 3 Hits from Hell (1981) - 7" EP
• Halloween (1981) - 7" single
• Die, Die My Darling (1984) - 12" single

Live albums

• Evilive (1982) - 7" EP

Samhain

Studio albums

• Initium (1984) - LP
• November-Coming-Fire (1986) - LP
• Final Descent (1990) - LP; reissued with new / different tracks (2000)

E.P.

• Unholy Passion (1985) - 12" EP

Compilations

• Samhain Box Set (2000) - box set

Danzig

Studio albums

• Danzig (1988) - LP
• Danzig II: Lucifuge (1990) - LP
• Danzig III: How the Gods Kill (1992) - LP
• 4P (1994) - LP
• Danzig 5: Blackacidevil (1996) - LP
• Danzig 6:66: Satan's Child (1999) - LP
• Danzig 777: I Luciferi (2002) - LP
• Circle of Snakes (2004) - LP

E.P.

• Thrall/Demonsweatlive (1993) - EP
• Sacrifice (1997), (reissued 2000 with extra tracks) - EP

Singles

• "Mother" (1988) - promotional CD single (this song was also featured on RedOctanes "Guitar Hero 2", and the soundtrack to Rockstars "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas", on the radio station "Radio X")
• "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
• "Wicked Pussycat" (2001) - promotional CD single

Compilations

• The Lost Tracks of Danzig (2007) - 2-CD collection of rare and unreleased songs

Soundtracks

• "You and Me (Less Than Zero)" Less Than Zero Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1987)
• "Deep" Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files (1996)
• "underBelly of the Beast" The Crow: Salvation Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2000)

Live albums

• Live on the Black Hand Side (2001) - double-LP

Official Videography

• Danzig (1990) - VHS ^[6]
• Lucifuge: The Video (1991) - VHS ^[6]
• Danzig III: How the Gods Kill: Special Limited Edition CD/VHS Box Set (1992)
• Archive de la Morte (2004) - DVD
• Il Demonio Nera (2005) - DVD

Glenn Danzig & the Power and Fury Orchestra

• "You and Me (Less Than Zero)" Less Than Zero Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1987)

Solo

• "Who Killed Marilyn?" (1981) - 7" single
• Black Aria (1992) - LP
• Black Aria II (2006) - LP

Other

• Less Than Zero Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1987) (Danzig wrote the song "Life Fades Away," performed by Roy Orbison)
• Kinghorse (1990) (Eponymous debut album produced by Danzig)
• American Recordings by Johnny Cash (1994) (Danzig wrote the song "Thirteen")
• Songs from the Earth by Son of Sam (2001) (Extra guitar and keyboards on "Songs from the Earth" and extra guitar on "Stray")

TV

• Glenn Danzig appeared in an episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force "Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future", where he purchased Carl's house.

References

External links

• 7th House - Official Danzig Fansite
• Misfits Central
• One Thirty Eight
• Glenn Danzig at the Internet Movie Database
• Glenn Danzig audio interview from Synthesis (Magazine)
• The Onion AV Club (A) [http://www.avclub.com/content/node/57114

v • d • e Danzig
Glenn Danzig
Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein | Kenny Hickey | Steve Zing | Johnny Kelly
John Christ | Dave Kushner | Tommy Victor | Jeff Chambers | Joe Fraulob | Todd Youth | Eerie Von | Josh Lazie | Rob Nicholson | Howie Pyro | Jerry Montano | Chuck Biscuits | Mark Chaussee | Joey Castillo | Charlee Johnson | Bevan Davies
Official discography
Studio albums: Danzig (1988) | Lucifuge (1990) | How the Gods Kill (1992) | 4 (1994) | Blackacidevil (1996) | Satan's Child (1999) | I Luciferi (2002) | Circle of Snakes (2004)
Glenn's solo albums: Black Aria (1992) | Black Aria II (2006)
EPs: Thrall: Demonsweatlive (1993) | Sacrifice (1996)
Live albums: Live on the Black Hand Side (2001)
Box sets: The Lost Tracks of Danzig (2007)
Related articles
The Misfits | Samhain