Jerry Only on Misfits Reunion: ‘We Just Have to Be Big Enough People to Make It Continue’
One of the year's most buzzed about reunions took place over the weekend as the Misfits, with Glenn Danzig leading the way, performed at the Riot Fest in Denver. It is one of two dates they have scheduled, with a Riot Fest performance in Chicago scheduled later this month. But will the reunion continue?
Speaking to Rolling Stone after the show, Jerry Only stated, "I want it to continue. I know Doyle wants it to continue. I know Glenn wants it to continue. We just have to be big enough people to make it continue. And that's where we're at."
He continued, "Whatever it takes. We're going into our 40th anniversary so the timing couldn't be more perfect. Eventually, Doyle's got to write a new album; I've got to write a new album; Glenn's got to write a new album. Why don't we work together and make the greatest album ever? Now we've got different elements. We've got Doyle playing more of a metal kind of thing. We've got Dave [Lombardo] who we're trying to figure out what the f--k he's doing. And Glenn's got his own thing. And Acey [Slade, second guitar] fills in good too. And I've got the band where it is today. So it's a matter of remolding and using all the different elements that I've got."
But while Only is excited at the opportunity for the reunion to continue, he adds, "I think it's got to evolve naturally. The thing is we've tried to plan things and then we stand there and wait and as it comes we'll just do it. When we go back – I don't know about Glenn – but I canceled our touring and everything for this so I'm going to go home and write and lift."
Only and Danzig have battled over the band name in the past, but they put aside past issues to reunite for these shows. As for playing with Danzig again, Only states, "Glenn is Glenn. We dealt with Glenn in the beginning and it's the same dealing with Glenn now. It doesn't change. It's just a different perspective. If we let Glenn be Glenn and do what we're supposed to do, it's gonna work. You don't argue with each other. I think we're over that. I think we're old enough now."
He adds, "There was always that hole. When Glenn split, there was always that feeling we were missing a component of what makes us what we are. And I'm sure the same goes on for him. In the other bands he was in, he's changed people left and right. When we play together, it's just us."
As for the addition of Dave Lombardo to their lineup, Only admits that there has been a "transitional period" for the drum legend, who was not part of their past history. But he's excited about Lombardo if they move forward. "Doyle was like, 'Dave really doesn't know our material but he wasn't a fanboy,' That was one of the things I liked about him," says Only. "So if we move forward as a unit and start writing new albums with somebody like Dave, we've got a drummer who's from a different place; we might add a different element into our mixture. You feel him build the energy level. I like playing with him. And he's a nice guy."
Misfits will next play Sunday, Sept. 18, headlining the final night of Riot Fest's Chicago edition at Douglas Park.
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