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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. He is the founder and creative force behind The Misfits (original lineup 1977-1983), Samhain, and Danzig. He owns a record label Evilive and an adult-oriented comic book publishing company Verotik.

He is best-known for his crooning vocal style, which borrows from a mix of Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, and Jim Morrison.[1][2] His career spans nearly thirty years and encompasses a range of musical genres - from punk rock, heavy metal and industrial to blues and classical.

Over the years, his music has influenced most notably Rob Zombie, Melissa Auf der Maur, Metallica, AFI, Cradle of Filth, and HIM. He has also written songs for legendary musicians Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison. His songs have been covered by a plethora of bands, most notably Metallica, Guns 'n Roses, and AFI. His style of singing, song writing and use of dark, occult, gothic, or satanic imagery has been fundamental in the establishment of the Horror Rock genre of music, but have also remained a controversial characteristic of the man and artist throughout his career.

Early years

File:Anzalone.gif
Glenn Danzig circa 1973

Glenn Danzig was born into a Protestant family of Italian, German, and Scottish-American heritage alongside two older brothers and one younger brother. He was introduced to hard rock music at an early age when one of his older brothers played him an album by Blue Cheer. Not long afterwards, he saw Black Sabbath in concert - an experience which solidified his love for hard rock music. Alice Cooper's use of horror and theatrics also made an impact on Glenn, who acknowledges a fascination in the macabre. The Doors and Elvis Presley were among his other favorite musicians/bands during his early years. His views often clashed with those of his father, who was a strict Marine Corps veteran of World War II and the Korean War.

During his teen years, though fond of drinking and causing mischief around the small town of Lodi, New Jersey, Glenn also spent much of his time dwelling in his bedroom - where he indulged in gory horror films, comic books, professional wrestling, pornography, and Japanese Animation (especially Captain Harlock and Devilman). He became an avid collector of rare Japanese toys, comic and occult books, and the skulls of deceased animals.

He graduated from Lodi High School in 1973, aspiring to become a professional comic book artist. He also had an interest in photography.

Musical career

Glenn 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. Glenn 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, twenty-one year old Glenn Danzig got serious about music, wanting to do an original band. So he started The Misfits, taking the band's name from Marilyn Monroe's last film. The Misfits combined Glenn Danzig's "cartoon-horror lyrics" [3] and his melodic vocals with camp-horror imagery backed by chaotic punk thrashing.

In 1983, after releasing several singles, two albums, and gaining a small, but devoted underground following, Glenn sought to disband The Misfits due to increasing animosity among the band members and his dissatisfaction with their musical proclivities. However, despite Glenn's efforts, The Misfits were legally allowed to continue performing, and continue to perform songs penned by Glenn Danzig. [4]

Glenn devoted himself to a new band project, called Samhain. Samhain was a darker, more occult and "real life horror" themed band that strayed from the tongue-in-cheek imagery of The Misfits. Samhain released two albums and an EP of deathrock music.

During this time, Glenn took an interest in Eastern philosophy, and aspired to reach his peak physical and mental condition. He stopped his reckless drinking, undertook serious body building, and began to study martial arts.

In 1987, Samhain was signed to a major label by famed producer Rick Rubin. Having learned a hurtful lesson from the legal fall-out with The Misfits, Glenn changed the name of the band to Danzig as a means to protect his songs as intellectual property belonging only to Glenn Danzig. [5] The band consisted of lead guitarist John Christ, bassist Eerie Von, and former DOA drummer Chuck Biscuits. With all band members fully and contractually aware of their artistic standing, the band immediately found a cohesive musical voice that allowed Glenn the comfort to evolve his music and lyrics from album to album.

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

In 1995, after four dark hard-rock and blues-inspired albums, the band underwent a complete overhaul. The original lineup had fallen apart, as had Danzig's relationship with their record label, American Recordings. Glenn enlisted new band mates, signed to a new label and recorded Blackacidevil, the fifth Danzig album. With Blackacidevil, Glenn once again altered the direction of his music; this time infusing heavy metal with industrial rock. Danzig's subsequent musical offerings have strayed from the industrial influence of Blackacidevil to a more stripped down, heavier Goth metal. The Danzig band lineup continued to change with each subsequent album. Although Danzig's later releases never got the mainstream attention that the "Mother" single did, the band has maintained a worldwide cult following.

In 2005, Danzig's tours to support the Circle of Snakes album and the Blackest of the Black festival, were notable for the special guest appearance of Doyle, The Misfits most prominent guitarist who has become an iconic figure to fans of the band. Doyle joined Danzig on stage for a 20 min set of classic Misfits songs, to the approval of their fans. Glenn, who had been shooting down rumors of a Misfits reunion for many years, stated that seeing him perform with Doyle would be as close as anyone will ever get to seeing a true Misfits reunion.

After touring in support of Circle of Snakes and Blackest of the Black, Glenn Danzig has taken a break from touring, perhaps permanently, to work on other projects and produce other bands. He is currently working on his first feature film, "Ge Rouge", as well as putting the finishing touches on his second solo album Black Aria II (the follow-up to Black Aria). Next, he will begin putting together "The Lost Tracks of Danzig", a box set containing around thirty unreleased songs that span the entire Danzig catalog. Also in the pipeline is the possibility of Glenn teaming up with Jerry Cantrell to record an original album of dark blues songs.

Trivia

  • In the early 90's, Danzig founded a small-press comic book company called Verotik, which specialized in dark, violent and erotic stories, many of which were written by Glenn.
  • Glenn has had a life-long facination with art, and is responsible for illustrating some of his band's album covers, such as The Misfits' Horror Business EP, Samhain's November-Coming-Fire LP, Danzig's self-titled LP, and the Danzig 4 LP.
  • He was approached a few times by 20th Century Fox in the late 1990's to audition for the part of Wolverine in the film adaptation of X-Men. When Fox finally decided on a director/producer team, Danzig 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.[6][7][8]
  • He is often referred to as "Evil Elvis".
  • He is a determined weight-lifter and certified teacher of Jeet Kune Do. After training in the style of Muay Thai, Glenn began studying Jeet Kune Do in 1992 under Jerry Poteet, one of Bruce Lee's five original students.
  • His physical height is recorded as 5'3" (160 cm's), [9] he has natural black hair, dark brown eyes, and 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. [10]

References

  1. ^ "Danzig Demonstrates It Has the Mettle for Metal ". Los Angeles Times. July 1989.
  2. ^ Rich Maloof. "The Winning Wax! ". Faces Magazine. December 1990.
  3. ^ "Forced Exposure. 1985.
  4. ^ "Official Misfits Timeline" [1]
  5. ^ "Answers.com Danzig Biography" [2]
  6. ^ MTV News. June 3 1997
  7. ^ Adrian Breeman. Interview with Glenn Danzig. WHSR Loud Rock music. October 28, 1999
  8. ^ "Heavy Metal's Dark Angel". EntertainmentPress. December 21, 1999
  9. ^ "IMDB Glenn Danzig Biography" [3]
  10. ^ "The 7th House, Official Fansite, Gallery Pics" [4]

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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