Glenn Danzig Draws Fire for Behavior at Fun Fun Fun Fest
Glenn Danzig may have earned some warm fuzzy points when he was spotted buying kitty litter last year, but promoters and fans in Austin, Texas are less than thrilled with the former Misfits frontman’s behavior this weekend.
Danzig Legacy (featuring members and songs from the singer’s previous bands Samhain and the Misfits) was scheduled to headline the Friday night Black Stage at Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest. According to interviews with festival promoters Transmission Entertainment and a post on the company’s Facebook page, the Dark Lord arrived in Austin on Friday morning and said it was too cold, he had a cough and he wasn’t going to play. He then demanded vitamins, French onion soup and a Wendy’s chicken sandwich, keeping his intentions unclear as the temperature climbed to 71 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny, with a projected evening low of the mid- to high-50s.
After hours of negotiation with Danzig’s agents, including the provision of stage heaters and an on-site doctor, the promoters say they were assured that the show would go on – but as of the 8:15pm set time, Danzig still refused to play, citing the weather, his “deathbug” and his unhappiness with the stage specs, all of which had reportedly been approved months in advance and by his crew on Friday. He finally relented and took the stage at 9 p.m., now faced with a 10 p.m. curfew and a 45-minute set time reduction. He immediately declared to the crowd that he was “fucking freezing,” and proceeded to play a set that, while full of energy and effort by his bandmates, elicited comments on Twitter that compared it to “Danzig karaoke.”
At 10 p.m., when the promoters were required to enforce the city’s curfew and turned off the equipment, Danzig had only gotten through two Misfits songs, much to the loud disappointment of fans, many of whom had traveled from many miles away according to comments on Facebook and Twitter. Danzig encouraged them to riot in protest, but other than some tossed trash, most politely declined.
Fun Fun Fun Fest continues through Sunday at Austin’s Auditorium Shores, with performances by acts including Slayer, Odd Future, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, M83, Girls, Childish Gambino, Wugazi and Kool Keith, who replaced Rakim today after the rapper broke his foot.