Why We’re Blasting The Misfits This Halloween
Halloween is a time for dressing up, eating candy, and watching scary movies.
It’s also the best time of year to listen to The Misfits, one of our favorite punk bands since forever.
And this year we have an extra reason to rip a shot in tribute to The Misfits because in September, after years of fighting, they finally settled their differences and reunited at Riot Fest.
For the uninitiated, The Misfits — Danzig, Jerry, & Doyle — formed in New Jersey in 1977, taking their name from Marilyn Monroe’s last movie of the same name. Immortalizing black and white horror films and 1950s rock, The Misfits pushed the boundaries and challenged what we knew as rock and roll.
Whether filling stages with the bodies of dead animals, rising from coffins, or ripping through a screen playing a reel of horror movie clips, they always made sure to put on a legendary show. They felt that going to a Misfits show should be something that was “crazy, tribal, and exhausting” — they wanted for their fans to have a place to express themselves and be who they truly are: fiends.
During a troubling time in America when the news was even more fucked up than it is now, The Misfits used their platform to express their own opinions of what is really going on in our government, the untimely death of John Lennon, the John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy murders, and The Cold War.
The Misfits urged the youth of the 70s to fight back against corrupt government and censorship. Singing songs in dark underground clubs — like “We are 138” based on the movie THX-1138 by George Lucas about a society where everyone is forced to be on mind-altering drugs, emotions, sex, and families are outlawed and everything is controlled by android police officers. Or “London Dungeon” about Danzig and Bobby Steele getting in a fight with British skinheads and getting arrested for threatening behavior. Or “Bullet,” a song about Jackie O and the JFK assassination that you wouldn’t wanna play for your mom.
Obviously they never strayed away from anything possibly offensive, sharing songs they wrote about the never ending scandal that is hollywood and conspiracy theories such as new world order, who actually killed Marilyn Monroe, and of course Halloween.
For generations, The Misfits gave voices to people that felt that had none and reinforced the belief of standing up for what is right and what you believe in. They preached individuality and spread creativity. They wanted to give the power back to the people and give them the opportunity to say what they feel. From clothing to covers, The Misfits have revolutionized fashion and music — truly going down as heroes against social injustices.
So what are you waiting for? Find a Misfits playlist and blast it all day long.
