Glenn Danzig Scrooges Out On Misfits / Christmas Mashup

Rewriting Misfits songs as Christmas carols: before this year I’ve known of only two bands to tackle such a concept. In 2006 Calgary’s ChrisFits served up the lo-fi noel LULZ with one-offs such as “I Turned Into a Reindeer” and “Yuletide Business” (shiz was so good I had to bookmark their Myspace page). Three years later, Cincinnati-based Two Inch Winky proved candy caned horror punk could be spread across an entire album by dropping the riotous and brilliantly titled Legacy of Nativity. If any actual former Misfits objected to these non-secular projects the public didn’t hear about it; hence, the playing field seemed clear for such trends to continue.

While I was personally hoping 2013 would finally yield the Hanukkah-themed parody of Walk Among Us the world so desperately needs I was not disappointed at all with 11 Hits From Heaven by Misfitsmas. Perhaps the richest-sounding and most lovingly crafted of all the Xmas / Misfits mashups, 11 Hits could pass for an honest Christmas album and not just some tongue-in-cheek novelty appealing mostly to those who can pick Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein out of a lineup. Unfortunately, you can’t hear this aural treat anymore: on December 20, eight days after the Misfitsmas (who hail from Illinois) made 11 Hits available for streaming, lawyers representing founding Misfit Glenn Danzig issued a cease and desist. The album has since been wiped from the Internet.

“I just don’t know why you would go after fans [over] a Christmas-themed parodies album,” the Misfitsmas wrote to me via Facebook after I inquired about the situation a couple days ago. The band also makes sure to note they never sought and were never going to seek any profit from their work (Misfitsmas gave 11 Hits away for free on Bandcamp.com). Still frustrated by the situation, this Danzig-bashing Vine was posted by the Misfitsmas to their Facebook page yesterday.

What’s happening here is obvious: Glenn Danzig is only now cracking down on Christmas-related Misfits parodies because he’s secretly cooking up his own Misfits Christmas album, and he’s planning to drop it December 25th with no promotion, Beyoncé-style. Once again, mainstream R&B is dictating Danzig’s career path! I mean, that makes sense to me. It’s just too bad for Misfitsmas—they made something really cool in 11 Hits From Heaven.

Meanwhile, the current active Misfits assembly (lead by original bassist Jerry Only) just released “Horror Xmas,” a seasonal single proudly offering the band’s by-the-numbers cover of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” No word yet of any comment from the surviving families of Dr. Seuss, Boris Karloff, or “Grinch” music composer Albert Hague.