“We ain't no goddamn sons of a bitch! You better read about it baby!”
Throughout the month of October, OUTLOUD! RECORDS has been releasing daily drops of covers under the title We're A Fiend Family. Each song is taken from the Misfits or a Misfits-related project. Several TGEFM staffers and guests got together for a track-by-track discussion. This is part 1, covering tracks 1-12.
01 Oct: Classic Pat (of The Putz) – “Long Way Back From Hell”
orig. Danzig – Danzig II: Lucifuge (1990)
Jeff: I'll be the first to dive in here with the admission that I don't know much about Danzig's career post-Misfits other than a bit of Samhain, “Mother,” and the couple of videos where he gets knocked cold.
That being said, Classic Pat sticks pretty close to the formula on this one. I think the heavier sound in both the kick drum and the bass guitar gives it more of a rockabilly edge that the original, and Pat's vocals come across as a bit cleaner and… wholesome… than Danzig's iconic “Evil Elvis” stylings.
Tiffa: I guess Classic Pat lives up to the name because they won't deviate from the standards. This falls under the category of “Did this really need to be covered?” for me considering the only thing that sets this apart from Danzig is Pat's brand o' punk guy voice. C'mon, Pat, show us what else you can do!
Jeff: I have sneaking feeling that a lot of these are going to play it pretty close to the original material. I may be proved wrong though. Love or hate NOFX, their cover of “Last Caress” for the Violent World tribute definitely came out of left field and, I know for a fact, pissed off a lot of Misfits fans. (laughter)
Greg: I want to give Classic Pat some credit for choosing a song that I really would not have expected to show up on this compilation. That being said, the cover is just fine. I didn't hate it but I'm not eager to give it another listen anytime soon. Part of it is that he just can't carry a vocal line in the same way that Danzig can (without Danzig this is just a rocky blues song), and the instrumental parts are just not terribly exciting.
Tiffa: It did make me go and listen to the original because I wasn't familiar. And I agree with the latter bit, there is something more moving, maybe the driving bass is just a bit more groovy in the way the original is able to carry you through that same 4-and-some-change minute long song without feeling like the less exciting parts could've been cut all together.
Greg: I think part of it is that listening to Lucifuge it's really clear how much genuine love for these diverse genres the Danzig band has, and that tends to be tougher to jump into then pop punk which is so energy based. I don't mean for that to sound like elitism against pop punk, but just to illustrate that those genres kind of respond to different things in a hard way to emulate.
Tiffa: I think that was a perfect way to describe that!
Jeff: Well, we've got about 30 more of these to find out if that's true or not. (laughter)
Julie: I feel like Classic Pat takes a lot of the darkness out of this song, for better or worse. I admit I don't know much about Danzig's solo stuff. Or Samhain. Or any Misfits stuff post-Danzig. So this should be fun. So I went and listened to the original. The original had a rockabilly vibe but with a little metal and a whole lot of that Danzig creepiness. The cover pretty much just keeps the rockabilly.
Jeff: What if I told you that Classic Pat was watching you through the window right now? Would that restore some level of creepiness? (laughter)
Jim: I don't know the original, but this guy has some pipes. Classic…Pat. I definitely get the Danzig vibes from the delivery. I'm looking forward to the tunes that I actually know.
02 Oct: J Prozac (of The Prozacs) – “Ghouls Night Out”
orig. Misfits – Three Hits From Hell 7″ (1981)
Tiffa: One of the more lively Ramonesification of a Misfits song you'll hear from above the basement. Never cared much for this song's chorus but it somehow works so much better with that wry bubblegum sneer behind it.
Jeff: I'm gonna agree with that. I mean, the music is pretty straightforward cover, but the vocals really bring a poppier, peppier sound into it.
Greg: I really don't like this song – the Misfits version is just kind of annoying to me? This always feels like the kind of song that Danzig could write in a couple minutes without much thought. The cover is fine, but doesn't too much for me
Tiffa: It's the kind of song that makes me want to a sincere Weird Al cover and make it better and about anything else. The verse melody/structure is what pop punk dreams are made of, but there's no saving that double-ghoul'd chorus.
Jeff: I'm sensing a lot of distaste for “Ghouls Night Out” the song here and, really, I don't get it. It is perfect Misfits through and through! Campy, simple lyrics, a cheesy alteration of an existing phrase, and a fun sing along chorus.
Greg: The chorus has just never grabbed me the way that other tunes do. I think maybe it also leans a little too cute for me? Hard to say what I don't love about it but I also know that intellectually it has all the things I love about other misfits song haha
Jeff: You're fickle, you are!
Greg: 
Julie: I guess if you're never going to be able to sing it like Danzig, going the exact opposite way is a valid choice.
Steven: This is rather good, despite the fact that the vocals border on the overly nasal whine that plague so many pop punk bands. Yes ok, the guitar tones are straight out the ramones playbook, but I'm willing to forgive the lack of imagination as at least they play it well.
Jim: I agree that the song isn't the best. The repetition is annoying. Ghouls night out, like Girls night out? Trite play on words. Next.
03 Oct: The Putz – “Where Eagles Dare”
orig. Misfits – Night of the Living Dead 7″ b-side (1979)
Tiffa: An adequate cover but something about the growing disconnect between the sugary vocals paired with the song's ongoing decry “I ain't no god damn son of a bitch,” doesn't quite take me to that dark place where I am pounding my fist in the air with my hair devil-locked in a thick point between my brows. Too soft, needs more spoop!
Jeff: Wow! Three songs in and we're already at the “needs more spoop” stage! (laughter)
Tiffa: LMAO listen this one took the most rewrites for me, i couldnt quite articulate it without sounding so mean so not enough spoop covered it! 
Greg: Yeah there's definitely something about this song in particular that needs kind of a grit to it. The hard part about covering a band like this without changing pretty much anything about the song, is that you're almost forced into a situation where you have to try and match the original vocals at least a little bit
Julie: I kinda like the vocals on this one. Yes it takes some of the grit away but it replaces it with irony. The original is also one of those songs you walk away from going “Wait, does Danzig hate women or am I reading this wrong?” So the vocals kinda tone that down.
I propose that when we finally post this whole conversation on the site we give it the subheading “We ain't no goddamn sons of a bitch! You better read about it baby!”
Jim: High hopes because the original rips! Agree with others that this loses all of it's grimy grit with the glossy rendition. I picture Danzig walking down the street in New York in the 70s and people giving him shit for the way he looks, and he gives it right back to them! This version sounds like teenagers bitching about getting bullied by jocks. They took the street out of it.
04 Oct: The Anti-Bodies – “Helena”
orig. Misfits – Famous Monsters (1999)
Greg: I'm not a huge fan of post Danzig Misfits, but one thing those songs are never missing is energy. The Anti Bodies doing “Helena” is totally devoid of energy. Even after that minute intro when the song really kicks in, this feels like going through the motions. This isn't a production quip, but more an issue stylistically, but the vocals just aren't working with this song.
Julie: I don't think I've ever heard a song from self-proclaimed Proud Boy Michael Graves before today. It's not a bad song if you're willing to ignore who's singing it. I like the cover with femme vocals, partially because Graves would hate it, but also because it gives a new dynamic to the song.
Jeff: (laughter) I really, I don't know what I can say after that comment… (laughter)
Tiffa: I dig the song from the feminine perspective, but I can't help but agree that this song is pretty lifeless, not even the crunch in the super punchy parts can animate this corpse.
Steven: I went through a phase of trying to ignore the singer and actually listening to the songs in the post Danzig era MIsfits and so shamefully do know the original pretty well and this actually kicks its ass. I would much rather listen to female voice nail this vocal than the whine on the original and once it actually gets past the plodding intro I think The Anti Bodies really hit their stride.
Jim: I like the staccato guitars in the intro. Don't know the original, but I know M Graves and his political afflictions. I try to separate the music from the person creating it, sometimes it's hard. Love the female vocals and the band really swings on this one.
05 Oct: Them Creatures – “Horror Business”
orig. Misfits – Horror Business 7″ (1979)
Jeff: I'm going to start by saying this is the best Misfits song ever. Furthermore, it is incredibly hard to mess up as long as you hit the right beats and the chorus pops just like it is supposed to. I like Them Creatures' cover. They don't mess around with it too much, but I do hear some slight variations that let you know this is something different. They may play it a bit faster, and there's a bit (OK a LOT) less bass than the original, but it works.
For the record, Superchunk's acoustic cover of “Horror Business” is the best I've heard. I don't know if it is still available (they've released an electric cover of the song), but I grabbed it off of their website well over a decade ago. It is, in a word, hilarious AND awesome. I still listen to it to this day.
Greg: I don't know if this is my favorite Misfits song but it's definitely really high up there. I really like that vocalist in Them Creatures is imitating Danzig but only as much as he has to. It's an homage that is still totally his own. It works real well!
Julie: I've never heard of Them Creatures before but it sounds like they were created just to cover this one particular song. This is one of those rare Misfits covers that is every ounce as much fun as the original.
Jeff: According to their Facebook profile, they've been around since 2011. So… maybe they've just been biding their time to cover this one song? (laughter)
I just know that I love the original, and I love most if not all covers I've heard of it. This one's no different.
Tiffa: This is how you stay true to an original while still putting your stank on it, you gotta have fun with it! If I didn't know this was a Misfits song, the energy alone in this would get me into Them Creatures.
Julie: I'm using “putting your stank on it” everywhere from now on.
Jeff: (laughter) Waitstaff: Would you like a drink with that? Julie: No, put your stank on it.
06 Oct: Black Russians – “”Dig Up Her Bones”
orig. Misfits – American Psycho/Dig Up her Bones 7″ (1997)
Greg: The vocalist for Black Russians I find extremely grating. There is definitely an aspect of the production on his vocals that aren't helping, but when he's singing by himself he really can't hold these melodies. When the band all sings together they actually sound great and he suddenly finds his footing.
Julie: It's hard to turn in a vocal performance that makes you miss good ol' Michael Graves, but somehow Black Russians pull off just that. I agree it's grating to the point where it just spoils what they're trying to do musically.
Tiffa: This is pretty lackluster despite the musicianship being spot on. When every scene is plagued by a plethora of bands doing the same Misfits cover sets every Halloween, why not try to do something a little different with these songs you've heard a million times? I guess I just don't understand the point of spot-on covers. I find it interesting how many of these covers we're finding vocalists struggling to find the balance between their punk and horror punk voices.
Steven: There are a few songs from this era of Misfits that I wish weren't and this is one of them, but honestly this version by the Black Russians is not my favourite. I'm not sure whether the vocalist is trying to be overly affected or just can't hit the notes, but it's so distracting. I totally agree with Greg that when the band come in and harmonise it actually kind of works, if there was more of this, combined with the solid guitar parts this would be significantly better than it is.
07 Oct: The Moans – “Astrozombies”
orig. Misfits – Walk Among Us (1982)
Tiffa: Points for eliminating triggering language, & while the vocalist sounds like they're absolutely having a blast belting this out, it's not reinventing the Misfits Wheel o' Punk. There's some classic pop punk elements sprinkled throughout this but did it alter the dynamic of the song as a whole? Not really. Overall, a reliable cover, a standard in every punk's repertoire.
Greg: I like the energy of this a lot but I'm missing some of the melodic bits in the chorus quite a lot. I like the added guitar parts – it definitely could have stood more of that here and there though.
Julie: It's funny but, seven tracks in and we get our first track off of one of the Danzig-era Misfits' LPs. This cover sounds like it was heading in the right direction but stopped before they could get this song to where it needed to be. Still, kudos for making an effort.
Jim: Love the original. Probably the Misfits' most catchy song. Pretty faithful interpretation. The extra guitar comes out of nowhere, like an Astrozombie attack!! If the Astrozombies were gnats. Interesting move to devolve into an Oi style noise romp at the end.
08 Oct: The Anxieties – “I Don't Wanna Go”
orig. The Undead – Dawn of the Undead collection (1991)
Jeff: Wow, talking about a deep cut. Quick history lesson: The Undead was fronted by Bobby Steele, who played guitar and backing vocals for the Misfits from '78-80. This song shows up on a 1991 collection of tracks by the band, but I'm not entirely sure if/when it appeared elsewhere.
Julie: I wonder if the label picked this song for them or if the band picked it themselves. Extra points to the band if it was their pick since I learned something new about The Misfits today. I never thought that was possible.
It certainly keeps the same energy and sense of morbid fun that the original has, so I'm pretty happy with this one.
Greg: Is Bobby Steele the one who quit because he didn't like touring and didn't like how campy Danzig's lyrics were getting?
Props on picking a deep cut – a surprise I really didn't expect from this. This song is fine. It doesn't add much that excites me.
Tiffa: Interested to see how deep these other tracks dare to go, but these guys rip, the energy is spot on and same thing here– if I didn't know this was associated with the Misfits in some way, I'd still WANNA go to these guys' show either way.
Steven: This is both true to the original yet different enough to be interesting. Great energy and Scott Von Rocket really nails the vocals and makes the original sound a bit flat when going back to it. Major kudos to the band for going to a Bobby Steele project for their choice – it's an inspired one, which they make the most of. Excellent cover!
09 Oct: The O'Mulligans – “Angelfuck”
orig. Misfits – Static Age (also featured on Legacy of Brutality)
Julie: Finally we're in my wheelhouse, as Static Age, the Misfits planned first album that was recorded in 1978 but not released until 1996, is my favorite Misfits album by far. It's their most Ramones-esque record and I love the sort of punk rock romanticism of knowing it had to be recorded quickly, cheaply, and during the recording studio's graveyard shifts. This cover, like many of the covers we've heard, differs from the original primarily in the vocal performance. The O'Mulligans' vocalist swings wildly between Danzig/Elvis style vocals and just hardcore screaming. It's a pretty wild performance that manages to capture the spirit of the original pretty perfectly, and it really compliments Danzig's bizarre, morbid lyrics.
Greg: I know that intellectualy this is an extremely Ramones-core song, but I never feel that way when I listen to the original version – totally agreed that Static Age is an extremely strong album – but yeah this cover really amps up the Ramones-ness of it all.
Tiffa: I agree, this song takes to the Ramonesification machine quite nicely, but there is a struggle I find in this vocalist, like many others here, a grasping to find the sweetspot between Danzig/Elvis/Drunk Vagrant.
10 Oct: The Beatersband – “Some Kinda Hate”
orig. Misfits – Static Age (also featured on Legacy of Brutality)
Julie: Ooh, somebody loves me because we've got two songs from Static Age back to back this weekend. Unfortunately the vocal performance on this one is kinda weak. It just fails to really give me that fun Misfits energy and instead sounds meek. This has nothing to do with the sex of the singer, as I've enjoyed some of these songs with femme vocals. It just lacks the passion of the original.
Greg: Yeah the vocals really lack any sense of urgency. i think the mix is not helping, but the performance isn't fantastic
Tiffa: Maybe they tried to recapture the spirit of the original recording session by also rushing this and then botched the reading of the ancient text during the seance. This didn't need to be a recorded cover, but I'm sure it's fun when they bust it out around Halloween season.
Jeff: I don't think it's all that bad. I mean, it 's not the best cover, but I'm willing to give them a bit of credit as 1) I like The Beatersband, and 2) there's the whole “English as a second language” thing going on for them (they're from Italy).
Tiffa: Okay so knowing that now I revoke none of my love, but some of my hate. *ba dum tss*
Jeff: You're too young to be bringing in the dad jokes. (laughter)
Jim: Another of my faves. Agree that it lacks the crunch and crush of the original. The Italian accent is kinda cute. I don't see any point in listening to this again.
11 Oct: Mantis Watch – “You and Me”
orig. Glenn Danzig & The Power and Fury Orchestra – Less Than Zero soundtrack
Jeff: Another history lesson for the kiddos quickly? This was one of two songs Danzig co-wrote for the 1987 film Less Than Zero (the other being the Roy Orbison song “Life Fades Away”). This track was co-written with producer Rick Rubin, and …the Power and Fury Orchestra was, if I recall, primarily session musicians.
I, honestly, completely and utterly forgot that this song even existed… (laughter)
Julie: I honestly didn't even know that the original song even exist a few minutes ago and I'm so glad I learned about it because oh my goddess this song is glorious. This is the first song from this compilation where I can't even find the song on either Apple Music or Spotify. The cover is pretty good, too. I was skeptical when I heard the punk guitars that they were going to be able to still capture the melodies from the original but they managed to pull it off. So points to Mantis Watch both for song choice and execution.
Greg: The original is laughable. I actually think the cover is better and sort of finds a way to match the spirit of the original in a more straightforward punk context.
Julie: Hard disagree on the original there. It's kinda unabashedly cheesy but also absolutely gorgeous.
I will die on this hill.
Jeff: It's definitely Danzig channelling what is likely his best Elvis impersonation. One thing we need to bear in mind with the original was the strong likelihood that the song was written to fit into the narrative of the film. I'm old as dirt, so I remember a time when entire soundtracks were written just for the film. Shit, that was Kenny Loggins' whole raison d'être in the 80s. (laughter)
Still, this cover isn't bad by any means. Mantis Watch doesn't try to emulate Danzig emulating Elvis. They kick the tempo up a notch, shaving almost a minute off of the runtime (although I kind of wished they would just gone super fast with it), and it's fun.
Tiffa: Wow wow wow, I have to agree with Julie here. This is such a Scene from a Movie song–Danzig knows his references and isn't afraid to parade around his love of days of yore. I stopped listening to the cover a while ago and I'm being lifted through this dreamy haunted soda pop dream Danzig's conjured up. This could be a Roy Orbison song.
I hate the choir though.
Greg: WOW looks like i'm in the minority on this one 
Jeff: Tiffa, I really feel like maybe Danzig's collaboration with Orbison on “Life Fades Away” may have strongly influenced this.
Tiffa: I like to think they shared a box of black hair dye to do a little bonding just before stepping into the studio together.
Jeff: (laughter)
Tiffa: Y E S
Jim: Like some of the other covers on this comp, this just makes me want to listen to the original. This song definitely redeemed an otherwise meh movie. It all makes sense now, the pop sensibilities of Rick Ruben, Danzig channeling Elvis, and some solid studio folks throw down a certified banger!! This version waters down the original, and peels away the gloss in a bad way, it just doesn't work.
12 Oct: Monkys – “Resurrection”
orig. Misfits – American Psycho (1997)
Julie: This one plays it really close to the original, but the cover benefits from slightly better recording quality than the original. Otherwise, the two versions are almost entirely indistinguishable from each other.
Jeff: Yeah, I'm starting to think that OUTLOUD!'s selection of bands may be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, the pop-punk/Ramones style that OUTLOUD! trucks in is perfectly suited to make good covers of many of these songs. However, while the covers may be “good,” they are also pretty tame in the sense that there's nothing “new” being done. It seems to be bringing a lot of homogeneity to the whole thing.
I may be proven wrong, as we still have nineteen more of these to go. But I feel that, while a lot of these bands aren't really “making it their own” because the musical styles of the source act and covering act are so similar, most don't seem to be doing something wildly different, either. Here's to hoping for some straight-up melodic punk/ska/death metal versions in our future…?
I mean, Monkys do a good job of covering the song, but it just sounds like a modern, straight-forward cover. I like it, but I'm not “wowed” by it, you know?
Tiffa: I agree with a lot of this Jeff, especially since–and I hate to keep making the allusion to Halloween shows, but every punk band has atleast 6-10 Misfits songs up their sleeves: the standards & 3-4 deep cuts for the superfans/friends in the audience, and a good handful of these so far have played out as that. Now that we're nearing two weeks worth of tracks, I think my focus going forward will be less “Is this different and if not, why not??” and maybe shine more of a light on some of the more repeat themes we've come across like: “Where does this band (doing the covering) begin and where does the Danzig impression end?”
Greg: Totally agree with Jeff. I have my fingers crossed for at least one out of left field cover.
Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 of our track-by-track discussion
the white drew carey (aka – Jeff Sorley) is the founder and head editor of TGEFM. He's lived (outside of) Chicago, Madison WI, (ugh) Penn State, Lyon FR, Oxford UK, central New Jersey, and now within earshot of SFO in the Bay Area. When not scouring the web for more great bands and labels to post about, he also spends time drawing (mostly) silly sci-fi and anime stuff under the name Asplenia Studios.