Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig is a god. At least that’s what his punk and metal flock believe. Forming Misfits in 1977, Samhain in 1983, and Danzig in 1987, he succeeded in fusing hardcore punk, gothic metal, blues rock, and horror punk into a respected—and head banging—form of art. An auteur, Danzig contributes more than just his unmistakable, dark, resonant voice to his music, but also guitar riffs, bass lines, drum sections, and keyboard melodies.
Glenn Danzig
And the legend was born, as was the cult of fans who follow his every lyrical journey into horror, death, erotica, religion, and gore. For evidence, look no further than a song like “Wicked Pussycat,” which purrs, Six foot pussycat, I like the way you swing your tail / Big black witch cat, yes, you cast a real strong spell / Feline succubus, got your fangs inside her throat. Danzig makes it quite clear what his passions are, often combining them into different artistic platforms like comic book characters and music videos.
The important thing for Danzig is to stay on the cutting edge. “If it gets boring, he tells Noisey, “change it, fix it, make it exciting, make it relevant again, and that’s what I did without sacrificing the music. That’s what I try to do.”
As fans know, Danzig walks the walk, starting with these 10 moments that forged the legend:
1) The Music Video for “Sacrifice” by Danzig
Danzig’s obsession with religious themes finds its fullest manifestation in the video for “Sacrifice,” directed by Danzig himself. Strobe lights flash as Danzig crawls towards the camera, establishing the eerie vibe of the video. Later, people are thrown into a sacrificial pit, where a bound at the wrists, Danzig is soon dragged to join them, all while screaming lyrics like Under the downward side / I was the death you beg to hold / Now you have the thing that you wanted most.
2) Satanika
Outside of music, Danzig has a serious passion for comic books and even runs his own comic book company, Verotik (a blend of “violent” and “erotic”), which publishes works heavy in violence and sexual themes. With Satanika, Danzig created a character that speaks for his love of violence, death, and erotica. The titular character, a powerful demoness who rarely wears clothes, often gives in to her sexual desires. Although the design of Satanika has changed over the years, with different artists taking their own artistic liberties, it remains true to Danzig’s vision, purple bat wings and cloven hooves and all.
Satanika
3) His Inspiring Interview with Loudwire
Perhaps the most inspiring part of Danzig’s career is how he juggles so much. In an interview with loudwire.com, he describes his reasoning for always keeping himself busy with his various projects: “While I am here, I want to maximize my time on this planet. I am a workaholic and I like to be creative. It keeps me excited about being here.”
The interview also endears Danzig to fans and non-fans alike with his down-to-earth, hard-working approach to creativity and his craft. “I hope that everyone realizes that you can do it. You don’t need a big label, you can do it on your own,” he defiantly declares, “I had to get that door closed in my face a million times back in the day. Stick to your guns, get out there and take it to the people.”
4) The Blackest of the Black Festival
Glenn Danzig rocks even harder live than on albums, and his “Blackest of the Black” tours, bringing together his band with other legends and up-and-comers like Ministry, Suicidal Tendencies, and Butcher Babies. This year, he turned the tour into a single two-day festival in Silverado, California. The event was heavily inspired by his music and graphic novels, which means a deep journey through the mind of Glenn Danzig and his cult following. Fans were able to experience what it felt like to walk into a sacrifice altar, experience some electrocution, be placed in a padded cell, and more.
Blackest of the Black
5) Aqua Danzig Hunger Force
What makes Glenn Danzig really stand out among his contemporaries is his ability to maintain his image wherever he goes. In Aqua Teen Hunger Force, an animated television series on Cartoon Network, he appears as none other than himself. As one would expect, Danzig finds a tub of everlasting blood intriguing and wants to set up gargoyles for some sacrifices he plans. The beauty in this is that Danzig’s character, while easily distinguishable on appearance alone, manages to give the audience a taste of his passions in the short time he appears on the episode.
6) The Danzig 4 Album Art
Glenn Danzig likes to take an active role in much of the imagery surrounding his projects, especially with his band, Danzig. The artwork for the album Danzig 4, released in 1994, may be hard to understand, but it holds a message he carefully crafted. The symbols on the album cover spell out “Danzig” in Vehmic runes, which originated in the Vehmic courts, a tribunal system that existed in Germany during the later years of the Dark Ages. Given the power to inflict capital punishment, these courts are often represented as a group of vigilantes responsible for many deaths. Additionally, the liner notes of the album include a picture of members of Danzig in coffins.
Danzig 4
7) The Danzig Library
Glenn Danzig is quite the reader, but his tastes in books are as unusual as you’d expect. In this interview, he reveals part of his collection, such as Occult Roots of Nazism by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke and The Werewolf by Montague Summers, various books on death, and books about the different perceptions of evil. He even has a book titled, The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden that include passages omitted from most versions of the Bible. In any case, like many book collectors, he sees his reading material as educational and sources of philosophical discussions. What makes this interview a Glenn Danzig moment is how he unapologetically talks about his interest in such controversial subjects without hesitation.
8) His Reunion Show with The Misfits
Any Misfits fan remembers the excitement surrounding Glenn Danzig’s reunion with the band at Denver’s Riot Fest in 2016. Thirty-three years after his initial departure, fans were able to see Danzig front the iconic horror punk group once again. While the details of the reunion and the future of the Misfits are both uncertain, Danzig performed as if he had never left the band. Choosing a set list full of songs from 1977 up until his departure in 1983, Danzig gave a solid performance that showed age could not limit his talent.
9) Ass kicking with Jeet Kune Do
Glenn Danzig is even more easily recognizable shirtless, thanks to his impressive musculature. Not only is he buff, but he can fight, too, more specifically Jeet Kune Do, a form of martial arts done by Bruce Lee. It’s a spontaneous style of fighting known for emphasizing the concept of moving fluidly with minimal movement. One of his students, Jerry Poteet, passed on the art to Danzig, who has been practicing Jeet Kune Do since 1992 and has earned a teaching degree for it. “In martial arts,” Danzig states in this video, “you get back what you put into it, and it’s the same thing with music; when we’re on stage, we go all out.”
10) The Poetry of Darkness
The corpses all hang headless and limp
Bodies with no surprises
And the blood drains down like devil’s rain
We’ll bathe tonight
It’s no surprise that Danzig has a knack for writing lyrics about gore, death, dismemberment, torture, and blood. But he never writes gory lyrics for the sake of seeming edgy, punk, metal, or something else. Instead, his lyrics paint vivid descriptions of his gory fantasies, creating actual stories for the readers to follow. The Danzig song “Possession” is a perfect example, as it tells the story of taking over one’s body: Oh I will walk among your dreams / When you think you are asleep / The invitation of your mind / Beckons me to your sin.”
So, join in everybody in the chorus of “Skulls”: I want your skulls / I need your skulls / I want your skulls / I need your skulls.”
