Glenn Danzig

Heavy metal and punk musician Glenn Danzig was born Glenn Allen Anzalone in Lodi, New Jersey. He graduated from Lodi High School in 1973 and pursued further education at the Tisch School of the Arts and the New York Institute of Photography, initially aspiring to be a comic book creator and professional photographer before establishing himself in the music industry. His early music career started with piano and clarinet lessons, eventually teaching himself guitar and performing in local bands. Danzig founded his band the Misfits in the mid-1970s, creating a cult following through releases on his own label, after initial rejections from other record companies. The Misfits, named after Marilyn Monroe's last film and reflecting Danzig's self-perception as a social misfit, released two albums and several singles before disbanding in 1983 due to personal and professional differences. Following the Misfits, Danzig formed Samhain, drawing from Celtic traditions, and attracted major label interest. His work with Samhain led to a partnership with the music producer Rick Rubin who helped rename the band to Danzig in 1987. Naming the band after himself allowed Danzig more creative control and the ability to work with a wide variety of musicians and styles, rather than settling in with the same bandmates for every album. Danzig's eponymous debut album in 1988 marked a departure from the gothic-deathrock sound of Samhain to a blues-based heavy metal sound. Throughout his career, Danzig continued to explore various musical directions, including classical music with the release of "Black Aria" (1992), which topped the Billboard classical music chart. In 1994, Glenn Danzig created the comic book publishing company, Verotik. A portmanteau of violent and erotic, it published horror-themed comic books intended for adult readers as well as reprinted classic comics from the 1940s and 50s.