Louisville’s Coliseum has a new album, House With a Curse, out today. And in honor of the hellacious record’s release, frontman Ryan Patterson is taking the reigns of Buzzgrinder today. Speaking of albums out today, here is Ryan’s entry into our storied DANZIG WATCH 2010.

In honor of Buzzgrinder’s Danzig Watch 2010, I’ve come up with a list of some of my favorite Glenn-penned tunes. Most mentions of Danzig these days seem to bounce between reverence for The Man and sarcastic snark at his expense, and to be fair he does walk a precarious line between completely-fucking-awesome and ass-clenchingly-embarrassing.

While he might come off as over the top at times, and there seems to be an inflated ego at work on occasion, his impact cannot be understated. His influence is pervasive, he’s gone from underground punk/hardcore innovator to top 40 hit maker (if only just once) to pop culture icon to infamous subject of a viral video clip.

Glenn Danzig’s public persona may be self-consciously aloof and at times uncomfortably smug, yet in a way it’s no different than if any comic and horror-obsessed nerd was thrown into a life where the art and music he created in his mom’s basement eventually garnered fans and attention across the world…

Do we want Danzig to be an all-powerful icon of horror-punk or just a regular dude? Had he grown into a comedic everyman, like his friend Henry Rollins, would we still be as obsessed with him and his work today, or would the magic have worn off? Regardless, he has created some music that I truly, truly love and has been among my favorites for much of my life.

Some of my favorite Danzig/Misfits/Samhain tunes, in no particular order:

DANZIG

Am I Demon — It had been one of my dreams since I was 12 or 13 to cover this song, Coliseum finally did it in 2005 on our Danzig tribute with Doomriders (who have actually toured with Danzig since then -– lucky bastards). This one is propelled by a classic Sabbath-y riff and Chuck Biscuits’ caveman drumming, with perfect vocals and Diamond Head-inspired lyrics by Glenn. This might be the best John Christ solo, too.

Mother — A fucking classic. I can’t act like I don’t like this song -– it’s just too good! This was really powerful when I first heard it, it’s one of the most striking anti-parental authority songs since the ’60s. It’s cheesy as hell, too, but in the best way possible.

Girl — Such a great stop and start verse and vocal melody. I love the strange way the original Danzig lineup could put songs like this together. This is like the unofficial sequel to Mother.

Dirty Black Summer — This song isn’t really that good… But the song title is aces.

Anything — A beautiful song, I kind of wish it didn’t ever kick in to the rock part, but it has some great chord changes that make it worth it.

Thirteen –- The song Glenn famously wrote for Johnny Cash, which he claimed to have completed in 20 minutes. It’s possible; there’s nothing tricky or remarkably unique about the music, lyric or arrangement, it’s just a great simple song. I’d love to hear an entire acoustic Danzig album of songs like this.

SAMHAIN

The Birthing — From start to finish, Samhain used some of the worst production choices possible… The songwriting is really hit or miss, it almost seems as if Danzig was focused on touring with Samhain and the music came second. This is from their posthumous Final Descent album and it uses a drum machine… Not a good choice for any Danzig-related band. Still, the song is good. It could be a leftover from Earth AD. I would have loved to hear this one played by the Misfits.

Mother of Mercy — At this point they were just a hair away from the vibe of the first Danzig album, but with a little punk still left in the stew. One of the best of the Samhain era.

All Murder, All Guts, All Fun — One of the rare occasions when Samhain material almost achieves Misfits levels of quality. A great classic Glenn Danzig chorus.

He-Who-Can-Not-Be-Named — Another great Samhain tune. It’s a shame it sounds like it was recorded under a blanket.

Unholy Passion — Probably the best Samhain song. Nuff said.

MISFITS

She — Glenn’s paean to the ultimate cult chick –- Patty Hearst. Incredible vocal work, you really didn’t hear singers this good in early punk and hardcore. Perfect lyrics, too; I am still in awe of the lyrics of some of the Misfits songs.

Bullet — This is my favorite Misfits song. Coliseum recorded a dark and swampy version of this in October of last year that will probably see release sooner or later. This song is so intense and pissed and is the best-phrased, most demented references to such a hugely jarring cultural event. There might have been a band called Dead Kennedys, but this is the ultimate twist of the American dream.

Hybrid Moments — My cassette copy of Legacy of Brutality kind of scared me as a kid in a way that some of other Misfits records didn’t, although the live version of Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight on Walk Among Us seemed so vicious, like it came from another world. But many of the songs compiled on Legacy of Brutality had that weird hollow recording and rockabilly/Eddie Cochran vibe, it was like bunch of ghouls from the ’50s playing the musical equivalent of an episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. It was weird and exciting and kind of confusing… All the songs were very melodic, but drenched in feedback. The vastness of the Misfits catalog, all recorded in such a short amount of time and covering so much stylistic territory, always retaining the Misfits vibe… It’s unreal.

American Nightmare — I really don’t like anything made in the last 20 years that has anything to with rockabilly; the Cramps were the last great band in the genre, as far as I’m concerned… But I digress… This song is incredible.

Vampira — There are so many perfect uptempo punk/rock/pop songs in the Misfits catalog, it’s hard to even pick one to highlight. This one just jumps out of the speakers, so short and exciting and full of energy. Every element of this song is amazing.

Wolfsblood — I think this is the most pissed-off sounding song on all of Earth AD. I didn’t really like this record as a kid, I couldn’t quite handle it. As the years have gone on, I’ve loved all of Earth AD/Wolfs Blood more each year.

2 Responses to “DANZIG WATCH 2010: In Defense of Glenn: His Best Songs”

1. 

   On 06/22/10 2:43 PM, Drew said:

   High points after 1992-
   Cantspeak
   Until You Call On The Dark
   Come To Silver
   Deep
   Unspeakable

3. 

   On 06/22/10 3:33 PM, Mike Bigtime said:

   “Devil’s Plaything” on II can’t be topped. It is the perfect Danzig song.

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