Read the rest of our interview with Misfits’ Jerry Only

In this week’s issue of Kerrang! – which you can pick up here – we spoke to Jerry Only about the return of ‘The Original Misfits’, where he told us him and former frontman Glenn Danzig have “put aside their differences for the sake of the music”.

Now, we’re bringing you the answers we didn’t have space to print…

Photo by Shigeo Jones Kikuchi (Showcase) @ 2016 All Rights Reserved. Used courtesy of Misfits Records LLC.

Was it always on the cards that you’d get back together as ‘The Original Misfits’?

JERRY ONLY: “I’ll put it to you this way. This music is real. This ain’t some fabricated bullshit by some corporation. It was destiny that this music would come along and it was destiny that put us back together. I think the time for talk is over in the music industry. I think its time it got kicked in the teeth one more time.”

Have you and Glenn always stayed in touch over the years?

“It depends if lawyers count (laughs). But I’ve always had the greatest respect for the man. We were like brothers that took on the world. The fact that our kingdom went in two different directions didn’t mean that we wouldn’t unite. Together it’s an unbeatable team.”

You guys are playing America’s Riot Fest in September… what can people expect from your show? How do you think Danzig being back will change the dynamics of the band?

“At this time I have absolutely no idea on any of those questions. I don’t think anybody on this planet knows! I think it’s going to be very interesting. My own mother said she can’t wait to see it go down… she was there in the beginning. One thing is for certain; it’s going to be insane!”

What else would you like to do, other than Riot Fest? Have you talked about some UK shows? Or perhaps new music?

“I say this: people don’t understand… we don’t know if this time bomb is going last five seconds or five years. If we’re still standing at the end of the set in Chicago, things are looking good for us. If not, you tell the whole fucking world I tried my best, and to leave me alone with this shit (laughs)! But I think we’ll stand and we’ll stand strong. I think we’ll be the last monsters standing. We started this music and its only right we’re here to finish what we started.”

If you could pick any band to reunite of your choosing – who would you pick?

“Black Flag, since we spent so much time with them touring in the beginning, I would love to re-live it with them.”

Your Friday the 13th EP comes out on June 17 and it’s a homage to 80s horror. What do you love about 80s horror so much?

“The greatest thing about 80s horror movies was going to see them with a bunch of skinheads from Detroit. We were a bunch of tough guys rolling into the theatre in the middle of the afternoon. Then we saw John Carpenter’s The Thing – it turned us all into little whiny girls (laughs). We walked out of the theater without making a sound. All we mumbled was, ‘That’s fucked up’. I suggest you see that one…”

What’s closing track, Mad Monster Party about?

“The last track is a part of my soul! We covered the Monster Mash in many different line-ups, but the version we did on the Project 1950 album will continue to be known as the best version we’ve ever done. I’d wanted to blow that song away since I was a kid; I wanted to write something better. So I took the idea of the Rankin Bass stop motion animated classic, which I grew up on as a kid, filled it with Misfits, and raised Jerry Lee Lewis from the dead to create a futuristic ‘Monster Mash’ – the ‘Mad Monster Party’.”

Does Danzig have any worries or apprehensions about returning after all this time?

“Well, he hasn’t voiced any concern, he feels very confident, which I like. I have been singing lead for nearly two decades now. I have to learn to control the animal instinct of attacking the mic for the leads vocals, and hold back something that I am used to throwing out at full velocity. Now that Glenn is back, I can wield the bass and get as far away from the mic as I want, channeling all of that intensity and energy into my guitar and my performance in every way.”

How do things compare now to 30 years ago? Are your bones a bit creakier? Or do you feel more energized than ever?

“That’s a great question. I feel so much more energized than ever. For the first time in my life, I am semi-retired from the machine shop, just to work out all day. We rehearse for hours and I am working on writing new songs that are inspired by what’s going on. I believe in the program we’ve been running. I believe the program I’ve been running has brought us to this point. I believe the program I am working on at the moment will bring me to the biggest band in the world. It’s an idea whose time has come.”