Interview: Glenn Danzig - one of the last divas - STALKER MAGAZINE inside out of rock´n´roll

Glenn Danzig - one of the last divas

STALKER had a little talk with the short muscle man and discovered at least a few sides of him that we never expected to find...

The American of Italian/German/Scottish descent, Glenn Allen Anzalone aka Glenn Danzig, has been in the music business for more than 28 years and despite the fact that he has now reached the tender age of 50, he is still considered one of the most agile and enterprising, but also most creative representatives of his trade. He is most famous for his part in the „Misfits“, a band he himself founded. He had a commercial breakthrough with his current band „Danzig“ with the song „Mother“, which was constantly played on MTV at the time. After that it quickly became very quiet around the egocentric musician, but he never really disappeared from the media completely, even though it usually had more to do with his various other activities, extravagant behaviour and notorious whims.

Let´s start with your private background. How was your childhood in Lodi, New Jersey?
In where? yeah, what everyone knows... None of your business

For what reason did you choose the artist name ´Danzig`?
Huh?
At the time, you picked an artist name, why did you choose ´Danzig`?
It´s a personal reason and has to do with my family. Usually my family is off limits. I don´t give a fuck about who you are. I keep my family out of it. If you understand that and respect that – great; if not I could give two fucks. So how is that?

Okay, if you want to keep them out of the music circus that´s fine by me.
That is nothing they chose. I chose it and I like to keep them out as much as possible. It´s a crazy, crazy life and some people are your fans and some are not your fans. They could get harmed... That´s why I keep it private. It´s my family and I like to keep them out as much as I can.

I read that you worked in a comic book store in NY when you were younger...
No... that is all bullshit. I never said such bullshit. That´s just fucking rumours of people who were unable to get an interview with me - so they created some.

So, let´s get rid of those rumours. How did your relationship with comics start?
When I was a kid, I really liked comic books and not just American. I like European and especially Japanese comics too. As a comic fan, I´m really frustrated with the American comics. There are all like just for little kids and geeks. Finally I was able to do something about it instead of complaining about it. So I started my own company and hired the best artists and writers and put out this crazy, violent, erotic comics, you know? That´s what I did.

Illustration: Christian Sloan Hall, design: Alan Hynes

They are all for adults right?
Yes, well... they are supposed to be, but usually kids get people to buy them for them or whatever.

How is the work flow in regard to the comics?
It depends. For example with ´Death Dealer`, the character already existed, so I just create the story.

c/o by danzig-verotic.com

Do you write every story board completely by yourself?
No, I´m doing the story – story board is different, that´s what your doing for a movie. Well, I write the story and the dialogue and I give it to Bis (Simon Bisley) like in ´Death Dealer` and he does the art. So geht das!

Oh, you speak German?
Just a little... ein kleiner

How come? Did you learned it from relatives, or on tour?
Just... ehm... I learned it.

When you started your comic company, were you expecting or planning to distribute it outside of the US?
I think that all came later. First thing I wanted to do was creating really cool comics for fans who hated Marvel and DC. In America they are big companies. That´s what I wanted to do and later all the rest just happened and that makes it even better.

There are some Glenn Danzig dolls on the market, one of each band. I heard that you collect these dolls. Are you planning to create some of your comic characters as well?
Well they are action figures of me. I don´t collect dolls! They are action figures... Maybe we´ll do some in the future of some of the characters.

Could you tell us something about the movie about one of your comics?
I´m gonna do the movie, I haven´t done it yet. Once I´m done touring, I´m gonna direct that movie. I already handed the first drafter of the screenplay called ´Gathering`. It takes places back in old times New Orleans. It will be really cool and very violent and very erotic

Will it be with animated figures or with actors?
With actors, it´s the story of one of the comics.

Are there already actors in your mind?
Yes, I have a list of people I want to play each character. One person we are already in touch with, so when we have a final script we´ll give it to that person. Doesn´t matter if the person is a bigger or smaller star. Whoever is the right person for the role will get it. If we have a final script approved, maybe I can do it before I start touring again in September and if not I have to wait until November.

I heard the soundtrack is done by Jerry Cantrall and you...
Oh no, that´s a blues record Jerry and I are gonna do as soon as we both find the time for it. It will be very dark, creepy and hopeless... I did blues before, but this is going to be something special.

Is it true that the Hustler wanted to get involved in it?
Oh, that is not my character, it´s Ed Lee´s character. Yeah, Hustler wanted to do ´Grub Girl`.

What was the reason that they didn´t do it in the end?
It was because they don´t wanted to sign the contract. They just wanted to do it by handshaking and I was like no, you know? Especially because it´s not my character. It´s Ed Lee´s character and his rights should be protected. So when I do a shady deal... I thought it´s better not to do, it´s better someone else is gonna direct it. There is a director in Hollywood I know ... he wants to do it too. That movie is already done. It´s about a character called ´Grub Girl` which Hustler was interested in. She is a dead hooker and like to eat people... it´s very crazy.

c/o by danzig-verotic.com

It seems like a lot of undone work is waiting in the pipelines for you...
I´m always working, I´m always busy. I´m kind of a workaholic.

Your calling yourself a workaholic, so how are you able to combine your music, the comics, the movies, your roles in guest appearances in movies and private life... do you have any private life?
No, none! Especially with touring... When I get home, I have to take care of everything I haven´t taken care of when I was on the road and then it´s time to do a new record and so on... so I don´t have any time to do anything private.

At least some days will be free... is it possible to imagine you sitting on a couch, eating chips, watching a football game?
I hate football I really don´t like football. I like no sports. The only thing which is close to sports I like to watch is pro wrestling. Not real wrestling, just pro wrestling, because wrestling is boring, but pro wrestling is funny.

Is Hulk Hogan a real wrestler?
Yes, he´s a real wrestler, but when he appears in TV he´s a crazy bastard. The more absurd the better for me.

Like Jokosuma?
He´s dead I think.
Yes, he died.
Well he was crazy. Eventually he died on too many pills... they take a lot for killing the pain because of injuries they get and then some die because of that shit. It´s a crazy life, I could never do it. Well, I wanted it first, but it wasn´t working.

Because of your shortness?
I was too short to be a pro wrestler, yes. I´m glad I did what I did instead, because it´s a crazy life.

Okay, back to your rare free time...
Usually I have some spare time, I´m writing, or watching a movie but I´m not eating chips. I´m watching those kind of movies probably none else would watch... maybe a couple of my friends. I don´t watch the Hollywood movies, I watch old movies, or Euro-trash movies, or Japanese horror movies, or Jakuza movies that´s about the Japanese Mafia, or Tirade movies which is the Chinese Mafia. those kind of movies.

How about your guest role in some movies?
I did two movies, one was Gods Army and the other was The Prophecy II.

You were asked to play the Wolverine in X-Men. Why didn´t that happened?
That was a long time ago and then the movie went to another director so they asked me again later. It kinda got shuffled around and then they finally brought it to this one director and I went into it with this one director and the producers and they asked me. I said it doesn´t matters if I want it or not, I can´t do it, I´m going on tour. Then they said if you do this you can´t go on tour. Then I said, then I can´t do it because I was on tour for a long time. I have to do this tour, it´s already booked. Well so you can´t give it to me.

Have you seen the amateur video of your fight with your support band´s singer Danny Marianinho of ´North Side Kings`, which is in the net for longer?
Fuck off, no comment to this.

I´d like to talk with you about your own label Eviline. What was the reason for you to do it?
I always had my own label called 129 records. And since 1995 I called it Evillife like my publishing company. For a long time it´s just the label I put my own stuff right on, but I´ll start signing other bands and putting out other peoples records and we´ll see what comes up first. There is lot´s of different stuff I want to put out and we´ll see what comes up first. I think maybe Doyle´s (Paul Caiafa aka. Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein / Misfits) band. He has a band of his own called ´Gorgeous Frankenstein` at first.

For your new album ´Circle Of Snake` you did a deal with Regain records...
Only in Europe and in America it´s mine through mdm music. So basically what I do is each record I look at who I license my record to and if I´m happy, if I´m not I just leave and I license it to somebody else who I think will do a good job on it. That´s pretty much what every other label does, when we were around Rick Rubins label, that what he did. He changed distributors all time, so now it´s just like me doing it without having him as a middle man. That´s much better.

Are you still dealing with E-Machine distribution via Internet?
No, they did the ´Satan Styke Record` and some re-issues, but that´s done and over. They don´t have stuff any more and I don´t even know if that label exists any more. Well, I don´t really like the internet much, it´s just full of bullshit. Well the Vertigo comics have a website which is part of the Danzig homepage, but I don´t see any need to have a website for Evillife. Too many People spend too much time on the internet instead of living life. The world outside is much much more entertaining than the world on the internet.

Well, there is some useful stuff in the internet, like internet radio for example...
You know what? We are in Hamburg right now, having fun, you know? Well, I understand what you mean and yes that´s true for some people, but not for everybody and not for people in America it´s stupid. It´s different when you are a kid and live in a part of Texas, or Arkansas, but not if you live in New York City, not if you live in Los Angeles, or San Francisco, or Detroit, or... you know? Or you live in London, or other big cities. Everything is at your disposal. Enjoy life! Go out! Sitting behind the screen all day is retarded.

Did you ever think about moving to Europe?
No! Never! I like America really a lot. I go all over the world and love coming to different countries and experiencing all the people, different cultures and everything. As far as it´s about living somewhere, I´m very happy in America.

Where you happy with the last election in America?
No, they are all assholes. Everyone, every single president talks just bullshit.

If you could, what would you change?
Ow... I would change so much, but people would´t like what I would do.
I would stop giving money to all the different countries and I would take care of the American people first. We have so many homeless people in America and we give money to all these ungrateful countries around the world. I would stop that- I would first feed the people in America who have no money and suffering and dying on the streets and then if we would have money left over, I would give it to the other countries that need it. That´s the first thing I would do.

I would like to know, if I got you right. You use Satan as a symbol in your lyrics, but you don´t believe in Satan as it´s meant in Christianity. Am I right so far?
No, I never said that. I don´t believe in any religion really. I believe maybe in a kind of Ying and Yang, kind of negative and positive energy.. polarity... however you wanna call it. That it is pretty much. The only one I´m believe in is myself. I´m the one who creates my own destiny, I´m the one who´s gonna change my own future, make my own future. That´s it.

Why are you using Christian symbols in your lyrics then?
For me, I identify myself in many ways with Lucifer, Satan or whatever. In religion it is even not clear whether Satan is Lucifer or not. You know, there are so many different bibles. But the rebellion is standing up, telling people to fuck themselves, that´s something I relate to and obtaining a higher level of intelligence and trying to be better all the time. Religions don´t want you to do that, they want you as follower... do this... do that... that´s not me.

Could you tell us a little about your relationship to Johnny Cash?
Well, I wrote a song for him. At least I had a second song for him, but didn´t giving it to him. As much as I liked Johnny Cash and he was a great artist it didn´t feel right to give it to him, because he was on Rick´s label and I was going into a bigger battle with Rick Rubin at that time.

c/o by johnnycash.com

What were your feelings when Johnny Cash died?
It´s never good news to hear that someone that you respect and someone you know, even briefly, is dying. Well, he was very sick for a long time and when his wife died, I guess that was pretty much the time of the end already for him. Johnny had no more real reason to keep going. He really loved his wife. It´s never nice to hear that someone died.

Author: Samira Alinto, Photos: Melanie Haack
Date: 2005-10-14

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