Glenn Danzig

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Glenn Danzig (born June 23, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is the founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig. He also owns the Evilive record label and Verotik, an adult-oriented comic book publishing company.

Danzig's musical career, beginning in the mid-1970s, encompasses genres such as punk rock, heavy metal, industrial, blues and classical music. He has written songs for other musicians, including Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison.

As a singer, he is noted for his baritone vocal range and distinctive style, which has been compared to that of Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison and Howlin' Wolf. Danzig has also cited Bill Medley as a vocal influenceAs an author, he is known for his fascination with horror, gore, occult, erotic and religious themes.

Early life

Born Glenn Allen Anzalone in Lodi, New Jersey, the third of four sons born to a Protestant family of Italian, German, and Scottish heritage. His father was a strict Marine Corps veteran of World War II and the Korean War who worked as a television repairman. Danzig and his family also spent some time living in Revere, Massachusetts. Danzig began listening to heavy music at an early age, and has described Black Sabbath and The Doors as being among his early musical influences.

Danzig began to experiment with alcohol and drugs in early adolescence, leading him into frequent fights and trouble with the law. He stopped using drugs at age 15.

Danzig became an avid collector of comic books, rare Japanese toys, occult books, horror related articles, b-movie posters, Japanese animation videos, and the skulls of deceased animals. It was also alleged that he was once employed in a comic book store in nearby New York City around the time he began writing music, however he has vehemently denied this in an interview with the Stalker website, saying, "No... that is all bullshit. I never said such bullshit. That's just fucking rumors of people who were unable to get an interview with me – so they created some." Danzig continued, stating that in his frustration with American comics, he began producing his own "crazy, violent, erotic comics."

Glenn Danzig graduated from Lodi High School in June 1973, aspiring to become a comic book writer and professional photographer. He attended the Tisch School of the Arts and later the New York Institute of Photography. Danzig eventually formed an adult-oriented comic book company called Verotik in the 1990s.

Early career

Glenn Danzig's introduction to performing music began when he took piano and clarinet lessons as a child. He later taught himself how to play the guitar. 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.

Misfits and Samhain (1977-1987)

In the mid-1970s, Danzig started the Misfits, releasing the band's records through his own label, (originally known as Blank, then later as Plan 9). The impetus for the band's name comes from Marilyn Monroe's last film, combined with Danzig considering himself to be a "social misfit".The Misfits combined Danzig's harmonic vocals with camp-horror imagery and lyrics. The Misfits sound was a faster, heavier derivation of Ramones style punk with rockabilly influences. Glenn Danzig's Misfits songs dealt almost exclusively with themes derived from B-grade horror and science fiction movies (i.e. "Night of the Living Dead") as well as comic books (i.e. "Wasp Women", "I Turned Into A Martian").Unlike the later incarnation of the Misfits, Danzig also dealt with Atomic Era scandals in songs like "Bullet" (about the Kennedy assassination), "Who Killed Marilyn" (which alluded to alternate theories about Marilyn Monroe's suicide), and Hollywood Babylon (inspired by the Kenneth Anger book on scandals associated with the early, formative years of Hollywood). In 1983, after releasing several singles and three albums, and gaining a small 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. Initially Samhain was conceived as a punk "super group" before work started in 1984 on the Samhain debut Initium. Extra guitar on the album is credited to Lyle Preslar, formerly of Minor Threat.

Samhain eventually began to attract the interest of major labels including Epic and Elektra. Rick Rubin, music producer and head of the Def American label, would see the band perform at the New Music Seminar.

"Classic" era (1987-1994)

In 1987, after two albums and an EP Samhain was signed to a major label by Rubin and the name of the band was changed to Danzig to avoid legal problems and allow the band to retain its name in the event of line-up changes. 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)". Danzig had originally been asked to write the song for a female vocalist, but when Rubin could not find a suitable singer Danzig recorded the vocals himself. The song is credited to "Glenn Danzig and the Power and Fury Orchestra", which featured the same membership as the initial lineup of Danzig, 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. Glenn Danzig's lyrics, which had already evolved from those of the Misfits to the more serious style of Samhain, progressed even further with the band Danzig to become "frighteningly intense images of doom" which "convey their bleak messages with an eerie grace and intelligence".

In 1990, the band's sophomore effort Danzig II: Lucifuge marked an immediate change in musical direction. The album's overall bluesier tone and somewhat milder approach were departures from Danzig, featuring a 50s-style ballad ("Blood & Tears") and a full-on acoustic blues ("I'm the One".)

Other projects in 1990 included the final Samhain album Final Descent. The album was started under the title Samhain Grim several years prior. The album contained previously unreleased studio recordings, at least some of which had been intended for the Samhain Grim album before it was aborted.

In 1992, Danzig once again changed musical direction, releasing the darker Danzig III: How the Gods Kill. Several songs would feature a more textured, slower sound in between fast, dominant guitar riffs.

Also in 1992, Danzig tried his hand at composing classical music with Black Aria. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard classical music chart.

In 1993, Danzig released Thrall: Demonsweatlive, an EP featuring both studio recordings and live tracks. 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. During this time the band reached its commercial peak, with both the debut album and Thrall: Demonsweatlive being certified gold, and "Mother" becoming the band's highest charting single.

In 1994, the release of Danzig 4 saw the band going further into a darker and more experimental sound. The album also saw further development of his vocal style and range; most notable in songs like "Let It Be Captured" and a more blues based approach on songs like "Going Down to Die".

Also in 1994, Danzig wrote the song "Thirteen" for Johnny Cash, which appeared on the album American Recordings.

Later years (1995-2004)

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, with label owner Rick Rubin's involvement as producer diminishing with each album. Danzig would later engage in a legal battle with Rubin over unpaid royalties and the rights to the bands unreleased songs.Danzig enlisted new band mates, most notably Joey Castillo who would continue to be the band's drummer until 2002.

Once again, he explored a new musical direction and recorded Blackacidevil; this time infusing heavy metal with industrial rock. Danzig went on to sign a deal with Hollywood Records, which led to several religious groups boycotting its parent company Disney for signing a controversial "satanic" band.As a result the label pulled support for Blackacidevil and the record deal was severed.

In September 1999, Danzig signed his band to E-Magine Records, becoming the first artist on the label.The deal also led to the release of a Samhain box set and the re-release of Blackacidevil.

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 change after years of touring.

In 1999, during the U.S. touring for the album 6:66 Satan's Child Danzig reunited Samhain along with drummers Steve Zing and London May. Danzig guitarist Todd Youth was invited by Glenn Danzig to fill in the guitar position for the Samhain reunion tour, replacing Samhain's original guitarist, Pete "Damien" Marshall, who had opted out in order to tour with Iggy Pop. Eerie Von was not invited to rejoin Samhain due to personal issues within the band. Both Zing and May handled bass duties, switching from drums to bass in between the "Blood Show".

In 2003, Danzig founded the Blackest of the Black tour to provide a platform for dark and extreme bands of his choosing from around the world. Bands featured on the tour have included Dimmu Borgir, Superjoint Ritual, Nile, Opeth, Lacuna Coil, Behemoth, Skeletonwitch, Mortiis and Marduk.

Recent activity (2005-2009)

In 2005, Glenn Danzig's tours to support the Circle of Snakes album and the Blackest of the Black Tour were highlighted by the special guest appearance of Misfits guitarist Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein. 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. Despite this fact, Ram's Head Live of Baltimore, Maryland, advertised his 2007 tour show as "Playing classic Misfits and Danzig Songs", even though no Misfits songs were performed. Videos of outraged fans can be found on YouTube.

On October 17, 2006, he released his second solo album Black Aria II. The album reached the top ten on the Billboard classical music chart.

In November 2006, Danzig toured the west coast with Samhain bassist Steve Zing. They played three 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 "Astro Zombies".

In 2007 Danzig produced the debut album by ex-Misfits guitarist Doyle's metal-influenced band, Gorgeous Frankenstein

In July 2007, Danzig released The Lost Tracks of Danzig, a compilation of previously unreleased songs. The project took nine months to complete with Glenn Danzig having to add extra vocal and instrument tracks to songs that had been unfinished. The album included the controversial "White Devil Rise", recorded during the sessions for Danzig 4 in response to inflammatory comments by Louis Farrakhan and his use of the term "The White Devil". The song is Danzig's conjecture as to what would happen if Farrakhan incited the passive white race to rise up and start a race war: "No one wants to see a race war. It would be terrible, so the song's saying, 'Be careful what you wish for.'" Danzig himself has bluntly denied any accusations of racism: "As far as me being an Aryan or a racist, anyone who knows me knows that's bullshit".

In October and November 2007, Danzig toured the western United States, along with Gorgeous Frankenstein, Horrorpops, and Suicide City. This "3 Weeks of Halloween" tour was in support of his most recent album, The Lost Tracks of Danzig, as well as the newest graphic novel release from Verotik, Drukija: Countessa of Blood. On October 23, 2007, Danzig was performing the song "How the Gods Kill" in Baltimore and fell off the stage about four minutes into the piece, injuring his left arm. He did not perform the Misfits set that night, angering local fans, but he continued the tour and played classic Misfits tunes with Doyle onstage as an encore with a sling on his left arm after the injury.

In 2008, Danzig confirmed he had recorded the first duet of his career, with Melissa Auf der Maur. The song, titled "Father's Grave", features Danzig singing from the perspective of a gravedigger and appears on Auf der Maur's 2010 album Out of Our Minds. Auf der Maur has spoken highly about the experience of meeting and working with Danzig.

Current activity (2010)

Danzig's ninth album, Deth Red Sabaoth, was released on June 22, 2010.

Danzig has said he wishes to avoid extensive and exhaustive touring in the future, preferring instead to focus on his various music, film and comic book projects: "I don’t really want to tour. My reason for not doing it is because I’m bored of it. I like being onstage, but I don’t like sitting around all day doing nothing. I could be home, working". After the release of Deth Red Saboath, Danzig plans to begin work on a third Black Aria album, followed by a record of cover songs.Danzig hopes to record a dark blues album involving Jerry Cantrell and Hank III.

TV and film

Danzig guest-appeared as himself in an episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force entitled "Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future", where he purchased the house of the character Carl. Danzig also had a minor role as a fallen angel in the film The Prophecy II, starring Christopher Walken.

One look-alike appeared in the series Metalocalypse in the end of season one. As tribute a big part of the chapter is set in the gulf of Danzig, Poland.

Danzig was invited to audition for the role of Wolverine in X-Men as his relatively short stature and muscular build closely resembles the way the character was portrayed in the original comics. However, he declined due to scheduling conflicts.

Directing

Danzig plays a personal role in the production of the band's music videos, suggesting ideas and sometimes directing them himself.[36] He is currently working on a film version of the Verotik comic Ge Rouge.

Personal life

In January 1992, Danzig became a student of Jerry Poteet, a world-renowned martial artist in Jeet Kune Do.Danzig has since earned a teaching degree in the discipline. Danzig has also studied Muay Thai.

Danzig has several distinctive tattoos, all by tattoo artist Rick Spellman, which incorporate artwork based upon his music. These include a Danzig/Samhain skull symbol, a bat with a Misfits Crimson Ghost skull, and a wolf's head with the text "Wolfs Blood", the title of a Misfits song.

Danzig is a fan of horror movies and Japanese animation, and has expressed his appreciation for the works of filmmaker David Cronenberg, film score composer Jerry Goldsmith and manga artist Go Nagai. Danzig is an avid reader and owns a large book collection on subjects including the occult, religious history and true murder cases.

Although Danzig is frequently portrayed as a Satanist by the mainstream media, he has denied this in several interviews, elaborating "I embrace both my light and dark side". However, Danzig has voiced his approval of certain Satanic ideologies including the quests for knowledge and individual freedom.

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