Misfits
Damn if I don't write a Krude blog
about New Jersey's finest musical export. Bruce Springsteen? No. Bon Jovi? No.
Whitney Houston? No. Frank Sinatra? No. The Smithereens? No. All worthy,obvious
choices. But not tops to Krude. I wouldn't be Krude if I chose a normal musical
act to serve as my NJ's finest. So that narrows it down to a select few. Since
I am very familiar with Lodi,New Jersey, the Krude nod proudly goes to the Misfits.
There is nothing normal about the
Misfits. This band was and totally is a DIY kind of band. They created their
own logo,image,records,fan club etc. Their music sounds like no other band of
that time. All this was being birthed in the late 1970's by a group of Lodi,NJ
dudes with a penchant for horror movies,lifting weights,and Rock n' Roll.
Only possibly the Ramones have
gotten more merch mileage out of their logo than the Misfits. If I had a dollar
for every time I have seen somebody wearing a Misfits logo somewhere on their
being,I'd be a Hundred Thousandaire. As with the Ramones,ask the person wearing
the Misfits merch to name 5 songs from the artist they are sporting. Doubt they
can. But that is ok. Seeing a Misfits logo always makes Krude smile. Regardless
of the hapless phony trying to be edgy.
The Misfits music is the true key
to their legend. Glenn Danzig is one hell of a songwriter and one heck of a
lead singer. The songs are often sung unlike a typical rock/punk way. Glenn is
a true crooner with the vocal chops of an opera tenor. The tunes are simple,energetic,
4 or so chords, punky gems. Lots of 'whoa' s going on too. So catchy
these songs are that Metallica chose to cover a few in their early, thrashery
days.
40 years is a long time for
anything. But for the Misfits,time has been very good to them. A recent Misfits
"reunion" show with Glenn Danzig,Jerry Only,Doyle with Dave Lombardo sold
out a local NJ arena's 17,000 seats instantly. Mariah Carey couldn't even sell
half that number at the same arena recently. Impressive feat by the Misfits,to
say the least.
Krude lives less than 2 blocks
away from the house where the Misfits got their start in the 1970's. I still see
Glenn's mom outside in front of the house every so often. It is just hard to
believe that such an enduring legacy of musical superiority was created so
close to where I write this blog. I guess I'm just proud to say that the Misfits
hail from Lodi,New Jersey: My hometown. Mahalo
We Are 138,
KK
@kapn_krude
Tags:
krude experience