And while the “Crimson Ghost” made its debut on the cover of the band’s 1979 single Horror Business, the logo isn’t used now in memoriam. Not even close according to bassist/vocalist Jerry Only, the lone surviving member of the original Misfits.
“We’re going into our 30th year,” says the 54-year old, reached on the phone in the band’s touring van on an interstate highway between Pittsburgh and North Carolina. It’s likely the same interstate Only has driven a thousand times throughout his 30-plus years as a touring musician. “We’re going to try and stick around until 50. If I can keep a healthy body and mind I think I can do it,” he says somewhat boastingly.
Only remains incredibly bubbly and upbeat throughout our 20-minute conversation considering I’m at the tail-end of two hours of phone interviews he’s logged throughout the evening. He answers questions in great detail and often gets lost in his own long-winded and sometimes pointless tangents. Yet there’s a ceaseless energy in his voice, one that bodes well for the future for Misfits fans.
“If I can keep a healthy body and mind I think I can try and double our catalogue in 13 years. This is my cram time,” he says pointedly. “We’re a punk band so it’s a physical job; once you hit 60 you’re pushing it. But I’ve got all my tools, I want to write some really great stuff and go out with a bang. I’ve got one more decade in me, I’ll tell you that.”
There are traces of naïveté in his logic, especially given that Misfits have only released three studio albums in the last 12 years. Of course, this can be forgiven; few musicians his age display the same sky-high levels of enthusiasm towards recording and touring.
Only hasn’t settled into a comfortable groove, either. At the turn of the century, the long-time bassist took over vocal duties for Misfits. And as he notes, he hasn’t turned back.
“It’s funny, I can’t play without singing now but beforehand I couldn’t sing while I would play,” he laughs. “It was a big transition for me but it helped me grow as a musician. It forced me to pay more attention to my breathing and my concentration. With that comes focus that I can use everywhere. I’m discovering my limitations but I’m figuring how to twist things around as well.”
That focus comes into play when discussing what is truly important to Only and the Misfits’ legacy. Commercial success has largely eluded the band but he remains unaffected. For Jerry Only, happiness stems from the personal connections he maintains with his fans. And he has no intentions of altering this aspect of the band, regardless of how long he continues with the Misfits.
“I’m happy with the band because we’re legendary but we’re still underground. One of the things that makes us legendary is that we’re not a commercial success. We’re not out there playing to 50,000 people, we’re playing to 500 or 1000 people and we have that personal connection with people.”
Through the many decades of the Misfits existence, the “Crimson Ghost” has been the motif that has united Misfits fans and kept the original, anarchistic spirit of punk alive and well. Yet perhaps, for Jerry Only, it has been those fans that have kept the Misfits themselves continuing along every lifeless interstate highway.
“We hang out with our fans after the shows, take the photos, find out what they like and don’t like,” he says in a rare, hushed tone. “You can learn a lot from your fans, the people you’re trying to hard to entertain. We try to keep it humble.”
BY JOSHUA KLOKE
