Glenn Danzig
The dark lord of punk and heavy metal who built a cult empire from horror-punk anthems and a brooding, muscular musical vision.
Born 1955 (age 71)·American rock musician·Birthday: June 23·Baby Boomers
Biography
Glenn Danzig is a singular and uncompromising figure in American music, a creator who channels primal energy into a distinct gothic-punk-metal hybrid. He first made his mark in the late 1970s fronting the Misfits, a band whose B-movie horror aesthetic, catchy hooks, and iconic 'fiend skull' logo became foundational to punk culture. Never one to stand still, he dissolved the Misfits to form the more atmospheric Samhain, before finally launching his eponymous band, Danzig, in 1987. With Danzig, he achieved mainstream rock success, particularly with the haunting 1993 hit 'Mother,' while delving deeper into a blues-inflected, muscular metal sound. Beyond music, he cultivated a persona as a cult icon, running his own record label and publishing Verotik, a line of explicitly adult comic books, ensuring his creative world remained entirely under his own control. His influence is a shadow that stretches across multiple genres, from the punk basement to the metal arena.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Glenn was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Glenn Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Glenn's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded the highly influential horror-punk band the Misfits, whose imagery and sound became punk rock staples.
- Founded the band Danzig, which produced the hit single 'Mother' and a series of successful heavy metal albums.
- Created Verotik, an adult comic book publishing company known for its dark fantasy and horror titles.
- Owns and operates the independent record label Evilive Records.
Did You Know?
He is a noted collector of occult books and artifacts, with a particular interest in the works of Aleister Crowley.
He wrote songs for and produced albums by the heavy metal band Metallica's frontman, James Hetfield.
He directed the 1999 horror film 'Verotika', based on his comic books.
He is a black belt in Goju-ryu karate.
“I'm not trying to scare anybody. I'm just being myself.”
