I got the title from a letter by one P.J. Monroe addressed to Danzig force members and supporters.
once in a while, I’ll fixate on a classic rock band or solo artist, whether it be a 70s or 80s stadium rock, punk, metal, or whatever rock subgenre band or artist. fixate meaning, for a while, I’ll be listening exclusively to their songs. the more I listen, the more I start appreciating the nuances or quirks of that band or artist. one band or artist leads to another and so on. and there are times when I just stumble upon an artist that I consider an unmistakable genius.
I will remember 2023 as my year of Danzig (my Spotify Wrapped Top Artists will attest to that).
Black Sabbath (1968) and many other bands may have sowed the seeds for the combination of horror and rock, but no one else did it in the 1970s as unabashedly as Glenn Danzig.
that one Italian-sounding-surname (née Anzalone) guy from New Jersey who single-handedly wrote the songs for the Misfits and his eponymous band. Glenn Danzig.
“Glenn shows off his now famous “bone gloves.” Today, you can’t be in a horror rock band without a pair. He painted these himself ’cause you weren’t likely to find them on the shelf. On occasion, he was known to give them away to close friends at the end of tours.”
the DIY ethos. the black and white B-horror movie gimmick. the gothic horror atmosphere. the goth imagery. the Christian and Satanic references. the morbid, repulsive, and equally seductive lyrics. the unpredictable songwriting. the punk, goth, and metal amalgam with one of the most distinct, Jim Morrison-esque voices in rock and its darker subgenres. there is only one Glenn Danzig.
I guess that paragraph just about sums up how I would describe Danzig’s undeniable influence on rock’s more extreme subgenres.
any boy aspiring to nail the emo or goth look would undoubtedly end up envying the pale, corpse-like skin and the long, jet black, wavy hair. I’d go so far as to say that he shaped the image of the stereotypical goth or emo teenager. give credit where it’s due.
you just have to be born with it, so they say. a person can ingest all the skin whiteners in the world and dye their hair black for the rest of their waking life, but let’s face it, there’s only a once-in-a-blue-moon chance some person will be able to do it as effortlessly as Danzig.
I mean, people actually dress up as Danzig for Halloween. when all your life you’ve expressed your love for Halloween, then people dress up as you in Halloween, you know you’ve made it.
I will not leave 2023 without giving a sign of respect to a pioneer of not only punk and extreme metal music, but also of the goth and emo aesthetic.
Danzig’s influence is as undying as the undead in his favorite films and I’m thankful to enter 2024 with this opportunity to show my appreciation.
Danzig has a vision and he does not compromise. that, I can, and will, respect.