Keeping it Simple with Misfits' Jerry Only
Misfits Interview
by Don Sill
October/November 2003
"You don't need a fancy guitar and an amplifier and a chord and a tuner and all the trimmings. All you need is a used hundred dollar acoustic guitar that's in tune and somebody to show you three chords and if you got something inside that needs to get out, you can get it out." Says Jerry Only the original bassist and current front man of legendary horror-core punk outfit known as The Misfits. Only knows what he's talking about, the devil-locked front man and his band made a huge impact on the late '70s punk scene by using basic chord progressions and lacing it with sheer attitude. "It was simple and their were no leads and we weren't trying to show-off how great we could play," he continued, "we were trying to write really great melodies on top of real simple music that everyone could understand."
Only compares the simplistic chord structures of punk rock to the early beginnings of rock n' roll in the 1950's pointing out that rock music began as a basic and simple form of expression that was successful due to melody and hooks more so than complex musical stylings. "Punk music is really just a re-birth of the 1950's music," explains Only, "and I wanted to really give the kids today some mathematical background on how simple songs with good hooks are the ones that make it to number one."
To prove his point he and his all-star Misfit line-up (including legendary drummer Marky Ramone & Black Flag guitarist Dez Cadena) have recorded an album entitled "Misfit Project 1950" which takes famous 1950 hit songs and converts them Misfit style. The album pays homage to the pioneers of rock n' roll music and also demonstrates how in the end three-chords is really all you need. "The backbone of punk has always been the three-chord progression which was ultimately inspired by classic rock n' roll of the 1950's," declares Only. "I've always wanted to record some of the music that inspired the Misfits to show fiends where it all began."
Some of the tracks included are "Great Ball Of Fire" (Jerry Lee Lewis), "Dream Lover" (Bobby Darin) and "Donna" (Richie Valens). "I grew up listening to Fats Domino and Buddy Holly and Little Richard, The Coaster and bands like that and it was just in my blood," Only revealed. "So, by the time I was five-years old me and my brothers, Ken and Doyle, would sit on the bed and bang on pots and pans along with the Four Seasons…so this project was a long time coming."
"Misfit Project 1950" features special guest vocals on two tracks ("This Magic Moment" & "You Belong to Me") by 60's pop-rock icon Ronnie Spector as well as guest keyboards on two tracks ("Runaway" & "Great Balls of Fire"), by Jimmy Destri of Blondie. This special album also comes complete with a 24 page booklet featuring extensive liner notes and personal quotes from the artists as well as a free limited edition DVD. "These days, with all the downloading and everything, you have to make your packaging so appealing that's it's worth the price of the CD. So, when somebody shows it to you it's not, 'hey, can you burn me one?' it's more like, 'I gotta go get one," Only said. "We've always been more successful visually than we have sonically. I mean, we don't have platinum records, but we sell more shirts than people who do."
The Misfits rose to popularity during the American punk revolution of the late '70's. Formed in 1977 in Lodi, New Jersey by Only and original front man Glenn Anzalone AKA Glenn Danzig set out to make hardcore rock with a horror-movie edge. With a name they took from Marilyn Monroe's final film "The Misfits" they hit the NYC punk circuit and literally rose hell. "When we started our band in '77 I wasn't into learning all the songs that Yes did or Pink Floyd or The Stones did, I really didn't want that," admits Only. "I enjoyed listening that stuff, but for me it wasn't really where I wanted to go or needed to go as an artist. So, I began playing some simplistic stuff, which is punk today, and it's the same chord progressions from the 1950's."
With a creepy stage presence and evil/horror persona The Misfits were genuinely shocking for their time and earned an immense cult following. Fans loved the band not for their musicianship but for the crude and rude against the grain style and a sound that spewed aggression through catchy hook lines. Albums such as "Walk Among Us" and "Earth A.D." thrusted with thrashy hardcore punk mayhem that infused so many and unleashed a beast within NYC's punk circuit. Although Danzig possessed one of the most distinctive and tuneful bellows in hardcore punk, it was his knack for catchy, anthemic melodies and lyrical obsession with grade-B horror films that he delivered at warp speed along with the horrific Misfit imagery that lured legions of kids to their shows.
Before Danzig left the band in '83 the Misfits went on to inspire hundreds of bands including Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Rob Zombie and AFI. "We made an impact," the bassist proudly stated. "I think that the most important accomplishment anybody can do in their life is inspire others in a positive manner, regardless of what it is. And that's what we've done for a lot of people. We definitely cut a hole through the brush so other bands after us could have a clearing and I'm real proud of that."
Throughout their 25 years The Misfit have undergone numerous member changes and Only remains as the bands one true constant. In '96 he recruited vocalist Michale Graves and drummer Dr. Chud and gave the Mistfits new life. They released "American Psycho" in 1997 on Geffen Records, followed two years later by "Famous Monsters" on Roadrunner Records. Currently the Misfit line-up stands as a three-piece backed with punk pioneers Marky Ramone and Dez Cadena.
"Misfits Project 1950" debuted on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart at #2, Billboard's Top Independent album chart at #5 and #133 in Billboard's Top 200 proving that The Misfits have not been forgotten. "It's real good to see our fan base coming to bat for us," gushed Only. "Because the big question with doing that record was 'will the kids get it?' I tell ya, they sure did and the music came across. That's when I realized that I was on to something and I wasn't wasting my time. It wasn't just my ambition that I was chasing after and that it was something that these kids could relate to and actually gain something from."
The Mistfits now have their own record label, Misfit Records along with a line of Misfit Toys and a tour called The Fiend Fest. Currently, there are talks of an all out Misfit reunion with original members including Glen Danzig. "We're talking about penning a new Misfit album," stated Only. "We want to run as hard and as strong as we can without stepping on our own toes. I would like to do something and get everybody get back together and be how it's supposed to be. With the success of The Fiend Fest and the launch of our Misfit Record label I'm hoping that he (Danzig) looks at things in a different light. When you see people like Joey and Dee Dee Ramone fall and then Joe Strummer…I mean they can never have a reunion. So, I think this is a golden opportunity for us to do something special. I want to write a new album that would make the Slayer's and Pantera's turn around and say, 'wow, that's what we meant.' I think it would be really nice for us to get out there on stage and do what I would consider the biggest come back of all time."
The Misfits are now touring South America in support of "Misfit Project 1950" and are showing the world that the best rock n' roll comes in three simple chords.
For updates on The Misfits and other Misfit projects log to: http://www.misfits.com.
