The Strange History of THE MISFITS 

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I joined the Fiend Club in 1996 and got a THICK envelope stuffed with stickers, an armband, THE PIN, and a comic book. I screamed as loud as my 14yo lungs could manage and got grounded for a week.

joined the Fiend Club around 1981, and was shocked at how much cool free stuff they sent me. One of the greatest punk bands ever, still listening to them today just as much as ever.

Discovering the misfits in 1990 was the thing that changed me from being a kid to a teenager. It felt rebellious to me. I was so hyped to see them at Riotfest last year.

The Misfits are such a unique band to me because it’s really 2 different bands, with 2 different styles of punk, from completely different eras, and both versions are in my top 10 favorite bands of all time.

My dirty hood brother was dating a punk girl in 1985 when I was 12. I was already skateboarding and listening to the Clash. She loaned me a bunch of records to listen to and the Misfits blew me away! I've been a huge fan ever since. I even named my business after one of their songs. I have 5 original print singles that my mom's friend gave me. Her son died in Grenada and when she saw me wearing a Misfits shirt, she gave me her sons entire record collection.

I saw them break up on stage at the house of blues in downtown Disney (of all places) Jerry came out after awhile and said “I’m coming back next year with the best lineup this bands ever seen” and then he did 138 by himself best part of the show honestly then he jumped in the audience and hung out and signed autographs on stage.

Like you, Finn, I'm an early 80s Misfits fan. Their 1st 2 albums are punk masterpieces. I use to run a Los Angeles comic book store in the 90s and Glen Danzig was a regular. He would walk in with a fistful of money and buy all sorts of rare 50's horror comics and old Marvel stuff. He made our day and what a great guy and a gentleman. Long live The Misfits.

Micheal Graves was a incredible guy. When i was a teen i was doing my own music mag, before a misfits show Jerry Only came up to me to sign my shirt, i told him about my mag and he said meet me back stage by the bus after the show. So I got to interview them all it was amazing. Flash forward 20+ years i went to see Graves perform both of his misfits albums and after the show I went to talked to him and he remember me said I was that kid who was trying to start a magazine. I was shocked that he even remembered after all that time

I got into the Misfits by listening to the Graves stuff, and then went back and got into the Danzig stuff. Both eras of the band are great with great songs.

I got kicked out of a Misfiya concert before they took stage. My old punk friend said, "You got kicked out before they took stage. Dude that's punk as fuck."

A coworker of mine in high school was really into the graves version of the misfits and got me into then. Bought famous monsters and loved it. Then bought the collections and never looked back. Easily the best punk songs ever made. Unique and amazing still to this day

As a 51 yo man, I saw their 40 year reunion show in Tampa. The most shocking thing? Glrn Danzig looked happy. He was home. Three brothers putting aside their differences amd rocking multiple generations of fans. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Misfits are, and always have been, my all time fav punk band.

The Misfits played two of our events three years apart and both times they were the nicest most appreciative people Ive ever met. They were great on stage and understanding if things weren't perfect. They even remembered peoples names they met years before. I was impressed by their professionalism and humility. Of all the celebrities Ive met, they are my favorite. Im thrilled that Ive met them.

Graves era had a ton of great songs, so did Danzig. They’re kind of different bands. Also, big clap for the Blitzkid mention!

To me Motorhead was the metal band punks could enjoy. Misfits was the punk band metal heads could enjoy.

What makes the Misfits great is that their best songs are simply great rock songs, irrespective of any genre or subgenre. The first Misfits album is perfect rock n' roll.

So cool of you to post this. Within this last year of discovering Misfits/Samhain/Danzig my life has changed. I have travelled to see the misfits twice this year and also for my birthday, saw Danzig sing Elvis. Glenn’s music has led me to meet some amazing people and expanded my artist catalog forever. Lodi pizza is where it’s at!

The misfits are truly iconic. Hybrid moments may be a perfect song in my opinion. When I first started listening to them in the late 80's it was obvious they were special!

I was in a little local band, here in Dallas, back in the mid-'80s. We got to open for Samhain in October of '85. Good stuff.

The first time I saw them was May 11, 1996 in Toronto. Ten bucks for a ticket, no one knew who was going to be on vocals (internet was to young). Anticipation in the crowd was electric. The show they put on that night with Graves was nothing short of legendary. I love the Danzig ere (and Danzig), but I will always love the Graves era as well.

Michael Graves era was dope! Dig up her bones is a jam!

Love the misfits. My favorite band of all time. Seen them the most live since 1983

15:31 seeing the three of them together on stage, sharing a smile after all those years was truly magical and I dorked the fuck out over it

First band I obsessed over. I remember tracking down interviews, reading fans sites, and spray painting the crimson ghost.

Probably one of the best, concise histories of the boys I’ve seen, so well done. I was in my freshman year in high school in 1978 when I first heard them, me and my cadre of monster-kid friends loved the imagery and music, drew pictures of them along with monsters and everything else. Thanks for the vid, I just subscribed and look forward to your channel content!

also glad you mentioned Blitzkid. any one who loves the misfits should check them out, they are only second to the misfits in the horror punk scene and have done so much to keep the scene alive! long live the horror!

“London Dungeon” was used for Donny Barley’s part in Toy Machine’s “Welcome To Hell” back in 96. That skate video had such a killer soundtrack and made me an instant Misfits fiend.

One interesting aspect to me is that The Misfits has the sound and DIY-attitude of the Punk-scene, but their aesthetic, imagery and horror-themed lyrics lean more towards the metal-scene. Despite this they seem to be loved by most punks, even though they don't "stand for something" like many of the punk subgenres strive to do, such as Hardcore, straight edge, anarcho punk etc.

Forbidden zone will ALWAYS be the best track from the Misfits! For me ofc. I love Danzig era but that Graves era song made my teenage years. ❤❤ i love both eras! Famous Monsters will always be my fav album ❤

There’s also the tour Danzig and Doyle did in like 2013 (I think?). The show was about 50% Danzig solo, and 50% Misfits songs. It was awesome to see that in a club small enough I could smell Danzig’s cough drops. He also tantrumed off the stage at one point after cussing out the monitor engineer.

“I can’t eat spaghetti with this..” -Doyle Wolfgang Frankenstein Von

Great video man- my wife recently died from cancer (found out, two months later she passed). She got me more into the Misfits. I’m a single dad now to my three year old. Good luck with your kid Finn, appreciate what you have.

Ignoring the turmoil of the band, Danzig and Graves both gave us great Misfits songs

This is so rad. The misfits are a huge part of my life. My uncle got me into skateboarding at a young age and when we drove from skate spots to parks and wherever we were listing to cassette tapes of misfits! Thank you for making this video!

I’ve watched every account of the Misfits timeline available. This is by far the best. Thank you.

I was in a punk band in ‘05 and we were heavily influenced by the misfits. We had a song “come down to the basement” that was pretty much a misfits song and we did a cover of Saturday night. With that being said the Danzig era is definitely the iconic misfits

Growing up in the middle of nowhere and finding the coffin set in a music store was the greatest find of my teenage years

I usually disagree with most of what you say, but here I completely agree. I love the early Misfits. I think Static Age is the greatest collection of good songs on a punk album ever.

Operation ivy and misfits with my skateboard was all I needed back in the day.

Misfits is more than a t-shirt? Damn

I love LOVE Static Age! Am so glad the recording survived.

I discovered The Misfits in the Graves era and honestly think those albums have a lot of bangers in them.

Fun fact! My dad wasn't into punk music or the punk scene, but he loves rock music! He was a young man in the 70's and went to CBGB all the time and saw Blondie before she got super famous! My dad said that she was wearing a pink slip dress and that the music was so loud, he couldn't hear properly for three days 😂

Graves era “Saturday night” and “dig up her bones” are most popular songs by the misfits. Maybe not as influential but songs are just as good

Thank you so much for this video Finn, I was always so lost and confused about the real history of The Misfits and never got around to doing my own research on 'em. As always, you make things crystal clear in a short amount of time. Thank you again and stay awesome! Cheers from Argentina!

Got to see the Michael Graves era seven times, but nothing beats the original songs. Fiends forever.

I started listening to the misfits in 6th grade back in 92 and man I was hooked instantly. The rockabilly stuff, the thrash stuff, horror, sci-fi, it all worked. I spent years tracking down bootlegs and cassettes and finally got a great collection, only to finally get the misfits collection that Danzig released later. In a coffin no less. It was perfect. I went on to listen to Samhain ( I actually like the first two Samhain albums on par with the misfits) and Danzig, and of course grew into more thrash and metal and punk. To say they were the band in my formative years would be an understatement. I finally got to see them live a couple of weeks ago in Austin, and man let me tell you if any of you fans are worried about seeing them now that they are old, DO IT AND DO IT NOW! What a great show. The pits were awesome, the fans were a huge mix of ages and people, but he show, Glen, Jerry and Doyle put on ONE HELL OF A SHOW and I don't know if they were using backing tracks or not, but the music was incredible. The addition of A.C. Slade and Dave Lombardo ( DAVE FUCKING LOMBARDO FROM SLAYER!!!!) was a great move and made the sound really great. My favorite band of all time, this was a great documentary. GO SEE THEM BEFORE THEY BREAK UP AGAIN OR DIE!!!!!!

I can thank Rob Zombie’s Halloween for introducing me to the Misfits in 2007. He used HALLOWEEN II on the soundtrack and I loved that song. Bought all their albums after that. I understand not liking the newer stuff after Danzig. But being a kid and not knowing the beef. All of it was great. It was all about horror and sci-if.

I've been a huge Misfits fan since I was 10 years old, and and had long accepted that a reunion would just never happen. When the Riot Fest announcement came out, it really was like hell freezing over to me! Luckily, I also had the fortune of seeing them at White River when they came around and loved every second of it. I was pleasantly surprised by how great Danzig could still do those songs! It was an incredible experience.

I'm not a huge punk fan but I find your videos edifying on some level and have enjoyed most. This one was the best.

I've been waiting for this one! This is my favorite punk band of all time. And I'm a crossover thrash guy the most. That being said; I love the Graves era just as much as the Danzig era. Can't explain why really but in my mind Graves accomplished just as much for the band as Danzig did. Thanks Finn, keep it up brother 🤘

Thank you for this! I love Danzig and the purest version of the Misfits. I really appreciate this video. Keep up the great work!

They were such a cool introduction to punk/hardcore music for me as a kid. The artwork already made you feel like you were going to like the music without ever even hearing a song yet. Then you turn it on and get mind blown. Old school misfits rule.

Another terrific video 🔥 Hearing Earth AD for the first time blew my mind. It solidified what would become a lifetime of listening to the Misfits from that day forward.

It’s kind of neat how they produced one of the most widely recognizable band names and logos without releasing a huge number of albums.

Great video man. Been listening to them since high school. Still love em 25 years later. Cheers

The Misfits will always be one of my favorite bands of all time period. They are so influential in my life

My band (The Lowriders) opened for the Misfits at Great Gildersleeves in NYC in 1983. The last NYC show with Glenn Danzig as lead singer. I was a HUGE Misfits fan, and it was a huge night for me. Got to meet and hangout with Jerry and Robo (the ex Black Flag drummer who played with them back then). One of my favorite memories. I also remember being at the first Samhain show at the Rock Hotel, where Lyle Pressler from Minor Threat played guitar, that was a great show.

Misfits are the absolute top of the list of bands that I’ve never enjoyed listening to but have to appreciate because they directly influenced half of the music I love.

The kind of content I really like from this channel.

Just saw the original misfits a few weeks ago in Phoenix. It was such a killer show. The whole crowd was singing along with every song. A great experience for me. I started listening to them In 7th grade which would have been 2003. Saw the Jerry only show version once in 2003 or 2004. Finally about 20 years later got to see Danzig on stage playing the songs that shaped my adolescence. It was so cool.

Danzig is such a tool, but any iteration of Misfits without him is not really the Misfits. Period. He's a fking amazing vocalist.

Really enjoyed watching this video, thanks Finn! Absolutely one of my favorite punkbands. 👌👌 Got to discover them in '97 on the radio (a punk radioshow obviously) when the American psycho record was released. 🖤🖤

This was a great video. Ive been waiting on this one.

Amazing band. Seen em like 7 times (twice with Danzig). They hit me deep when I discovered them late 80s (a friends tape of Misfits/Collection I). A nerdy kid, I was already into late 70s punk (Ramones, Heartbreakers, Pistols, etc) and also nostalgic horror, sci fi, and b-movies as well as comics. So a perfect fit for my taste. In those pre-internet days they were super mysterious too. And Glenn’s songwriting (and voice) from ‘77 all the way to like ‘94 (Samhain and early Danzig included) was pretty untouchable. Agree they had great DIY skills, and also general creativity and vision. Plus, they’re just cool (if you’re a geek).

Still waiting on an April Fools edition of Strange History of The Wiggles.

I was introduced to the Misfits through AFI (All Hallows EP) Both bands have been immortalized on my body. Awesome vid 🖤💀

My intro to the misfits was the skull shirt. In particular the most badass, dangerous, amazing and wild skater/person Ive ever witnessed (to this day) and still think of as a legend. Wearing the shirt, looking them up and thinking it was the worst junk rock I had ever heard and couldnt believe anyone could get behind it. Then rediscovering 10 years later and being blown away, and to this day dont understand how they came up with such beautiful rock melodies in their songs. saw danzig last year, his voice sounded as perfect and iconic as ever. very cool to witness in person

I discovered Misfits through Metallica... like a lot of others. I've grown to appreciate every creative venture of Glenn's. I think the first four Danzig albums are his crowning achievement, but... The Misfits are a very, very close second. I started with the Collection I cassette, next onto Walk Among Us, Earth AD, then everything I could get my hands on. Oddly enough the song that started my journey, "Last Caress", was one of the last I found. In the meantime I fell in fucking love with their version of punk. I don't consider them straightforward punk... they're something completely different altogether. Its the same style, aggression and production quality of punk, but with melody, insanely good vocals, original lyrical content and imagery. Pretty much the same thing Rob Zombie did with metal. Its definitely metal... just not like anything you've seen or heard before. Misfits are the same with punk... when you really break it down, they share a moment in time and sound with punk and thats about it. Even though the two would probably never admit it, you can't have The Misfits without Glenn AND Jerry. They proved this when they replaced him. Sure it sounded similar, but it wasn't the same. Same with Glenn... he went onto make some fucking amazing music. From Samhain, to all eras of Danzig, etc etc... He never recreated that frenzied energy that Misfits had. Wanna hook someone on Misfits? Play em the Walk Among Us version of 20 Eyes... or Angelfuck, Skulls, American Nightmare (I seriously could keep going). I love Sex Pistols, Discharge, Black Flag, Ramones... but Misfits will always be the band that actually fucking dared to take it somewhere different with no boundaries.

Awesome job, man. I agree. The original Misfits with Glenn Danzig are the only Misfits for me too.

I've always felt that someone has to hear the Misfits at just the right age, can't be too old or too young or else it won't have the same effect. usually around 13 or 14. That's when I initially heard them personally. To me each iteration is its own separate entity. The OG Misfits will always be God, Jesus, the Holy Ghost, & a large black olive pizza to me, but I enjoy the Nu Misfits Graves era stuff as well. When I saw this in my feed I could feel my heartbeat in my throat & haven't clicked on something so fast since the Nerd reviewed his own game.

I got really into some Michael post misfit songs he had a good one about coping death of a friend. It was a comfort after my mom passed. Seeing his proud boys schtick afterwards hurt pretty bad.

Proud Boys is just a group like the No'Maam from Married with Children. 😂

I picked up acassete of Legacy of Brutality around 91' when i was 13. Totally changed my perspective on music. The Misfits are still my favorite punk band. Thanks for the backstory.

MCR are definitely hugely influenced by the Misfits. They name them as such in the documentary they did back in '05, 'Life On The Murder Scene'. They also did a cover of 'Astro Zombies'. And it's true that Misfits vinyls are all worth a lot, even Graves era stuff. I have a mint copy of 'American Psycho' and it's worth at least $150. Great video as always Finn! And I don't know if I've said it before, but I really love the new opening style of the videos. Your editor is great! 🖤

One of the hardest working bands ever. Up there with The Melvins with how relentless they were at hustling the grind and playing as many shows as possible. Helps that they weren't on drugs too when every other band was at the time. When I lived in NYC in the 90s, I felt like they were playing all the time somewhere.

Also they deserve credit for being the only band who made anything close to psychobilly and sounded good

Man these videos are great for us old folks. I’d love to see you do a rundown on the back and forth career of Cro Mags personally. That’s a hell of a run they’ve had with JJ and Harley. Also very reminiscent of Misfits drama and court battles minus the chance of JJ and Harley ever playing together again in my opinion. Hope to see you do a deep dive on them soon! Good shit, keep it up.

They had a couple of good tracks with Graves, like the title track to American Psycho but nothing beats Danzig-era Misfits. Absolutely legendary band.

Dude your show or whatever is rad. Thanks for making it. I agree, early misfits-love glens woahs

Michale graves version put on the best shows ive ever seen. And Michale has a gigantic catalog of really good music too. American psycho, Famous Monsters, Cuts from the Crypt, Evilive 2 is also Graves. Bothe versions of the band are Legendary but Graves is an amazing singer. Way different than Danzig who is Wonderful singer too.

I'm a Beatles and 60's psych guy, but a special dark part of my heart belongs to the Misfits ever since I was 13.

Danzig is just special. Not only he came up with a lot of the soul of the band, but also followed with two other amazing bands of his own in different genres. I also love Graves' era. It feels different, but it works really well in my opinion. They should have stopped there though. The last albums just sounded really bad.

" Earth A.D. " is my favorite Misfits record. Glenn Danzig is brilliant. Saw them last weekend here in Austin. He's still got it, pretty amazing.

I love The Misfits and the Danzing Era. Famous Monsters is my favorite album though. Graves and Doyle killed it on that record. I listen to it every Halloween.

10:50 What about Static Age? That was recorded in 1978 and released in its entirety in 1996, before the Graves Era? That's an entire classic-era Danzig-Misfits album that's pretty easy to find on CD or whatever. Also, the 2 Graves-era albums are like 25 years old or close to it. Making them older than Walk Among Us was when the Graves-era started. They aren't "new" and people shouldn't just brush them off. Politics and personality aside, Graves was an excellent singer and perfect fit for those albums. Songs like Mars Attacks, This Island Earth, Hunting Humans and especially Descending Angel and the iconic Saturday Night, are all *amazing* songs any band would kill for to have in their library. Don't sleep on those 2 albums, friends (American Psycho, Famous Monsters)

[0:50] "You've seen their shirts on everyone from CM Punk to Mia Khalifa to XXXTentacion." Three people who likely know little to nothing about the band or the scene or even the genre of music, but really liked the neato skull. We used to have a name for people like that. Kinda makes me wanna burn my Misfits T-shirt I've owned since I was 14.

Great video man, thank you. At my 50s I tend to be more flexible about music, Misfits is Danzig, and The Misfits is Graves, both are great, the first made history, the second made memorable albums, I allow myself to love both of them.

My introduction to The Misfits were the songs Saturday Night and Helena. I was so confused and enthralled by the twisted morbid lyrics lol. From there I listened to everything, and I can honestly say I love both eras. My favorite song from each era are Hybrid Moments and Helena.

Original Misfits was the best. Still have my original walk among us LP from the 80’s which I got signed by Doyle, and Jerry. Unlikely to have it signed by Glenn but that would be awesome.. still 40+ years later it still is taking names and kicking ass.

Nailed it - Misfits are rock branding at its best. They arguably made more money overtime from merch sales than music or touring ever could do for them. Most people don't like their music - but have seen the logo, wear the tshirt, or just know what that skull is representing. To have just 2 albums back in the early 80s - but have brand sustainability 30 years later that's identifiable - that's amazing. Never cared for their music - but their influence is certainly incredible sonically and visually.

I was in on Misfits from the mid 80s, kinda like Stranger Things era haha. I had checkered Vans, a skateboard full of stickers, cutoff jeans, a bunch of Misfits (and other bands/brands) tee shirts, an oversized Stüssy hat, and a brand new Sony Walkman which was a cool thing to have at the time. I listened to everything loud, I grinded hard, I fell hard, and I loved every minute of it 🤘🏼🤘🏼

Balzac and Plan9 are 2 of the best musically influenced misfits bands ever🤟

I loved famous monsters as a teenager!! It's almost a no skip imo and don't get me wrong I love danzig misfits too!

People who say Graves era sucks is simply because they havent listened to the albums, horror punk brilliance.

If you listen to the Graves stuff as if it was NOT Misfits, but as another band. It's amazing. I love the Graves stuff... the recordings that is. Live, he struggled a bit.

12 Hits from Hell is a hidden gem of a record from the Misfits in my opinion probably there best sounding record,with additional Bobby Steele on guitar.And as for the Graves era of the Misfits they came out at the rite time in the late 90s gave a good resurgence to the Name of the Misfits.I personally love those 2 albums and well after graves left there wasnt much else to go on when it came to the Misfits no matter how good Jerry Only tried to carry the band on by himself.

I opened for those guys back in 83. It was in Watts in la. Crazy show. I went back to school on Monday as a hero. Robo was a really nice guy .