Misfits- “Walk Among Us” (1982, Ruby Records)
“this is my version of guns n' roses reuniting.” - Kevin from Sodium Beast & Shark?**
Anyone who grew up listening to punk rock has probably, at some point, listened to the Misfits. With last week’s announcement that Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only, and Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein would be taking the stage together for the first time in 33 years got me thinking about them more than I normally do...which to be honest is quite often.
When I was a teenager my father lived in Youngstown, Ohio and for several weeks every summer my brother and I would have to go visit him. It’s not an understatement that it was my least favorite part of the summer...away from my friends, my records, and my teenage life in Charleston, SC. Charleston was a wonderful and diverse city compared to Youngstown, and I longed to be home.
We all stumble into punk, hardcore, etc in different ways. My parents were not extremely musical people...at the time they listened to oldies or top 40 country...and I found my way to independent music through ska, then Blink 182 | Fat | Epitaph punk, and eventually hardcore because that was the scene we had in SC. I never had a proper introduction to classic punk, and by time I heard The Clash and the Ramones it just wasn’t fast enough for my teenage brain. I even remember saying ‘it’s too slow’ which now seems so ridiculous.
At this point in my life I was already buying vinyl, but fortunately / unfortunately there wasn’t a record shop in Youngstown that sold vinyl at the time (or I wasn’t able to find it) and I didn’t have a record player at my father’s place. I remember convincing my family to stop at the one music store that wasn’t in the mall (although not independent better than Camelot) and my brother and I quickly went in while they waited in the car looking for anything that could help us get through the summer. It was a rushed experience, and ended up walking out with a CD of the Misfits’ Walk Among Us.
Walk Among Us was a much darker punk record than I was used to, and a lot older than the current vein of punk pop that was typically in my headphones. While poppy it was different and dark and I absorbed it. Listening to music 15 or 20 years ago was a completely different experience. Unless you had a really amazing record shop you couldn’t listen an album before you bought it, and once you made an investment in a record you really gave it some attention...especially as a kid who saved up to by records and CDs. The Misfits were more raw, dark, and intense than the Ramones or the Clash and that was what I needed in my punk rock. The Misfits were common place in my early high school years, and I regret giving away my size XL misfits shirt that I had in 8th grade. Walk Among Us became was the soundtrack to my summer, but (un)fortunately the vibe didn’t wear off on my personal style more than that t-shirt...although I still joke about wearing my hair in a devil lock occasionally.
As my musical taste evolved I grew away from Glenn & Jerry. In college I worked at the record shop in Charleston (52.5 will always be in my heart) and on my walk to work I would occasionally hear the frat boys blasting the Misfits from the historic Charleston houses they lived in, and would reminisce how those songs were important to me in my early musical development, and try to figure out how those same songs worked for these preppy frat kids now. The one thing that kept me tied to the band was the song “Attitude.” That song was a common cover by the local hardcore bands throughout the years, and typically the most raucous song at any gig. A Canadian friend said two nights ago that The Misfits have worked their way into the cannon of Americana, and that is now something truly American and maybe that is the attractions. The more I think about it...that is probably true.
It’s taken many years for me to go back and bust out those records...I’ve found with time the memories of finding Walk Among Us as a teenager & gang choruses to “Attitude” out way the frat boys when it comes to my Misfits memories...it also helps that my partner also shares a fondness for the band. Even now few things are as good as driving home late at night with Danzig’s voice coming out of the speakers.
The Misfits | Facebook | Danzig
While I’m on the Misfits...here’s a video of Ted Leo covering “Hybrid Moments” that I shot a very long time ago.
Also, if you haven’t checked out the Henry & Glenn Forever comics they are absolutely worth reading:
** I first heard about the Misfits reunion through Kevin from Sodium Beast via social media. I feel very much the same way he does, and I’m glad that quote was the first thing I read about the reunion.
