‘THEIR INFLUENCE ON CONTEMPORARY ROCK IS UNOUESTIONED'
The horror! The horror!
Marilyn Manson and Dave Grohl love ‘em but they remain an enigma to many. Andrew Borthwick unearths the lurid legacy of original shock punks The Misfits.
lthoiigh (ilenn l)an/ig eotildn't have imagined it when he formed the haiid l‘) years ago. The
.\li\l’it\ have heeome the monster to hix I)l'
lii'ankeiixtein: an awkward. lumhering heing intent on \tll‘\l\;tl. ltirehing \lowl_\ forward. irrexpeetive ol' the littel lt\ et'etttttt‘ ll;t\ long \IIIL'L‘ tllTillltltlllL‘tI it.
|5oi‘med in .\'ew .lei‘xe) in 1077 h} singer/songwritei'
Dan/lg and haxxixt .lei‘r_\ (hit). the group toyed with \tll'ltllh \t_\le\ and \Utllltl\ before finding the horror- ptink approaeh that would heeome their trademark. An
interexl in retro wit] and 50x horror manifested itself
It] the grotip'\ image and l_\i'ie\. while in Dating the} had a \oealixt hlexxed with a powerful tenor that led to him heing dtihhed the li\ il lilx'ix.
But after a \ei'iex ol‘ alhumx and numerous line—tip ehangex Dan/ig dixhanded the group in NM. While the \ingei‘ l'oetixed on new project Samhain. ex'eiwone elxe \\;t,\ l‘oi'eed to get real jolts. .-\liter all. with Dan/lg ;t\ \ole \ongwt'ltel'. IIUINILI} elu‘ \\tl\ entitled to l'U_\tllllC\.
'l'hat wax tiiitil the late 8th. .\la\\i\e ptihlie support from the worldK lai‘ge\t metal band. Metalliea tMixlitx eo\ei\ were a l‘i'etitient oeeurrenee at their IIVC \Itti\\\l and the \uhxetluent \tieeess ol' Samhain brought the \lixtitx to a new aiidieiiee. With their haek eatalogtie l'L‘l\\llL‘Ll and selling nieel} —lerr_\ ()nl} w ax \purred into legal aetion demanding a eut ot‘ I)an/ig\ fortunes. l'nsurprixingl}. the singer dixagreed.
The legal battle that followed lasted until the mid-90.x. during whieh time Samhain heeame Dan/ig iel’l‘eetivel} (ilenn's solo aeti who were now a massive mainstream \llL‘L‘L‘\\. So ()nl} eeaxed hix pursuit of songwriting
L'l'L‘tIIIN and hroaehed the idea of" a \ettlement that would allow him the ll\L‘ ol the Mixl‘its‘ name and image. l)an/ig allowed the ITzl.\\l\l the right to reeord and perform under the \lixlitx' name hut demanded that merehandixing rightx would he shared. .\liiid )Hll. lIll\ haxn‘t \topped the former l‘i'ontmaii from la}ing into the exhumed eoi'pxe ol' the \lixl‘itx. the \oettll\l deerying its laek ol ei'eatixe value and the fad that .leri') ‘x the. ahem. onl} original member Mt.
St) ll‘. its main) helie\e. the \leltls circa 3006 are merely Jeri") ()nl} \ eaxh eow'. what then is there to take from the group's eontintied e\i\tenee‘.’ Well. their itil‘ltienee on eonteniporar} i‘oek is untpiextionahle. Aside from their inl'luenee on metal aetx. \letalliea. Slipknot and Sla_\er. their eomhination ol melod} with punk aggression arguahl} had an impaet on radio- t‘i'iendly pop-punk like (ii‘een l)a_\. albeit in a more \l'l‘V-t‘riendl} l‘orm.
.-\nd then there's that image. w‘hieli ltax \pawned imitatorx of var) ing titialit}. along with more \ueeexxl'iil aetx like .-\l"l. .\l_\ ('hemieal Romanee and .-\iden. who ha\ e utilised the goth—horror look to aehiexe a eonneetion with thouxandx ol teen roek fans. And with Jeri'} now handling ha“ and meal dutiex. haeked h} l)e/ ('adena and Roho of l..-\ punk legends Blaek l'lag on guitar and drums. it's entirel} plausible the group will run for _\‘ear\ yet. finding another generation tojotn their legion of tans. And so the monster that Dan/lg ereated Ctiltlllille to haunt him. \Vhieh. gixen the group's ghoulixh origins. ix kind of ironie.
Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Sun 24 Sep.
Ilit
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THE BESiROc’k‘. edit—Jill}: FOLK
* Jay Z Ignoring his own self imposed retirement completely by appearing 0n everyone's else's records. the sell professed CEO of hip hon arrives for his first over Scottish live date. See feature. page 20. SECC, Glasgow, F1722 Sep. (Rock 8. Pop)
* The Misfits. See preVIew. left. Liquid Room, Edinburgh. Sun 24 Sep. (Flock 8 Pop)
* Going Underground A unique day of indie entertainment with a plethora of talent including The Hussys. Popup, The Low Miffs and BMX Bandits who play sets in various venues Situated around the Glasgow Underground network. starting at Curlers at noon and ending at Oran Mor that night. Oran Mor, Glasgow, Mon 25 Sep. (Rock 8 Pop)
* Teenage Fanclub The Bellshill Beachboys return for a special one-oft show as they play their master work Bandwagonesque in its entirety. Barrow/and, Glasgow. Fri 29 Sep. (Flock 8. Pop)
* Davey Graham Hugely influential guitarist acknowledged as the impetus behind the 19603 folk-rock revolution, whose Virtuoso work inspired everyone from The Beatles and Led Zeppelin to Paul Simon and John Martyn. See preview. page 66. Oran Mon Glasgow, Sun 24 Sep. (Folk)
3|: Public Enemy Proving that outspoken political opinions are not a thing of the past. the influential Long Island rappers show that hip hop is more than just vacuous bling-bling. Barrow/and, Glasgow.
Tue 3 Oct. (Rock 8 Pop)
' THE LIST 65