advertisement
follow us
Newsletter signup
Get a little Crawdaddy! right in the inbox once a week:
Straight to Video
Rock Art Rock
Jay Reatard
October 2008
Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
By Andres Jauregui "Before I bought my DSLR (a present to myself the day I got axed from a shitty office job), I took pictures on a lowly point-and-shoot..."
Thee Oh Sees
July 2009
Glasslands Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
By Andres Jauregui "I shot this trippy double exposure on the front line of a particularly raucous, incredibly sweaty set that kicked off Thee Oh Sees' swing..."
R. Stevie Moore
November 2008
Cake Shop, New York, NY
By Andres Jauregui "Eli Moore (no relation) from LAKE turned me on to his mentor, R. Stevie Moore, during an interview for Crawdaddy!, so when LAKE opened for R. Stevie in November of 2008, I had to check him out..."
Say No! To Architecture
June 2009
Death By Audio, Brooklyn, NY
By Andres Jauregui "Allen Roizman's one-man-band blew me away at the otherwise sleepy inaugural Northside Festival this past June. Death By Audio is a hub for under-the-radar talent in Brooklyn..."
See more in the Rock Art Rock gallery.
Most Read Articles
- It Shows: Those Darlins at the Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco
- Feature Story: XTC’s Psych Side Project Gets an Acid Flashback
- Ex Post Facto: The Misfits: Famous Monsters
- Crate Digger: Spirit: Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
- Over a Beer: Arbitrary List of Century’s Greatest & Best Songs
- Feature Story: Kurt Vile Is Saying This to You
- Open Mic: Magpie to the Morning
polls
Loading ...-
Pages: 1 2
The Night the Lights Went Out On Danzig
Coming of age in the mid-‘90s, I held certain truths to be self-evident. Jim Carrey was the funniest human being alive. Home computing technology peaked with Windows 95. The President would never commit perjury over a blowjob. One day I would be able to grow a lengthy, Rasputin-esque beard that would impress all the ladies. Of all these truths, the most obvious to my young, Tarantino-addled mind was the fact that hard rock superstar Glenn Danzig was a total killing machine who could take anyone in a fight, with the possible exceptions of Henry Rollins and Goro from Mortal Kombat.
I can’t tell you why it was so vital to believe some shirtless meathead from New Jersey could stomp out anyone who stepped to his massive belt buckle. I suppose after the collapse of grunge, the arrest of O.J., and the cancellation of Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, there was very little left to believe in. Investing in the idea that the guy who sang “Mother” honestly meant it, that he would trounce any child who walked his way, seemed secure. I know I’m not alone on this. In fact, I’m fairly certain the entire back row of my tenth grade drawing class shared this belief, despite never being able to agree on anything else (especially whether or not Aerosmith had any talent). If that back row was a microcosm of our country’s teenage population at the time (and I suspect it was, despite the weirdo kid from Illinois who claimed the only post-‘70s band he was familiar with was Soundgarden), then most of young America was certain Glenn Danzig really knew how the gods killed.
Part of the reason we were able to buy into Danzig’s shtick is because he had the résumé to back it up. Between 1977 and 1983, he led the Misfits, the storied punk band whose platform seemed to revolve solely around graphic violence and bodybuilding. Where other punks of the day were sickly beanpoles yelping about the ills of the world, muscular Glenn and his monstrous pals (the linebacker-cut Caiafa brothers, Jerry and Doyle) stalked the stage threatening to knife anyone who followed them into the bathroom. The aggression went beyond the music; listen to any live Misfits bootleg from that era and you’re bound to hear Danzig interrupt songs to call out unruly audience members, former band mates, and sometimes even the people who didn’t show up to the concert. This psychotic vibe may have been too much for most punks, but the denim-clad heavy metal masses ate it up. By the end of the ‘80s, the two biggest rock groups in the world, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses, both cited the Misfits as a heavy influence and the mainstream rock community welcomed Glenn like a returning war hero when he released his eponymous hard rock debut in 1988.
Of course, Glenn could have gone and joined the Church of Satan or started carving people up for real, and that would still only be half the reason Danzig’s inherent strength and pure evil seemed utterly undeniable. The other 50 percent of that equation, the truly amazing 50 percent, is that Glenn Danzig sounded a lot like Elvis Presley (I say “sounded” because, let’s face it, the guy’s voice went out with the Clinton Administration). Comparisons have also been made to Doors leader Jim Morrison; either one is applicable, really. The Lizard King and the Regular King both possessed a rich, sexual baritone that tapped deep into the hearts, minds and bone marrow of rock ‘n’ roll fans, commanding them on a subconscious level to wiggle their hips or light their fire or grow obscenely large muttonchops. Danzig was blessed with that same vocal power, the ability to reel back and howl a truly soul-shaking note into the stratosphere. That power compelled the same type of people who congregated outside Graceland and Père Lachaise a generation before to get cow skull tattoos and believe a guy named after the sixth-largest city in Poland could turn their face into oatmeal.
The key difference, however, between Presley, Morrison and Danzig, is that the former two never issued as many literal challenges as the latter. Elvis never sang, “I ain’t no goddamn son of a bitch.” Thus, when the Tupelo Kid turned into the Tupelo Houseboat and died taking a grumpy, humanity was surprised but not completely let down. Similarly, Jim Morrison never claimed to be the Bringer of Death; a smart move considering the bearded, mumbling, wine-swilling caricature he turned into (Mr. Mojo Risin’ was literally a stick and stovepipe hat away from being a 1930s hobo). Danzig, on the other hand, continued to make outrageous lyrical boasts well into the 21st century, seemingly begging the fates to give him a swift, painful comeuppance. No mortal man ever called his bluff, though, because he was Danzig. His reputation for ass-kickery was so grand that his first name had become irrelevant. Glenn? There was no Glenn—only Danzig. Satan’s Child. Son of the Morning Star. Keeper of the Misery Tomb and an unsightly pile of bricks on his front lawn (famously complained about by neighbor Beck Hansen in a 1999 issue of Spin).
This would all change the night of July 3, 2004, after a Danzig concert in Tuba City, Arizona. Danny Marianinho, a man who matched Danzig in size if not musculature, sought out the New Jersey Devil to address the fact that his band had not been allowed to play that night despite a six hour drive and numerous verbal promises. Danzig, in no mood to be trifled with as he met with adoring fans, listened to Marianinho’s complaints for about a minute and a half before unleashing a forceful shove laced with requisite expletives. Marianinho, stunned but not incapacitated by this show of physicality, responded with a right hook that sent the American Nightmare to the floor faster than Mop & Glow. The small crowd surrounding them erupted into a flurry of shouts and scuffles. The Devil did not magically appear, but someone did plug a guitar in and began soloing madly.
Pages: 1 2
215 Comments
no fuckin no youre rwong it were a suckre punch coas Glenn wernt espectin him to hit him you gota stop makin nastie coments abotu Glenn hes gonna be dapresd about all you basters sayin hes week an beatan up an stuff if him comitts suicides it yor fault for makin him dapressed an why you gota say him got beated up wot it got ta do with hims music hims a genious and him sings bettar than anyone else ever I lov hims albems stop makin Glenn look small it ainet rihgt Glenn doant care wot you basters rwit or says abuot him but ya colud make him dapressed STOP IT GLENN RULES
I love this article. This is a hilarious, well written and thought out piece of writing. Good job pal. But, I would never expect someone who is a black belt in “made up Danzig karate” to be able to take a punch.
And Danzig’s biggest fan? You’re a retard. Could you spell at least ONE word right? Oh, sorry, you spelled “up” right.
Great article and way to tie it all up at the end. I laughed out loud. I agree, there was some credibility that was lost in the incident. I just found all of this today, so I was still living in a little dream world. I mean, his music has long sucked, but his physical development still garnered a certain amount of respect. Now, I see a squirting flower and big floppy red shoes — Clownzig
wot ya got a say that a me like cos Is got the curridge to dafend Glenn ya gota calls me a ratard poeple likes yors gona make Glenn dapressd by sayin him got beatan up him not beatan up it a cospiricy ta make Glenn looke week ya carnt make Glenn looek week cos hims got a dagree in kerarty and tike won do ya knows hims touhg him hardre than enyone else in metle yeh evan that thear Herny Roallins him touhg yeh but not as touhg as Glenn that fat dued wot puncht Glenn suckrepuncht him looke at the vidio no doant looke at it itll makes Glenn dapresst cos you basters alls laghin at him it ainet rihgt ya alls triyng ta rewin Glenns carrear ya carnt do it to him fuckin doant keap on sayin Glenn got beatan up its cruwel of yas ta keap on makin Glenns looke week GLENN RULES ALRIHGT
Oh come on, that’s not nice.
Did anyone notice how Danny RAN AWAY after he hit Glenn?
Did you even observe the video carefully?
As Danny goes to hit him you can see Glenn try to lift his left arm to block, but he’s sadly only 5′4 so the block attempt didn’t go in his favor. Thus he got knocked down.
Secondly, After that. RIGHT AWAY, Danny ran for it.
HE RAN HIS TUBBY ASS OFF.
If he stuck around, Glenn would have gotten up and killed the fucker. No Joke.
Not only that, but Danny went and bitched at him for no reason.
It wasn’t Glenn’s fault that North Side Kunts didn’t get any stage time.
The DANZIG managers, wouldn’t let them on, because those guys are assholes.
Glenn isn’t the friendliest of people, but he certainly isn’t THAT rude. His managers fucked it all up for them, and thus Danny thought it was Glenn’s fault.
So he went and started talking shit to his face.
I admit Glenn could have just NOT acted out like that, but when a fat douchebag comes up in your grill accusing you of shit you didn’t do, you’d shove him back telling him “FUCK YOU MOTHER FUCKER” too.
I got a chuckle or 2 out of the article, but I gotta say, you’re a dipshit.
Cheers mate.
Oh P.S. danzigbiggestfan138 is a sad pretentious tool who needs to learn how to spell.
Incredible. All these years later and people are STILL TALKING ABOUT how Danzig got punched out. It seems to me he’ll never live this down, and the main reason for that is because he put so much emphasis on his demonic, over the top tough guy image. If the same thing had happened to say Slash for instance, it wouldn’t have been that big a deal. But since it’s Danzig…well, here we all are still discussing it.
Sad that people make such a big deal about a scuffle and a simple knockout.
People get in fights all the time and get knocked out. Yeah Danzig got knocked out but who really cares? Its not a big deal. If you get in fights, you’re eventually gonna get your ass handed to you. Its the people who dont fight who seem to not know this …….but still they watch the violence like its entertainment. They are not comdemning the violence, they are condemning the man and laughing at him.
That is, of course, until its their ass who is getting hit.
yeah theys laghuin at Glenn but its ainet rihgt cos Glenns best metle singer ever hes better than Henri roallins evn better than yeah fuckin poeples gota make fun outa Glenn but hims touhg an got qaliftication in kerarty.
troubel with the writter of this horrable artacle is that hes not as touhg as Glenn an hims jeloas ogf him cos Glenns raspected as bein a good fihgter well he was bafor all these basters start on sayin hims got beated up it ainet rihgt to say Glenns goten beated up by a giuteruist of from Deff Lepperd he never the bloak only sucrepuncht Glenn onstaige then ran off him rushed at Glenn an hit him thats sucrepunch same with that nasty bloak from NorThdise Kings hims jelaos of Glenn bein touhg YOU BASTERS AS MAKING GLENN DAPPRESED YOU GOTTA STOP IT STOP REWININ HIMS CAREAR GLENN RULES!”
First of all; “danzigsbigestfan138″, you ARE truly a retard, as someone already stated. Your spelling and grammar are abso-fucking-lutely atrocious. And Glenn is NOT going to get depressed and kill himself over people talking shit on the internet. I guarantee he couldn’t give a flying fuck what any of us have to say about something that happened 5 years ago.
Secondly; he wasn’t knocked OUT, he was knocked DOWN. And let me tell you people; a 50 year old (at the time), 5′3″ man who just finished rocking out for over an hour getting knocked down by a 300+ LB, 6 ft+ motherfucker? That’s not really impressive, a surprise, or something to brag about. The North Side Kings are a typical, boring, shitty hardcore band. Aside from that punch, they’ve done nothing note-worthy. And even that punch is nothing to flaunt, like I already said. Rollins would’ve gone down from that punch, too. Most people would have. There’s more to that video where Glenn gets right back up, but of course; no one wants you to see that part.
Yeah Danzig has a big mouth, so fuckin’ what? The writer of this article has a pretty big mouth too, goin’ off and writing shit like this. If he got knocked out by a 7 ft tall, 500 pound gorilla, would that be impressive? No. Totally justified though, given this article along with the recent Chuck Biscuits hoax, and the fact that this guy decided to try in ANY way to defend anything the new “Misfits” have done.
fuckin Edarston I fuckin ainet ratard Is just Glens bigest fan you wont to seem his bigest fan but you ainet cos yore admitin hims got beated up ya gota stop sayin him got beated up I thinks that vidio is fuckin a cospiricy it ainet reely Glenn its an acter Glenn wood of smasht that bloak even iff him be 6foots an that Noathdise king bloan hims bean bragin that hims beated up Gl;enn an gave to im a black eyes its rwong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I saw Glenn in consart a month aftar him got seposedly beated up an him nevar had no black eye him seid somat abuot the vidio bein rubish GLENN RULES
Not wanting to attack anyone on here, but I think Danzig is the biggest retard of all. Yes, other rock stars have been punched, and sometimes beaten badly, but not to the detriment of their image. Kurt Cobain got punched on video too, but Nirvana fans didn’t go off him, because he didn’t affect a ‘hard man’ persona. Danzig, though, has made appearing ‘tough’ his mission statement. I think his music is lousy – he sounds nowhere near as manly as Elvis, for starters – but his stance is even worse. The first time I ever heard of him was because he got punched by a guy from Def Leppard; the next was when he got punched by this large fellow! There must be a reason for these incidents. Being arrogant, and pushing your weight around as if you own the joint, are going to guarantee a smackdown quite quickly! And you say he’s only 5′3″ – so why is he fool enough to shove a guy of 6′+?!
DANZIGSBIGGESTFAN:
If you are NOT retarded, then prove it by not typing like a fucking 3rd grader. Those squiggly little red lines that appear under words from time to time (probably ALL the time for you), they mean that you spelled something wrong. So ya know, keep that little tid-bit of knowledge and use it.
Cowboy Joe:
You think Danzig’s music is “lousy”? Then you must have shitty taste in music. You think he “sounds less manly than Elvis”? At least Danzig writes his own songs, as opposed to Elvis, who ripped off a shit-load of African-American musicians, and barely wrote any of his own music. And I guarantee Danzig won’t die on the shitter.
By the by, that Def Leppard incident was a rumor, it didn’t happen.