How Elvis Presley Unknowingly Helped Create the Misfits and Horror Punk

Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, is one of the most influential artists in the history of American music. While he didn’t invent rock, he helped bring it to a wider audience. As a result, he has been inspiring rockers since the ‘60s. However, his influence doesn’t stop there. We also have the “Love Me Tender” singer to thank for the Misfits and by extension horror punk.

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There is no denying the vast differences between the output of Presley and the Misfits. However, without him, the New Jersey-based band would have likely never formed. Glenn Danzig, the band’s founder and original vocalist and songwriter was deeply influenced by Presley.

[RELATED: 5 Songs That Name-Drop or Reference Elvis Presley, Describing Elvis’ Influence for Better or Worse]

However, Presley didn’t just inspire Danzig to put a band together. He inspired the Lodi, New Jersey native to start a movement. Today, the list of horror punk bands and offshoots is long. However, when Danzig teamed up with bassist and fellow Elvis fan Jerry Only in 1977, that wasn’t the case. No one had thought to mesh horror movie themes and imagery with punk rock until then.

Glenn Danzig on the Importance of Elvis to Him and the Misfits

The Misfits founder released an album of Elvis Presley covers in 2020. While promoting the album, he spoke to Revolver Magazine about how The King changed his life.

“Yeah, of course,” Danzig said when the publication asked if Presley meant a lot to him. “The reason I ended up becoming a singer is, I was playing hooky, cutting school, and I watched old movies all the time. And I’m watching Jailhouse Rock and was like, ‘This is what I want to do. This is cool,” he recalled.

“You could say it really changed my life,” he said about the 1957 musical drama. “I always say that Elvis and Black Sabbath are two big influences that probably define where I ended up going,” he added.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Danzig talked about the artists who helped shape his vocal style. “I’ve been pretty vocal about my influences, like Elvis or Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, things like that,” he said. “The deeper voice always worked for me better,” he added.

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